Dec 10

December 10, 2006

There are few times in your life when you get to be in exactly the right place at exactly the right time, and when you get there feel like the Lord sent you. Today we had one of those rare and uplifting experiences.

We started early in church as Pres. Bonito has asked us to start coming to the branch council meeting. I guess that’s what it is. Basically, it was the presidency, Bro. Wilcock, and us. We discussed going to a two-hour block instead of three and also teaching Gospel Principles instead of the Gospel Doctrine class. We feel that these would both be improvements but no we’re waiting to see what the Stake President thinks. After the meeting Robert took Bro. Wilcock to pick up all their people. That works better because then I’m there to play for the opening song and start Primary. Whoever picks up people gets to church barely in time for Sunday School, which follows Priesthood/Relief Society. But providing rides for the people really helps attendance. Everyone in Cibecue is actually close enough to walk, but they won’t do it. The first couple of weeks we were here there were 6-8 people at Sacrament meeting. Today there were about 45-50.


Finally home about 2:00 we ate dinner and were desperate for some rest. We looked forward to a quiet Sunday afternoon, but seems the Lord had other plans. Alma called and said they had to take their baby, Famisha, to the hospital this morning. Gilbert was coming back to Cibecue with his mother and needed a ride back to the hospital in Whiteriver. Alma said, “Could you guys just run him back over here?” Well, over here is 47 miles away. It was the last thing in the world we wanted to do today, but couldn’t refuse a little family with a baby in the hospital. She said Gilbert would be ready about 6:30. NOT! It was 8:00 before we left Cibecue, so by then we were really grouchy.

When we got to the hospital the maintenance people had closed off the hallway to the baby’s room. Gilbert said, “Wait up!” which is a phrase they use all the time here, so he could go and find Alma and the baby. So we sat there waiting another 15 minutes until they came and told us where they were.

We went down a hallway, turned a corner and saw Cheryl standing there. We went over and asked her why she was there and she started to cry. She said her 16-year-old foster daughter had been drinking, passed out and they could wake her so they called the police. The police then called an ambulance and sent her to the hospital. She was finally awake and ready to go home.

We asked, “So what are you doing right now?” And here’s the miracle part. She replied that she had been in the emergency and had just barely stepped out into the hall. If we had been 5 minutes earlier or later we’d never have known she was there. Then she said she was just talking to her relative who was there trying to figure out how she and Tiffani, the daughter, could get back to Cibecue tonight. It’s impossible to describe how we felt when we said, “Well, Cheryl, we’re here. You can go home with us.” She said she had been praying for a way home, and I guess the Lord sent us.

We visited with Alma and Gilbert for a few minutes then drove Cheryl and Tiffani home. Tiffani is on a path to disaster and no one knows quite how to help her.

We got home at 11:30 and that was the end of our quiet, peaceful, restful Sunday.