Tender Mercies of the Lord

With Linda's help, as instructor and being the expert blogger she is, plus my not knowing a thing about maneuvering on blog sites, I feel a little more confident to proceed writing occasionally on my blog. Thank you Linda, for helping a cripple today...well as pertaining to this effort, that's how I feel. Your good deed for the day! Now don't expect humor from me, Linda can't change my serious nature.

I have had quite a week end with a visit to our home by Joyce Iduriasi, now a citizen of USA, who has taken on an American name for their family of, Princeton. Joyce was born in Nigeria, she came to the US for education in New York, then shortly after joined the LDS Church. She ventured to Las Vegas where she was told she would get a green card and gain citizenship sooner. That was abt seven years ago. She became a citizen this year. Congratulations, Joycee Princeton, we are so happy!
At church, one Sunday, 6 1/2 years ago, Bob and I met her, and became immediate friends. We have been close since that time. She was introduced to Newton, who is Nigerian and from her very same tribe. They needed to be in Las Vegas to meet. How's that for a "tender mercy of the Lord?" They are now married and have two darling children, Emmanuel, a 4yr old son, and Marian Kelly, a daughter of 18mons. Notice whose name they chose, my sweet Nigerien namesake. I love it!
On Wed last, she wasn't in our home long before we learned, Joycee was not attending an LDS ward because she had been offended by a women who doesn't like Africans, who persecuted her. Bob and I were able to discuss many things about the gospel that made sense to her. We encouraged her to forgive this woman's prejudice, she is not as important to her life as returning to the bosom of the church where she and her family will receive the blessings the Lord has promised her. They were close to receiving a temple sealing when this happened, her husband no longer goes to any church and Joycee has been attending a Luthern church. Satan is very subtle and evil, he revels in damaging testimony through the wrong doing of misled and weak people. Joycee is strong, she understands. She said, "I will go back." We are praying for her.
Coincidences don't happen, as I see it, just blessings, even in trials we are blessed to grow to become more like the Lord.

The picture of Bob, Joycee and me shows the hat I was wearing when she arrived. It is now hers, gotta love that girl!