Talk in Church

I had to give a talk in church a few months ago so I wrote down an experience I had when I was a teenager/young adult so I could use it in my talk.  I though I should add it to this blog so it is something I will remember forever and my kids can read about.

When I was about 18 or 19 years old my parents had gone on a camping trip with my younger brothers.  I stayed behind because I had to work.  They had told me that they were going to go “somewhere” up Mirror Lake Highway.  The day after they left I got a phone call from my grandma that my grandpa had had a heart attack.  This would be my mother’s father.  I rushed to the hospital to be with my grandma.  My grandpa wasn't doing well and they were talking about taking him in for heart surgery.   My grandma was very upset as you can imagine.  When I asked her what I could do for her she told me she wanted me to get my mom, that she needed her there.  My mom was not supposed to be home from her camping trip for a few more days.  My mom only has one other sibling who was living in California at the time so she was the one my grandma relied on for support and help in making tough decisions.  I told my grandma that I would get her.  After leaving the hospital I picked up my sister, we said a prayer together and then headed toward Mirror Lake Highway.  It is a highway that runs from Kamas to Evanston Wyoming up through the Uintah mountains.  It  is about 50 miles long and there are more than a dozen campgrounds and lakes along the way.  To make things more complicated I knew that my parents were not planning on camping in a designated campground.  My sister asked how we were going to find our mom.  I told her I had no idea and I just kept driving. My dad had cell phone at the time but there was no service.  I remember that I was pretty calm and I had no doubt that I would find my mom.  By the time we got to the Mirror Lake Highway it was already dark.  I kept following the road until we had gone about 25 more up the mountain.  We were close to Trial Lake and decided to stop to use the restroom.  We followed a sign that led to a trail-head figuring there would be restrooms available.  We pulled into the parking lot and parked right next to my dad’s truck!  I could not believe my eyes.  We jumped out and ran over to my parents who were completely shocked to see us there.  I explained to my mom what happened with grandpa and we immediately made a plan to follow them back to their campsite and get my mom’s things and bring her back with us then my dad would pack up camp the next morning and return home.  Their campsite was nearby off the main road behind some trees, there would have been no way for us to see them by driving by especially in the dark.  They had decided to drive up to the trail head to use the restroom before going to bed for the night.  It still humbles me that through prayer and faith I was able to get in the car and drive to the exact place I needed to be without knowing where that place was.  I was able to bring my mom to my grandma’s side  which was of great help and comfort to her at that time.

This faith building event has helped me at various times in my life when I was struggling for one reason or another,  I would look back and think of it and be reminded of how Heavenly Father is always aware of us as individuals and what we need.  - Jan