Christ Visiting Me On My Beach

Dear Kids,

I love meditation.

It's not the "humming" eastern type of meditation. But it is a powerful practice for keeping my mind in tune with the spirit. Opening my soul for just allowing the spirit to fill it with what the Lord has for me.

When I first started to really practice meditation, I had to learn how to quiet my mind from everything going on in the day. There are still times when doing that is difficult. Just freeing my mind from what is going on around me and just being "still". "Be still and know that I am God." That is a HUGE phrase that goes through my mind during my meditation time.

It was interesting the way my "meditation beach" was discovered. I started just feeling peace. And when I would feel peace a vision of a golden beach came to my mind. It is actually similar to a beach that I knew on my mission in Russia, on the shore of Kaliningrad. Amber would wash up on shore and gave it a golden shine. When I thought of peace, that is the place I would be.

When I first started the practice of "pondering and meditation" it was in the gym at the sauna. I started with doing about 10-15 minutes of meditation at a time and I would go to my beach in my mind.

One day when I was doing this, and sitting on my beach in my mind's eye, all of a sudden Jesus starting walking down the beach in the distance. It was quite amazing to me because I didn't have the idea before entering that "mind space" that this was going to happen. I just happened. He came to me. He started walking down in the distance and when I saw him I realized it was Him and I jumped up to meet him. It was so familiar, so much like seeing someone you haven't seen forever, but you just start talking and interacting with them like it was just yesterday that you were together. That is how it was.

I hugged him and I was so glad to see him! Such a HUGE hug and so many big and great emotions. So many smiles all around, so much love and connection. I don't even remember what I talked to him about, just the everyday things, how I was doing, what was happening in my family. Then I asked him if he would give me a blessing. He did, and it was a simple blessing for an enhanced spirit to be with me during that particular day of going through the everyday things I needed to handle.

When I went back to the meditation space after that day, He started coming to me often, just to see me and give me a blessing for the day. After a couple of months I posted on social media about meditation and I shared a bit what I had experience with Christ visiting me. After posting it, I had a friend, Ganel-Lyn Condie, tell me in a conversation, "I think you don't realize what happened. I think you've had your calling and election made sure. You had a visitation from Jesus - your 2nd comforter experience!".

It took me a back just a bit, because I knew I had had spiritual experiences, but I had never equated it to my calling and election made sure - the 2nd comforter experience. But the more I pondered about it, the more I realized that it was EXACTLY that. He came to me with my 2nd comforter experience!

I think it took me a while to wrap my head around it because of how "imperfect" I still am. As I've been on this road of further spiritual experiences, I have had to learn how to repent and forgive myself of my humanity REALLY quickly, because I still make so many mistakes. But it's not about not making mistakes ever again when you have a 2nd comforter experience - it's about learning how to turn to Christ over and over and over again.

As I've moved through and had more experiences with Jesus, it's taken me some time to wrap my head around the fact that He comes to me! He visits ME - of all people! It's starting to really hit me HOW sacred this has been. Taken me some time to wrap my heart around the magnitude of what is happening to me.

I had the reminder again last night. Your dad and I were reading some posts from people on a "Signs of the Times" Facebook page. There was a man on there who posted about some people having amazing spiritual experiences during conference, of seeing angels, ancestors, Jesus and God. When I read it there was a twinge of "Dang.... I knew I missed something! That didn't 'happen' to me."

But the spirit IMMEDIATELY talked to me, "Andrea, don't downplay the experiences you have had just because other people have DIFFERENT experiences. You've already had visitations in your personal revelation. Don't downplay those experiences. They are JUST as powerful as what other people experienced. You know the significance of conference and what went on."

I really appreciated that confirmation, because the spirit is exactly right about that. I tend to soften my experiences in my life in general. The hard things I've been through, the spiritual experiences, the knowledge I've gained... I tend to allow myself to deemphasize what I've experienced based on what other people experience or know. The spirit has been telling me and teaching me over and over and over again that I can't do that anymore.

My eye of faith experiences are REAL! They have happened to me! They are magnificent and amazing! It's so humbling for me. So humbling. The spirit also talked to me the other day and reminded me, "Andrea, you've been steady and stayed a 'worker in the field of the Lord' for your whole life. He is so pleased with you. He intends to use you. Don't give away your power by underemphasizing what you know."

I love you kids. When you take time to sit and just go into your eye of faith moments, it's amazing what happens. I find when I couple it with the power of prayer, study AND pondering time, the spiritual feast is unbelievable.

I love you,

Your Mom