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Our best friends in Alabama—our closest friends in our married life—called today to give us an update on their lives. When we finished crying, I immediately thought of how well the Lord knows us and how regularly He touches our lives—so much more fully than we sometimes realize.
To understand, you need to know Dave and Sybil. They are from Panama; she is half Hispanic, with all the stereotypes of gregariousness and gaiety that come with that heritage; they were high school sweethearts; they have been married for about 25 years; they are only a few years older than Michelle and I; they are adult converts; they have seven children; he is hard-working, humble, self-deprecating, highly intelligent, patient, thoughtful and sincere; she is one of the funniest, most charming, outgoing, bubbly, spontaneous individuals this world has ever seen. She lights up the world around her wherever she goes. It is impossible to be down around her. She is energy and light and joy incarnate.
She has leukemia.
She was diagnosed last year—a total shock to everyone. For the last year, she has been receiving chemo in AL and Houston, TX. The treatments seemed to be working, but they learned yesterday that the cancer has come back. She has been given a 30% chance of recovery.
I talked with Dave this morning, and he told me the news. He also shared a few thoughts that humbled me—and helped me realize again how well Heavenly Father knows His children.
He received a blessing years ago that he remembers vividly to this day. He was sick and asked me to give him a blessing. In that blessing, he was told that he would be healed miraculously—and that he would recognize it as it happened. He said that following the blessing he literally could feel the illness evaporating from his body—in a tangible way that he cannot forget. That experience taught him clearly that miraculous healings can occur.
They also faced the very real possibility of losing their youngest daughter during her first few years. During that time, she received a blessing, and, while she was not promised healing, the blessing left them with a peace that they couldn't describe. They knew that whatever happened would be God's will—and they knew that if their daughter died they would mourn her loss but have the reassurance that they would see her again. She survived the ordeal, but he learned another, separate lesson about the power of the Priesthood.
All of this brings me to this morning. This humble man told me that he had never forgotten the blessing I had given him (that he had received through me) so many years ago, and as he considered his wife's condition he had the distinct impression to see if I could join him in Houston in a couple of weeks to give Sybil a blessing. He knew I cannot afford it right now, so he told me he would pay all the expenses—even though her illness has sapped their reserves. He told me that he was not expecting a miraculous healing—just that he wanted to do everything in his own power and then turn it over to the Lord, trusting again that whatever happened (whatever was promised in the blessing) would be His will. He told me, “I want my wife to live, but if that is not His will, I want to feel the same peace I felt when my daughter almost died. If I have done all I can do, I can turn it over to Him and accept whatever He chooses.”
Dave has no idea whatsoever that my resolution this month is to mourn with those who mourn and comfort those who stand in need to comfort. He has no idea that part of that resolution is to seek out and pray for opportunities to give Priesthood blessings to those who need them. He has no idea that his request gives me this special opportunity in the exact month of this very specific resolution. He does not know what this taught me today. I will share it with him in a couple of weeks, but he has no idea how grateful I am for this lesson.
God knows my resolution. He knows me more intimately than I can imagine or understand. I know my New Year's Resolution for this year was inspired, but I wonder today if He gave me that inspiration in advance—knowing this is the first New Year's Resolution I have made in many, many years—knowing that my friends would need to make this call—knowing that I would need to understand more fully that He knows me completely and intimately—knowing that I would need the extra assurance from a grieving husband that he is confident that whatever I say in a few weeks will be God's will. It is humbling to be taught such a lesson in such a situation, by someone who should be receiving comfort but is giving it in a way he cannot understand. I simply hope and pray that I can provide the same comfort to them like I received today from them—that our Father knows us and is mindful of us and has a more active role in our life than we often realize. With that knowledge comes peace—and that is what Dave and Sybil need so desperately right now.
Alison Moore Smith is a 61-year-old entrepreneur who graduated from BYU in 1987. She has been (very happily) married to Samuel M. Smith for 40 years. They are parents of six incredible children and grandparents to two astounding grandsons. She is the author of The 7 Success Habits of Homeschoolers.
