Blessings of Relief Society

The following letter was read at church during Relief Society. I wanted to record it in our blog book so that the feelings of gratitude to those that have served our family, the blessings of our Savior and the love that we have felt was recorded.

Dear Sisters,

My love and appreciation for you is beyond words. I have been the recipient of your Christlike love, your generosity and selfless service. You have given of yourselves, of your talents, your time, your gifts, food, your testimonies and love. I have watched and benefited by the way you have prayerfully given service to me and my family.

Battling a long term illness is a struggle in a lot of areas. I have realized my complete dependence on others for my survival. I have lost the freedom to come and go as I want and the ability to take care of myself and my family in all the ways that I want to. I am dependent on others to do the tasks that a wife and a mother usually does. Emotionally that takes a toll as well as the physical pain and limitations.

However, as each of you has stepped in, provided service, brought in meals and prayerfully found ways to help our family, I have been blessed by not only your acts of service but your willing attitude to help in any way.

One night, as I knelt beside my bed, I was listing the things that I could not do to the Savior and asking for relief from just an ailment or two, so I could provide my family with the things they were in need of. As I knelt there with my Savior, I was in awe of all the blessings I have experienced during this ongoing trial. For each limitation I have, The Lord has provided someone to help in that role. I may not be able to drive yet He has provided me with a handful of people that are willing to take me to doctors and run Hayden to school. I cannot make meals but He provided loving nourishment for my family thru each of you. I cannot be up for long periods of time, but have been provided with people to help with Hayden and things that need to be done. In my moments of overwhelming need, The Lord has continued to send someone to meet that need whether it be physical or spiritual.

I watch you, my sweet sisters. You have been the ones my Savior has sent to my aid. You have heard the promptings from the Holy Ghost and acted upon those promptings. I can relate numerous examples of when sisters have shown up at my home, not understanding why, but have come to answer the call of our Savior, to meet our needs in any way you can render service. What a great love you have. What a remarkable gift to hear the Saviors call and to respond immediately, even if the request has not made sense to you.

I could list hundreds of examples here but these are the ones coming to mind at this moment.

Hayden came home one day craving popcorn. I was really sick and told him that his dad could go to the store that night and buy some. Before Thomas came home, I went to sleep. Dinner came from a loving sister, and the boys ate as I slept. That night as we knelt by the bed, Hayden thanked Heavenly Father for prompting the sweet church lady to bring him popcorn for dessert. When the prayer was over, Hayden climbed on the bed, hugged me, and said, "Mom, I know you are going to be okay. If Heavenly Father is looking out for all the little things that we want and need like popcorn. Then I am sure He is taking care of the big things we want like Mommy getting better." One of you dear sisters felt the prompting of the Holy Ghost whispering to drop off popcorn. It may have seemed insignificant and a simple or unusual request from the Savior. Yet, you did not question or try to understand why. You simply followed a prompting and dropped off popcorn.

At our house, we lovingly call this "The popcorn miracle". My sweet sisters, what you did was provide more than a yummy treat, you developed a testimony in a young boy. You provided hope for an entire family. By answering this prompting, you literally changed lives. To you it was a bag of popcorn, to our family, a miracle.

Since that moment, if any task seems too big, any treatment too much to bear, any sickness too hard to comprehend, we remember that if The Lord is taking care of the little desires of our hearts, like a craving for popcorn, then He is most definitely going to take care of the big things like me coming out of comas, conquering meningitis and surviving even when the odds are only 20% likelihood.

The hope that you give, the compassion service extended has far greater reaching effects than just food to be eaten. Just as a meal sustains our physical bodies and gives us strength to go on. Your service, done with love, provides the spiritual and emotional strength to keep going.

How do I express my gratitude for all the service you have rendered? How do I express my gratitude for teaching my son that when the Savior closes one door likes mom not being able to cook, He opens a window by providing people to bring in meals? Or provides opportunities to strengthen our testimony? Or, like in the popcorn miracle, give us faith that if the Savior will take care of our little wants like popcorn, how much more faith should we have that he will take care of the big things?

My heart is full of thanks. My gratitude goes well beyond words. More importantly, I see each of you serving, giving of yourselves, showing kindness, and giving Christlike love. If my gratitude is more than words, I can only imagine how the Savior feels about each of you and the ways you love and serve His other daughters.

As we serve one another and reach to lift those in need, I promise that your Savior will love and bless you. Your efforts are magnified by the Savior and have far greater effects than you will ever realize. Just as our Savior turned 5 loaves and 2 fishes into enough food to feed the multitude, He has turned your service and gifts into miracles.

I love each of you. I cannot imagine there being any more love or kindness than this ward has to offer. My heartfelt thanks extends to each of you.
Love,
Jerlyn