Grandmother’s Help From Beyond the Grave

As a young child I developed strong bonds with my grandmother, Elizabeth. The reason for this, many said, was due to the fact that I take after her. Before I left for boarding school, she prayed for me so fervently that I could see tears streaming down her face. I also became a little emotional trying to imagine her feelings. I knew that she loved me and cared for me.

In 1989, I finished high school and a few months later she became ill and died. I had nothing to be happy about as I had lost my grandmother who was a great friend in my life. My cousin, Joshua, who was working in Eldoret, Kenya, was the only one in our family who could help with the funeral expenses. Having been the best friend to my grandmother, I was the one who needed to go to look for Joshua, even though I had never been there before.

I took a taxi to Eldoret. As I travelled, I kept praying that I would find him. The weather was bad and it started raining heavily which left me very little hope. It had grown late when I arrived at the town where Joshua lived. I knew only that I needed to look for the registration number of a certain commuter van that would take me to my destination.

As we travelled I was in the last seat next to the door where the conductor sits. I was asked to move over for a certain passenger who had reached his destination. I prayed for this stranger, thinking about how he would soon be stepping into the darkness.

Then to my great surprise, there was my cousin, Joshua! He had been prompted to come to the passenger stop to meet a friend who had not turned up. After talking to each other for a short time, I said to the conductor, “My journey is over.” He asked me, “Are you not the one who kept asking me where you should go to find someone of your family?”  I said “Yes, but he is the one I was searching for,” as I pointed to Joshua. Overwhelmed with tears of happiness, we both hugged each other and started the journey together to his house.

When I broke the bad news that our grandmother had passed, he was left with no words. He then said to me, “Fred, I know that our grandmother is no longer living on the earth with us, but she is helping us, for finding each other tonight did not happen by accident.”

I believe that our ancestors love us and help us in ways that we cannot even comprehend. They in turn need our help too. I bear my solemn testimony that our departed loved ones are in our midst waiting for our help. Temple work is vital to help these loved ones continue to progress and to gain the ordinances that we can provide for them in the temple. We can show our love for them by sealing them to us so we can be families in the eternities.