HOW QUICKLY THINGS CAN CHANGE

A few weeks ago, my sister-in-law, Chris, came to visit us over Christmas.  It was wonderful to spend the holiday with family.  Eight days ago, Chris went to the hospital with an eye infection and some minor respiratory issues.  Last Sunday was the last time she was able to communicate with us. In less than 48 hours her health went downhill very quickly, landing her in the ICU and a medically induced coma.   Much of this past week, Eileen has been on the phone talking to the hospital and her other sisters who are with Chris, monitoring her status and wondering if we will be attending a funeral soon. 

 

As I (Russell) have been praying for Chris, I found myself asking, if it not be against God’s will, that she might have a full recovery, and that she could be free from pain, at peace, and know that she is loved by many on both sides of the veil.  I couldn’t help but feel a bit selfish in my request, knowing that: (i) her deceased mother, father, and sister would be excited to have Chris with them again; (ii) Chris would be returning home to her Heavenly parents and her Savior; and (iii) she would be free from the pains and challenges of this life.  Still, I hope she can recover. 

 

I am grateful for my knowledge of our Heavenly Father’s eternal plan for us and for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  I am eternally indebted to my Savior for His atoning sacrifice for me, which makes repentance possible, so that I can possibly return to my heavenly home someday. It is so comforting to know at times like this that we will all be resurrected someday and that familial bonds can extend beyond this mortal life. 

 

Two weeks ago in our blog, I noted that we attended Nelda’s baptism.  A week ago, the young sister missionaries called Eileen and asked if we would like to go to the temple with them and Nelda on Tuesday.  Eileen had previously mentioned taking Nelda to see the temple.  Eileen told the sister missionaries that we would be tied up with a zone conference that day but would that we would love to do so some other time.  Today we sat with Nelda during both Sacrament meeting and Sunday School.  Nelda told Eileen about her visit to the temple and how she loved doing proxy baptisms.  I asked Nelda if she had considered doing proxy work for her deceased relatives.  She expressed surprise at that possibility – something during the missionary lessons must have been missed or not understood.  I explained the concept briefly and our interest as a Church in doing genealogy.  I immediately recognized that Eileen and I now have an opportunity to do what most would consider to be real missionary work.       

      This is what happens to the underside of a car when  it travels at 86 mph on a gravel road. 

Elder Haueter, Elder Bradford and Elder Healy, braving the cold with wind chills of 30 below to inspect and work on cars.  We truly appreciate the seniors and their help with the cars.

I sure admire and appreciate this couple. The Beatys came from the Far West Zone, which is very far away, with terrible road conditions to serve food for our missionaries. They previously  served a mission with the Havasu Indians and spent some time in the bottom of the Grand Canyon. They had to helicopter in to their living accommodations. 

The menu for our zone conference on Tuesday. The hot chocolate bar was especially appreciated with the frigid temperatures.

                                    Our media sisters, Sister Beach and Sister White

The Beatys brought a piñata. It was Sister Chamberlain's 81st birthday. She is a senior sister serving a mission here. She got first whack at the piñata.

I (Eileen) immediately smelled gas when entering the building for the Independence Zone Conference on Wednesday. The  fire department came and checked it out and said it was ok. I didn't want to have 100 missionaries with carbon monoxide poisoning. 

The pipes on the apartment across from ours froze leaving frozen ice on the walkway to our car.

Our dear missionary friends the Bradfords will be completing their mission soon. They have been a wonderful help to us. They treated us to dinner at a fancy restaurant in Kansas City.