My neighbor up the street told me that at her new job, a young co-worker shared that he had testicular cancer. He was going in for an operation and they would have to remove everything. She was just sick about it. She said he was a cute Mormon boy who had served a mission and recently married in the temple. He had already made a donation to a sperm bank so if he survived the cancer, he and his new bride might still be able to have babies in the future. My friend wondered if the church was taking good care of him and if there was anything that she, and her co-workers, could do.
I told her not to worry. His ward would no doubt smother him with care. If she liked, I could contact his ward and see if they could share meal duties. I happened to have a friend who lived in the same town as he did. She might be in the same ward. It was easy enough to find out.
I found my friend vacationing in Arizona. (Thank goodness for the accessibility of cell phones!) She didn’t recognize his name but she just happened to have a new ward directory with her. There he was, listed with his wife. (The fact that my friend had a directory with her is amazing enough but a newly updated one?? How often does that happen?)

From her, I got the name and number of her ward Relief Society President. (The RS Pres. has responsibility over all the women in a ward including tracking “welfare” needs. I’ve held the same position in my own ward since June of 2006).

I called and asked the RS President if she knew the couple. She said yes, the wife had been coming every week but the husband had stopped coming some time ago for no good reason. I explained what the young man was facing and that his co-workers wanted to coordinate taking in meals. She was shocked to hear the news and said she’d visit them right away.

This is the email I received from her the following Monday:
“Thank you so much for your phone call on Saturday morning. I was able to track them down by afternoon and had a good conversation with both of them. Your neighbor’s efforts were an answer to Ann’s [name changed] prayers. So please thank her and tell her that when you talk with her. Ann was being respectful of Ken’s [name changed] tender feelings. They haven’t been married a year yet and this is a big trial for them.
I talked with Ken and shared with him that I had two nephews go through this. “Our ward was fasting Sunday for another member who has cancer of the thyroid and having surgery on Wednesday. After talking with the Bishop, we quickly sent an email around and made a few phone calls. We added Ken to the ward fast. Ann came to church yesterday and received a great deal of love and support. The Elders quorum was going over after church to talk to Ken. We have meals going in and support all over this. Thanks again for the heads up.
“Ken will have surgery on Thursday where they will remove his other testicle. He said that the doctor told him on Friday that it is in his lymph nodes and has spread but they don’t know yet where and how far. So he does have some hard days ahead. I told Ken that the Lord really must love him to answer prayers through a new friend at work. He tearfully was touched that those he works with would even be interested.”

I’m sure being new in the ward, this young couple felt they didn’t have friends yet with whom they could share their personal burden. Maybe they didn’t want to come in feeling like a pity case. For me, it was a testimony about how the Lord works. He knows who we are. He knows what is happening to us. Our secrets aren’t secrets from Him. He knows where we need help and He’ll get it done. It is up to us to take the action that is required. I love how this has turned out for this young, frightened couple. I pray that all will go well. Maybe it won’t. But if it turns for the worst, at least they won’t be alone. Nobody should be.

Everything else is going really well - I have absolutely nothing to complain about. I love being Relief Society President more than I ever, ever thought I would. I'm not the best organized one they've ever had, but I have a couple of wonderful counselors who patiently remind me of things to follow up on. I love them!! And Heavenly Father too. He is too good to me!! I pray that He is blessing your life with great happiness and will continue to do so through out the New Year. Happy 2008!

A year in review……nah… random events as I think of them….Yes, that’s what it will be.

I’m thoroughly enjoying my prison Toastmasters club. I’m at the men’s prison on Thursdays and I occasionally substitute at a women’s prison. One thing I’ve learned about those wearing prison blues: The men miss women and the women miss clothes. I told this to my men prisoners and they responded that women don’t need clothes!

I taught a Boy Scout the merit badge “Service in the Community” to a number of 12 year olds. I also helped get volunteers to ‘adopt a landscape’ and plant daffodils along 2.5 miles of newly improved road. Guess who I got to remove ivy and haul mulch? …..Anyone need a merit badge signed off?

