I am the Gardner here.

Howdy guys!
This week was full of some really tender experiences. It was definitely a week to learn and grow. About half way through the week things took a crazy turn downhill. One of our investigators is moving to texas for the summer, another is having a lot of health issues in the family, two of them cant get permission to be baptized, despite not wanting anything more than that. and an investigator family keeps getting the most random and ridiculous onslaught of attacks from the adversary. Every time we have a lesson set up or a chapel tour planned some completely crazy thing happens and we are not able to meet. So yesterday I took the opportunity to council with my Heavenly Father, and seek His will. Again and again I have had two thoughts and impressions come my way, to which i want to take a few minutes and bear testimony to and hopefully in something i say there will be a little tid bit that may help you guys out.
As i thought about the events that had unfolded all within about a days time, my thoughts turned to the talk by Hugh B. Brown "the currant bush" He shares about a time in his life when he owned a farm, on the farm there was a currant bush that had grown the size of a tree, and had stopped producing fruit . As he pruned it down on each little stump there seemed to him to appear tear drops, and he asked the bush why it was crying. and goes on to say, "i am the gardener here and i know what i want you to be". It hit me incredibly hard that there are a lot of things that I think I need, or that I know need to be done, that I know what is best. And i come to learn that sometimes...that is not the case at all. Heavenly Father knows much better than I do what he wants me to be, do and what he wants his investigator children to do. Everything comes in his timing. He has a grand eternal plan.
Hugh B. Brown goes on to share that if he hadnt had things happen in his life, the way God wanted them to, his life would have been eternally effected forever. He then shares this testimony: "I wanted to tell you that oft-repeated story because there are many of you who are going to have some very difficult experiences: disappointment, heartbreak, bereavement, defeat. You are going to be tested and tried to prove what you are made of. I just want you to know that if you don’t get what you think you ought to get, remember, “God is the gardener here. He knows what he wants you to be.” Submit yourselves to his will. Be worthy of his blessings, and you will get his blessings." And that is what i want to add, I know now more than ever that Heavenly Father has a grand eternal plan. We need to not just once, but CONTINUALLY submit ourselves to his will. And by so doing many blessings will come our way. I know they will.
The second thought was to give all that you have no matter what. When the Lord sees your willingness to serve despite difficulty he will provide for you to see things either in his way, or to recognize the many blessings he gives to you. That is one thing that has happened to me this week, I have seen all of the incredible things that I have been blessed with. And trust me there are so so so many. The love Heavenly father has for us is incredible. =)
We set a soft baptismal date with a part member family this week. it was an incredible lesson. SHe has been a member for a long time, but not super active, and we shared the message of the restoration with them and invited him to read and pray. specifically to know if the priesthood authority has been restored, and when he found out it was real if he would be baptized, he said he would. After the lesson we gave her a blessing and the spirit was so so so powerful. We know for sure he already has his answer that the priesthood is real. All in all it was a great week full fo learning. Sorry this email is kinda long. But i wanted to share what i learned. I feel like i needed to. =) I hope you guys have a great week and it is full of lots of adventures. have fun at girls camp, and good luck on your race dad. Thanks for all that you do. i enjoy the emails yo usend me every week. so thank you. I love you guys!!!!!!
have a great week.
love,
elder Haydn Nelson