I teach an Institute class every Wednesday evening. This class if for young adults aged 18-30. This semester our class is The Eternal Family. We cover two lessons each week for fourteen weeks. Then we have a review and testimony class. Then we begin the next semester. This semester the class has been tiny. Some of the young adults left for their missions. Some have gone away to college. So we have usually three at most.
Twice this semester I have had Nikki to myself. Nikki has learning disabilities and it was good to have two classes that were one-on-one with her. She reads at a third grade level and struggles to even do that. For these two classes I took my outline and just pulled out scriptures and quotes and we read them together and then discussed them. She would actually answer questions. I'm still not sure how much she actually got of it or even what she will be able to retain. But having her alone for two weeks was good for Nikki and for me.
Last week I only had Valerie in the class. We tossed the carefully laid out lesson plan and just had a good conversation. It was lovely to have this time to share her feelings and preparations for her life. I shared some of my experiences during our marriage and raising our kids. It was just good to do that together. It felt like a really good friend sharing with another really good friend instead of a teacher/student relationship. Such a blessing for that night for each of us.
Saturday I received a phone call from our Bishop. I was at TOFW and had turned the sound off on my phone so I didn't get his voice message until I got to my car to go home. Bishop was wondering about the priests coming Sunday to give Papa the sacrament. I assured him that would be wonderful. The weather was to be very cold in the morning and I just don't take Papa out if there is any weather issue. So having the priests come would be amazing.
I was at the nursing home visiting Papa. I usually go to sacrament meeting and then leave right after and go sit with Papa a couple of hours before going back to the church to pick up Claude. I had given Papa the ear buds to my old Kindle and he was listening to General Conference talks I downloaded for him. Papa has a hard time reading with one eye nearly blind and the other getting that way. So having the talks so he can see the video and hear right in his deaf ears is a huge blessing of modern technology. Papa has even figured out when one talk is finished he can tap on an icon and another one will begin. This is progress for a nearly 90 year old people. So Papa was listening to conference and I was reading a book in preparation for Claude and my May vacation. I heard footsteps that were definitely not CNA's footsteps. I pulled back the curtain and there were the Bishop, Bro. Dyer, Will Watson, Aram Kumar and Wesley Holt.
Bishop suggested we begin with a hymn. Bro. Dyer suggested we sing the one we sang for sacrament meeting. We all turned to "There is a Green Hill Far Away" on our devices and sang. The guys all sang melody and I sang alto. It was beautiful. There were no residents yelling "help me" down the hall. Rocky wasn't yelling, "Will someone get me a sandwich?" and all the normal noises you hear constantly. Reverence prevailed and it all began with this beautiful hymn.
Then the boys blessed the bread and passed it to Papa. I was a bit concerned as he raised it right arm and it didn't work quite right. He had to use his left hand to get his right hand up and working. Then the boys blessed and passed the water to Papa. All was reverent throughout this.
Then Papa shared his memories of being one of only a few boys in the Church when he grew up in Winnfield, Louisiana. He gave a very confused account of Heber J. Grant. His memory should have been that Elder Heber J. Grant came to organize a stake when he lived in Texas. He would have been only about 4 years old at that time. Then after that he was called to be the Prophet and President of the Church. Papa's memory now tells him he was there when Pres. Heber J. Grant was called to be a Prophet. I am sure having heard the conference talk regarding the sustaining of Pres. Russell M. Nelson as the new Prophet and President of the Church helped him meld all his former memories together. But, Papa shared and that was good. The boys listened with interest and that was good for Papa.
Then they left. Papa was so very happy they came. He was grateful to take the sacrament and to have listened to General Conference talks. He is at a very difficult time in his life and these tender times we both appreciate as huge blessings.
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