I submitted my DNA to a Genetic data base so I can connect my family line to others. I asked my brother to do it too. It seems that I don't have the "Y" chromosome needed to track my father's line. Interesting isn't it? I was sure I’d have something of my father tucked in me somewhere. I mean, I LOOK like him… but that’s not good enough. The “Y” chromosome is needed to trace male lineage.

According to the tests, I seem to have some Jewish blood. A Norwegian, related 67 generations back, with the same markers contacted me. Since I have my father’s side traced back only 5 generations, and he had only a few more than that, we didn’t find much more in common ~ except maybe a smattering knowledge of Scandinavia on my part. As for the DNA, there aren’t enough people in the pool yet to find anyone closely related to me. I want to make family search and history writing more of a priority this coming year.

Disasters have turned to successes. I was to care for a neighbor’s dog during the Thanksgiving vacation. I knew the dog barked when she was left alone. I knew the surrounding neighbors were angry about the dog’s noise and with the family too. When I checked on her, she was quiet so I didn’t bring her home with me. I couldn't hear her from inside my house so I didn’t know that she barked all night long. (Oops!)

The neighbors didn’t know that I was the one ‘taking care’ of the dog but they sent me emails about the constant barking. (That's what I get for organizing the neighborhood). They said the family was abusing the animal and threatened to call the authorities (a $500 fine). I talked with several and calmed them down. When K returned, I confessed that the neighbors were now madder than ever. K assured me that it wasn't my fault. We both knew that the dog needed more attention than she was getting. Even when the family was home, the dog was always outside ~ alone and barking.

Often K had thought about giving the dog away. She just didn’t know how to find a good home. She was afraid that someone would use the dog for medical experiments or, the new owners wouldn’t buy the medicine the dog needed for her ears or get her the necessary shots. And the children would miss her. She knew that her husband wouldn’t!

It was also difficult for her because of a childhood experience. Back in Russia, when the family moved, her father shot and killed their family dog. K felt terrible and wanted to make it up to another dog. She picked a very sick puppy from a shelter and nursed her to full health. She would never let anything bad happen to a dog of hers. This dog always had the best of everything – except time. It wasn’t because K didn’t try. She walked her daily. Rain or gloom of night didn’t stop her. A year after the pup came into the home, K had a baby. The dog went outside and with two growing children, K’s time and attention was more severely divided.

I put the dog's name on the prayer roll in the temple (God loves His animals too, right?) and then I sent out an ad by email.

As President of the women’s group at church, I send out an email every week. It has little newsy items such as things people have to give away or announcements about events. Members who don’t regularly attend church receive it too. People contact each other directly, so I don’t hear anything unless someone happens to mention it later. That’s how I found out that one sister got the 5 ft dining table (plus 2 leaves) right after she had to sell hers to pay a lawyer bill. Someone else got some free wood to burn. Personally, I now have a clothes dryer! It's been really a great way to connect people and take care of needs.

I announced that my neighbor’s dog needed a home with lots of attention and room to run. I wrote it up with detail about how the dog was good with children and cats and was so smart that she understood both English and Russian.

The best response was from a couple who live a few streets away from me. They were perfect!! He used to breed Labradors. They have a farm in Washington with lots of room. He's retired and needs a dog to follow him around. When K warned them that the dog liked to dig holes in the yard, they responded, “That’s only normal”. It didn't bother them a bit. They like keeping their dogs inside the house with them, not outside, in the back, such as where K’s dog had been assigned.

They spent thousands of dollars into trying to save one of their dogs. They would not neglect any health issues. Their grown children have Labs too. For vacations, family members take turns with each other's dogs. That avoids problems with kennel borne diseases AND provides more socialization. They know how to obedience train through praise and reward. What a blessing!! I'm just so thrilled that there wasn't any question that this was the perfect home for her. So easy!

It was hard for K to see her dog go, but the home and the timing was just right. If I hadn't messed up over Thanksgiving by pushing the neighbors over the edge, it wouldn't have pushed K into finally doing what she knew needed to be done. This brought about a good answer for everyone. Happy new owners, happier dog, much happier neighbors, and a relieved husband for Katy - Praise Heavenly Father!! Mistakes can turn into good things!! I love life!!

