Clean Windows

Hello beloved children of God,

This week was interesting, to say the least.  This week went by super slow - the last full weeks of the transfer always do it seems.  That's right, next Thursday we have another transfer meeting!  And on Friday we are having a sister training meeting.  That means we are going to be having fun in Bangkok!  We aren't really sure who will be moving yet, though.  We should know tomorrow...hopefully.  :)

Exciting news of the week!  Yesterday, President and Sister Senior, his counselors and the Khon Kaen district presidency came to visit our tiny branch!  Which means, we had a TON of preparation to do this past week.  Sister Crockett and I volunteered our service to helping to deep clean the church.  It took quite some time.   (we're exhausted)  But in all reality, we were in the perfect position to serve our members.  We don't really have any investigators right now, and it seemed like the work wasn't super fulfilling.  But then we got to serve!  It seems like opportunities to serve are far and few in Thailand, so we got right on it.  Plus, we have been emphasizing the importance of building strong relationships and trust with the members.  (2 out the 4 baptisms in the past year have been member referrals...).  It just really felt good to serve.  "When you are in the service of your fellow man, you are only in the service of your God", right?

Sister Crockett and I were at the church for about 3 hours Saturday night.  When we had to return home, we noticed that although the windows had been cleaned, the cleaner used left some streaks.  We returned early Sunday morning to see what we could do to make it better.  As we were cleaning it, I came up with an analogy that I would like to share with you:  

"Remember that "Mormon Message" where the lady thinks her neighbor is not a skilled cleaner when in all reality is her own windows that are dirty and causing the distorted perception?  Perhaps, sometimes we can't tell that our own windows are dirty.  Sometimes, however, we can.  Sometimes it seems we can see the dirt all too clearly.  We work really hard to clean our windows and we just can't seem to get it perfectly clear.  We use various glass cleaners, but the streaks are still there.  We wipe this direction, that direction, but to no avail.  The streaks still remain.  The cleaners we are using do help - it is part of the process.  They wipe the dirt away but the residue still remains.  No matter what we do, it just doesn't go away.  We look at it in different lights and in different angles - sometimes it looks cleaner than other times, but what has really changed?  Finally we get tired of looking through smeared windows and of trying to clean to no avail.  We try something different.  Water.  The purest of all substances, the source of all life.  No chemicals, no scent, no trace.  Just water.  We start to apply the damp rag.  The residue starts to condense.  For a second it looks like it is going to make it worse.  Then you take another rag and wipe it dry.  It takes a little elbow grease to buff out the last remaining streaks. You get tired and a little sore.  But when it is finally clean, you have clear windows, a clear view, a clean slate.  A fresh start.  A vessel prepared to receive our long awaited guests."

I compare this to repentance.  It is the purest of ways to become truly clean.  We can try to use other methods of cleaning, but unless we use repentance, we cannot become truly free from the streaks of sin.  Repentance may seem hard sometimes - it may seem like things are getting worse when in all reality, that is just part of the healing process.  It takes work and time, but in the end it is always worth it.  Through repentance we can become clean from guilt and sin.  We can become vessels prepared for the Spirit of the Lord to dwell within us.  

I love you all.  Thank you for the love, support, and prayers you send to us missionaries.

Love,

Sister Norrell