A Place to Live

Four years ago when I was baptised, my family did not support my decision to join the Church and didn’t want to have anything to do with me anymore. I served a mission for the Lord in Ghana, and recently my family has been friendlier towards me. I have been blessed for my obedience and my sacrifice.

I was living alone in a rented room, when late one evening, there was a knock at my door. The landlady stood there and told me that, although I had only been renting the room from her for a few days, she wanted me to leave the next morning because she had decided to renovate her house. I knew that she had no right to do such a thing to me, but I chose not to argue with her.

When I went to bed that night, I prayed. I felt prompted to express gratitude even though I was very upset. Then I added, “Heavenly Father, I have tried so far to stand by myself, to be a good person, and to become more like Thee, but things are not going very well for me.  I need Thee to intervene this time.” After my prayer, I immediately felt peace and comfort.

Early the next morning, I left to see if I could find another room to rent. I had very little money and wasn’t able to find a place that I could afford. By the middle of the day, I was exhausted and needed a rest, so I walked to the chapel. In an upstairs room I rested for a while, wondering what I should do next. Then I heard the voices some members from my branch. They were talking to each other as they entered the room where I was resting. They greeted me with smiling faces, and I mustered up the strength to smile at them in return.

They asked how I was doing and how my life was going. Soon they discovered that I had nowhere to live. After talking to each other, they responded with love and compassion to me. They offered to help me find a place to stay for a while until I could find a room of my own and be independent. They helped me move and settle in to my new home.

I have learned that Heavenly Father loves us and cares about us. He hears our prayers and answers them. He helps us. He also uses us to answer the prayers of others, just as the members were able to help me in answer to my prayer. In such a difficult and challenging situation, I also learned that if we hold out faithfully, our experiences will build our faith, as mine was built, and strengthen our testimonies, as mine was strengthened.