Hey mamka a patka! The holiday was Easter, hence no email on Monday. It was a really good Easter here, I hope you had a great one too :) . That's a cool thought about the hymns, thanks for sharing that with me.
This week there was the most enormous trial that I have ever seen anyone endure in my life, and I want you to know that the story ends with great blessings and that everyone is all right, and that it's more than a miracle.
A wonderful family that we teach, the father of which is a recent convert that Elder Sindylek and I taught, this week faced the result of some extreme racism starting at about 10:00 at night on Thursday. The family was all upstairs in their home except for their 18-year-old son, who was sitting at the computer. The silence of the night was broken as a bulky stone crashed through the front window, barely missing his head and destroying the computer. He called for his father, who came rushing down the stairs with another son, this one 16. The first stone was just the beginning as one after another crashed through the windows of the house, both at the front and back, along with large bottles filled with alcohol. The mother hid her crying children (8, 11, and 12) while her other sons and husband (3 total) down below were forced to fend off a mob of about 20 as they assaulted the house, attempting to gain access. In the melee, P was able to get off a brief call to a friend who spoke English well enough to call the police. After a while longer help arrived, but not before the entire house's bottom floor was utterly wrecked. From the plates of the kitchen to the doors of the home, it was all destroyed. When the police arrived, they were immediately evacuated, and the only thing the wife took a moment to grab before leaving was her Bible and Book of Mormon. The next morning I got a call from the husband, who let me know all that had happened and asked me to help if there was anything I could do. I of course made several phone calls to the leaders of the branch and then changed our plans to see them at the house they were staying at as soon as possible.
Sunday came, and the stricken family made the multi-mile walk to church with us and other members of the branch. Following this, help was arranged for them to find new housing. Yesterday we went to see them in their new home, and you should've heard the testimonies of God's power to protect coming from them. Their house was destroyed, but they all got through the night with not a mark on them despite the mob's outnumbering them greatly, and not a single member of that vile group was able to gain entrance to the home. The lesson before this had happened, we had told them the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, and how they stood in the fire completely unharmed and how Christ was seen in there with them. The husband testified to us of the truth of that, and his wife told us that her thanks to us was boundless because we had brought that power that had protected them to their home. They now are living in a far better area surrounded by friends and family, and are much happier than before. The trial was immense, but they endured and were living right before the trial came. Because of that they were blesses. Miracles are happening all around, even ones that bear close resemblance to the amazing stories of the scriptures, and I'm so happy to be a part of it.
Love you all very much :) ,
Elder Brown
No comments:
Post a Comment