Revalatory experiences are common as a representative of Jesus Christ. This week there have been many. Perhaps foremost in my mind today is the epiphany of the unsung hero. We met with Sa^ada Magarsa sunday. Sa^ada is from Ethiopia. We knew relatively little about she and her background before sunday because she speaks limited english. However we can tell she feels the spirit when we teach and she clearly has shown desire to be baptized. Sunday we had an appointment for the first time with a translator present. My heart ached as we learned about her story.Fleeing the upheaval in Ethiopia Sa^ada had gone to Somalia. There her husband left her to come to canada. He eventually was able to provide a way to bring her and her two sons to a land of freedom. As they continued here her husband told her she was not allowed to leave home. He went to extremes which she explained and as she did I wanted to weep for her. It suffices me to say that she was severely mal-treated.He told her "I brought you from somalia to be my servant and to take care of the children." She had desires to go to school and to learn. She went against his demands.This man turned to anger and his anger turned from her to their children. The police were called and delivered sa^ada from him. THIS is the time we met her.The government provided a way after about 2 months living in a shelter, for her to have a place to live. She was moving in when we met her and offered to help move her in. She didn't have much but we did what we could.Eventually the Lord provided a way for us to finally get to her the book she had told us she would like. We gave her a bus map and circled the route, time, and place she would need to get on and then get off to come to church. We wrote the time of our meetings and she has since then been to church EVERY week. She told us that she feels comforted when we share the scriptures with her and wants to be baptized. She answered the baptismal interview questions to us and we taught everything we needed to to prepare her for her baptism.This woman is alone in a world where she's defied the evil that would have held her captive and now is on her own to provide, to learn, to battle through the fallen world and she is finding added faith and strength through the gospel light!I love Sa^ada for the valiant daughter of God she is. Her story led me to realize that each of us fight battles. Some small some great but NO MATTER WHAT, let's each choose to be a hero in our life whether we're sung or unsung for after all each may recieve the same reward of hearing the blessed words "Enter into my rest ye beloved."I love and miss you all! The work is marvelous and the ward is starting to realize how hard we're working. The people here are phenomenal and I count myself blessed of the Lord to be where I am doing what I am.
Thank you
Eldre McCarty
p.s. For the first time in a long time I felt moved by the thought of unsung heroes to the point I'm writing a poem that I'd like to make into a song on the piano or guitar. I'll send the poem when it's complete.
0450 Sunday afternoons! Someday I'll be able to do the same. Believe it or not I'm posing. Unlike when I was young I can no longer sleep in crazy positions like this... Brother davidson however is quite asleep. :D I'm going to print it out and put it on their fridge this afternoon. This is the family we live with! They're wonderful.
0441 Peter and I. Peter is a biking maniac. He wears Harley davidson pajama bottoms (Which is why my glance was takin from the camera) With a skull belt buckle (you're correct in thinking "wait pajama bottoms have no belt loops") and a fantastic smile! What a great man. He gave us some pretty nice cards he made himself!
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