Planting Seeds

Today we got to talk to Ethan for 40 minutes (we might have pushed it to 45, but don't tell anyone!)  The time went by way too quickly as we listened to how he spent Christmas, and us sharing our three favorite gifts of the day.  Too, Anna and Ethan got three minutes to talk without any listening ears, thanks to the mute button.

It was interesting, hearing how hard Ethan is working with little signs of success.  He's only had one baptism in four months, and he and his companion work 9-10 hours a day trying to find anyone who will listen to their message.  Ethan pointed out that a common phrase is that the missionaries there in Poland now are "planting seeds" for a future harvest.  I couldn't help but liken this to our experience on our farm.

The first year we were here in Pennsylvania, we did nothing to prepare our soil. We simply threw the seeds into the dirt.  After the wind blew away many of them, and the crows ate more of them, there were few seeds left and we didn't see much "fruit" of our labors.  Since then, we have learned.  We must rotate the dirt from the winter pack, add fertilizer (this means loads and loads of horse manure), pull out all sizes of rocks and make the rows for the seeds.  It's backbreaking work, but worth it in the summertime when we have strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, peppers, tomatoes, watermelons, cantaloupe and pumpkins.

In the same way, Ethan is preparing the soil, and it's backbreaking work for him too.  He's out offering people the chance to hear the gospel.  He and his companion are exposing the Poles to Mormons, and showing them a good example of how the gospel can make their lives better.  Their smiles and good dispositions speak worlds about our beliefs and our religion.  Someday, when more of the soil has been prepared, and more seeds planted, the church will begin to grow in Poland and the labors of all of the former missionaries will finally bear fruit.  I know it's hard for Ethan to see that vision now (or maybe it's not so hard for him, because he remains optimistic), but I'm so thankful that he's part of this process.

Words can't begin to express how thankful I am for his obedience, his goodness and his cheerfulness.  I could see it being very hard to keep going in the snow, for hours a day, being rejected by every person, but he keeps going and having faith that something good will come of his labors.  I, for one, am grateful that he's humble enough to keep working and to keep planting those darn seeds.