Season of Change

 It's Fall in New England and we have been enjoying the changing colors on the trees all month.  Locals say the colors haven't been as spectacular this year due to the "drought" we are in but, coming from California, we're finding it difficult to think of this as even a dry spell.  Since we are the only senior missionary couple in Connecticut, we organized a little "Leaf Peeper" drive for all the couples to come and experience what we get to see every time we drive to church. It was a beautiful day to have a little fun and enjoy the beauty of God's creations.    

Now that the weather is changing and school is back in session, I've been asked to substitute in Seminary once or twice a week.  I really enjoy teaching the youth.  The other change to our schedule is an increased effort to visit and invite back the members of the ward who have been missing since Covid hit.  We try to go in the evenings after people get home from work, but it's getting dark earlier and once we lose Daylight Saving time, we'll probably be restricted to visiting on Saturdays and Sundays.  We've had quite a bit of success, meeting many families who are happy to see us and seem to have just been waiting for someone to come and invite them back.  For example, we called on a sister at about 3:00 on a Saturday afternoon and she was so excited, she asked us, in tears, if we would come back and pick her up for the Relief Society activity that started at 5:00 that evening! At least we think that's what she said, she only spoke Spanish - but she did come; she's standing next to me in the photo.  This speaks to me so strongly of the importance of our ministering efforts - do we know someone who is just waiting for us to invite them back?

Jesus Christ's gospel is a gospel of change.  We know that no matter where we are on the path to salvation, we can't progress without a willingness to change. Pres. Dallin H. Oaks taught, "The gospel of Jesus Christ challenges us to change. The purpose of the gospel is to transform common creatures into celestial citizens, and that requires change."  Of course, we can't celebrate change without talking about the biggest change a person can make in this life - accepting Jesus Christ as their Savior through baptism.  Incredibly, the NYNYC Mission helped 153 people make this change during the month of October!  Our friend, Roberto, was one of those, and now he is anxious to help his whole family make the same change.   

One of my favorite events this month was the Fairfield Stake's service project to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Joseph Smith's vision of God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.  This project has been in the works for two years while it kept getting postponed due to the pandemic.  The goal was to help create quiet, sacred spaces by planting 200 trees in small clusters all around our stake.  I know that in the spring of 1820, Joseph knelt in a grove such as these and received a prophetic answer to his heartfelt prayer. This ushered in the dispensation of the fullness of times and the restoration of Christ's own church. No event in modern history has brought a greater change to the whole world.