Shortly before Christmas in 1999, I was transferred as a missionary from Neumarkt am Wallersee to Thaur in Tirol. When we arrived in Tirolia, the snow banks lined the railroad tracks at a height of at least 10 feet, and there were drifts all over town that choked the roads and bunched people together on the sidewalks. There was no apartment for us, and there were no spare beds, so Elder Johnson and I slept on blankets on the floor. Our area included the villages in the mountains around Innsbruck, and so we would get up in the morning and board a bus and ride up into the mountains for the entire day.
I remember trudging through cold and snow like I have never experienced elsewhere. There were times it was so cold that we stopped in little stores and made purchases just to have an excuse to be inside. Although Austrians aren't as cold as the weather, because we brought a message about Christ, they brought us tea at the door rather than inviting us in. Once, we sought refuge inside of a catholic church only to find that it was colder inside than outside, and so we ventured forth again.
Quickly, the other Elders with whom we stayed noticed our mood and strength began to wane. Each day, we begrudgingly got onto a bus and went up into the alpine villages where we walked around outside all day without finding anyone. Sometimes we would go home early because we were frozen, and because we were so downtrodden and tired that we could hardly stand. Somehow, every day I awoke rested and strong enough in body to do it again. Elder Howes prayed for us after we left one day, and just as we were about to quit, the Neubauers let us in.
Although our visit never amounted to anything with them, for that day at least it was the miracle we needed. I have walked around for hours in the cold and snow of the Austrian alps looking for people who were looking for Christ. I am not so convinced that I was sent to Austria for the Austrians as much as I may have been sent there so I could tell you about it. I spoke fluent German and had very few substantive conversations. What I learned in the Alps is that God keeps watch over His servants.
When Elijah was called to preach to Ahab and his people, Elijah found himself alone in a valley. God sent birds to feed him and made sure that the water in the brook ran, and when that failed, He sent Elijah to a widow woman who sustained him through the drought. Although I am not Elijah and was never fed by birds, somehow, in the cold and snow of an alpine winter, I awoke rested every day and managed to get out into the alps each day to talk with anyone who was willing about Christ. Despite the cold, when we needed it, we got tea or an invitation to come in. Elder Howes could not believe that we did this every day until we had our own place.
Miracles come. They do not always take the form or fit the timing that we like. I have been saying for some time now that God's will will be done, it will be done well, and it will be done on time. I think God wanted me to be able to reflect on the Alps and remember that when I really needed it, He was watching out for me. Miracles come, not when you think you need them, but when God knows you actually need them. Miracles come, not in the form you desire, but in the form that is best for you. The Neubauers never let us talk to them again, but that cold winter night when we needed it, they were our miracle and God's mercy to us.
In the years since I lived in Austria, I have seen many other miracles. I don't really know what end they serve, because my life consists of duty, the boring routine of life. Some people think I'm being raised up and prepared for something, but to me it seems much more likely my life is to help yours. As we think about Christ this week and the miracle of the resurrection and the atonement, we have the opportunity to pause and consider the miracles and blessings in our own lives. I think of all the other Neubauers I have met since then and how they were blessings in my life when I needed something. It reminds me of this quote: "God knows us and watches over us, but it is often through another person that He meets our needs". We can be the miracle, and that is the invitation of Christmas- to let in the hungry and cold in the name of our Savior and help Him help them.
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