Sunday, December 28, 2014

Tina and her blessing 2014-12-21

While visiting one of our Groups in Campo Verde we have become acquainted with a Sister who lives there.  She speaks a little bit of English so between both the languages, we can communicate.  Her name is Tina (pronounced Cheena).  She is 33 years old.  Her husband and 2 children recently moved to Campo Grande.  She and her kids were baptized 10+ years ago.  Her husband was not.  When she joined the Church he kicked her and the kids out of the house.  She struggled getting work to take care of herself and the kids.  After a year, her husband came back to her and said he could not live without her and the kids and asked them to come back.  They got back together as a family and he has since supported her.  He brings her to church and picks her and the kids up every week.  Sometimes he will attend with her.   During their married life they lived for 10 years in a little city where the Church is not.  For 10 years she read from the Book of Mormon everyday with her children and taught them of the restored Gospel.    For 10 years she longed to take the Sacrament.  When they were thinking of moving to Campo Verde they drove through the town.  She saw 2 missionaries walking down the street.  She asked her husband to stop the car and ran to the missionaries to find out if the Church was in CV.   In CV we only have a Group of about 15-20 that meet each week.  They don't meet in a Church Building but rather a rented building much like a storage unit, still it is a place where the members can worship and renew their covenants.  Someday as the church grows there may be a Church there but this is how the Church gets started.  This is how the Church grows as it is taken to all people, in all lands and nations.  It is such a beautiful thing.
This weekend she had to come into Cuiaba to go to the hospital to have surgery.  She was having many problems and they had to do a hysterectomy.  A couple of weeks ago, she emailed me about the days she was coming into the hospital.  I told her we would come to see her.  I asked her if she would like a blessing and she said she would.  So today President and Sister Reber and Dad and I went to see her.  We found the hospital that she was at (not easy to do).  Visiting hours are only from 4-6pm.  Those are the only hours we could visit, we did not have any time to waste.   Her daughter was waiting outside the hospital to look for us. She is 15 years old.   It's a good thing because we could have never found her on our own. We went thru the halls of a hospital, which is more like an army hospital.  It is nothing like hospitals in the US.  We wind thru hallways, as her daughter guides us.   We make it to the room that Tina is in.  We enter the room.  Tina is resting in her hospital bed which is more like a gurney rather than a bed.  She is laying flat on a bed that has no pillow.  She has a t-shirt on, no hospital gown, with a light blanket over her.  Hospital beds here are just flat.  They do not recline for comfort, like we see at home.  An IV hangs from like an hanger type stand.  Her family, husband, mother, daughter are all with her.  She is so happy to see us and we were happy to see her.  Her surgery went well and they expect her to have a good recovery.  We explained to her family that we were going to give her a priesthood blessing.  Elder Harris and President Reber, in this little hospital, gave this sweet sister a blessing.  This sister has so much faith.  There is no doubt that she was a Valiant Spirit in the pre-earth life!  This was such a special experience.  We are totally blessed to be here seeing miracles and meeting beautiful faithful people. 

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