An email that for once is shorter than my height!

Hi all! 

So today I just want to share a quick miracle and a thought because I am short on time! 

Miracle:

So we have been doing the cookie challenge with our ward here. What is the cookie challenge?

Simple.

Read Matthew 22: 36-39 and then go and make a plate of cookies and give it to a neighbour you don't know well. 

We do not reach out enough in our world today! We get so busy that we don't even know that people that live around us. Small acts of kindness go a long way. Especially acts of kindness that involve food :) 

So of course we could not invite everyone else to do the cookie challenge and not do it ourselves (that would be hypocritical), so of course we led by example and did it first with all of the people in our own flat building. 

We got the most delightful surprise last night! There was a small tap on our door at 9pm, and we opened it to see our upstairs Polish neighbour standing there with a plate of homemade pastries (yum!!). He said he and his little daughter made them for us-- so cute! :) 

The best part?! He was the one that was the most cynical about us giving him the cookies. He was so confused why we would do that. Asking us if we had put anything dodgy in the cookies. We just smiled and said we were just doing it to be nice and he took them, and we left-- feeling a bit awkward, but still knowing we had done the right thing. Then a week later there he was at our door :) 

It doesn't kill to be kind! We now have a good relationship with a neighbour and it barely took any effort :) This is missionary work! 

A Thought About Christ and Our Trials:

Mark 15: 33- 37

 33 And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.

 34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

 35 And some of them that stood by, when they heard it, said, Behold, he calleth Elias.

 36 And one ran and filled a sponge full of vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink, saying, Let alone; let us see whether Elias will come to take him down.

 37 And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost.

So I have been rereading the 4 gospels in the New Testament over the past couple of months and have absolutely been loving it! I have learned so much more about our Saviour Jesus Christ and how much he loves us.

My thought came after reading verse 33. 

Some background: Crucifixion was a punishment that was only for slaves and the lowest of criminals-- certainly now Jesus Christ! More interesting though is that it typically took 2-3 days for a person being crucified to die.

Christ's death only took a few hours. 

So knowing this, as I read verse 33 I had the following thought.

As the darkness of the 6th hour arrives, how often do we struggle and wonder why we have to suffer so much when we have done nothing worng. And how often do we find ourselves in our 9th hour crying to God and asking Him why He has left us to suffer unfairly.

Only after our suffering has passed will we realize that He really did shorten our suffering. He only allowed us to suffer for 9 hours, instead of 3 days. He only let us suffer just enough so we could grow and overcome death, weakness and sin. He removed as many pains and trials as possible, but left behind just enough so we could become the great people He intended us to be. 

God loves us so much and the ultimate sign of His love is that He exercises enough self control to not pull us off our "crosses" (to give us the easy way out every single time). No parent wants to see their child suffer, but they allow it to sometime happen, knowing that sometimes the greatest strength and blessings can only obtained through enduring burdens. 

We are so blessed that we have a Heavenly Father who loves us. Who loved us enough to send his son to take some of the pain from us. And to be our guide, cheerleader, and friend as we carry our own burdens that seem long and hard! With an eternal perspective and God on our side, we will find peace in knowing that because of Christ, 3 days can be turned into 9 hours.

The gospel is true! We are so blessed to have it! I pray it will comfort all who are going through hard times!

I love you all!

I hope the time goes quickly for you and slowly for me!
Sister Martin :) 

PS whoever sent that ASDA order thanks so much! My comps were so shocked and looked like it was Christmas haha! I have such great fam and friends! (It was her Grandpa and Grandma Mitchell that sent it)