Sister Amarae Huffaker: Improving and Refining His Children (Oct 5)

Oh what a wonderful week it has been! Conference was nothing short of AMAZING! God loves His children and He shows it by giving us prophets...how amazing that blessing is:) I hope you all took something out of it that you needed. I know I have!

Story of the Week:

Thursdays are a day we like to call, "Thirsty Thursdays" here. It's a day we ride our bikes to save miles and also to be able to stop and talk to more people. This Thursday, we were out the door carrying our bikes down the fight of stairs and pedeling down the road. When I realize that my back tire is completely flat due to running over a piece of metal last Thursday. I knew I should have put the green stuff in my tires (sorry dad, you're always right!) We turn around, carry our bikes back upstairs and drive to the Kopp's house. We decide to tract and walk to our appointments today. This paticular day, I thought that I would branch out to my more typical "ugly but comfortable" sister missionary shoes and within five minutes of walking, I began forming blisters. Our appointments were 5 miles away, which means getting there would make us walk on the busy highway and have to cross it at some point. With blistering and bleeding feet on my mind, the sun pounding on us from above and having my companion being impatient walking ahead of me and saying, "we're running late", I decide it was better to take my shoes off and walk on the hot pavement. Ha! People like their alcohol here and don't believe in being "green", so there's broken glass everywhere! Trust me, I know what you're thinking, BUT it was way better walking barefoot on glass then it was wearing those shoes! A good 3 miles away I started becoming weary...I decided to say a simple prayer asking, "Heavenly Father, please send a breeze so I can keep going." I know God hears and answers prayers, within 5 seconds a car pulls off to the side of the street and President Huston asks if we want a ride. I was beyond the point of being grateful. We made it to the appointment to find out no one was there. We then decide to walk home (2miles away) to change my shoes. By this point me and Sister Zemp were mostly silent, there was a bit of contention in the air. She wanted to walk faster and I was doing my best under the circumstances. We arrive at our house, change shoes and start walking back towards the Kopp's house while stopping to also tract the houses. The rain clouds come in and a Southern Storm hits! We're 3 miles away from the Kopps and its POURING. When I say pouring I mean, we could have swam there. After all of the events of the day, we hit our breaking point and all we could do was laugh! We made up and then received a worried call from Sister Kopp who later came to pick us up. As we drive to her house, a gorgeous rainbow appears and it hit me like a ton of bricks, "I am so blessed."

In that moment I rethought about my "horrible day". I decided right then and there that this was a day of building character, a day that God had given me to learn and grow from trials. I had the choice to look at it with a negative perspective or an opportunity to count my blessings. I'm so grateful that He gave me a second chance to repent and rethink about the tender mercies I received that day. I know I was taken care of. God gives us trials to improve ourselves and be changed to become more like Him. I look at my feet now and see an opportunity to grow instead of seeing misfortune thats come upon me. I'm in no way perfect, I fall short all the time and sometimes I complain, but I can say that I'm trying to be better...I believe thats enough for Him and accepts my short comings.

I know we all have our own "blisters", "glass in the road" and "heat of the day" moments, but I promise that when you find the good in the situation, that is when God is improving and refining you. Don't forget that He loves you and has prepared ways to help you grow and learn, they are disguised as hardtimes. I pray we can take those situations and find the good in them.

Love you more than I can say,

Sister Huffaker