Hermana Webb in Washington: Happiness and Healing

November 3, 2014

So this week has been well, rainy. It was so nice and sunny here for the first few months, and I was starting to doubt all these stereotypes about rainy Washington. But no, definitely is true. Haha. It rains every day now, without fail. And if you use an umbrella, you look like a total outsider. So you just get soaked everyday. Fun stuff (:

But don't worry, a little rain can't get this Hermana down! This week was so full of joy. The community is still having a very hard time with the events of last week, but we have been able to help so many families this week just by talking with them, hugging them, crying with them, and laughing with them. We can choose to be happy even in the darkest times, there is light.

We were able to teach Lorena's family with her three kids about the Plan of Salvation, and testify that through Christ, there is more than this life. There is hope in a better future. At the end, we asked them what they thought about this plan. Ivet and Juli both said "It is a MARVELOUS plan!" Hahaha. I love those kids! Then, we ended with a hula-hoop contest. The little 10-year-old boy, Emiliano, got so into it. He was moving his hips like I have never seen! We were all on the floor, doubled over laughing. I've seen this week how important laughing and smiling is to healing.

We also met with two teenagers who were friends with the victims. We had a very tender moment with both of them. Laura started to cry as she explained how lonely she felt without those friends. She told us that she had went to her room and said a very long prayer after she found out and began to read the Book of Mormon. She felt so comforted. This is when the tears started to come to my eyes. We have the answers. My favorite song this week has been, "where can I turn for peace?" I've been singing that song all week. Personally, I found peace after this tragedy sitting in church. I was sitting listening to the speaker and I just felt an overwhelming, almost like a wave, of peace of calm come over me. God granted me the peace I needed to move on and now I can share that with others. I am so glad Heavenly Father put us in Laura's life so she had the resources to go to in a time like this.

Ok, one more story. On Wednesday, we were going to teach this family- Jessica and Jorge and their two little girls. We found out they were really sick so we offered to have someone from the church bring them dinner. Jessica was so grateful. So we called our Relief Society president, and she said she could do it. Well, turns out she must have forgot, because Jessica texts us asking when they will get there. We panicked!!!! So we drove over to Little Caesar's as fast as we could, grabbed some food, and went to deliver it. And I kid you not, the EXACT second we got out of the car, it started POURING rain. Like big, big droplets. We, and the food, were soaked in a matter of seconds. So we rang the doorbell, two little wet, sad hermanas, and Jessica opens the door and almost starts to cry because she was so grateful that someone cared about her enough to bring her a wet, Little Ceaser's pizza. Ha.

I'm grateful for this week of healing for me and many others. Thank you for your prayers for these people.

-Hermana Webb