I am dedicating this whole post to someone I met at the end of the summer and spent a lot of time with throughout our last fall and winter in Michigan. Alicia is a young single mom of two (little Aleesha and Earnest- who is paralyzed from the waist down due to Spina Bifida), who joined the church just a few months before I met her and we were assigned to be visiting teaching companions. Although we come from completely different backgrounds and I would even say cultures- - she became one of my closest friends who I miss dearly! She inspired me and reminded me how much the Atomement of Jesus Christ can work so effectively in someone's life. She reminded me how much I am blessed to have the beautiful Gospel of Jesus Christ in my life. She was a picture of a strong young mother who wanted nothing but the best for her little ones. The first day I met her, we were going to go out on some visiting teaching visits- and when I pulled into her complex I was so nervous. I was in a nieghborhood where, um, I kind of didn't fit racially and I FELT it from the stares I was getting from people. I knew Alicia and I wouldn't have much in common besides being mothers and our church and I hoped she would like me. I picked her up to go on our visits and within just a few minutes of talking together all my worries flew out the window and our spirits connected on a level I can't even describe. We were instant friends! We both inspired one another in so many ways- me being a lifelong member of the Church GENERATIONS back with Pioneer heritage, and a BRAND NEW member with the zeal of wanting to change her life for the better through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. One of the first things she asked me was "So, how did you get to know about the Church?" The question caught me off guard and made me realize how sometimes the fact that I have had the church my whole life is taken for granted. It made me remember why I love the Gospel so much- and how I gained my OWN testimony of it's truthfullness, inspired by how I was taught my whole life. What fun conversations we had about everything from raising kids, the Gospel, and just LIFE.
She is the lovely single mother who inherited our old Toyota Previa van when we moved away from Michigan. Another one of our first conversations was how she had just gotten her driver's license and how she knew the Lord would provide for her somehow in the future to have adequate transportation (she didn't have a car of her own). Her young disabled son had many appointments that were difficult to get to- and even the winter before she had gotten frost bite from walking and riding the bus in the bitter cold. I was amazed because just the day before Jon and I had been talking about our old beat up van, and wondering if there was someone we could give it to. It truly was old and rattly- I didn't think anyone would want it and thought it would just end up in the junk yard. So, I mentioned to her that we had an old van we could give her when we moved in February- she was excited! We even let her borrow it on the weekends when Jon wasn't working, so she could run errands. I am so glad someone can benefit from our old, beloved van!
Little Alicia and Lillian:
Another really wonderful friend of ours- Jen has also been a wonderful part of Alicia's life. She is one of the women we visit teach and we all were fast friends. I was already friends with Jen- but then we added Alicia and we had so much fun getting together! We are all so very different and yet the same . . .
Pictures from Alicia's birthday at a Mongolian Grill:
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