HERMANA ESPINAL

THE RELIEF SOCIETY OF
THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS

are beloved spirit daughters of God,
and our lives have meaning, purpose, and direction.
As a worldwide sisterhood, we are united in our devotion
to Jesus Christ, our Savior and Exemplar.
We are women of faith, virtue, vision, and charity who:

Increase our testimonies of Jesus Christ
through prayer and scripture study.

Seek spiritual strength by following the
promptings of the Holy Ghost.

Dedicate ourselves to strengthening
marriages, families, and homes.

Find nobility in motherhood
and joy in womanhood.

Delight in service and good works.

Love life and learning.

Stand for truth and righteousness.

Sustain the priesthood
as the authority of God on earth.

Rejoice in the blessings of the temple,
understand our divine destiny,
and strive for exaltation.

I had the greatest experience the other night. As you know if you have read the blog, or if you have listened to me moan in my letters, I am pretty much frustrated that my language skills aren't coming as quickly as I want them to. I have determined that Heavenly Father is teaching me patience again, and that I need to learn that things can't always come easily for me.

Well, the other night we got a call from President Gomez that one of our Senior Single Sisters needed to go to the hospital. She was experiencing chest pain and just not feeling well. We met her and the APs at the hospital. Sister Espinal is from Honduras and her assignment is working in the Employment Center here. She teaches the classes here on developing the skills you need to find employment, etc. She teaches about 15-20 people a week, and she says that about 1/3 of them are not members. She gives those contacts to the missionaries.

When we got to the hospital, I went into her cubicle at the emergency room. Immediately I knew that we were sisters, and that the bonds of that sisterhood were there. I had only met her briefly for a few minutes in the office before this. As I sat there holding her hand, I knew that I was supposed to be there at that moment for her. And then the amazing experience happened....I was able to communicate with her in Spanish. My Spanish seemed to be the best that it has been the entire mission. I was able to ask her questions, understand what was being said and even communicate with others. It was truly a gift to me. It helped me see that my efforts were being rewarded by the Lord, and if I continue to work, I will indeed be able to have the gift of tongues.

They decided to have Hermana Espinal spend the night. She needed additional tests. At her request, I spent the night with her at the hospital. Sisterhood and compassionate service knows no language barriers. What a true blessing in my life this experience was. I felt so privledged to be able to help her. I even thought of my good friend Maurice and her recent hospital experience and how frustrated I have been about not being able to be there for her. Maybe this was the Lord's way of helping me feel useful to Maurice.

I will post a picture of Hermana Espinal as soon as she feels better. She is scheduled for some preventive surgery today on her heart. Remember her in your prayers.