Spiritual Bonds
We are staying with a sweet older couple: Heidi Martin and Brother Vicks. They were married this past May. It is a second marriage so they both kept their last name. Heidi was divorced and Brother Vicks is a widower. The Spirit is abundant in their home.
I began a fast last night. I had just fasted from Saturday to Sunday, but then felt that I needed to also fast from Monday to Tuesday. I had already been feeling prompted and then my sweet sister Gracie sent me an email sharing her testimony of fasting. She began to fast and pray concerning whether to get her patriarchal blessing now or when I returned home. Well, she went to church and in young women's they announced that the lesson would be about patriarchal blessings. After reading that I began to realize that I did need to fast again. There is an incredible added measure of power that comes from fasting. Similar to how getting baptized and receiving the Holy Ghost brings an incredible power--the action of fasting brings an incredible power. Both require us to lower ourselves to the depths of humility.
It was a very peaceful feeling to be fasting as we went to the temple open house. The Sisters went to Wendy's, the Sister break room was covered in food and yet I was able to brush aside any temptation to end my fast early. I was honestly fasting for Ben. I know that he was seeking further revelation and I wanted him to recieve whatever that revelation was from the Lord. I care so deeply about him and desire for him to understand the Lord's plan because I know that will bring him the most joy, whether that plan involves me or not. Though I do feel that it does involve me and I am overjoyed about that! Partway through my fast today the Spirit began to open my eyes a bit to see that I also was in need of some revelation. Ben had mentioned yesterday how it is hard because no one can necessarily relate to his situation with me. I have felt the very same way. I haven't yet met someone who simply had a complete spiritual connection with someone, even a witness that this is someone they should marry, before getting to know them more fully. As the Spirit was relaying this to me I didn't necessarily know what it was that I needed. I felt even that my faith was a little lacking that Heavenly Father would answer it. But I see now that I needed reassurance that Ben and I's relationship was absolutely possible, powerful, and prepared for us individually and as a couple.
Upon returning home from the temple open house, around 9:15 p.m., this sweet couple invited us to have some cookies and milk. We shared some sweet experiences we had at the temple open house, which included a man asking for a copy of the Book of Mormon and Pearl of Great Price as well as the Spirit filling my mouth with words I no longer recall as a man asked me to explain the process of going through the veil. I asked the man if that made sense and he nodded his head in gratitude as he replied, "Thank you." Then Heidi (or Sister Martin) shared with us her conversion experience. Her father was a member and had given her a copy of the Book of Mormon when she was 20 years old. In respect of her father she had kept the book. One night 11 years later she felt a deep impression that she needed to find this Book of Mormon and read it (it was 6 weeks before her son would turn 8 years old). She found it and read the entire thing in one night. The next morning she called her father and said, "Dad I want to be baptized." The next day the Sister missionaries were at her door and she, her husband, and son were baptized.
They then proceeded to share how they met. It honestly was completely miraculous. While Brother Vicks was serving in the temple the Spirit on three occasions gave him direct guidance on where he needed to move and why. Lesson #1 Go to the temple prayerfully and often fasting and you WILL receive an answer. The third of these occasions he was told that the contract a new buyer was making on his house would fall through, he was to move back to North Carolina, and he would be given a companion. He had no intention of remarrying, but could not deny the guidance he had been given. He returned to North Carolina and felt inspired to go make a profile for himself on trulds (a latter-day saint dating website). He was very wary of doing so as it was something he never dreamed of doing, but again could not deny a prompting. The very first match that came up was Sister Heidi Martin. While on her end nearly the same event occurred. She, also wary, was inspired to make an account and the first profile to come up was Brother Vicks. With tears in her eyes she said, "The Spirit fell upon me and I knew that was the man I was to marry. I turned off the computer, walked away for two hours, came back and the same thing happened again...It is beyond powerful when you love someone before you even know them. Even when I had never seen him...I flew out to North Carolina to see the Raleigh temple with him on Valentine's day and then he purposed at the San Diego, California temple in March. We were married in May" The Spirit now fell upon me. "Kimball, you don't need to see him to know that you love him. Your bond is powerful. It has been made so by divine design and power." My prayer that I didn't even know how to form had been answered only 4 hours and 15 minutes after ending my fast.
