Day 39, 40, 41, 42, 43 - Way 39, 40, 41, 42, 43

A few things I remember from this whirlwind weekend.
Thursday May 8th (39)- A few people from my work took my friend and co-worker Carrie and myself out to lunch. Carrie and I both received diploma covers this past week from the University of Utah. Carrie is finishing her masters degree in educational leadership and public policy (I think that's right???) and I am finishing my bachelors degree in geography. It was a great lunch with great friends.

Friday May 9th (40)- A friend of mine knows that teaching is one of my most favorite things to do in the whole world, so when she found out she needed to go to her parents ward for Mother's Day she asked me if I would like to teach her Relief Society lesson. I was thrilled and so grateful for the opportunity. I also went to a wonderful concert with a friend and her husband. It was so much fun. I just loved the music and the company.

Saturday May 10th (41)- For those who don't know, technically this was Mother's Day for my mom, because Japan is about 13 hours ahead of Utah time. After experiencing this day, I have to be honest, my first thought was, "Wow someone must really hate my family, to allow so many bad things to happen." After I explain what happened, I will explain what I realize now in hind sight.

For me the day wasn't all that bad. I had a lovely Lions Club induction meeting, where myself, my roommate Mandy, my old friend Bob, and my new friends Rose, Julie and Bryson were all inducted into the East Mill Creek Lions Club. Then I went to lunch with Mandy and her sister and mother. Afterward, I did some very productive shopping. Between shopping trips however, the three dogs currently "hanging out" at my house decided to take a little run when I opened the front door to move items around. Sparky, the smallest of them all was the ring leader. Abbey and Bosco followed suit. I chased them as they ran down my street, across a pretty busy street, then across a highway, against traffic until finally a lady stopped to help me. She drove Bosco home and then I carried the other two dogs. If that wasn't enough of a stressful panicked day, my brother Arthur was organizing his room and setting up his brand new bed and he sliced his finger open on the bed frame and had to get six stitches("WARNING: This frame is sharp and may cut you", is not a joke, that sticker on the bed frame is actually serious).

OK, so that was pretty rough for me and him, and then we were reminded that we aren't the only two people in the universe with tests and trials. We received phone calls and text messages from our brother Doug around 10pm. Doug was HIT BY A CAR! He was riding his bike in a bike lane and a lady swerved onto the road and into his lane, causing him to flip over the front of his handle bars and face plant in the middle of the road. That's right, Doug was HIT BY A CAR! Paramedics checked him out and told him that he could decide to go to the hospital or just see how he felt later. He of course decided to tough it out. The lady was cited and to her credit, both of my brothers said that she was a kind woman and they feel bad that she has to suffer for her mistake.

Now, you have to understand how I could feel like this day was someones way of showing us how much they hate us. But now let me tell the story the way I see it now. I KNOW THAT MY PARENTS WERE CALLED TO SERVE THE LORD AS MISSIONARIES FOR HIS KINGDOM ON THIS EARTH. I KNOW THAT THEY WERE PROMISED THAT IF THEY WOULD SACRIFICE THEIR TIME AND CONSECRATE IT TO THE LORD THEIR FAMILY WOULD RECEIVE BLESSINGS BEYOND THEIR CAPACITY TO RECEIVE THEM. WHAT A BLESSING IT MUST BE FOR MY FATHER, BUT PARTICULARLY MY MOTHER TO SEE THAT ON HER MOTHERS DAY, ALL THE LESSONS SHE TAUGHT US GROWING UP HAVE PAID OFF, SHE HAS LEFT HER ADULT CHILDREN TO MAKE DECISIONS AND CHOOSE THEIR OWN REACTIONS TO THE MANY TRIALS AND CHALLENGES THAT WILL COME UPON THEM AND THEY HAVE OVERCOME. We may have each struggled through this trying day, but at the end of the day, we are all alive, we are closer to each other as brothers and sisters, we have been blessed and protected beyond measure and we know that our parents would be proud of us for how we handled ourselves and will continue to handle ourselves. So, Mother, I know you are reading this, please know from the bottom of my heart, we wish you the very best Mother's Day, but more importantly, as you always reminded us every year at this time of year, it's not so much how we treat you on Mother's Day that matters to you, but it is how we take what you have taught us and apply it to EVERY SINGLE DAY AND MOMENT in our lives. We love you, you have raised all of us well.

