Released...

Steve was released on Sunday. His memory issues were causing too much difficulty in conducting and serving in the YSA ward. We were each asked to spend a few minutes bearing our testimony. Here's mine:

From the time I was a little girl, I held missionaries in awe. After we got married and moved to the mission field, we had a steady stream of missionaries in our home. Steve was a Seventy then. I remember thinking, "I am so excited to me a missionary someday." Because of Steve's medical condition, it is painfully obvious that we will never be able to serve a mission. This calling has been such a blessing in my life. It has been the mission I planned on.

When our daughter Kimberly graduated from college, she was in need of a new experience. She had been living at home. Her older sister was leaving to take a job. Her friends were all married. She was between boyfriends. She needed a change. She decided to move out. She picked an apartment without knowing her roommates. I remember praying that her roommates would be amazing. I wanted them to be religious, goal-oriented, out-going, social, fun-loving, supportive. When I met the roommates, I was underwhelmed. My own daughter possessed MUCH more of all those positive attributes than did her roommates. I remember thinking, "What's with that? That is not what I prayed for." The spirit whispered to me, "No, but this is her chance to be an answer to somebody else's prayers." And she was.

I know that many of you don't feel like your prayers are answered in the ways you desire. I have found with prayers that sometimes the answer is "yes". Sometimes it is "no". And sometimes it is, "This is your chance to the be answer to someone else's prayers." May you continue to be the answer to someone else's prayers as you have been to mine.