I began a fast last night. I had just fasted from Saturday to Sunday, but then felt that I needed to also fast from Monday to Tuesday. I had already been feeling prompted and then my sweet sister Gracie sent me an email sharing her testimony of fasting. She began to fast and pray concerning whether to get her patriarchal blessing now or when I returned home. Well, she went to church and in young women's they announced that the lesson would be about patriarchal blessings. After reading that I began to realize that I did need to fast again. There is an incredible added measure of power that comes from fasting. Similar to how getting baptized and receiving the Holy Ghost brings an incredible power--the action of fasting brings an incredible power. Both require us to lower ourselves to the depths of humility.
It was a very peaceful feeling to be fasting as we went to the temple open house. The Sisters went to Wendy's, the Sister break room was covered in food and yet I was able to brush aside any temptation to end my fast early. I was honestly fasting for Ben. I know that he was seeking further revelation and I wanted him to recieve whatever that revelation was from the Lord. I care so deeply about him and desire for him to understand the Lord's plan because I know that will bring him the most joy, whether that plan involves me or not. Though I do feel that it does involve me and I am overjoyed about that! Partway through my fast today the Spirit began to open my eyes a bit to see that I also was in need of some revelation. Ben had mentioned yesterday how it is hard because no one can necessarily relate to his situation with me. I have felt the very same way. I haven't yet met someone who simply had a complete spiritual connection with someone, even a witness that this is someone they should marry, before getting to know them more fully. As the Spirit was relaying this to me I didn't necessarily know what it was that I needed. I felt even that my faith was a little lacking that Heavenly Father would answer it. But I see now that I needed reassurance that Ben and I's relationship was absolutely possible, powerful, and prepared for us individually and as a couple.
Upon returning home from the temple open house, around 9:15 p.m., this sweet couple invited us to have some cookies and milk. We shared some sweet experiences we had at the temple open house, which included a man asking for a copy of the Book of Mormon and Pearl of Great Price as well as the Spirit filling my mouth with words I no longer recall as a man asked me to explain the process of going through the veil. I asked the man if that made sense and he nodded his head in gratitude as he replied, "Thank you." Then Heidi (or Sister Martin) shared with us her conversion experience. Her father was a member and had given her a copy of the Book of Mormon when she was 20 years old. In respect of her father she had kept the book. One night 11 years later she felt a deep impression that she needed to find this Book of Mormon and read it (it was 6 weeks before her son would turn 8 years old). She found it and read the entire thing in one night. The next morning she called her father and said, "Dad I want to be baptized." The next day the Sister missionaries were at her door and she, her husband, and son were baptized.
They then proceeded to share how they met. It honestly was completely miraculous. While Brother Vicks was serving in the temple the Spirit on three occasions gave him direct guidance on where he needed to move and why. Lesson #1 Go to the temple prayerfully and often fasting and you WILL receive an answer. The third of these occasions he was told that the contract a new buyer was making on his house would fall through, he was to move back to North Carolina, and he would be given a companion. He had no intention of remarrying, but could not deny the guidance he had been given. He returned to North Carolina and felt inspired to go make a profile for himself on trulds (a latter-day saint dating website). He was very wary of doing so as it was something he never dreamed of doing, but again could not deny a prompting. The very first match that came up was Sister Heidi Martin. While on her end nearly the same event occurred. She, also wary, was inspired to make an account and the first profile to come up was Brother Vicks. With tears in her eyes she said, "The Spirit fell upon me and I knew that was the man I was to marry. I turned off the computer, walked away for two hours, came back and the same thing happened again...It is beyond powerful when you love someone before you even know them. Even when I had never seen him...I flew out to North Carolina to see the Raleigh temple with him on Valentine's day and then he purposed at the San Diego, California temple in March. We were married in May" The Spirit now fell upon me. "Kimball, you don't need to see him to know that you love him. Your bond is powerful. It has been made so by divine design and power." My prayer that I didn't even know how to form had been answered only 4 hours and 15 minutes after ending my fast.
I want to testify that Heavenly Father cares about us. If it is a big deal to us it is a big deal to Him. He wants us to be happy now and have peace about the future. He wants to provide both of those to His children, He does need us to ask though. He is held under certain laws that for some reason or another require our asking or the asking of another in our behalf. Pray, He is there. Speak, He is listening. You are His child. His love now surrounds you. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
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