Well our biggest fun was Lexi coming home Friday. We
picked her up and then that night we went out to the movies with the
Schoenrocks. It was the Exodus movie about Moses. It was okay but sure
took a lot of creative license. Then last night we drove to a drive in
and the kids hung out in the back of Paul's truck with hot cocoa and
rice krispie treats. Today was an amazing church experience. MIke
Dyer's younger brother spoke for the first time since he was 13. He
left the church at 16 and joined a gang. He had lived a life of drugs
and crime. He was jailed at least once. He actually met a girl a few
years back on LDS singles (a profile Tami, Mike's wife made for him.)
They were married and had a couple kids, but he had never left his
addictions behind. She finally could not take it anymore and felt that
he was harming her and the children and she had him move out. He moved
into our ward the beginning of this year and moved in with his dad. He
hit rock bottom because he loved his family and wanted to be with them.
He knelt and prayed to the Lord and prayed and prayed, he had the
impression to talk to the Bishop. He poured out his heart to the Bishop
and the Bishop gave him a blessing. He wanted the Bishop to tell him
that he would get his wife back, but Bishop blessed him with clarity of
mind and that he would know God's will. He went home a bit upset and he
prayed again and again. The thought came, do you know what you believe
and then a thought call the missionaries. He thought why would I call
the missionaries that is for people that are not members. I am a
member, but the thought came again. He called the missionaries and they
gave him the first discussion. He was amazed at how much he did not
know. They left and he gave in to his addiction (drugs). He prayed for
the Lord to help him overcome this addiction that had been with him 25
years. The thought came call the missionaries. He didn't think it was
appropriate for the missionaries to be a part of that, but the thought
persisted. He told Bishop about it and he told him to go ahead. He
called the missionaries and all three of them flushed his drugs down the
toilet and before the final flush finished, Elder Nebeker (love him)
offered him a blessing. He blessed him and when they lifted their hands
from his head, he felt the physical addiction leave him. He knew what
that felt like but before he had gone through withdrawals. He did not
have this but he still had the mental addiction. During this time, he
was his father's shadow. He was with him all the time and this helped
him get through that part. He was still devastated about losing his
wife and family and prayed and prayed for the Lord to help him. He
turned on the radio and a song came on that really touched him and he
felt he needed to let her go. He sent her the song and told her
goodbye. The song touched her and she told him she still loved him and
was willing to give him another chance. He left our ward and moved back
home( still in Texas, but in Austin). He was having a really hard day
and he felt that he had left all of his support from our ward. He was
really struggling and then there was a knock on the door. Who was
standing there but Elder Nebeker. He had just been transferred to that
ward. He once again knew that the Lord loved him and was mindful of him
and sent him a tender mercy once again. I thought it was a perfect
talk for Christmas and such a wonderful reminder of how much we are
loved by our Heavenly Father, he sent his son for this very purpose, to
offer redemption and salvation to us all. He will go after the lost
sheep again and again. There are no coincidences and the Lord's hand is
in our lives in a very real and personal way! We also had beautiful
music today and it was just a lovely lovely meeting before Christmas.
Rick's new calling has been so good for him. He is integrating himself in the
ward and they love him. We had a couple members get hospitalized this
week and he went and visited them. He went again today after a long day
at church and they were so happy to see him. (Bishop is out of town)
He is growing so much and I love seeing him like this. We are truly
blessed and I cannot thank my Heavenly Father enough. I need to make
sure I express that thanks by seeking to do his will and be his hands.
Lexi and I filled in for the CTR 7 class today. We had eight adorable kiddos. A couple were a little high maintenance, but they are so innocent and so dang cute. We taught the special Christmas lesson and it was so fun.
I finished my semester with a's and one a-. I was ok with my a- because it was math and I am not a huge fan. I looked at the class statistics and I actually did really well. The average was a low B so after I saw that I was pretty ok with my score. I don't start my next semester until January 5. I am taking four classes so I hope I will juggle it all. I have really enjoyed working toward a goal that I have had for so long. It truly is a blessing. Life is good!
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