Hope Projects, Continued

I know people don't like long blogs. And that's why I chose not to make yesterday's blog longer, but before we leave the topic, I'd like to tell you a little bit about the man who created Hope Projects -- Jerry Simons.

I'm a firm believer that Heavenly Father uses those of us who are willing to perform his miracles around the world. And I love it so much when the Spirit confirms to me that something I have witnessed is not just a coincidence, but something orchestrated and directed by Him. I have felt that way since my very first encounter with Hope Projects.

I nominated Jerry Simons for a BYU Distinguished Service award last year, and part of the process was gathering letters of recommendation. One of my favorite letters was from his daughter, Susan. She explains that for years Jerry had been involved in humanitarian work in other parts of the world. As a tourist in Peru, Jerry hired a taxi to drive them through the countryside, interested in seeing the colorful clothing, long braids and wide hats. Seeing the poverty and the industrious efforts these people made to sustain life caused Jerry to think about the possibility of extending his humanitarian work to them. On a subsequent trip to Peru, that same Taxi driver (who just happened to be LDS) set up an appointment for Jerry to meet the Caladeza (Mayor) in that district. I quote from Susan's letter: "The Caldeza is one of only a few female district mayors in Peru. She is dedicated to her people but at the time felt powerless and overwhelmed by the problems her people faced -- extremely high infant death rates, low life expectancy, poverty, lack of schools, and no support from the government. That day, as she met my father, she began to cry. As she told it, her mother had died when she was 9 years old, yet she came to the Caldeza in a dream the night before. In the dream, her mother told her not to worry, she had a surprise for her. Then, she found herself at the bottom of a cliff, in a thicket of thorny bushes, struggling to climb up but with no hope of escaping. From above, a man came to the edge of the cliff. He reached his hand down and told her he would help her. She told us that when she met Jerry she cried because he was the man in her dream."

I really want to be the person to answer someone's dreams. I try to be sensitive to the Spirit, but know that Heavenly Father must often feel like he is still looking for a hammer that is big enough. My patriarchal blessing says that I will live a long life. I guess Heavenly Father knew that some of life's lessons would take me a long time to learn.