Week 43: Trials Are Like Chemotherapy

There was a Woman, Sariah, in my last area who was going through very strong doses of Chemotherapy and would drive her self to the doctors and drive home and to get groceries before and after each session of the stage 4 of Chemotherapy. Sister Kay and I happened to find her trying to walk up the stairs with her groceries one step at a time to get to her Apartment. Sister Kay was basically picking her up and helping her up the flight of stairs. This woman could barely talk with out having to take a wheezing breath in every other word. All that she desired was her daughter to stay in school.

I share this story because in the Bible study yesterday the teacher was asking the question, "Why do bad things happen to good people?". The night before Sister Minaker and I asked the same question.... WHY? Shouldn't God give you the most blessings if you are the most obedient?  No, of course not. God has sent us here on earth to become as he is. We hear of Jesus Christ's mortal experience. He was perfect, yet... "He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not... But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed" (Mosiah 14:3,7). I know that Jesus Christ is the Mediator of all of our struggles and joy's in life. 

The answer to the question of "Why do bad things happen to good people?" is simple, that God loves us. He loves us enough to let us struggle and learn for ourselves. He loves us enough to give us the help just enough to keep going.  Sometimes we never realize the grace and love and help we receive from God. He is molding us into eternal Mothers and Fathers. The worst things happen to the best people. He has so much more in store for each of us! The challenge is seeing everyone of that potential.

We met this family, the Alessi's. All 3 children have special needs. Imagine not knowing if one of your children will wake up in the morning! 

Now thank God for making it possible for you to wake up every morning and do the things that you are able to do! Thank your Father in Heaven today, every hour, of the blessings you have!

Now the question is, how are you and I going to show and give that love, just as God has given and shown us?

This week was Beautiful. We helped the Murray's clean their kitchen. She had so many questions about the church that she naturally had! She asked, "Can I lend the Book of Mormon??" we said " Of course, you can have one!" She is planning to be at church next Sunday! :) 

We found a tiny little mouse pass out and die in a gas station parking lot because of the the 100 degree  weather.... it is funny to watch the series of event happen in your life. How many mice died that day? 

The funniest thing happen, well I wouldn't say funny but HUGE miracle because one of us almost got Lyme disease... We had a dinner earlier in the week where the family moved from Seattle less than a year ago and she was talking about how many bugs are in Virginia unlike Seattle. Shes started to talk about ticks and how she is so afraid of them, which sister Minaker and I are as well, cause they can be scary! A few days after that conversation, sister Minaker was telling me how she was debating whether or not to tell this sister that she got a tick last year. We laughed as we walked through a few moderately short patches of grass. Sister MInaker thinking I would get a tick as I walk through one more patch of grass than she did. we knock a door to check on someone. we are walking back to the car and she felt something on her ankle. she gets in the car, I go behind the car to back her out of the parking spot and then get in when she is all the backed. She then pulls over, puts her hazards on and picks up her foot to see whats on her ankle, and to our surprise, it was a little tick!!! She had thought before hand that nothing was really on her ankle, but then the spirit told her differently and told her to look at her ankle! Good thing she followed that spirit and got it just in time to take it out with out much effort at all. In the car, there isn't much to contain a tick with... we had a plastic sheet protector for some baptismal calendars we had so I slipped that out and she popped it in there! now that is contained, we needed to have it contained with out us holding it, so we went to a members house real quick to get a zip lock bag! 

Thankfully neither of us got Lyme disease and the tick is in tick heaven! :)

We finally were able to contact, and have dinner with this family that is a part member and part Jewish family! President Caplin's dad converted from Judaism to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints so we had dinner and a lesson with the President and sister Caplin with this little family. They had so much in common, it was unbelievable! 

God is so intimately involved with out lives, if only we could see all that he does!

Hymn 129- "Where Can I Turn For Peace"
"Where, when my aching grows,
Where, when I languish,
Where, in my need to know, where can I run?Where is the quiet hand to calm my anguish?Who, who can understand?
He, only One.

He answers privately,
Reaches my reaching
In my Gethsemane, Savior and Friend.
Gentle the peace he finds for my beseeching.
Constant he is and kind,
Love without end."

Love constantly,
Sister Chaffin

Sister Minaker's eye

My Eye