Everything else is going really well - I have absolutely nothing to complain about. I love being Relief Society President more than I ever, ever thought I would. I'm not the best organized one they've ever had, but I have a couple of wonderful counselors who patiently remind me of things. I love them!! And Heavenly Father too. He is too good to me!! I pray that He is blessing your life with great happiness and will continue to do so through out the New Year. Happy 2008!
Love,
Sherry

I sent a few postcards and some emails to people about my trip to Ireland and France. This is my first letter filled with more detail. You won’t hurt my feelings if you don’t have time or inclination to read it all. However, there will be a test later ! J

Briefly, the first week my friend Dani and I spent on a bus going around the Irish Island. The second week we rented a car and went out looking for her family’s historical roots. There’s nothing like looking for dead potato farmers in small villages a century after they left for America. The small churches and historical societies we visited told us to “look on the web”. Well, heck that’s not as exciting as looking at some old crusted over tombstone, but it was fun seeing the area.

This was the first time I’ve been in a foreign country (aside from Canada, which isn’t really foreign) that I was able to ask for directions in the native tongue and people immediately understood me. Even more amazing to me was that, despite the accent, I understood the answer. This has never happened to me before. (!!)

As exciting as that was, the real problem I found wasn’t in understanding the answer. It was in asking the right person the question. When we were lost, many friendly people gave us directions. However, they were often wrong. Later, we would have to stop and ask again. Sometimes I felt that we should ask 4 or 5 different people and then take an average of what we were told.

Side note: This is a lot like people looking for the way back to our Heavenly Home. They ask directions of everyone ~ and many want to help ~ but only a few really know. You have to ask several times before someone can give you an answer that takes you back to Heavenly Father without a wrong turn.

Driving on the left hand side of the road in Ireland is quite an adventure. Here in America, right hand turns are easy. To go straight or turn left, one must stop and wait for traffic to clear. When a cop loses a bad guy he is chasing, the cop will make a right hand turn. Odds are that the bad guy made the same turn because it was easier than crossing traffic to go left.

The opposite is true in countries that drive on the left hand side of the street. The left hand turns are “easy” and right hand turns are “hard”. I was happy to have had a week watching our bus driver before I took the wheel. A second person is essential for reading maps, street signs and giving verbal reminders such as “easy left” or “difficult right”

Make a note of language choice here. If Dani said “hard right”, I could accidentally misinterpret. “Hard right” usually means: Go immediately right – now! “Difficult right” reminded me to wait and watch for cross traffic before venturing forth.

Speaking of language choice… Here in America, we often say those in other lands who drive on the left hand, or opposite side, of the road are “driving on the wrong side”. The Irish don’t drive on the “wrong side”. They say that they drive on the “correct side”. The problem comes from confusing “Right and Left” with “Right and Wrong”.

By saying, “Correct side”, it automatically means that either side is “right” as long as everyone agrees and follows the same pattern. Driving on the “incorrect side” causes problems because it is the “wrong side” for the majority. Having everyone agree on the same rules is what makes systems work.

The problem we are having in our modern day is that we are trying to change Natural and Eternal Rules to our liking just as we change man-made rules. We believe that if the majority agrees, we can do what we want. I heard an expression the other day: “We don’t break the commandments. We break ourselves against them.” Some principles are the way they are. It’s to our benefit to work with them, ~ not against them.

Back to the road….Although I managed the “right /left – correct” issue OK, I still had a wee bit of a problem placing the car on the road. I was in the correct lane OK but, according to Dani, I would often drift to the far left side of my correct lane. This put me up against the scratchy hedgerows along the sides and made Dani dig her fingernails into the car’s upholstery.

I think, I was trying to put my physical body on the left side of the car (?) where it was used to being and taking the car with it. She’d have to remind me to move closer to the center from time to time. With Dani’s help, we did OK. We returned the car without any dings. Whew!

The driving habit carries over in walking too. Oncoming pedestrians wanted to pass me on my right hand side. I wanted to pass them on their left hand side. If I wasn’t watching and thinking too, I’d subconsciously tend to edge nearer and nearer to the right hand side, expecting to pass them on the right. At the same time, with them not thinking either, they were veering to pass me on my right.

