294. Reposting # 13, a year ago today, "Divine Protection Again, and Again, and Again!
I'm reposting an entry I posted a year ago today, on November 24, 2013, with some updates and more photos. The accident mentioned in the first paragraph happened a year ago yesterday.
I'm so grateful for Divine Protection! We have been the grateful recipients many times!
I'm beginning this post at 5:30 a.m. (written November 24, 2013) because I can't sleep! Our daughter, Anita, and her 3 sons, Sam, Jake, and David, borrowed our car to go to California to visit the oldest son Sam's Mission, and people he knew there.
Sam came home on October 29th, and as all good missionaries do, has missed the dear people he knew and taught. They borrowed our car, and left yesterday about 10 a.m. As they were within minutes of their destination, there was a 3 car collision, where they were the 3rd car. Two cars ahead of them stopped -- I don't know details, but when the car ahead of them ran into the car in front of them, apparently they couldn't stop fast enough. Air bags came out. The blessing of the whole situation is that none of them were hurt -- at least not noticeably. Some may need the help of a chiropractor when they get home. The car is totaled, but they are okay! We always say a prayer before going on a long trip, and I'm sure they did.
Sam, who had just returned from his mission.
Being in an area where Sam had been an Assistant to the President of the mission for 4 months, dear friends came to their aid, and have furnished them with a car to drive around in, and visit many friends. They will come home in a rented car, probably Monday, and we will be looking for another car! I'll probably have a nap later, but now it is helpful for me to be able to record my thoughts. (I'm not usually an early morning person!)
For those who may not be familiar with some things in our Church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, (Mormons) we have units in our Church called "wards" which consist of around 100 to 500 people. A smaller group is called a "branch". Around 6 to 8 wards are grouped into a "stake". In each stake, a righteous man who holds the Melchizedek Priesthood is called to be a "Patriarch". This good man's calling is to give "Patriarchal Blessings" to members who desire a special blessing. Each person has only one such blessing in his/her life, and it is recorded and written so we can read it often for guidance in our lives. The blessings promised are dependent on our living faithful lives. I mentioned Wayne's Patriarchal Blessing in the post # 10, on November 21, 2013, "Wayne, hospitals, ICU, miracles". They are private, and only read by the person, and people close to him/her, that are given that privilege. It helps us in our lives to read our blessings often, and do our part to live worthy of them.
When I was 16 I had my Patriarchal Blessing, and when I was 18 I had the privilege of becoming a typist for a different Patriarch for about 2 years. In my blessing it didn't mention specifically that I would have children, and I worried about it. The second Patriarch, (that I typed blessings for) Brother George E. Miles, (strangely not a relative of mine) gave me a comforting blessing. It mentioned I would become the mother of a numerous posterity (I have had 9 children!) and many other desires of my heart. When I was about 16, I became very interested, and have been since, in genealogy, and finding names and histories of my ancestors. One thing mentioned in that comforting blessing given to me on July 27, 1952, was that I would live a long life, and should do Temple work and genealogy while young, for if so my ancestors on the other side would notice it, and would be desirous of my living a long life, and would help me in that work. They would be instrumental in preserving my life. That blessing has been literally fulfilled, and I want to tell about some specific times I am aware of. There probably are other times I didn't even realize the protection I had been given. All have been situations that could have involved a car wreck.
The first time I remember realizing that very blessing was when we had just the 4 older children, probably about 1962, and we were driving from St. George back up to Sandy where we then lived. We had an old, heavy station wagon. The I-15 freeway wasn't built yet, and it was a 2 lane highway from St. George up the state. Wayne was to drive to Beaver, and then I was to drive the next 2 hours. Shortly after I began to drive, I got very very nervous. Each car that would pass us, or we would pass going the other way, would make me feel such a panic, that finally I told Wayne about it. He said, "Let me drive." Within 10 minutes after he took the wheel we had a blowout on our right front tire, which took all of Wayne's strength to control, as the car was very heavy. I knew immediately why I had been afraid to drive. I couldn't have held the car from rolling over.
These are our four oldest children, who were with us in the first possible car wreck -- in 1962. Wayne M. on top, and left to right, Anita, Allen and Delsy.
