Another Cool Story

I have to share another story from the history of Joseph Smith book I'm reading.  There are many amazing stories in there and it really helps me understand a lot of the back story behind the tales I've been hearing since childhood.  One story I'd never heard before was about Joseph's brother Samuel.  Right after the Book of Mormon got published, the older boys from the Smith family went out proselyting to try and sell the books and spread the message of the new church. 

Samuel was trying to be a good missionary and knock on a lot of doors, but was often turned away because many people had heard about Joseph Smith and thought he was either crazy or trying to take people away from other religions (leaving their pastors without a job) and other things like that.  One night, Samuel went to an inn where he tried to talk to the owner.  He presented the book as a history of where the Native American people came from and when the owner asked him how he got such a book, Samuel told him that his brother had translated it from a manuscript given from God.  The owner called him a liar and said many other bad things and kicked him out of the inn.  Samuel walked a little further down the road and spent a cold, uncomfortable night sleeping under an apple tree.  The next day he met an old widow who gave him food and he shared his message with her, which she was very receptive to.

A couple of weeks later, Samuel and his parents came to that same town.  His parents wanted to see this inn where the man was so rude to their son.  However, when they got close to the inn, they saw it was closed up because of a smallpox outbreak.  They found out that the innkeeper, his wife, and their 2 children had died because of it and it was brought there by a man who had stayed there a few weeks earlier.

Now I'm not saying that people who are mean to you are going to get a horrible disease and die, but Samuel was saved from that fate.  I'm sure while he was sleeping under that apple tree that he wasn't too happy with God and thought that he was forgotten.  But he was saved and was able to spread the gospel to those who might not have had the chance to hear it otherwise.  It's a good lesson to remember: even when we are going through hard times and think that we're being punished for a sin or that God has forgotten us, it will be for our good in the end.  We will have learned something, or our lives might even have been saved because of it.

Just Believe

We're getting down to the wire here!  David's concert is a week from today, which means he will be a fully qualified teacher!  I'm thinking that will help a little bit in the job search.  Hopefully.  I don't know about David, but I'm getting very worried about where we're going to be in January.  I really hate moving, but I know in the next month, we're going to have to move at least twice.  Once back to Rexburg where we'll be for Christmas, and then once when we find a place to stay.  I really really hate being homeless.  David's applied for many jobs but hasn't had any luck.  Some places I don't feel really comfortable applying to, like places where the population of the town is about 500 or where there is a lot of people under the poverty line, but we apply anyways because some job is better than no job.  David might have to work with my brother, David, in Wyoming.  He drives these huge trucks for the coal mines there.  It pays really well!  But isn't the most stimulating job.  You work 4 days on, 4 days off and have 12 hour shifts.  They work night and day, almost every day of the year. 

It's very frustrating for David not to have a job because I feel like we have both been doing all we can to make it happen.  David's been working on getting a lot of contacts in this area in case a job opens up, and I've been looking online for job postings and helping him fill out applications since he is usually gone from 6:45am till about 4:30pm.  I've also been praying A LOT about this and fasting as well.  When I get especially worried about it, I just get the answer that Heavenly Father will take care of it.  That things will work out.  That is the most frustrating answer for me!  I like to know what's going to happen, especially with something this important.  I like to have a plan.  I guess He's just testing my faith.  And boy is it a big test. 

Something that has helped put things into perspective for me is a book I'm reading.  I found it on one of the bookshelves here.  Grandpa and Gayle have soooo many books!  And about 99% of them are religious.  So when I needed an uplifting book to read, I didn't have to look long!  I'm reading "The History of Joseph Smith by His Mother".  It's an amazing book and I'm learning so many things about their family.  I learned that Lucy Mack Smith's brother ended up being a "faith healer" and basically disappeared for 20 years and nobody knew where he went.  Her family was also very religious.  And I also learned that early in their marriage, Lucy and Joseph got the same revelation (although not in the same way) that Joseph got about the many religions of the day.  That there was no religion that had the fullness of the gospel.  No denomination had any more truths than the other.  It got me thinking about how God really did prepare the way for Joseph Smith, by providing him with religious parents who understood that there was something more for them to learn.  And that got me thinking about our situation.  I honestly hope this is the lowest point (financially) in our lives.  It is so stressful, and takes such a toll on you.  It's always in the back of your mind.  But now I know what it's like, to have that awful feeling.  And I know what a blessing it is when other people reach out to help you!  So I just have to trust that God is preparing us for better things, when we are in a situation to help others because we know what it's like.  So I'll just keep saying my prayers and have faith that since we are doing all that we can do, we will be taken care of.