Our guide said that today’s traffic patterns developed from the early days of travel when there were robbers about. (And things have changed??) People carried their swords and knives on their left so they could draw them out with their right hand. When meeting someone coming along the trail, it would be easier to defend yourself if your armed right hand was closest to the other person. Therefore, you passed each other right shoulder to right shoulder. . True story? I don’t know. Why only the British Isles?

I read somewhere that supermarkets are designed for the traffic patterns set in our heads. Since American and European drivers tend to make right hand turns more easily, stores are set up with certain products on the right just as you enter. In other countries, where they drive on the left side of the road, (which is “correct” for them), the stores have been designed, and products placed, so turning left is easy. Just a bit of trivia you can check out for yourself sometime. I forget where I read it.

That’s a little (little?) summary of my trip – or at least the Irish part. Beautiful country, friendly people, and great weather ~ what more could someone want? Oh, and the food was good too. J

Story number #1
On our first evening in Ireland, a group of us decided use our free time to see the town. When getting ready to go, Dani discovered that she was missing her purse. Of course she felt sick thinking of her credit card, passport, money etc. She tried to be a good sport. She said that she probably left it on the bus and it was OK. However, we knew she couldn’t enjoy herself if she worried about her purse all night. (And we would worry too)

The driver had recommended a couple of pubs to visit. We thought he might be in one of them. We took a cab into town. In the first pub, we didn’t find the driver but we found a phone book and called the restaurant where we had eaten earlier. No luck. In the second pub there was no sign of him. We began to think that he had recommended these pubs as decoys. Maybe he was in his own favorite pub where he could savor his private time away from us, “the kids”.

Somehow, we decided that if we found the bus, then maybe we’d find the driver too. At the time it seemed reasonable. It was a comforting thought. It would be a lot easier to find a huge tour bus parked somewhere in town than an Irish bus driver lodged on a stool in one of 200 local pubs. A bit impractical perhaps, but that became the mission.

So off we went down the city streets, taking a right here and a left there, looking down alleys and into quirky corners. There were pubs everywhere of course but no bus. At one point, one of us suggested going into a random pub that was close by. I don’t remember why, but we went in. As we’re standing there looking around, ~~ in walks our driver! In all of the pubs in Killarney, he walks into ours. What were the odds?? We jumped him like twitter-pated girls. I demanded, “How are we supposed to find you in case of an emergency?” He said, “You’re not.” Ha ha. Funny guy.

He did say the purse was on the bus and all was well. We were able to relax and enjoy the evening. Dani was able to sleep that night without worry. Heavenly Father was sooo kind!

Story #2
I had a few hours to wait at the Charles De Gaulle airport before I could check in my bag for coming home. I was reading Alma 26 in the Book of Mormon. Ammon is praising God for the great missionary miracles that have happened among previously villainous people.

An African man sat down beside me. I thought, “Should I or shouldn’t I say something about the gospel to him? Here I am reading this great missionary chapter. What good does it do if I don’t apply it to my life?” I decided to say something. As I was talking with him, a man sitting across from me leaned forward and asked, “Are you a Mormon?” I replied that I was. He said he was a Christian. I responded brightly, “So am I!” He re-defined himself as a “Christian Christian”. I said, “So I guess I’m a Mormon Christian?” Right. He informs me that I can’t be saved by the law only (my works). I need to have faith on Jesus Christ.

Now, for the life of me, I don’t understand how a stranger can tell me that I don’t have faith in Jesus Christ. I responded that everything I do is related to my faith in Christ. If I didn’t have faith, I wouldn’t do anything at all. Christ said, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” For me, that takes some work. If I didn’t have faith in Christ, I would just eat, drink, be merry and hope to be saved in the last day only because God is good. Repenting of my mistakes and shortcomings takes work ~ at least for me. He insisted that I was without belief in Christ’s power to save and then he excused himself to catch a plane.

I sat there feeling sour and bummed. I had opened my mouth to share the gospel and I got shut down by someone who had a different perspective on religious beliefs. I’ve been a member of the Church of Jesus Christ for my entire adult life. I’ve been a full time missionary. Why am I so lousy at explaining what I know? I knew it wasn’t my fault that he wasn’t open to listen to anything I had to say or learn anything. His mind was set. I was condemned. I still felt badly. I reminded myself that Ammon hadn’t experienced instant success either. At least, unlike Ammon, I hadn’t been hung upside down in a prison for a few months first.

