My Heavenly Father Loves Me
Words and music: Clara W. McMaster
Whenever I hear the song of a birdOr look at the blue, blue sky,
Whenever I feel the rain on my face
Or the wind as it rushes by,
Whenever I touch a velvet rose
Or walk by our lilac tree,
I’m glad that I live in this beautiful world
Heav’nly Father created for me.
The color of butterfly wings.
He gave me my ears that I might hear
The magical sound of things.
He gave me my life, my mind, my heart:
I thank him rev’rently
For all his creations, of which I’m a part.
Yes, I know Heav’nly Father loves me.
You can learn the inspiration behind the song by clicking here.
This past Monday was transfer day. Our mission is unusual because we have missionaries serving in two different countries -- El Salvador and Belize. As the missionaries travel between the two countries, our home becomes the staging area on transfer day. We said good-bye to Sister Proctor who returned to her home in Texas after successfully serving her mission for the past 18 months.
As we picked up new missionaries from El Salvador, this is a favorite photo stop alongside the sea.
A memory of this photo shot for me was when I parked off the road to wait for the missionaries to arrive from the airport. I sunk in a mud hole, and got stuck! Fortunately, several kind passerbys came to the rescue and pushed the car out before Elder Magnusson arrived in the van. The passerbys came and went so fast I wasn't able to get a picture of them. I did manage to hand them some homemade granola bars I had brought to share with the arriving missionaries.
...I have spoken here of heavenly help, of angels dispatched to bless us in time of need. But when we speak of those who are instruments in the hand of God, we are reminded that not all angels are from the other side of the veil. Some of them we walk with and talk with—here, now, every day. Some of them reside in our own neighborhoods... Indeed heaven never seems closer than when we see the love of God manifested in the kindness and devotion of people so good and so pure that angelic is the only word that comes to mind....
...My beloved brothers and sisters, I testify of angels, both the heavenly and the mortal kind. In doing so I am testifying that God never leaves us alone, never leaves us unaided in the challenges that we face. “[N]or will he, so long as time shall last, or the earth shall stand, or there shall be one man [or woman or child] upon the face thereof to be saved.” Moroni 7:36 On occasions, global or personal, we may feel we are distanced from God, shut out from heaven, lost, alone in dark and dreary places. .....the Father of us all is watching and assisting. And always there are those angels who come and go all around us.....
In Orange Walk, it's sugar cane harvest season. Dozens of trucks line up to take their load of sugar cane to the processing plant. It's harvested by hand, or we should say, by machete.
Speaking of sugar, while in Orange Walk Elder Magnusson can't pass up going to his favorite spot to get a slushy, mixing the flavors of course. Here he introduces this important part of missionary work to the Elders.
For the past seven months, the main road through Belize City is undergoing road reconstruction. Potholes, dust, ruts, slushy mud, and slowdowns are the daily routine for this seemingly eternal venture. The end result should be nice, and we are anxiously awaiting for the road construction to end.
Thanks for sharing the sweet story of local angels helping when you needed help, and reminding us of Elder Holland's talk of angels on both sides of the veil. And your post of the mud reminded us of the mud.....we ended up washing our own car several times a week, and my hubby decided that the ligher color pants were better to wear because the mud didn't show as much. We had driven the back road to OWT from Corozal one day and found that the very fine dirt when it became wet became slicker than any ice we had ever driven on in the USA.....thanks for all you are doing. Give our love to folks there, please. CARRY ON!
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