As I have thought back about times people have ministered to me, I have repeatedly thought of two experiences that both involved a sister in the ward I lived in several years ago – Kay Hall. Kay was a few years younger than I. She was born with a rare heart problem and her health was always tenuous. She could not do much physical exercise and often just walking across the street to my house winded her. Yet, she found several ways to serve me.
Once, when I was very, very sick with pregnancy, I was also struggling with staying mentally positive. Kay dropped by my house one morning, grabbed a bucket (since I was throwing up all the time) and said, “Let’s go outside for a walk.” At that point, I could not walk very far at all. But she helped me out of the house. I made it to the curb and proceeded to throw up. She held my hair, rubbed my back, and kept right on telling me the story she was in the middle of. It didn’t even phase her! It was just what I needed! I needed to feel loved, and like a normal person. Being outside and listening to her funny story without her being grossed out by me was exactly what I needed. She was inspired!
Another time, I mentioned on Facebook that I had almost had a terrible accident. I was carrying some ash from our wood burning stove outside. I thought the ash was cool and had placed it in a 5 gallon bucket. The bucket melted through the bottom and the ash spilled out just missing my leg. Later that day, my doorbell rang and there was Kay. She held in her hand a metal bucket. She just handed it to me and said, “I thought you needed this.” Boy did I feel loved.
Two other ministering stories come to mind:
When my daughter got married, I mentioned to my visiting teacher that we were going to do a chocolate fountain and I was trying out different chocolate recipes for it. A few days later, an Amazon shipment arrived at my house. It was a box full of chocolate-fountain chocolate. I felt so loved!
I also mentioned to my visiting teacher once that I was trying to figure out the best way to put my family recipes online so I could share them with my kids as they were leaving home. The next month, she came with several ideas and options and helped me pick what would work best for me. I was so touched that she listened to me and thought about me. It was a little problem, but her interest meant the world!