208. Aren't we grateful for the Melchizedek Priesthood? An inspiring story.

  AREN'T WE GRATEFUL FOR THE MELCHIZEDEK PRIESTHOOD? !  Today we are going to spend the day with the newest Melchizedek Priesthood holder in our family -- our grandson whose farewell today precedes his going into the MTC Wednesday to go to Indonesia, Jakarta.  (See the previous blog telling about him.)  

Having a Priesthood blessing is often the main thing that helps us get through the challenges, health problems, etc. that we all have.  I am so grateful for the blessings I have had, and I'm sure I will need, and appreciate receiving them in the future.  Who knows what each of us will face in life?  But with Priesthood blessings, we can face and learn from them.

This was from Meridian Magazine today, and is an interesting example ---

Finding a Melchizedek Priesthood Holder in the Galilee

By Scot Facer Proctor Aug 09, 2014

We are currently in Israel for our last photographic shoot for the 100^th Anniversary edition we are doing of Jesus the Christ.  This particular shoot has been focused in Nazareth taking scenes from Jesus’ life and working with 17 actors who are all from Nazareth (or nearby villages) dressed in first century costumes.  This is, of course, is wonderful work and it is grueling. 

This past Tuesday we shot all morning and produced just over 2,500 images. Maurine and I work very closely together on this.  We came up with the exact shot list together.  We decided on the order of the scenes together.  We determined which actors we would need at what time.  We had just under four hours to shoot this first set of pictures. We went full steam ahead to get all these shots done.  There was only one problem:  I forgot that I was carrying my heavy camera bag (I get very focused—no pun intended) and we were literally running from scene to scene and I was sometimes down on the ground and sometimes walking or running along side shooting a scene.  At one point, I cannot remember when, I turned wrong with that heavy camera bag, and wrenched my back.  Again, I didn’t notice it until after we stopped the shoot.  I was in horrible pain and my lower back just started locking up.  This was just the first of three days of shooting.

Throughout the rest of that day I was in miserable pain.  I could not even move and was unable to get up from the bed in our hotel.  Our coordinator called (not knowing about my injury) and, due to some actor changes, asked if we could combine days two and three all into Thursday so that we would not shoot at all on Wednesday.  We quickly agreed. 

I knew that I needed a priesthood blessing.  I also believe in doing all we can to help be healed so we looked for some medical massage therapy in Tiberias on the shores of the Galilee.  We found the massage and that helped a little bit, but I still could not imagine even holding up my big camera and shooting another couple of thousand images.  We called the number for the Galilee Branch.  No answer.  We called again and again.  No answer.  We drove to the branch building and tried to get anyone’s attention.  No one.  We tried another number.  No answer.  We called Salt Lake City to get more possible numbers.  We only found two that were in the area.  One was out of the country.  We finally got a hold of the last brother and he said he would be glad to give me a blessing if we could come to his place.  His wife was at work and had their car so he could not meet us.  We said we would gladly come to his place.  He described where he lived and we had been up that direction (the northwest corner of the Sea of Galilee) many times, but never on the road he described.  We made our way, two kilometers this way, one more kilometer, five kilometers on that road, go on the left fork, now another kilometer or two, watch for the yellow gate, look for the guard house, park there.

We did all that he asked and then we waited.  This was all in the dark as it had become quite late.  Finally this brother walked out of the woods and we saw him in our headlights.  He waved us over to him.  He got in the car with us and told us where to park.  We talked for a few minutes and he said that he was the only Melchizedek priesthood holder in the area at that time and he would have to do both the anointing and the sealing of the blessing.  So, there we were in the Galilee, just a few miles from the Lord’s beloved Capernaum where His ministry was centered, and only one priesthood holder could be found.  He blessed me that I would have the strength to finish the assignment I had been given and that I would be able to do it with a minimum amount of pain.  He blessed me that I would be healed and have sufficient strength to do all that I had come to do.  I could feel the Spirit and I was so grateful at that moment, that we had come all that way that night to receive a priesthood blessing.

The next day was an extremely intense four-hour shoot.  I moved ahead with a minimal amount of pain.  Hours before I could not move.  Now, that I was here to finish my assignment, the blessings were manifest.  I told Maurine half way through the morning that I could feel I was being blessed.  I was stronger and stronger.  I got some beautiful shots.  Everything worked well.  I was filled with gratitude that we had found that one priesthood brother in the Galilee on that dark road the night before.