Daily Gems: The Lord’s Choicest Blessings

Daily Gems
The Lord’s Choicest Blessings
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“Not long ago a mother and father from the Republic of Georgia faced a
terrifying reality. The doctors told them their baby had a heart condition,
and unless he had surgery he would die. Because they did not have adequate
facilities in Georgia, the mother and father walked across their country
and all the way to Yerevan, Armenia, seeking medical help.

“The
Armenian doctors examined the child and agreed that the baby needed heart
surgery. They knew how to perform the surgery and they had the necessary
facilities, but they couldn’t perform the operation because they
didn’t have the right tubing. As much as they wanted to help, there was
nothing they could do. They told the couple to take their baby home to
die.

“As you know, the Church–through its humanitarian
service arm–sends millions of pounds of food, clothing, and
medical and educational materials throughout the world each year. As it so
happened, Elder Robert H. Sangster and his wife, Sister Sandra Sangster,
were serving a humanitarian mission in Armenia, and they had just received
a container of medical supplies.

“You may have already guessed that
tucked away in this container of medical supplies was a box of precisely
the kind of tubing needed for this child’s operation.

“When the
doctors discovered the tubing, they rushed the baby into surgery and
performed the operation.

“That’s a wonderful story and one that
repeats itself daily as a result of the tremendous humanitarian help that
is given to many nations in the world. The great welfare effort given by
the Church benefits members and nonmembers during times of need. It reaches
out to care for others. But what happened later makes it an even better
story. One day, soon after the operation, Elder and Sister Sangster heard a
knock at their door. When they opened it, this loving mother and father
fell to their knees and wept as they thanked the Sangsters and their church
for supplying the precious tubing that had saved the life of their
child.

“The blessings that come from opening our arms to others are
among the choicest this earth has to offer.”

Topics: service, gratitude, humanitarian service

(Joseph B. Wirthlin, “Live in Thanksgiving Daily,” Ensign, Sept. 2001, 12-13)