Let me explain. This past week I was able to return to Rockwood, truly a "place I belong." That is where my time in Tennessee began, that was a place of firsts and milestones. First area, first teaching experience, first Book of Mormon placement, first baptism, first Bible basher, first shaken testimony, first time cooking chicken, the list goes on and on. The milestones were that I overcame, conquered, and learned from the hard and eventually was grateful for it. Rockwood was also where I feel like I found Christ the most, in the scriptures, in experiences, and day to day life. I fell in love with the hills, and with the people that lived within and made so many memories and had so many laughs and good conversations with them. Rockwood truly stretched and changed me. And I was ecstatic to go back. As we exited off and passed good ol' Los Primos I was jumping up and down in my seat as memories were flooded into my mind. It was so good to be back and to work with the sisters serving there.
I got to get to know more and with with sweet Sister Halterman, I just love her! One of the first things she had planned to was to go and visit a family in the ward that Hermana Jacobson and I had worked with. When we first started visiting them they weren't coming to church and the daughter in particular didn't have any desire to change that. Well we started going over weekly and introduced Personal Progress to them and watched as the daughter got more and more excited and we became better and better friends. Now a year later she attends both mutual and Sunday meetings weekly, she is nearly finished with Personal Progress, and she and her brother received their patriarchal blessings! Later that evening we went to try to visit a less active woman that missionaries have had little to no contact with. I had met her briefly twice when I was there. During a longer interaction with her I remembered sharing a little video with her but even that whole experience was brief. So I was absolutely positively floored when we knocked on the door and she opened it and said "Hi stranger!!!!" She remembered me?! Yes! She welcomed us right in (which definitely didn't happen before) and we had an AMAZING lesson with her. I feel so blessed to have had the unique chance to see the influence we can have without realizing it and again how divinely the Lord organizes and orchestrates our paths to cross. Sometimes once, sometimes twice, sometimes several times.
Now, another incredible experience I had while serving in Rockwood was to witness the baptism of a non member man who: faithfully attended church for years as well as patiently sat for hours in the waiting room of the temple every month while his member wife went and did temple work. The whole story leading up to that day is one of trials and tears and testimonies of many but all became worth it as the ward gathered and we all watched him step into the waters of baptism and then be confirmed a member of the Church and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost the following day. A year later I was privileged to hear what had happened in his life since then. He was ordained to the Melchizedek priesthood, received his endowment, and was sealed to his wife. Then two days after his sealing he was admitted into the hospital due to congestive heart failure. Both he and his wife fought to be able to have either bypass surgery or heart transplant but unfortunately neither were possible. I received news this Friday that he had passed away. His road had taken him home, but not until he had finished his mission. He performed the work he was sent here to do... I also heard of the passing of another ward member from Rockwood that the elders had worked with who was rebaptized after walking a road of recovery and change. He performed the work he was sent here to do and his road took him home. And then yet again I also heard that a lady in Greeneville that we worked with started coming back to church passed away two weeks ago. She made the changes she needed to and performed the work she was sent here to do and her road took her home. Hearing the news of these passings has been bittersweet, bitter because loss is hard, but sweet seeing the way the Lord prepared and blessed them.
And I can see how it applies to me too, I have made changes, I have gotten my life in order, and I have performed the work I was sent here to do, and now my road is taking me home. It is bittersweet. But mostly sweet as I look back at the memories, the laughs, the tears, the trials, the good, the bad, the ugly, the beautiful, the peaches, the pits, and the tender mercies in every day.
I am so grateful, so eternally grateful. I know that one day each of our roads will take us back to our heavenly homes, I find joy in thinking about the reunions that await us, as well as the reunion that awaits me in a few short days.
I love y'all!
See you SOON!
Love,
Hermana Hall
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