Another time was when we were coming home from the Salt Lake Temple, to our home in Sandy. We had a small green Dodge Colt, and were traveling behind a large truck, with a flat bed trailer. Bouncing around on that trailer was a huge metal spike, probably 3 or 4 inches in diameter and a yard long. We noticed it, but all of a sudden, a gust of wind caused it to fall off and bounce right in front of us. It bounced up one time about the height of our windshield, and came down, and on its way back up it hit the grill of our small car. The next exit the driver of the truck pulled off, and so did we, as he realized what had happened. If we had been a split-second closer the spike would have gone through our windshield. We truly were spared that time!
Another time I remember I was driving toward St. George, and it was still before the freeway. I saw a car begin to pass another car way in front of us, and head toward us for a head-on crash. I instinctively pulled to the right, and so did the car which was driving toward us, and the car that had tried to pass went between the two of us on the highway!
Another time we were driving to St. George at UEA time, October 1980, and I was bringing paintings down to be in an art show in St. George and to visit my mother who lived in St. George. (We moved here the following August.) I was driving, and the car felt strange just before we came to Enoch, north of Cedar City, and I pulled off on an exit. I slowly turned off the road, and the drive shaft fell out of the bottom of our large green van! A man came and saw us, with a large family, and took us to his home, fed us, and loaned his van for us to take to St. George for 2 days, while ours was being fixed. Another blessing!
In 2006 I was coming out of a shopping center and a car tried to turn left into where I was and missed slamming into me in the driver's seat, by just a few feet. Since then, they have built islands in that exact place so that couldn't happen again. When I realize the protection I have just had, I say a silent "Thank You" to Heavenly Father, and whoever are our Guardian Angels, because they are real! I also try harder to do my part of the blessing -- find more names for the Temple, and attend the Temple. I try to go one or two times a week now. In the meantime, I love to search the internet for names of extended deceased family members. I also try to take care of my health, as I would love to live to be 103 (as did Brother George E. Miles the Patriarch), as long as I can be useful, and do that important work.
I know there are those of you dear people that have had loved ones who were not so fortunate in similar situations, and our hearts go out to you. Life can change in an instant!
We do know God is watching over us all, and is in control, and that is such a comfort.
As I write this, November 24, 2014, I am so thankful for the protection of our Heavenly Father. IT IS REAL ! ! !
I'm so grateful for Divine Protection! We have been the grateful recipients many times!
I'm beginning this post at 5:30 a.m. (written November 24, 2013) because I can't sleep! Our daughter, Anita, and her 3 sons, Sam, Jake, and David, borrowed our car to go to California to visit the oldest son Sam's Mission, and people he knew there.
This is our daughter Anita, who was traveling with her 3 sons, Sam, Jake, and David. Ben was already in Taiwan on his mission.
Being in an area where Sam had been an Assistant to the President of the mission for 4 months, dear friends came to their aid, and have furnished them with a car to drive around in, and visit many friends. They will come home in a rented car, probably Monday, and we will be looking for another car! I'll probably have a nap later, but now it is helpful for me to be able to record my thoughts. (I'm not usually an early morning person!)
Jake, who left for his mission in Indonesia, on August 13, 2014 (entered the MTC that day, and is now in Indonesia).
David, who was also in the car, now a Junior in High School.
Ben, who was already in Taichung, Taiwan on his mission, and was not in the wreck. He is the 2nd of the 4 Lieske brothers.
For those who may not be familiar with some things in our Church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, (Mormons) we have units in our Church called "wards" which consist of around 100 to 500 people. A smaller group is called a "branch". Around 6 to 8 wards are grouped into a "stake". In each stake, a righteous man who holds the Melchizedek Priesthood is called to be a "Patriarch". This good man's calling is to give "Patriarchal Blessings" to members who desire a special blessing. Each person has only one such blessing in his/her life, and it is recorded and written so we can read it often for guidance in our lives. The blessings promised are dependent on our living faithful lives. I mentioned Wayne's Patriarchal Blessing in the post # 10, on November 21, 2013, "Wayne, hospitals, ICU, miracles". They are private, and only read by the person, and people close to him/her, that are given that privilege. It helps us in our lives to read our blessings often, and do our part to live worthy of them.
