Lighthouse In The Night

Hello family and friends! I hope everyone is doing great and ready for some warm weather to come around the corner! I know I sure am, as it is still very cold up here in Bilbao! The rain will get ya’, haha!

This week was another great one. I honestly can never complain. We were able to have our zone conference with a member of the Seventy, Elder Olsson from Sweden! Wow, he was just incredible. The Spirit was so strong when he spoke and he bore a powerful testimony of the gospel. I was able to sing a duet with another sister missionary. We sang "Lighthouse in the Night", by Jenny Phillips

"Through the rain

Through the fog

Your light reaches to the lost

You are a believer

Built on the one sure rock

Full of the flame of God

In your life

[Chorus:]

You stand tall above the seas

Spreading light for all to see

There are so many who can see your life

So many searching that will see you shine

Your example steers them to Christ

Like a lighthouse in the night

Full of hope

Full of peace

How bright your faithfulness beams

You make the way clearer

Leading souls home again

You are reminding men

Of the way

[Chorus]

Through the rain and through the fog

We're reaching out to all the lost

Through the rain and through the fog

We're reaching out to all the lost

We are disciples of Christ

And He is our light

We stand tall above the seas

Spreading light for all to see

There are so many who can see our lives

So many searching that will see us shine

May our examples steer them to Christ

Like a light house in the night"

It went really well. We chose that song because our mission, the Spain Barcelona Mission, is the El Faro (Lighthouse) Mission. That is our "nickname" and I just love it! Our mission song is, "Brightly Beams Our Father’s Mercy". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KchNq0M9N1k

After the conference, Elder Olsson wanted to talk to about 5 missionaries. He asked if he could talk with me, one on one, and I was first. We talked for about 10 minutes or so and it was a remarkable experience that I will never forget. He asked me where I was from, about my family and so on. At the end he just looked at me and said, "We need more young women like you in this world. We are going to need you to step up and not be afraid. We need you to be an example to your family and friends now, but also for your future children and husband. We need strong mothers and wives for this next generation. You live the gospel of Jesus Christ and are one of His true disciples. I know I can trust you. Be that beacon for Christ, who is our greatest light." Wow, what a remarkable experience.

I have been thinking a lot lately about how much a LOVE water analogies when it comes to the gospel. I thought about the ocean and how I absolutely love the beach. It is always so beautiful and is always mesmerizing. But I also have a very big fear of the ocean as well, mostly because I am not a very good swimmer (my family can testify of that, haha). Honestly, I pretty much plug my nose and kind of doggy paddle in the water. I also don´t like the thought of sharks swimming around or not knowing what is below me. It kind of freaks me out!

Below are few examples of some favorite stories or parables associated with the sea:

-Peter walking on water

-The thought of Christ being our lighthouse and our examples shining

-The Parable of the Starfish

-Being "anchored" in the truth

In The Book of Mormon it reads:

"For behold, ye shall be as a whale in the midst of the sea; for the mountain waves shall dash upon you. Nevertheless, I will bring you up again out of the depths of the sea; for the winds have gone forth out of my mouth, and also the rains and the floods have I sent forth.

And behold, I prepare you against these things; for ye cannot cross this great deep save I prepare you against the waves of the sea, and the winds which have gone forth, and the floods which shall come. Therefore what will ye that I should prepare for you that ye may have light when ye are swallowed up in the depths of the sea?" -Ether 2:24-25

I know that God will bring us out of the depths of our own personal seas, especially when it is something hard (or something we fear). Yes, the floods will come; no one is exempt. But through the frightening storms and threatening waves, He is preparing us. He has given us this great LIGHT to steer us home. Our Savior is always there. He always provides a way. We are in His hands.

I also love these quotes:

"God sometimes takes us into troubled waters. Not to DROWN us, but to CLEANSE us." 

"A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor".

He gives us these storms because He loves us. He lets us go through challenges to refine us and to purify us. It is these trials that make us who we are. He lets us learn. He lets us grow. It is not easy, but that is why He has given us this great LIGHT, which is Christ, to lead us home.

There are many people around us who may be lost, scared or maybe even feeling like they are drowning. We can help them. Be that lighthouse. Rescue the lost and struggling seamen. The downhearted. Shine your light. Guide others to the truth. Lead souls home again. May YOUR example steer them to Christ.

Steadfast in Christ,

Hermana Lydia Pamela Vance