Mar 22, 2011

Melinda's Letter - March 17, 2011

HAPPY SAINT PATRICKS DAY!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm with Mitch, when he says time really is just flying by.  It's weird to think that we are going to be calling home to talk to you in just a month and a half.  WEIRD!!  Time isn't really a concept out here sometimes.

This last week has been kind of slow.  So we are still homeless! :(  We have been homeless for three weeks now, and have just been skipping from place to place.  Hopefully we will have a place to live by next week!!!  Last Wednesday we stayed with a family who ended up being really sick.  Well to say the least both my companion and I also got really sick!  We were down for almost four days.  It is no fun being sick, especially when you aren't even at your own house!  Plus you feel bad, because you don't want to get the members sick.  We would have stayed with the original family that got us sick, but because of how old they are, they ended up being hospitalized because of how sick they were.  But, we are all feeling better now!

It has been getting pretty hot here in Roswell!!!  It's averaged about 85 everyday, but because it is so dry it feels hotter then that.  I have some pretty sick shoe tan lines though!!  They are awesome!  I will have to send you guys a picture soon!

One of the coolest experience for me this week was going to visit one of our less active members in the hospital.  It's weird how it all fell into place...So we had planned out our whole day the night before.  We had planned to go and visit a lady named Donna Foster at 6 and another lady named Carol Burnette at seven.  We had been trying to see Carol Burnette for the last couple days, and had had no success.  So anyways we went to see Donna at six.  When we got there she was already in bed, and said she was too tired to talk.  We asked her if there was anything we could do to help her out and she said, "Yes, could you please go visit my mother Carol Burnette.  She is at the hospital because she is having some issues breathing."  1st off...we had no idea they were related, and 2nd she was someone we had been feeling like we needed to go visit but couldn't get a hold of.  It was amazing that we had come to the right place to find out how to find her.  We then called a member from the ward and asked if she wanted to come with us.  Sister Jackson agreed, and we met at the hospital a few minutes later.  We walked up to the Carol's room, and to our dismay saw that she was sleeping.  At that moment I looked over at the bed next to Carol and saw another old woman.  I just had the strongest feeling that i needed to talk to her instead.  I just went over and started talking. I think my companion must have thought me to be half crazy as I started talking to some sick stranger.  Well comes to find out, this older woman, Rose, had been in the hospital for weeks and had had no visitors at all.  My heart just hurt for her.  We sat and talked with her for a bit.  You could see the light coming back to her face as she talked to people and realized that she was not forgotten and that people did care about her.  Sister Jackson then told her that she would come back the next day and visit.  I know that it was inspiration to bring Sister Jackson, because she needed to be there for that other lady.  We finally said our goodbyes and left the room. We didn't even make it half way down the hall when I said, we need to go back and sing to her.  I don't know why I would even feel that way, because I don't really care to sing.  I just felt like we needed to.  We went back to Rose's room and sang, "I Know That My Redeemer Lives."   I don't know if our singing helped anyone else, but I know that It made my testimony grow, and it touched my heart.  As we sang I looked around and realized that everyone in that hospital was going through some kind of hard time.   Sickness and Death surrounded us everywhere.  Even in the world outside sickness and death surround us with the disasters that have struck Japan and many other places.  Many people are in anguish and feel alone. Lives are broken.  As I sang the words, "He lives"  It all just clicked.  Sometimes we can't explain why certain things happen in life.  We don't know why good people get sick, die, and are left alone.  But that is where faith comes in.  HE LIVES, and because of that we truly can sing!  Because he lives everything will eventually fall into place!  He truly knows what we are experiencing and because of that we are never alone!!!!

"He lives to silence all my fears, he lives to wipe away my tears, he lives to calm my troubled heart. He lives all blessings to impart.  He lives and grants me daily breath, he lives and I shall conquer death, he lives my mansion to prepare.  He lives to bring me safely there.  He lives!  All glory to his name!  He lives, my Savior, still the same. Oh, Sweet the joy this sentence gives:
"I know that my Redeemer lives!""

He does live!  I know this with all my heart!!  I know he loves each and everyone of us!!  Never forget that he is there and is helping us in every aspect of life. He will never leave us comfortless!  I am so thankful for the Atonement of my Savior.  I can't wait for the day when I can fall and his feet and thank him.  My heart is so full of love for the sacrifice that he made for me!!  I love him and can never forget what he has done for me!

There are some things that I would suggest for all of you to watch!!!!  I want you to go and watch the "Mormon Messages"  You can find them on LDS.org.  They are all amazing but the one I really want you to look up is, "Hope ya Know, We had a Hard Time" by Elder Quentin L. Cook.    This message just reminds us that we are not alone.  Because of his atonement eventually things will work out and that he is still with us through all of hardships, no matter what they may be!

I love you all so much!!  You are still in my prayers!  I'm so thankful for the letters and packages I've received these last few weeks!  They are something that I really look forward too, and really brighten my day!  I miss ya tons!  And hope all is well!!!

Love Always,

Sister Tracy

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