brooke.gertsch@myldsmail.net
Week of June 27th - July 3rd
My twin sister gave me a book before I left for the mission which was full of her favorite quotes, lyrics, letters, pictures - just a whole lot of love and motivation! This last week, I pulled it out, as I was missing her really bad (which is everyday, haha) But she had written down a story that I had read before, but for some reason when I read it this week, I felt as though it was speaking right at me. How did she know that it was exactly what I needed? I don’t know. But I’m so thankful and I thought I would share the story because it’s something we can all remember. It’s from Elder Hugh B Brown’s talk and this how Ali started it -
“When you’re feeling like things aren’t going the way you played (cause we both know that you have a tendency to set too high of expectations)” - Ali (Someone knows me way too well!)
The Currant Bush
One day a farmer, while tending to his crops, came across a current bush. It had grown up over 6 feet high. There were no blossoms and no currants. The farmer knew what was to be done, so he got his pruning shears and clipped it back until there was nothing left but stumps. Just as he began to turn away, he thought to have seen on top of each stump what appeared to be a tear and thought the currant bush was crying. He smiled kindly to himself and asked the bush, “what are you crying about?” And as he said this he thought he heard the bush say, “How could you do this to me? I was making such wonderful growth. I was almost as big as the shade and fruit trees and now you’ve gone and cut me down! I thought you loved me, now every plant will look down on me because I didn’t make what I should have made. How could you do that to me? I thought you were the gardener here?”
And the gardener, after hearing the sorrow of the currant bush, kindly knelt down beside it and simply said, “look little currant bush - I AM the gardener here, and I know what I want you to be. I didn’t intend for you to be a fruit or a shade tree. I want you to be a currant bush, and someday, little currant bush, when you are laden with fruit, you are going to say, ‘Thank you, Mr. Gardener, for loving me enough to cut me down’.”
Years passed and the gardener because a commander in the army. He was vey proud of his position but there was an opportunity to become a General. He was fully qualified for the job and even had seniority. He had been working long and hard for the position for over 10 years, but the position was given to another. He was crushed. As he went to leave to return to his old post, he came across his personal file and right across the bottom of it was written “THIS MAN IS A MORMON”. So with a broken heart and bitterness in his soul, he boarded a train home and every click of the wheels on the rails seemed to say, “You’re a failure.” When he got back to his tent, he was so bitter that he threw his clenched fists in the air and shook them at Heaven. He proceeded to say, “How could you do this to me God? I have done all I could do to measure up. There is nothing more that I could have done - that I should have done - that I haven’t done! How could you do this to me?” Then a voice in his mind, his own voice, said softly to him, “I’m the gardener here. I know what I want you to be.”
And the man fell on his knees by his cot and began to ask for forgiveness , for his ungratefulness and bitterness And as he knelt there, praying for forgiveness, he heard children at mutual across the street begin to sing a hymn:
“But if by a still, small voice He calls, to paths that I do not know,
I’ll answer, dear Lord, which my hand in thine:
I’ll go where you want me to go.”
Years passed by and the man lived his life, though it be humble. To this day, 50 years later, he still looks up at heaven and says “Thank you, Mr. Gardener, for cutting me down, for loving me enough to hurt me.”
Many of us will go through life and experience difficult things: disappointment, heartbreak, grief, defeat. You are going to be tested and tried. I want you to know that if you don’t get what you thing you ought to get or when things don’t go the way that you planned, remember: God is the gardener here. He knows what He wants you to be. submit yourself to His will. Be worthy of His blessings and you will receive His blessings
- Elder Hugh B. Brown
Apologies for the length of the story, I just love every single line of it. At the beginning of this transfer, I felt so great. I was stepping out of my comfort zone and were were working really hard. I was ready to keep progressing and keep working, but we have kind of hit a plateau. This week, we had a lot of open days, so we set out to find people - Find those people that need the gospel! But we were coming up with nothing! (Although, we did find this beautiful swamp that made me feel like I was in Florida or something! Oh and a baby bird!!)
I felt like the man in the story. If I am doing everything I can, why aren’t people being put in my path? Why isn’t it getting easier? After reading the story I felt nothing but peace knowing that Heavenly Father is the gardener. He knows what’s best and He is the one in charge. So all I can do is continue to be willing and do the best that I can and He will do the rest. I felt guilty for being so selfish and definitely need Him to forgive me on that one!
With all my focus on what I felt is missing, I was distracted a little bit and could not focus on the positive things that happened with our investigators like how they are coming so close to Christ! You can feel in every session. And this cute old néne let us in while tracting - and quick Hungarian tip for ya - I thought she asked me “Egészséges vagtok?”, which is “Are you guys healthy?” So I replied, “Of course! Always!” BUT what she actually said was “Éhesek vagytok?” which means “Are you guys hungry?” And then I got a worried look from my comp as she brought out a platter of RAW PIG FAT and watched us as we ate all of our serving.
Lesson learned - PAY CLOSE ATTENTION and I need to study Hungarian a whole lot more! Haha… just a day in the life of me! I can live to tell the tale and have to say I did not eat for the rest of the day!
Well on that note, thanks for bearing with me and my super long-winded email this week! A big shout out to my best friend for helping lift my spirit even though you probably didn’t know it!
I hope you have a great week! You are always in my thoughts and prayers.
Love you with all my heart
SOK SZERETETTEL,
Gertsch Növér
1 Nephi 3:7
And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.
Alma 36:3
And now, O my son Helaman, behold, thou art in thy youth, and therefore, I beseech of thee that thou wilt hear my words and learn of me; for I do know that whosoever shall put their trust in God shall be supported in their trial, and their troubles, and their afflictions, and shall be lifted up at the last day.
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