We got a Facebook message Tuesday afternoon while we were driving to Lapeer to inspect a missionary apartment from an inactive member who was desperate for a ride because she was in an abusive relationship. We thought we knew this person because we had visited her last November and had returned to give her some Christmas gift cards from the church as she had requested. About a month later she moved, and we lost contact.
It is amazing how quickly your life can change. After
inspecting the missionary apartment in Lapeer, we were suddenly engulfed in a ferocious
storm which left more than 335,000 households without power. We encountered
numerous wrecks and traffic lights that were out as we drove 70 miles to pick
up the lady who had messaged us.
It turns out we had never met her before. The girlfriend of her former husband had impersonated her to get church assistance. This sister had been living in a tent in the woods for the past 2 years and recently spent 2 weeks with someone who then told her she had to get out. We drove her 20 miles to see if she still had her tent in the woods. After getting her some dinner, we let her out in the dark about a quarter mile from her tent. We were concerned because it was dark and there had been more than inch of rain with horrendous wind gusts. (The next day she messaged us that her tent was still there.)
It took us about a half hour to get home because of so many
wrecks and traffic lights that were out. That’s when we realized we had no
power, but still felt fortunate because it was more than a tent.
The next morning, we got another text from a recent convert
requesting help because he was homeless. Such is our senior missionary life in
Pontiac. Fortunately, Mama Shep (as the missionaries like to call her) had
volunteered to provide biscuits and gravy for the transfer missionary lunch for
21 people following the Rochester and Lapeer district missionary councils on Wednesday
and the soup for the 25 people who showed up for Soup & Scriptures in our dark,
warm powerless house that night. There was no way we could cook during our 3 days without electricity, and while cleaning out our freezer and refrigerator as food
started to spoil.
We question the difference our meager efforts are making in Pontiac but felt reassured by the powerful spirit which we all felt that evening despite our lack of electricity. The picture includes some of those who participated and enjoyed Mama Shep’s wonderful soup. As Elder Henrie quipped: "Power or no power we gather Israel."