Sunday May 11th (42)- My lesson in Relief Society went very well. I have to say though that my favorite part of teaching is the feeling you get when you know you have prepared and studied out the lesson in your mind and in your heart, and then you allow the spirit to take over and tell you what portions of the lesson that you prepared will apply to and be effective for those who are receptive to the spirit. I would say that half of the lesson was what I planned to teach and the other half came from promptings by the spirit to leave out an idea here and there, or add a personal testimony in other places that I hadn't thought of sharing until I was standing there in front of the room. I am grateful that as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints we are given the opportunity to learn and to teach by and through the spirit and that we don't have to be scholars or great thinkers by the worlds standards to be able to present to one another plain and simple gospel truths. This was truly a blessing for me as I experienced the spirit throughout all of the meetings in my ward today.

Monday May 12th (43)- Today I got to spend the day with Doug. We went to the hospital so that he could find out what was wrong with his shoulder. After the adrenaline wore off and the shock of being HIT BY A CAR, he realized he was in much more pain than he imagined. We also had his face looked at, because there is still a lot of swelling. One of the medical professionals said that he likely broke his nose and that he tore a joint in his shoulder. Basically he has a separated shoulder. Which means Mandy and I are having Arthur, Doug and my other roommate Sarah sign a contract stating that they will not pass on the separating of shoulders like a contagious disease, because Mandy and I are not interested.
After the hospital we went to the pharmacy and then Doug came with me to work so that I could get a few things done and then we could file his claim with the lady's insurance company. I know this is going to be a lengthy process, and I literally feel so blessed to have just recently experienced the physical pain and mental suffering that comes from an accident caused by someone else. Although I am sure this accident will in a way, haunt the lady that HIT Doug with her car, I think that the real pain comes from the emotional and pretty much annoying process of getting a claim settled with an insurance company. I suffered from that process for over a year and now I feel as though I can sympathize and assist Doug in this process so much more now, than if I had never experienced a slightly similar experience to his.

Now, there you have it. The weekend that kept on giving! If you had asked me 5 days ago what I had in store for the weekend, I would not have included ANY of the details I just mentioned above, but tonight I feel stronger for all that I have seen and felt and experienced, and I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Someone once asked me how we could possibly send young missionaries out into the world and be OK with talking to them only at Mother's Day and Christmas, or how we could send our Mother's and Fathers out on missions right at the time when our lives are changing the most and when we may need them to be there through our ups and downs. Today I have the answer. If you asked me if I could choose having my parents on a mission, or having them here, I absolutely would firmly declare that I know that more blessings and opportunities are coming to my family as my parents serve than we would ever recognize if they were here. My family will be stronger and more united in purpose than we have ever been before.

Now, I feel as though I need to write a letter to those who may be approaching the time to serve or the time to splurge.....retirement!

Dear parents, grandparents and grown adults,

If the Lord has whispered to your soul that you are needed in the mission field, do not hesitate to answer the call. All of the things that you see standing in the way will surely be taken care of as you forget your own worldly desires and turn to the Lord. Lately there have been a lot of retirement commercials on the air describing how baby boomers are still active and full of energy and enthusiasm for life as they prepare to retire. What better servants can the Lord be given than those who have experience and wisdom and the vitality and energy to get to work? Please, for the sake of the young people looking for direction in their lives, we need the wise and energetic to show us how happy life can be when we turn our lives over to the Lord's service instead of choosing the worldly pleasures that so often come with retirement these days.

If you are still questioning your ability to serve, do yourself a favor and remember that your ability is not what is required. All that is required is your willingness and desire to serve. The Lord no doubt will find a place, time and people suitable for your circumstances. Trust him, he knows his children and he knows his kingdom.
It's HIS work you are being asked to do.

Sincerely, TRacy- a recipient of many missionary miracles.