Email to Family and Friends
TRANSFER WEEK, I will be losing Elder Johnson, he will be going up to Bozeman, MT. I will miss him a lot! But luckily I get to stay in Thermopolis! I will be training a brand new missionary, I know absolutely nothing about him, I don't even know his name. I will meet him Wednesday night and have to wait for him to walk up to me!
I NEED STAMPS! If any would be willing to donate, I would love some stamps!! My address is down below.
This has been a very eventful week, please read the following message. It will explain :) This transfer I had to learn not only to step up, but to step down as well, and to not worry about the little things. But I don't want to take away from the following story, so here it is.....
"Who Would Have Received It"
My message this week will be a little different than usual. This last Friday night one of my most beloved friends, Tom Lea passed away. We have been very close, and have been teaching this family for a good 5 months now. There is Tom and his wife Darlene and their granddaughter Deanna.
We were building a house out of town all that morning, and when we got in the car to leave we noticed that we had 2 voicemails. The first was very unclear but we ruffly hear "Tom passed away". So hang up really quick to listen to it again, but it went strait to the next voicemail, which was from our local Ward Mission Leader which let us know that Tom truly did pass away. Elder Johnson and I ran to our house through on some suits (we were in jeans) and went strait to Darlene's.
A little background, Tom has been absolutely fine the past week or two. And also, I never cried when I said bye to all my family, I didn't cry when I got on the plane, the MTC, or when I got to the mission field. That's when everyone cries! But the moment I saw Darlene we just looked at each other, my eyes stared to sweat.
Tom and Darlene both smoked when we first met them. Tom is the kind of man were he doesn't like to be pushed. So in the past we really focused on nudging Darlene to quit and hopping and praying Tom would follow. But about 2 1/2 months ago, Tom came to our Scripture Study Class and told us that he hadn't had a cigarette in 3 days! And can testify that he hasn't had one since.
Darlene told us that 2 days before he passed away, he told Darlene that he was going to quit coffee now so he could be baptized! And that then we were going to work on Darlene haha.
Darlene was a little scared that since he wasn't baptized that he won't make it. But we taught her about baptisms for the dead and reminded her of the sacred sealing ordinance (she remembers the mirrors from one of the General Conference talks, so we call that "the mirrors").
We then taught her about Joseph Smith and his older brother, Alvin. And we read this scripture to her which comforted Joseph and his family so much "Thus came the voice of the Lord unto me, saying: All who have died without a knowledge of this gospel, who would have received it if they had been permitted to tarry, shall be heirs of the celestial kingdom of God;" (1) We rejoiced and cried and cried together!
She is going to get baptized with her granddaughter, and take Toms name to the temple, and then be sealed to him for time and all eternity!
I miss Tom dearly, but I'm not done with him yet! Haha he loved the scriptures, and was a man of mighty character. He is now resting and free from the grasps of Lucifer. He is now "received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace, where [he] shall rest from all [his] troubles and from all care, and sorrow." (2) God be thanked for allowing me know know his beloved son, Tom Lea. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Elder Philip R. Bredsguard
917 Amoretti St Thermopolis, WY 82443
Notes
1. Doctrine & Covenants 137:7
2. Alma 40:12
Tom Lea
