11-26-19

Sitting here thinking about Ryan coming for Thanksgiving and being snowed in, in Sterling Co. I understand they only got 6" but the wind is blowing and drifting. Lots of roads closed in the area.  prayers everyone.
This last week was great and terrible. First the good news; we went over and visited with the school Superintendent and asked her if we could reserve Wednesdays as a "church night". She said that would be great and called the athletic director and asked him come over. (a couple of weeks ago we only got one boy out to young mens and womens) (they started open gym, and you know the coaches don't play kids that don't show up) We visited with him a while and he agreed to write letters to the different coaches. Win! Then she asked us if we would like to come in and visit with the school board. Win Win. So we went to the school board meeting and Sister Morgan gave the opening prayer and I talked a little about How the Book of Mormon was a record of their people. I also talked about how the commandments in the book are given by a loving God (Creator) who only wants us to be happy.  An inactive sister from our branch after said these are my fiends (she is also a member of the school board)! Win Win Win!! Then a couple of days latter we took a Book of Mormon to the superintendent. We wrote a thank you and our testimonies in the book and gave it to her. She said; "oh this is a record of the Navajo people. (she is a transplant) We said no it is a record of all the native americans. She seemed pleased. She also said her husband went back home so she might come to our church. Win Win Win Win


So The bad news. we talked about President Allen dieing. Well the Elders Quorum President was very offended when he found out the news the next day in church. He was mad at us for not telling him. I guess when family and friends lose someone they all meet at the hospital and stay there until they come to pick up the body. Welllll we didn't know the custom and I only contacted the branch president (and he is mad at him also), The mission president, and the counselor to the mission president assigned over our area. The next morning I also contacted the Stake President.

Anyway he and his wife won't talk to us and they went to Rapid City to church and we understand from our branch president's wife they may not come back for a few months. It is hard not knowing the customs. President Allen who died was a school teacher and mowed the lawns for the churches in the area. We are 3 hrs from his home and he was the district president and worked with people in all the branches. Unfortunately I didn't understand that the elders quorum president felt quite so close to him. Hard deal!

By the way we now have 4 sisters working in Eagle butte and they are wonderful hard working missionaries!!

11-12-19

Well, a long 24 hrs. Last night we got a call asking us to go the the hospital from a sister from rosebud. Her husband the old district president and current president of rosebud and his son had been in an accident (rollover). She asked us to go to the hospital and five blessings And give blessings.When we got there (to make a long story short) we found out the father was killed. His son wasn’t hurt at all but we had to wait 3 hrs to find that out after the cat scan. The son was pretty broken up. He has a brother who comes home next month from his mission. The mom was 3 hrs away and had stayed up all night the night before to take clinical’s. The cop told her over the phone the dad was dead and I was trying to break it to her softly and she said I know he is dead!  She was pretty broke up about it also.   So her daughter was wanting to meet us in Pierre. She was in soux falls 3 hrs away from Pierre and we were an hr and a half.  Between waiting for the c t scan to come back and waiting for the officer to come and interview the son we got to Pierre an hr and a half after she showed up. We decided to get a motel room and didn’t get signed in until 5:00 am. We slept 4 hrs and then headed to cherry  creek and had 17 out (4 missionaries) and got home a few hrs ago. Long day.
I just got off the phone with the emt. She said (a inactive member of the branch). "It would be best to have a closed casket. He was pretty beaten up" She said she has no idea how Thaddeus got out of the truck as it was beaten up so much and she couldn't figure out how he got out" THEN SHE SAID; "I have a question and don't laugh at me; I watched while the blessing was being said on Thaddeus and I saw something white between the two elders and it looked at me, what was that".  I said that must have been President Allen  (his father who passed away)

I told sister Allen and she said:

Thank You for sharing. This is precious and dear to me ♥️
Thank you for taking care of Thaddeus when I couldn’t be there.
I am most grateful for your kindness and compassion.

You truly ministered as the Savior would.  I will always remember you both and be grateful that you helped my Son through the most difficult experience in his life: calling out to his Dad only to realize that he had passed on.