When I was 16 I had my Patriarchal Blessing, and when I was 18 I had the privilege of becoming a typist for a different Patriarch for about 2 years. In my blessing it didn't mention specifically that I would have children, and I worried about it. The second Patriarch, (that I typed blessings for) Brother George E. Miles, (strangely not a relative of mine) gave me a comforting blessing. It mentioned I would become the mother of a numerous posterity (I have had 9 children!) and many other desires of my heart. When I was about 16, I became very interested, and have been since, in genealogy, and finding names and histories of my ancestors. One thing mentioned in that comforting blessing given to me on July 27, 1952, was that I would live a long life, and should do Temple work and genealogy while young, for if so my ancestors on the other side would notice it, and would be desirous of my living a long life, and would help me in that work. They would be instrumental in preserving my life. That blessing has been literally fulfilled, and I want to tell about some specific times I am aware of. There probably are other times I didn't even realize the protection I had been given. All have been situations that could have involved a car wreck.
The first time I remember realizing that very blessing was when we had just the 4 older children, probably about 1962, and we were driving from St. George back up to Sandy where we then lived. We had an old, heavy station wagon. The I-15 freeway wasn't built yet, and it was a 2 lane highway from St. George up the state. Wayne was to drive to Beaver, and then I was to drive the next 2 hours. Shortly after I began to drive, I got very very nervous. Each car that would pass us, or we would pass going the other way, would make me feel such a panic, that finally I told Wayne about it. He said, "Let me drive." Within 10 minutes after he took the wheel we had a blowout on our right front tire, which took all of Wayne's strength to control, as the car was very heavy. I knew immediately why I had been afraid to drive. I couldn't have held the car from rolling over.
These are our four oldest children, who were with us in the first possible car wreck -- in 1962. Wayne M. on top, and left to right, Anita, Allen and Delsy.
Another time was when we were coming home from the Salt Lake Temple, to our home in Sandy. We had a small green Dodge Colt, and were traveling behind a large truck, with a flat bed trailer. Bouncing around on that trailer was a huge metal spike, probably 3 or 4 inches in diameter and a yard long. We noticed it, but all of a sudden, a gust of wind caused it to fall off and bounce right in front of us. It bounced up one time about the height of our windshield, and came down, and on its way back up it hit the grill of our small car. The next exit the driver of the truck pulled off, and so did we, as he realized what had happened. If we had been a split-second closer the spike would have gone through our windshield. We truly were spared that time!
Another time I remember I was driving toward St. George, and it was still before the freeway. I saw a car begin to pass another car way in front of us, and head toward us for a head-on crash. I instinctively pulled to the right, and so did the car which was driving toward us, and the car that had tried to pass went between the two of us on the highway!
Another time we were driving to St. George at UEA time, October 1980, and I was bringing paintings down to be in an art show in St. George and to visit my mother who lived in St. George. (We moved here the following August.) I was driving, and the car felt strange just before we came to Enoch, north of Cedar City, and I pulled off on an exit. I slowly turned off the road, and the drive shaft fell out of the bottom of our large green van! A man came and saw us, with a large family, and took us to his home, fed us, and loaned his van for us to take to St. George for 2 days, while ours was being fixed. Another blessing!
In 2006 I was coming out of a shopping center and a car tried to turn left into where I was and missed slamming into me in the driver's seat, by just a few feet. Since then, they have built islands in that exact place so that couldn't happen again. When I realize the protection I have just had, I say a silent "Thank You" to Heavenly Father, and whoever are our Guardian Angels, because they are real! I also try harder to do my part of the blessing -- find more names for the Temple, and attend the Temple. I try to go one or two times a week now. In the meantime, I love to search the internet for names of extended deceased family members. I also try to take care of my health, as I would love to live to be 103 (as did Brother George E. Miles the Patriarch), as long as I can be useful, and do that important work.
I know there are those of you dear people that have had loved ones who were not so fortunate in similar situations, and our hearts go out to you. Life can change in an instant!
We do know God is watching over us all, and is in control, and that is such a comfort.
As I write this, November 24, 2014, I am so thankful for the protection of our Heavenly Father. IT IS REAL ! ! !
Comments