Last summer, I had the pleasure of meeting some of the neatest people on this Earth. I was asked to take an assignment to be a visiting teacher through church to Sister Sorenson (Judy) along with my friend, Christina. The visiting teaching program is set up to make sure all the sisters are visited and loved, even if they no longer go to church. Judy was a name given to us who nobody knew. So I said, "Sure, I'll go!" and drug Christina along with me.
I'll tell you, I've never been so nervous in my life to knock on a door. The phone number we had was not working and attempts to show up by others had gone unsuccessful up until then. So Christina and I went and tried to see if Judy was home.
I had written a letter to Judy in case she wasn't home. I don't remember if we prayed before we went in or not, but I know I prayed at home before I left. I prayed that Judy's heart would be softened enough to let us in.
Boy were we pleasantly surprised. We got out of my van, and Judy had the screen door open to greet us. I told her we were her visiting teachers, and gave her a big hug. She let us in with a huge smile. We talked and she and her sweet husband, Ken, showed us their beautiful vegetable garden. We were there for at least two hours I think. I asked if we could pray with them before we left. I felt the spirit so strongly, and just prayed and prayed that they would come back to church. That was in July.
We visited again in August (along with the bishopric at some point) and I think even their home teacher. In September, they came to church. It was an awesome day. They've been coming ever since and we, along with the Andersons, were even blessed to accompany the Sorensons to the temple in January! Tears were shed (at least by me and Judy)... I was a big ole baby about it all. It has been such a huge blessing to see Heavenly Father work in their lives.
One thing Judy said to us in July was that they had no idea why they were here (they are from Utah and Nevada and moved here five years ago), but as soon as they found out, they'd be going "home". Well, they close escrow on their house tomorrow and are moving back to St. George, Utah. So, I think it's safe to say that they found their reason for coming to this part of California.
We will miss them so much.
A picture says a thousand words.
Friends for eternity!
Friends for eternity!
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| Me with Judy & Ken Sorenson, and Christina Anderson |
