Brother Gibbons, I am grateful for your God-given talent of writing. This past week I dropped off a returned missionary daughter at BYU-I and I miss her and my newly-married son (at BYU) very much. It seems so hard to bid good bye once again and I feel their absence deeply. I am also aware yet again, how little control I have of what will be their opportunities, challenges etc. As I reminisced up in Rexburg I called the few brethren that have been true tender mercies. How else could it have been that I was led as a newly converted 19 year old from Germany to continue my life in the US, particularly Rexburg, leaving all and everyone dear to me behind. I did not know how to speak English, yet needed a place to live and no car to get around in the blistering cold. The housing director at the time had served a mission in Germany. He was able to find me families to stay with. The finance officer at then Ricks College had served a mission even in my hometown of Bochum, Germany. Back then he owned a car that he sold to me for $200.00 (best car we ever owned.) So as now almost 30 years later I called these brethren to thank them and having been reminded of these important tender mercies, under good-bye tears and hugs with my daughter I reminded her to pay attention because as Heavenly Father created all circumstances for His purposes to come to pass in my life, so would she continue to do so in hers and all of our children's (really His children) life's. We can be assured of that. And the less we doubt and the more faithfully we proceed "not knowing beforehand" guidance will be ours, that is in His character as our Father. And I have learned that the less complicated we make it, the easier it becomes to discern.
Eduardo MelendezJanuary 10, 2017
Great article. Thanks for sharing it brother Gibbons
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Katja KlepaczJanuary 10, 2017
Brother Gibbons, I am grateful for your God-given talent of writing. This past week I dropped off a returned missionary daughter at BYU-I and I miss her and my newly-married son (at BYU) very much. It seems so hard to bid good bye once again and I feel their absence deeply. I am also aware yet again, how little control I have of what will be their opportunities, challenges etc. As I reminisced up in Rexburg I called the few brethren that have been true tender mercies. How else could it have been that I was led as a newly converted 19 year old from Germany to continue my life in the US, particularly Rexburg, leaving all and everyone dear to me behind. I did not know how to speak English, yet needed a place to live and no car to get around in the blistering cold. The housing director at the time had served a mission in Germany. He was able to find me families to stay with. The finance officer at then Ricks College had served a mission even in my hometown of Bochum, Germany. Back then he owned a car that he sold to me for $200.00 (best car we ever owned.) So as now almost 30 years later I called these brethren to thank them and having been reminded of these important tender mercies, under good-bye tears and hugs with my daughter I reminded her to pay attention because as Heavenly Father created all circumstances for His purposes to come to pass in my life, so would she continue to do so in hers and all of our children's (really His children) life's. We can be assured of that. And the less we doubt and the more faithfully we proceed "not knowing beforehand" guidance will be ours, that is in His character as our Father. And I have learned that the less complicated we make it, the easier it becomes to discern.
Eduardo MelendezJanuary 10, 2017
Great article. Thanks for sharing it brother Gibbons
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