GOOD NEWS

April 1, 2011 Friday

This afternoon we went to the hospital to visit Scotty Tuiletoa, the Samoan member who broke his neck playing rugby. When we visited him the first time about 6 weeks ago, he was lying flat in bed and could only move his right arm a little and could hold a fork in his right hand. When we went in today, he was sitting up in a wheel chair watching a rugby game on TV. He turned his head and raised his arm so we could shake his hand. He had a TV remote by one hand and his cell phone by his other. While we were talking, he scratched his head and he showed us how he could moved both feet. What a blessing! He said his doctor couldn’t believe how well he is doing. He told us that his wife has kept his name in the temple in Samoa since the accident 10 months ago. He even gets to go watch a rugby game tomorrow (the same team he was playing with when he broke his neck). It was just great to see the progress he’d made. He told us he’d been married in the temple and served as YM president before he came to Australia. His wife is currently a YW president in Samoa. He commented that he gets a massage, but that he needs a man to do it instead of the small women that do it there in the hospital. He’s determined to walk again. We left there totally uplifted.
A week ago we found Esther while we were tracting. She is 17, from Africa and said she’d always wanted to visit our church. We invited her to come Sunday but she didn’t. So we went back to see if we could talk to her dad about teaching her. He was busy then so we went back last night. He met us at the door and invited us in. We found out they were from the Sudan and have a family of 5 kids. We explained a lot about the church and asked if we could return to teach the family. He told us that we were welcome to come back but that he and his family are Catholic and he doesn’t want to confuse his kids with other teachings. He told us that he even invites J-dubs in because they also teach about Christ, but he won’t change. He’s had missionaries before who gave him a DVD about Christ and talked to him a lot. Perhaps when Esther is older, she’ll be “found” again and able to make her own decisions. He was a sharp guy—too bad his mind is closed.
Last night we visited Wendy Rosales. Her family came from El Salvador in the late 80’s to escape the war there. It may seem funny, but it sounded good to hear a Spanish accent again. She joined the church when her mother invited the elders over to teach Wendy’s brother who was staring to hang out with a bad crowd. He didn’t ever join. She’s single and in her early 30’s. She was active until she moved into this ward and she was given the impression that they didn’t need her. She then had a bad experience with a home teacher so she doesn’t have VT or HT by request. She was very friendly with us and talked about how difficult it is to be single in the church. We told her we could identify with that since our daughters have also faced that trial. She said we can drop by occasionally and read the Book of Mormon with her. Even though her mother didn’t join, her mom tells the J-Dubs when they come by, “We’re Mormons.” Wendy still has her tithing taken out of her checking account each month. She’s such a good girl—we just wish we could wave a magic wand and help her feel comfortable at church again.
Yesterday we visited Yingping. She’s always worn pants to church, so we offered to take her shopping for a dress. When I was talking to her on the phone, she admitted that she had some dresses, but that she has always been a “tomboy.” (I think that may be because she was the only child in a Chinese family and perhaps she acted like a tomboy to please her father who naturally had wanted a son.) So she showed me her dresses saying that she had bought them at some time wanting to be “girly.” We picked out one she will wear for being confirmed on Sunday. We also gave her prints of the photos we took at the baptism. She was so happy to get them and looked at them over and over again.
Today while we were tracting, we found an Indian woman who was holding her 4 week old baby when she came to the door. Orson made a comment that she ought to let me, a grandmother, hold the baby. She opened the door and handed me the baby! It was a darling little girl. Her mom listened very attentively as Orson explained what our church was about. The baby had a black dot on its forehead like the Hindus use. While they were talking, her 4 year old daughter started playing with me. Whatever she did with her hands, I did. She thought that was so fun. She was beautiful: big dark eyes and shiny, thick black hair. Her mom said we could come back and she would talk to her husband. We don’t have a lot of hope, but what a cute family!