His Love for all

This week has had some real highs and lows emotionally I am completely drained.  We went to a Zone conference with two Zones included Ufa and Chely we got to go on a train. It was my first train ride really super fun we got a room with the upper and lower bunks.  Since we are seniors we got our own room the Elders had to share and being in a tight room with four of them some times got a little tight with boy smell. Lucky Richard is past that age! We had to get up at 3:00 am to get to the train.  We did catch a few hours of sleep on the train not too bad cause we figured we would get a goodnight sleep at the other Senior couples place in Ufa where we had the conference. We got in and had a great visit with the other couple and then had interviews with President Rust. Then we went out to Dinner WOW we haven't been Out to Eat in Chely cause no one know of a good restaurant here and we have not found one.  Our town is very Detroit like very industrial.  Americans were not even allowed into the city till 2000 too many spies that would see their plants I guess so it is not a tourist destination not even for Russians so eating out is pretty foreign here. Any way sorry to get embellishing too much.  Needless to say the food was really good for a change. This restaurant was just across the street from their church house Another WOW they have an actual church house very small and the chapel doubles as a cultural hall but a church house still the same. The restaurant was also going to cater the meal for the next all day conference. Then we walked to their apartment  I am still impressed in our little apartment the Elders found for us  sparsely decorated but it is the nicest I have seen.  They said they had to paint the kitchen when they first got there cause it was pepto pink they have a lot of supplies because they followed another couple pretty much all you buy fr the apt. you leave  cause it is just too much to take home and you probably have a better one at home anyway that I was jealous of. They had a toaster! a lot of serving stuff. and spices towels and hot pads things I can't seem to buy just am learning to do with out. We were so tired from the trip I went in to lay down and they Richard came in all of a sudden I heard what I thought was laughter but was not it was crying of the most terrible kind. Richards phone went off It was the mission pres. He was on his way over the other senior couple son who lived in Alabama was riding his bike to work and was hit from behind and killed instantly. He leaves a wife and three small children.
The couple has only been out a year and his mom Her step dad and her Mom have passed away during this time they went home once for her mom's funeral and now this. Miracles do happen the Lord knows our needs Ufa is quite a ways away from the mission headquarters, Pres. had to fly in to the conference, he was there because of the conference and was able to get them a flight home, this was around 11:00 our time at night SLC time 11:00 in the morning, at 6:30 that morning our time. They had to leave the apt at 4:30 to catch the flight. We were also with them They did not have to bear this burden alone in a strange land.  They were not left comfortless. I cannot imagine the couples pain and I never want to experience it but What I witness was not pretty she could hardly stay conscious and her cries was almost more than all of us could bear. They stated that they probably would not be back so it gave us three hours to pack them up and sort through all their stuff. Now this was also hampered by the fact you have four suitcases of 44 lbs each and two carry on bags no more. The President, Richard, and The senior Elder gave his wife a blessing then the two gave him a blessing.  They were able to compose themselves enough to pack, the mission presidents wife and I follow her lead and did all the running around ( she was a pretty picky packer not like me just throw it in person). The President worked on travel arrangements with SlC and the area authority in Moscow.  This couple was also to live on a Visa trip but they were headed to the Kiv temple so another miracle they had in there possession both of their passports which just does not happen unless you go to Kiv and that is only at special occasions which they had arranged a couple of months ago. This also a must when you leave Russia and do not plan on coming back. Well we packed them up they had time to shower and even 10 minutes before the Zone leaders, Those wonderful boys who come on missions here to be made men in a hurry, came with a taxi to pick them up and take them to the airport.  The President had called them explained the situation gave them the opportunity to serve their senior couple.  We later found out that they, having our zone leaders staying with them, had all knelt down  in a circle and all four of them took turns saying  prayer for this couple. Then they had come to collect the couple not knowing how or what to do to comfort them but relying on faith came for them at 4;15.  WE HAD THEM PACKED AND WEIGHED AND WAITING FOR THEM!  The six of us knelt in prayer once again asking for peace and endurance for them cause they now face a 16 hour flight through Moscow to NYC then to Alabama.  Their son's branch president would pick them up and an hour car ride to his home.  Miracle, they would probably get there faster this night than if they were in SLC when they had gotten the word. Sleep was not had among many of us who had come to the conference which was to begin at 8:00 that next morning. Richard and I got about 1 1/2 hrs sleep before we had to shower and go. The conference was on obedience and families and how to approach families with the gospel. Then we had testimonies. We all cried for the Senior couple and testified of how important our own families were to us and what a great example they are to us or had helped us learn the gospel.  Then a Russian Elder got up and said how much he loved his family but they would not join the church and he was so sad that he would not belong to an eternal family my goodness how much can my heart take in 48 hrs. he sat down and just cried. I could not leave him alone in a chair crying so I took a chair sat beside him and put my arms around him and held him for the rest of the testimonies. As you can probably guess there was not many who did not stop and count their blessings. All this on a hour and a half of sleep. WE got back on the train at 8:30 that night and I think R Meng and I were a sleep at 8:35 and we arrived home at 6:30 our time in the morning. It is now 3:30 in the afternoon.  I had to write this all down now cause I do not want to relive it again later, but I do want to write it down. I know That God lives and He loves each and every one of us.  He will not leave us in our hour of need alone. He will always put someone in our path to help us threw it some time it will be us who need comfort and sometime if we are lucky we will get to be His arms. He didn't say it would be easy He just said it would be worth it.