New Year

                                                                                                                        January 3, 2012

 

 

Dear Family and Friends,

             It is the new year. Wow that went fast. We were asked to be in our apartments by 6:00 PM on New Year's Eve. We didn't know that until 6:05. Lucky for us we were in the driveway ready to pull into the garage.

            The most amazing thing happened Sunday. I hope I can explain it well enough. We were standing in the foyer of the church greeting people as they came in. A sweet sister, Sister Johnson, was talking about living here over 40 years and so David mentioned he had served here 35 years ago and he had baptized the Alvarez family. She said, "I knew Terri Alvarez. She was a good friend of my daughter." There were two Terri daughters in the family because it was a blended family. We told her that we had seen Terri and been to her home a few times. We finished greeting and went into the chapel. The next meeting was Sunday School and we were sitting on the front row and across the aile from us were the Johnsons. She was standing facing the class and said, I know you and a lady stood and walked up to give her a hug. I heard her say I am Terri Alvarez, using her maiden name so Sister Johnson would recognize her. I heard the name poked David and said, "That is Terri Alverez." I then touched Terri's arm and said, " This is Elder Sheffer who baptized your family." The tears were instant.

            We spoke to Terri and found that she is still active and has a blended family of 12 children and she lives in San Diego and she was here for the week end to visit with her mother. We told her that we had a copy of the tape, put on CD, of the song her family sang for the missionaries as a Christmas gift in 1977. She invited us to her mother's home were we met some of her children, an older sister and her family and her mother. We visited, played the CD, and had dinner. It was a wonderful missionary opportunity with members, nonmembers, and less active members. She also gave us phone numbers of her step-mother, and sisters. We hope to talk to them and perhaps visit them.

            As you can see this was a tender mercy. We thought Sister Johnson was speaking of the Terri that lives in Visalia and not of the Terri in San Diego. And if Terri hadn't introduced herself as Terri Alvarez we never would have known she was there. The Lord is over all. Miracles do happen.

                                                          Elder and Sister Sheffer

           

Happy New Year. Enjoy the letter, find pictures of Terri with us, Terri and some of her children, Patti, sister, Peggy, mother and Terri.