Day 1
On this world wide day of service I’ve been pondering the many, many kind acts of service that have been given to our family alone! We could light the world with them! I will be sharing a few throughout the day. this morning in so many ways this story has symbolism to the first Christmas. It was Christmas, I was pregnant, we were homeless, and kindness was shown to us.
….. 15 years ago We had moved into a trailer with black mold covered up by paint. Hope was just a baby and her pediatrician advised me to get her out immediately or she would suffer permanent respiratory problems. I went to the landlord who refused to give us our money back or to fix the problem. I packed all our belongings in a little white car and just drove around Westminster in tears. Jeremy was studying hard for his engineering classes while working a lot of hours. As I drove around praying I noticed all the Christmas decorations being set up. “Was it December already?” I thought. I went to my church meeting for the calling I was serving in and there my new friend Marsha asked if I had a place to stay. “No”, I replied. “Well you’re going to stay here then!” She kindly replied. Her sweet teenage daughter Chelcie even slept on the couch graciously giving up her room so Jeremy, Hope and I could sleep together. We stayed there a few days and I will never forget how at home we felt.
During our stay with the Clawson’s I felt prompted to call a friend of my parents from when I was a child who lived close by. I asked if we could stay with them until we could find a place of our own. Thankfully, they said yes! The king family have become to this day, a part of our family. Jeremy and I were privileged to live in their home for a short time to learn from them and to be loved by them . I’m sure it was no easy thing for this wonderful mother to let a family of three into her home and her busy schedule at Christmas time. She will always be an angel to me.
Chris is a mother of 5, at the time her youngest 2 children were still at home. Will was a senior in high school and Kelly in college. They became our fast friends. They showed us things we had never experienced..(Tina turner videos, half-baked ice cream, Starbucks Carmel apple cider, late night in-n-out runs, how to tweeze eyebrows and straighten hair ).. they brought joy and laughter to our lives. Jeremy and I cherished those family dinner s together, playing apples to apples or watching x-files afterward. Chris and Allen showed us by example the kind of parents we hoped to be. Allen took time to show Jeremy how to repair and make surfboards; he became a giant of a man in Jeremy’s eyes. Chris taught me how to listen, and what it means to nurture. She is a woman of many talents and education, yet she chose to be at the crossroads for her children. I loved seeing the joy it brought her to make Will his favorite foods and be there when he came home from school. Having a baby in her home that just started walking probably forced her to make a few adjustments to her décor that year, but I never saw a hint of resentment or regret from her in having us there.
One Saturday morning, the week before Christmas while the house was still dark and quiet, I went into the bonus room upstairs and knelt to pray. The tears flowed heavily as I thanked Heavenly father for how blessed we were and for the kindness of so many around us. I told Him of our struggles, Jeremy was sick and in the midst of failing his finals, I was sick and pregnant, and we had tried so hard to find a place to live. I expressed my hope that if I had enough faith I knew something good would happen that day. I just knew it. I prayed with all the faith I had that a miracle would happen on our behalf. As the day progressed things got worse. We had to get all our belongings out of the moldy trailer. Many of our things were ruined. We spent hours together at the laundry mat washing and folding the damp moldy clothes and put them into garbage bags for later. The day seemed long and especially hard for me.No apartments we could afford were available. The night time routine began. I sang “I am a child of God” to my baby as she fell asleep. Jeremy was gone at work. I knelt again to pray .I was exhausted, but still I had hope. I told God that nothing good had happened today, but it was okay. I expressed my deep love for Him and I would still have faith that he heard my prayer. Right then I heard a noise outside and went downstairs to the door to see what it was. I opened the front door and there on the porch were 3 huge bags all bright and shiny red with beautiful big bows! “Wow!” I thought “someone must really love the kings!” I looked a little closer to admire the wrapping and there it was a tag which read for “Jeremy, Marni and Hope. Merry Christmas!” I shut the door on those wonderful presents and fell to my knees to thank Heavenly Father for my Christmas miracle! I felt absolute Joy beyond comprehension. Most of us never remember what we got for Christmas from year to year but these gifts, I will always remember. The truth is God does hear our prayers and most often He meets our needs through those around us. These families who sacrificed and gave so much for a homeless struggling family of three will be revered for their kindness throughout eternity. I know it, because I have prayed for it, and God hears my prayers.
day 2
As a little girl I awoke in the middle of the night and crept out of my room. The house was dark and quiet except for a strange noise coming from the garage. I slowly cracked the door open and caught a glimpse of a treasured memory. I watched my dad, tired from a long day at work, carving me and my sisters Christmas presents. Money must have been scarce because our gifts were these made by my father’s hands. This is the only time I can remember my dad as a carpenter and this is the only christmas gift I’ve kept and still use all these years later. Of more worth than any gift is knowing I have a dad who loves me.
day 3
As a new missionary I was part of a group called the Kearney12. We were 12 missionaries sent to an area far away from the Mission home where there was only a tiny branch.One of the leaders was a missionary from Idaho with blonde hair named elder Spencer. He was a hard worker, humble, and always had a smile. At a district meeting this gentle giant said “I’d like to do something different today. I’m going to share a scripture that I think describes each one of you.” Then with… great power and inspiration he read a scripture to us,one by one ,and described those attributes that represented each person. I’ll never forget the feeling of love in that room. I was the last one and wondered what he would say about me! I mean there’s lots of repent now Scriptures!
😉 “Sister Wilson “he said with the biggest smile I’ve ever seen. “Your scripture is… Men are that they might have joy!” He said things about me that I did not see in myself, things I needed to hear. And because Elder spencer saw those things, I try to live my life that way.All these years later I still remember that verse and the things he said ….and I want to be better at living with joy.