Just bumping up my husband’s post. :bigsmile:
hee hee! I get it nepotism at its finest! I have actually taken the time to read it (when he posted it origionally)and it was very heartfelt and wonderful. My heart goes out to your friends. I also see the Lords hand in giving Raythe opprotunity to help and to “mourn with those who mourn”. it is always hard to see a loved one go, but we can rest in knowing that we have the plan of salvation. I had a strange and wonderful experience when my father passed away. He had told me I was to go back to Rick’s college, that the Lors had plans for me and that he would stay around for one more Christmas. He was terminal with Prostate cancer, and we knew that it would not be too long. I left, not wanting to go, but knowing that back at school was were he wanted me to be. A couple days after I got to school, I was laying in my bed, wonder what the new semester would bring, and I started to pray. I told Heavenly Father to tell my dad it was ok for him to go, and that I wanted his pain to be over. the next daywhen I returned to my apartment after going exploring with a couple of friends, I was greeted by a room full of strange young men from my ward, and my friend from the same ward back home was there too. the phone rang, and it was my mom, calling to tell me that dad had passed away the night before. Roughly around the time I was praying for him to be released. I was given a blessing by the young men frm my ward, and I was alright. yes I mourned my father, but I knew that he needed to go. I was able to let others, through my situation, come closer to the Lord, by letting them in, and taking their comfort, and listening to their stories of lost loved ones. it is something I have always appreciated, and have always wanted to continue to be able to do. I truly believe that our Father in Heaven puts those situations in our paths, not just to enlighten ourselves, but those around us as well.
Great article, Ray. I read it this morning and loved it, but was afraid if I logged in I’d stay all day.
Thanks for sharing that experience, kiar. I have had other experiences with blessings, particularly, that can be described only as miraculous. I once had an atheist friend who accused them of being nothing more than standard emotionalism and hyperbole, but when I explained the details of a couple of them he had no answer for them. The opportunity to participate in and/or experience them truly can be wonderous when they truly represent the will of God.
Ray, I will sincerely pray that things will go well for you on this mission of mercy. It will be a blessing of healing, I am certain of that, whether his wife gets well or not. Nothing heals like sympathetic sharing, even when nothing else can be done. (Maybe especially when nothing else can be done.)
Please continue to tell us all about it.
Kiar. What a sweet and tender thing you just shared with us. I am glad you had priesthood holders there to mourn with you. Wish I could hug you.
I’m getting the keyboard all soggy. (Well, it needed cleaning anyway?)
I too appreciated the article and haven’t commented yet just because I wasn’t sure what to say yet. Experiences with the priesthood are very special and sacred, and I’ve had several in my life that were miraculous.
My dad is one who is quite plain spoken (actually he just doesn’t say much at all) when speaking normally, but when giving a blessing is very eloquent and profound. It’s a very meaningful experience for me whenever I receive a blessing from him. He very much follows the spirit. When I was a baby just learning to walk, I dumped a pot of boiling oil onto my head. My parents were just getting active in the church and my dad had just been ordained an elder a few weeks before. The first blessing he gave was to me in the hospital after the doctors told them that I would live but would have significant scarring and most likely would not ever be able to grow hair (at least not in a normal pattern). I obviously don’t remember the blessing since I was so little, but I’m told that it was definitely an example of someone being a mouthpiece for the Lord as he blessed me to have a normal recovery. I still have a few scars (I think to remind me of the experience, honestly), but nothing that is deforming.
Several years later, my younger brother was diagnosed with a rare disease that was deforming and potentially fatal. A general authority was living in our ward at the time (I want to say Elder Ashton but I’m not positive on that). My dad called him and told him the situation and asked if he would give my brother a blessing. He said something to my dad that has been a great blessing. He asked if he held the priesthood and if he was worthy to give a blessing. Then he told him that the power that dad held was the same power that he would use. He encouraged my dad to be the voice in the blessing and that he would come and help administer to my brother. What a great lesson, to have a general authority assist you in giving a blessing but to teach you that the power you have is exactly the same as his.
Anyway, I do wish your friends the very best. And what a wonderful experience for you to be able to serve them.