Feeling discouraged and disappointed, I went to check in my bag. The line was long. People snaked through the Disneyland-like ropes and spilled into the rest of the airport. As I moved up closer to the front of the line, I noticed a small, very frail, elderly lady at the ticket counter.

She had two huge suitcases on a luggage cart. Each must have outweighed her by twice her own weight. She was struggling to get them off the cart and onto the conveyor belt. The cart only rolled toward her when ever she tugged a bag. I watched her a bit and noticed that no one else was doing anything. The lady behind the counter just sat there staring into space waiting for the bags. The people at the other counters were occupied with their own affairs. The nearby security guard didn’t move. The people in line stood in their proper places behind the rope.

I ducked under the rope and went to help. I told the tiny old lady to stand away as I yanked both bags off the cart and got them onto the conveyor. She was grateful and relieved. The people watching, back in the line, had circled my bags in a protective manner. That was nice. I felt good.

It was a direct blessing from Heavenly Father. He gave me that opportunity to do a “good work” when I was feeling down. To let me know that good works are needed and necessary in this world. It made me feel better. It helped someone else. It was an example to others that they can step out from behind a line and help someone if it is needed. If someone doesn’t believe that I have faith in Christ that’s fine. I am still going to do works because it’s the right thing to do.

Last weekend was General Conference for the Church. I was just home and enjoying the down time. One of the last speakers on the Saturday session was Jeffery Holland. He gave a passionate speech about people in the world who don’t understand Christianity and how we live it. He said everything that I wished I could have explained to the man at the airport. That speech was inspired for me personally.

I don’t often say that about Conference Talks but this directly related to my recent experience that was still so fresh in my mind. I give Heavenly Father credit for this witness. He does love me and care about me. He appreciates the things that I try to do. No, I’m not perfect and no, I’m not going to “earn” my way back to my Father’s presence. However, I do need to do what He says needs to be done i.e. have faith on His son Jesus Christ, repent of my sins, be baptized by water, and receive the Holy Ghost from those who have the authority to hold the Holy Priesthood of God. The rest is “doing unto others”. That’s about it. Yes, its work, but I love it.

We had a special rehearsal today (Sunday). I need all the practice with the group that I can get. I thought I should go. However, since it was Sunday, I didn’t think it was right. I debated with myself: On one hand, the group needs me to be in my position…On the other hand, if I had faith, it will go better if I don’t practice on Sunday. On one hand it doesn’t matter how much practice I have, I’ll never be good anyway. On the other hand, I can’t expect Divine Help if I don’t practice… Maybe I could go to another ward that meets after our rehearsal. But then, I know that the Lord takes the Sabbath Day seriously…..

I decided to go to the practice. I tried talking to Heavenly Father about it. I explained that I was needed there so I could work with the group. And besides, I hadn’t known that there was going to be any Sunday rehearsals when I enrolled in the class. So it wasn’t like I fell into this on purpose. I’m basically really active in keeping the commandments. I read the Ensign from cover to cover. I watch the BYU channel a lot. I’m out serving others during the week. I pay my tithing. I fast on fast Sunday…..

Oh, that’s right. And this will be a fast Sunday too. I won’t be there for fast and testimony meeting…. And if I have a testimony, what am I doing skipping out on Sunday meetings for a silly 5 minute performance that in the end is not going to shake the universe?

I went to Church. I knew it was the right decision when I came in and heard the opening hymn. I felt good in my bones. It was the right place to be. I knew it was right and wondered why I had bothered debating it with myself (or with the Lord) at all.

While I was there, I set up the box for collecting school supplies box for needy kids. I helped a single mom fill out an order so she could get food from the Church storehouse. I visited Primary and made an announcement about a Visiting Teaching Conference we are having next week. And I conducted a meeting that I had forgotten about!! There was a testimony borne about the time that I was a Young Woman’s president and how influential I had been in a life. That was a surprise and nice to hear. I’m glad that I was there.

The Lord lives. He loves us. He gives us commandments for our happiness. The things we choose to do here on earth will shake the universe. Let us pray that we will shake it in a way that echoes through the eternities in a good way!