by Marsha Ward
Today I visited my old ward (church congregation) in Mesa for worship services. The opening hymn was particularly poignant for me. The text of the first verse is:
"Be thou humble in thy weakness, and the Lord thy God shall lead thee,
Shall lead thee by the hand and give thee answer to thy prayers.
Be thou humble in thy pleading, and the Lord thy God shall bless thee,
Shall bless thee with a sweet and calm assurance that he cares."
I felt as though God put his hand on my shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze to let me know he hears me, he knows me, he loves me.
I haven't checked for updates on the fire today, but yesterday the word was that the fire was 80% contained and that those who had been evacuated from Mountain Meadows Bible Camp, The Brooks summer cabins, and the See Canyon homes would be able to return home this morning.
I'm so grateful for the firefighters and all their work. I don't know when I'll return home, because the smoke will be around for maybe another week, and I don't know if my eyes can tolerate it. I guess we'll see.
You don't know how many people have been worrying about you, Marsha! I hope you'll soon be able to go back home. What an experience! You've certainly earned the right to write convincingly about how an approaching fire looks and smells, and about what goes on in the heart and mind as you consider losing all you have.
ReplyDeleteI drove through the smoke last night. While I could still see a glow of flames back behind Christopher Creek, it certainly was nothing like it was last week. I thought of you and wondered how you were faring in the valley, living with the uncertainty of returning home to a home or to ash. You have been in my heart and prayers all week. Keep us posted!
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