Our People are on Fire!!

No. Not that kind of fire. More like the "The Spirit of God Like a Fire is Burning........" fire.

This week we experienced the following:

- We spent our P-day at the beautiful Bodega Beach, hiking its six-mile beach and admiring the power of the waves.

- Grandchild #12 arrive in healthy and happy conditions. Searsha Bertha Franchino, daughter of Dominick and Alisha.

- We attended our congregation’s Halloween Party dressed as Book of Mormon Characters Ammon and Abish, complete with cut off arms. We were a hit, especially with those who had read the story.

We are blessed to be part of some great successes in the area we are serving in. Below are some entries from Sister S-L’s journal:

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Several days ago, I began praying that I could see that the forces for good exceed the forces for evil in this town. You see, as I was looking around this town I was discouraged at all the evil influences I see here—the drug use seems so enmeshed in the culture, even the “good kids” think belonging to a gang is a good idea, wildfire has tormented the area for the past 6 years, etc., etc. As I read the story of Elisha in 2 Kings 6 when he could see what the others couldn’t (the angelic horses and chariots of fire protecting them) and he said, “Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.” I felt impressed that the same is true in this town, that “they that be with us are more than they that be with them”, and I have since been watching to see evidences of that for myself.

Today we had 88 people attend Sacrament Meeting to worship together. 88! That’s at least twice the number who were attending when we arrived in June. 36 of them are people we are teaching/working with, 31 of those were previously not attending church at all. Not that the numbers are the important thing here, no, but we are accountants and just HAVE to count things! What IS important is the love we have for these saints and the joy we see in their eyes!

So today 31 of our dear friends had the blessing of partaking of the Sacrament and fellowshipping with their fellow saints and moving themselves closer to participating in temple covenants. We feel so blessed to have walked with them along the path toward Christ. 31. There have been Sundays here when 31 was the total ward attendance for the day here as well as in other wards in this stake, so for Ukiah Stake 31 could represent an entire ward!

Among those 88 at church today included two 11-year-old girls from the neighborhood who wandered in for Sacrament Meeting and then went to Primary. So, the work is going forward in many ways—the Elders are finding, the saints are bringing their friends, and the community is being drawn in.

In the past few weeks the police have arrested over a dozen members of the drug cartel and seized over 10,000 illegal marijuana plants plus hundreds of their illegal guns and ammo, and now it appears the cartels are moving out of town for friendlier environments.

And we’ve gotten through “Fire Month” (I mean October) without a wildfire in the county. Last year October brought dry and windy conditions that destroyed over 200 homes in one night. Can you say protecting angels?

As I sat in that meeting today and felt the awesome spirit there I gave thanks for the goodness of God in bringing all these people together to feel the powerful spirit with me. And I can see God’s hand in so many lives making it apparent that ward members, missionaries, and ministering angels are hard at work here guiding his children to the covenant path. The influences for good in this town are awesome and sufficient to defeat the evil influences. Good will overcome evil.