Of Buffalo and Cancer

Church today was pretty much wonderful. There were a couple of testimonies that really stood out to me. The first was by the second councillor in our bishopric. He talked about Yellowstone--He just recently took a trip out to enjoy watching the animals. We are only about two hours away from here, so it's relatively close. Apparently, the buffalo have figured out this system of getting their baby buffalo across the high spring rivers. The adult buffalo line up in a line across the river downstream from where the baby buffalo cross. That way, if the baby buffalo hit a spot in the river where their feet don't touch, and they are swept downstream, the adults can "catch" them, so to speak, and nudge them to shore with their shoulders and heads. He likened that to why we need to go to church. Besides just taking the sacrament, we are there to help each other "reach the other side of the shore." When people are struggling, others are right there to help and assist. I thought it was a good analogy.

The other testimony I really enjoyed was from a returned senior missionary. He and his wife actually just got back from their mission in New Jersey a couple weeks ago, and the Elder had come back early because he was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer which necessitated a bone marrow transplant, according to the doctor. The doctor recommended he go to the Huntsman institute where they would be closer to family, hence, their early return. Anyway, when he went to his initial appointment at the Huntsman institute, and after he had gotten the results from the tests they ran, it turned out that they could not detect any of the cancer. The doctor was amazed, and said he wanted to write a medical paper about this guy. The elder said that would have been fine, but he would have had to include a section explaining how 150 missionaries from his mission, along with ward and family members had been praying and fasting for him, and how his name had been put in temple prayer rolls all across the country. What a miracle. There is certainly great power in prayer.

How I love the gospel of Jesus Christ, and how grateful I am for it.