He Knows My Needs

Recently I've been struggling with "fitting in."  Now I know that sounds completely stupid as I'm married 11 years and have 3 kids.  For some reason I was feeling like I was having issues that I'd last faced 16 years ago in high school! 

I really wanted to feel better about my situation and began fasting and praying about it.  The day I fasted, I opened up the August 2010 Ensign magazine and found several articles that applied to my problem!

A week or so later an older woman who I'd seen previously at a meeting came by with cookies!  I've never had a real personal relationship with her, but something prompted her to reach out to me!  The kids and I later took her a thank you card and ended up having a lovely visit.

Then, I shared some of my concerns with another friend.  The next day, that friend called and said she was concerned about me.  Her compassion brought me peace and reminded me of what a wonderful friend she is.

A day or two later, I was on the phone with another friend.  We've had some miscommunications in the past and she felt she was supposed to call to make sure all was resolved.  Wow.  What a good example of courage.  I did not harbor ill feelings for our miscommunications, but felt her call really validated our friendship.

All of a sudden, I realized that her calling me, as well as the other examples above, were witnesses that Heavenly Father loves me and knows me by name.  He is concerned about my troubles, sorrows, and insecurities and wants me to work them out.  He prompts people to step into my life right when I need it.

I was so grateful for that witness.

The Priesthood: The Power of Healing

I knew it was going to be hard when my husband and I decided that the Army was for us, we just didn't expect the blessings and learning experiences that would come our way. We have two little boys (3 1/2 and 2) and our oldest is "special needs" -- so I knew it was going to be hard being a single mom while my husband was gone for 8 months of training. In a way, I had been preparing for it for a long time. What we weren't prepared for, was the physical trials my husband was going to endure in Basic Training (boot camp).

He has always been a physically active guy, and can run a mile or two in a cinch. We thought he would fly through Basic Training and that would be it! But fate had other plans. A couple weeks into training and my husband broke his toe -- had to be on crutches for a few days. He was so depressed because he felt he was missing out. Once he was off his crutches he did really well, though. That is, until a fateful run.

He was doing a long distance training march/ run and was doing great until he started to feel a sharp pain in his leg. At first he thought he must have strained a muscle, but the longer and harder he pushed on the stronger the pain in his leg. By the end of the run he was in so much pain he could barely move. His drill instructor rushed him over to the hospital where they ran some tests. In an MRI, it showed he fractured his hip bone. My husband was devastated when they told him the news and that they were probably going to have to send him home for a month to recover. He only had 3 weeks of Basic Training left! And now it was looking bad for him.

He called me with the news on Saturday and thought I was going to be disappointed in him -- but I wasn't. Instead, I told him he needed to do everything he could to get to the church the next day there and find some priesthood holders and get a blessing. I just knew we were doing the right thing and the Lord would help us. My husband, so far, hadn't had an opportunity to go to church while at training, and worried that they might not let him go, but promised me he would try.

After that call, I called all my family and friends and asked them to pray for his speedy recovery so he wouldn't have to come home. Everyone was more than supportive. I even fasted for him, and told the Lord in prayer, that whatever happened I would except it as his will.

I waited all week for Ben to call to tell me what was going on. No call. I have learned quickly that in the Army, no news is good news. Finally, on Sunday, over a week since I heard from him, he called me.

He told me that he had gone to church and the moment he walked through the door, he was blasted by the warm feelings of the spirit. He said he started to cry because he felt at home. The church services were wonderful and afterwords they asked if any one needed a blessing. My husband hobbled up to them on his crutches and told them he really needed one.

He said the blessing was amazing and lifted his spirits and gave him hope. The next day, when he woke up, he was feeling better. But he grabbed his crutches and went over to the hospital to get some follow up tests to see if he was going to get to stay or have to come home. When the doctors took his x-rays they were completely mystified. He no longer had a fractured hip. There was no sign that he ever did. My husband said it was funny to watch them trying to figure out what happened. He knew. He knew that the Lord had healed him.

They took his crutches and he walked out. He has been running and training ever since.

I feel so blessed to have the power of the priesthood in our lives and even more so for getting to see the miracles first hand in my family. I know that my Father in Heaven is mindful of us, all the time, and wants to help us. I am so thankful, that we get to have these trials, not only for the growth that we receive, but so we can also be part of His miracles.