Tender Mercies

For the past few months, we have been told that a new senior couple from Taiwan will be serving in the New York South Mission and assigned specifically to the Chinese speaking ward in Dyker Heights, a neighborhood in Brooklyn (Dyker Heights has one of the largest populations of Chinese in NYC, and its shops and fish markets make you think you are in the heart of China--the fresh fish, many still gasping for air, line the sidewalks as you walk by).  We, of course were tasked to find a suitable apartment for them, and we have spent the last month fruitlessly searching, both through our own efforts and the assistance of a local  realtor.

This last week we attended the mid-transfer missionary mega zone conference for the approximately 60 missionaries assigned to the Brooklyn Stake.  Besides making a presentation relating to missionary apartments, we assisted in preparing and serving lunch to the missionaries.  As we were working in the kitchen, Elder Johnson received a telephone call from a member who is familiar with the area. She said that a friend, who is a real estate agent, mentioned he had an apartment we might want to see.  Elder Johnson immediately called to arrange to see the apartment right after the conference. Imagine our surprise and delight when we discovered the apartment was directly across the street from the chapel where we were attending conference!

The apartment was perfect and we are in the process of completing the leasing agreement.

This brings to mind the talk by Elder Bednar in the April 2005 General Conference titled, "Tender Mercies of the Lord."

Elder Bednar teaches, "the Lord's tender mercies are the very personal and individualized blessings....which we receive from and because of and through the Lord Jesus Christ."
"We should not underestimate or overlook the power of the Lord's tender mercies.  The simpleness, the sweetness, and the constancy of the tender mercies of the Lord will do much to fortify and protect us..."

We have experienced the Lord's tender mercies as we serve as housing coordinators in New York.  We marvel at how we are inspired to call a certain real estate agent, drive down a particular street, search a site on the Internet, or make a particular phone call.

We have a testimony that the Lord's hand is in all we do.   We know we could not complete our work without His help....and we are truly blessed.