The complexities of Life

Some days, by the end of the day, my head hurts. I was trying to figure out why today. We started the morning with a ton of laundry to do. We brought back sheets and towels (ours plus theirs) from the Eldoret house to clean and return (theirs). We needed to do our laundry and pack for the Mara trip. We set up the video for the Conference broadcast and watched two sessions. 28 attended the sessions plus 6 missionaries.

Also, we had an infant die this week in the branch. The husband had not paid the bride price, so according to traditions, he could not see the wife’s father (both wife and father are members) until it was paid. So finding out their wishes became a bit more complex. Add to that our failure to do a good job of visiting or home teaching—no one knew where they lived or had a contact. Some wonderful branch members went the extra mile, found her, comforted her, and learned of her wishes. She would like an LDS funeral for the baby. Meanwhile, the husband went “up country” to his homeland to build a house. He didn’t have a house at the family land and the baby cannot go to anyone else’s house. Today several of our compassionate branch members informed me that the tradition is that the church doing the funeral sends members with the wife when the casket goes home to sing, read scriptures, and cheer up the bereaved. That will be Sunday with burial on Monday. They felt like about 14-20 people should go to show support, but transportation that distance is a problem… meaning many can’t afford it. What to do?

Then a sweet lady comes from Kendu Bay. She also has a house here in town. She wanted to hear prophets and apostles speak and get counsel. She’s successfully raised a number of children on her own. Many are at the university level and have been doing well. But recently she’s had a string of bad luck. The university students are ill, or can’t think, or are acting crazy. Money is not there. And rumor has it someone in the area is jealous and has said she and all her children will die. They fear the evil this woman is sending to the point that the son won’t answer a strange phone number for fear evil spirits will be sent him through the phone. Traditions of the fathers are strong even among good Christian people. And I do believe the devil is real and delights in the misery of people in any way he can get them to be miserable. We talked about the power of the Priesthood being the authority that Jesus gave to his apostles. That God’s power is always stronger than Satan’s if we strive to be faithful. She was given a blessing and felt peace. She wants us to come to Kendu Bay and bless her home and her other children. That is not possible right now. There is no food in either home, so I gave her all my potatoes, tomatoes, some onions and some beans. I hope her faith in the Lord and his power to protect will be stronger than her fear of the evil.

It is wearing to see needs beyond what I can do. I have to pause, step back and remember that this is the Lord’s church. He knows and loves these people. Trials can humble and refine and be for our good. Life is a test. The sweet, peaceful times are often the exception in a series of difficulties. And as we are faithful, we can feel peace, hope and happiness even in the midst of trials and in the life beyond.