“The Gift I’ll Never Forget,” Liahona, Dec. 2023.
Latter-day Saint Voices
The Gift I’ll Never Forget
I felt an unmistakable impression that this was the family we needed to help.
Illustration by Anastasia Suvorova
One year for Christmas, my family decided to give the money we would have spent on gifts for ourselves to a family who could use some help. We prayed to know whom to help. I kept the money in an envelope in my purse so I would be ready when the prompting came.
A few days before Christmas, my kids went sledding. When I arrived at the hill to pick them up, I watched as they made one more fun run down the hill.
Soon, I noticed two little girls who were not dressed for the cold weather. They wore rain boots, pants with holes in the knees, spring jackets, and one mitten each from the same pair. They were having a great time sliding down the hill on a piece of cardboard.
As I watched them run up the hill to their mom, I felt an unmistakable impression that this was the family we needed to help. I walked over to speak to the mother. When she turned around, I was stunned to realize I knew her.
Ten years earlier, I had been this sister’s visiting teacher. Back then, I was baking bread one day and felt that I should give a loaf to her. But when I drove to her house, I noticed an unfamiliar car in her driveway. I thought she must have company, and I didn’t want to intrude. So, I turned around and went home.
Half an hour later, the Relief Society president called to ask if I could go to this sister’s house and watch her children. She was in the hospital, and her mother had come to stay with the children but was eager to be with her daughter. I hurried over but felt ashamed that I had not followed the earlier prompting. Since that day, I had tried my best to follow promptings from the Spirit, but this experience still haunted me.
I am grateful I reconnected with this dear sister. That day, not only did Heavenly Father answer the prayers my family had offered to find a family to serve, but He also blessed me with an opportunity to forgive myself for a previous mistake. I had not expected this gift, but it’s one I’ll never forget.