July 14, 2014

Hello Mother,

This week I had some experiences in which I learned a lot.

First off, this week every missionary had an interview with President Pitarch. Every time I have an interview with President Pitarch I always learn more and always feel the spirit.

The second experience is a little longer so hold in there because it is a good one. Well, the same day as the interviews with the President an Elder from my Zone had to go to the clinic for a pain in his back. Here in Medellin a missionary can just talk to the secretaries of the mission and have them make an appointment in a clinic for the check up, that is what this Elder did. So at 8:00 p.m. he went to the clinic for the check up, everything was going grand. 

At 1:30 in the morning we get a call from the two missionaries that went to the clinic. Turns out that the clinic never got the papers from the insurance company, so the missionaries could not leave without paying. So we had to go and pay. 

Once we got to the clinic we met up with the missionaries and my companion went with the Elder that had the pain in his back to go pay and I stayed with the  Elder waiting in the emergency room waiting room. 

While we were there waiting I noticed cars pulling into the emergency drive way. All of them came and went rather slowly, picking up or dropping off somebody. Things went the same for about 15 minutes. Then the scene changed. Out of nowhere a SUV came speeding into the emergency room driveway, obviously for something serious. Once the SUV stopped a man jumped out of the driver’s seat in his pajamas and without shoes and ran to the other side of the car. At this moment I wasn't quite sure what to expect. Who was he bringing to the clinic? After a few short seconds this man’s wife also in her pajamas and without shoes came running into the emergency room. And in her arms, wrapped in a blanket was her baby of about two or three months of age. In view of the events that had just happened I knew that things were grave. As the mother entered into the clinic she went directly to where she thought she could find help for her baby. It must have been a mother’s instincts because no one was directing her.

While she entered, her husband stayed in the waiting room. Not because he wanted to or because they didn't permit him to be with his wife, but because he did not know what to do. I could see through his actions and facial expressions his despair. After a few second in this state, he entered into the room where his wife had entered. No one made a sound in the emergency room, no one hardly moved. I didn't know what to do, so I started to pray. Everyone was thinking about what had just happened. Minutes later the man left the room. And with a voice of relief and preoccupation said "Volvió, Volvió (He's back, He's back)". After that we left the clinic, returned to our house and went to bed.

As I thought of this experience in the days that followed, I thought of our Heavenly Father. I thought of what He must feel and how He must act when one of His children, one of his most precious creations is dying spiritually for incorrect choices. His pain must be unexplainable when he sees His children enter into what Lehi calls "forbidden paths" (1 Nephi 8:28) or "strange roads" (1 Nephi 8:32). I then went on to think of what our Heavenly Father feels when His child returns to the Iron Rod--to the correct path. Happiness for his newly returned son or daughter but preoccupation for the journey that is ahead. 

I know that everything will turn out well for the family that I saw in the clinic.

That is all for this week.  Love, Elder Rucker