MLK

 

No school so we went to Epcot. We rode Remy’s cute ride for the first time. We enjoyed the art booths and ate some ice cream. 

Our weekend was nice. I love a three day weekend. Saturday we did errands. Sunday we had lots of church meetings. 

We had a couple of really good talks yesterday. There is a young couple in our ward, the wife spoke, I think she’s probably 20 years old. She spoke about how she was always so active and considered herself to have a strong testimony and to be a leader in YW and seminary. Then she got a rash and it was pretty bad. She was diagnosed with eczema and went to lots of doctors but it never got better. It got worse and worse and after many years of pain and bleeding and itching and burning and no one being able to help her she really got discouraged. She said she always came to church but stopped with the seeking and the studying and other private religious practices. She just felt like God had forgotten her. This last conference she heard a talk about Joseph in Liberty Jail and it really touched her. She was reminded that God does know her, even in her affliction. She is still struggling to find answers but has found peace for now. Some struggles are really difficult. Chronic health issues are definitely on the list. 

 The other talk was by a high counselor named Bro Urton, He got up to speak and he’s very unassuming looking, a little round in the middle and a little bald on the top with glasses and a mild mannered speaking voice.  He mostly read his talk and it wasn't dynamic but quite pleasant to listen to none the less. So he talked about serving his mission in France and they had a young convert named Giselle. She always asked them to teach her mom, to come talk to her mom. They tried several times but the mother was not interested and in fact was rude (in that special way the French are known for). This particular day they decided to try again and went to her home. As they were walking up to her house they saw that the yard needed work, there were weeds needing pulling and a lawn that needed mowing. They asked Giselle if they could borrow some of her brothers work clothes and set to work. They spent a couple hours and he said Giselle’s mom didn’t need a message preached to her that day, she needed her lawn to be tended. The mom was grateful and came out to talk to them several times, then invited them to stay for dinner, then listened to their message. He said he was really blessed by listening to the spirit and showing forth love not just trying to teach. He also said it wasn’t much of a sacrifice because plan A was to knock doors and no one was excited about that!

Then he said he wanted to share another story, one that doesn’t put him in such a good light but that taught him a lot about love. He was in Afghanistan and was commander over the anesthesia department in a field hospital. They treated not only America soldiers and our allies but also wounded enemy combatants. He told about one time when they had to do surgery on someone they knew was a suicide bomber, who was responsible for the deaths of soldiers and civilians. They saved his life, and he (Brother Urton) was not glad. Another time an Al-Qaeda soldier came in with terrible cataracts, he was almost blind. While he was laying on the table being anesthetized he was spitting and saying horrible things about what he planned to do to Bro U’s wife and family, and other innocent civilians. Again, and although he followed orders and did his best medical job, he was not glad. He then bore his testimony about how we need to love everyone. We are commanded to love everyone.  This takes humility and the grace of God to do. He said he was not where he needs to be in his feelings about those men but his heart is softer, and the miracles of God's love and repentance are very real, and he is slowly becoming who he needs to be.  It was an excellent talk and I felt the spirit strongly.