The Day After Christmas 2010

In Church on Sunday, Mandy, one of our vacationing regulars from Reno (they have a second home in LACC) told about her six year old boy declaring "That's not true!" when I spoke at the November Fast Meeting and told the story of a tender mercy of the Lord in my college days.  (Refer to "An Answer to Prayer in the Mountains" in 'The Montana Years').

She went on to say how they used it for a 'teaching moment' and gave a very good talk about the importance of these teaching moments with our children.   She also said that every once in awhile he will now say, "Remember that lady who Heavenly Father helped up the slippery hill?" 

When her husband Andrew spoke, he also talked to the son in the audience about when the son's prayer was answered as well.  They both gave very touching talks.  Their families on both sides had been at their Lake Almanor vacation homes for Christmas and they were able to have their eight year old daughter baptized on Christmas Day in our Chapel.  That will be a nice memory for all of them.

Afterward I said to Mandy that I hoped she had convinced her son I was not a liar.  I then reminded her that I had commented before I spoke that for some reason I felt I needed to tell that story that day.  She said, "It was for us, it was for us."  She also said that for some reason he was listening very attentively to everything I said and that was most unusual for him.  However, she was very embarrassed when he blurted that out quite loudly and was trying to cover his mouth.

When he told her later in their "teaching moment" that it couldn't be true because he had prayed to Heavenly Father and He didn't do what he wanted.  Then they went over many times in their life when prayers had been answered.  They referred to the day in February when the father, the daughter and he had been stranded out on the dark mountain when their snowmobile had run out of gas.  They had prayed for help and that help had come.

Very lovely family and very interesting talks.  We always enjoy having someone besides our few members visit and especially when they share their lives with us.

Lovely side yard in the snow.