Look at those beautiful eyes. I wonder what color they will eventually become. We have not seen her this bright eyed when we have talked to them on skype. Being able to see and talk to our family has made this whole adventure so much easier for us. (Being Senior missionaries has it's benefits) I love modern technology. When I think of the first missionaries sent to Europe in the 1800's I can't help but be grateful that we live in this day and age so we can enjoy all these modern new gadgets. The early brethren would leave their families and sometimes not get word for up to six months about events back home. Some of their wives had babies and even lost children without being able to share their joy or grief with their husbands. What great faith those saints must have had. I wonder if we could be that strong? I suppose we just have different challenges than they had. I wonder if they could have been able to handle the pressures and stress this generation experiences?

We just ran into a story we had received years ago and I thought I would share it..........

THE BRUISED APPLES

A few years ago a group of salesmen went to a sales convention in Chicago. They had assured their wives that they would be home in plenty of time for Friday night's dinner. In their rush, with tickets and briefcases, one of these salesmen inadvertently kicked over a table, which held a display of baskets of apples. Apples flew everywhere. Without stopping or looking back, they all managed to reach the plane in time for their nearly missed boarding. All but one. He paused, took a deep breath, got in touch with his feelings, and experienced a twinge of compassion for the girl whose apple stand had been overturned. He told his buddies to go on without him, waved goodbye, told one of them to call his wife when they arrived at their home destination and explain his taking a later flight. Then he returned to the terminal where the apples were all over the terminal floor. He was glad he did.

The 16-year-old girl was totally blind! She was softly crying, tears running down her cheeks in frustration, and at the same time helplessly groping for her spilled produce as the crowd swirled about her, no one stopping, and no one to care for her plight. The salesman knelt on the floor with her, gathered up the apples, put them into the baskets, and helped set the display up once more. As he did this, he noticed that many of them had become battered and bruised; these he set aside in another basket. When he had finished, he pulled out his wallet and said to the girl, "Here, please take this $20 for the damage we did. Are you okay?" She nodded through her tears. He continued on with, "I hope we didn't spoil your day too badly."

As the salesman started to walk away, the bewildered blind girl called out to him, "Mister..."
He paused and turned to look back into those blind eyes. She continued, "Are you Jesus?"

He stopped in mid-stride, and he wondered. Then slowly he made his way to catch the later flight with that question burning and bouncing about in his soul: "Are you Jesus?"

Do people mistake you for Jesus? That's our destiny, is it not? To be so much like The Savior that people cannot tell the difference as we live and interact with a world that is blind. If we claim to know Him, we should live, walk and act as He would. Knowing Him is more than simply quoting Scripture and going to church. It's actually living and serving as he did from day to day.