Blessings of a Fast

As is the monthly practice in my Church, we fasted and prayed this week.  We celebrate the fast with a fast and testimony meeting on Sunday.  To introduce the fast, we fast from water and food for 24 hours (or two meals).  The money we save from this fast is given to the Bishop as a fast offering for the poor among us.  I have medicine that needs to be taken with a full glass of water and do not considering do this on Sunday to be breaking my fast.  We also partake of bread and water (the sacrament), which is similar to the Lord's supper in some other churches in our sacrament (Sunday church service) meetings.

As I began my fast yesterday, I decided that it was appropriate to make this fast one of gratitude.  Every prayer was filled with thanksgiving, when I found myself asking for blessings, I rephrased the thought to thank Heavenly Father.  I was thrilled to be hungry, but not irritable with my sweet class of 5-year olds.  I even passed out a snack of cheese and veggies without mindlessly eating some... lol  I discovered so many things for which I was grateful....  What's so awe-inspiring is how God has opened the windows of heaven and poured out more blessings without my asking for a single one.....

One practice our church leaders have taught us is to hold family home evening lessons.  These are wonderful, fun times for us to teach gospel and temporal lessons in our family.  Monday evenings are reserved for us to hold family home evenings, though we may hold them according to our desires.  An opening song, opening prayer, scripture, lesson, activity, closing prayer, closing song, and snack are common components.  We've been inconsistent doing a formal family home evening and it has been one of those things I knew was important, but when it seemed to be me against my family, I just couldn't muster enough "fight" to get it done....  I confided this to a friend on Thursday when we came back from the temple.... My dear, sweet husband came home today from church and said he wants to do family home evening tomorrow (if we go bowling, then on Tuesday)!  Wow, I am so thrilled!  With him on my side, how can we fail!

I experienced several other blessings today, too, which I don't want to detail here.  I will say that there are treasured missionary moments that I could never have engineered.  God's hand is evident and I am grateful to be able to be nearby to watch and see what He orchestrates!