What a wonderful message – and so true: The Priesthood is the same, no matter the organizational position.
What a sad, and yet glorious experience! It really is amazing how miracles happen in our lives, even if they’re not necessarily the miracles we were hoping for or expecting.
Your friends will be in my prayers, Ray.
I’m so glad we have this forum to share these kind of experiences! And I’m glad you decided to share it with us. What a wonderful example of how our Father in Heaven truly DOES hear our prayers and knows our desires and needs.
And thanks for sharing your story too agardner. That all men can be the bearers of the Priesthood is truly one of the most marvelous parts of the gospel. We don’t have to go to “the priest” to be baptized, take the sacrament, get a blessing, be ordained, etc. Fathers can bless and/or heal their own children and wives, fathers and older brothers can baptize their little sisters and brothers, they can bless and /or pass the Sacrament for them, etc. To be able to perform saving ordinances for one’s own family– how incredibly marvelous it is!
I wanted to clarify what I meant by “loved it”, since I didn’t take time to do it earlier. I love the fact that Heavenly Father, through your friends, has given you a chance to do what you set out to do. I love the fact that you recognize it as an answer to prayer, yours and theirs. And I love the fact that you made a resolution like that. I also love the fact that you took time to think about making a resolution like that. I love your observation that the Lord does bless us according to our need for learning experiences and our righteous desires. I will pray for Dave and Sybil and for you to be able have the inspiration and guidance you need in blessing them.
Thanks kiar and agardner for sharing your experiences.
If anyone is interested in reading one of the most moving blog posts I have ever read – one that deals directly with a life’s view of the blessings of the Priesthood, it is linked here. It is the best thing I have ever read, of any kind, from anyone, on the essence of what it means to be Mormon.
This is the same Margaret Young who is one of the producers of “The Untold Story” referenced in an earlier post here. If the power of this post doesn’t move you . . .
Just fyi, Margaret’s post was originally written for Times & Seasons – and is a real letter she wrote to a Pastor friend.
This is a very nice read. Thanks for your great contribution, Ray.
Yes, the Lord’s will be done, but I pray that his will is for Sybil to be healed. She sounds like such a wonderful woman and mother. Please keep us updated on her condition. We can all send up a prayer for all them.
Ray, thank you. I looked at the web site. Kind of hard to donate a coffee table from here! I just sent word to a friend in Houston to see if we can spread the word down Sybil’s way. Also, maybe the webmaster can set up a PayPal link to accept cash donations?
Thanks, Alison. I will mention it tomorrow when I see them.
Many hugs to you and them, Ray. Let us know about the PayPal link, and if you feel so inspired, about how the blessing goes. We are praying for all of you.
Ray, did you used to live in Dothan?
Yes, agardner, we did! Did you? Do we know each other?! Do you know Dave and Sybil?
No, I’ve actually never been there. The reason I asked is that my dh covers the area with his job at LDSFS. We just moved here (New Orleans area) less than 2 years ago, and I know that he’s been working a lot in Dothan. He doesn’t actually go there personally often, but one of the therapists is going every other week or something.
All sing along: ……It’s a small world after all; it’s a small world after all . . .
I am sitting in their new apartment now – exhausted with Dave sitting next to me.
Sybil is in the hospital again – every time she gets a fever they have to see what it is that is doing it and give her a specific medicine regimen do address exactly that bug. (She basically has no immune system left.) Otherwise, she is doing fine.
Dave is going to set up an on-line donation link on the site as soon as he gets back home on Monday, so it should be ready by Monday or Tuesday.
Great. My contact in Houston is passing the word to the stake RS president over the area where the hospital is.
Ah, the power of the Internet, and phones! Ray, I am thinking about you and your friends. All is in the hands of the Lord. I know you can feel Him near, and will convey your faith and steadfastness to them.
Hugs to Dave and Sybil. Tell them we are praying for them and stand ready to help in other ways.
We’re also praying for you, Ray, dear friend.
If anyone is interested in seeing Sybil and Dave, some friends created a website for them and their story. It can be accessed here.