#109 Blessing (By Grandpa)

Dear Grandchildren,

For me, the week rotated around a blessing in Bodrum. The non-member husband of one of the German sisters underwent surgery to repair a nerve problem in his neck that was causing him a lot of pain in his shoulders and arms. (I went through a similar experience about 19 years ago; my doctor was an experienced neurosurgeon. I don’t know whether this man has enjoyed access to such a doctor.) He spent three days in the hospital and then expected to rest at home for perhaps three weeks. We were at the one-week-plus mark when we went. I received permission to take one of the YVs from our threesome. This YV had taught by Skype the older children in the family whom I baptized almost a year ago. I was to be his companion for the day. He went because it seemed important to give a blessing to this man in Turkish, something that I could not do.

I don’t know how to make a pair of three-and-one-half hour bus rides sound exciting. They were not. The seats on the way to Bodrum were wider than they were on the bus back. That’s something, I suppose. And the snacks that we were offered on both rides were nothing to write home about. So I won’t. We bought seats so that we were not in the direct sun. I read and the YV studied for much of the ride down. On the ride back, we talked a lot more. I knew that he had been a wrestler in high school. He told me of the regimen and diet that he faced. A tangerine for breakfast, a baggie of tuna fish for lunch, and another baggie of tuna fish for dinner. That’s it. At Thanksgiving and Christmas, he ate no other foods. He was in training and he had to keep his weight down. When he was a sophomore, his coach asked him to drop two weight categories, the equivalent of 19 pounds. So he "cut weight" to wrestle in a lower category. As you might expect, he now hates tuna fish.

The blessing was a special moment. We went to the family apartment which overlooks the Aegean Sea. A nice view, but a small apartment. And expensive. Bodrum is a town of just over 50,000 inhabitants. But in the summer months, with tourists and people moving in who own summer homes, the number goes up to close to a million. We walked into the apartment and were greeted by seven young children and their mothers and fathers. After everything settled down a bit, and the children were in a back bedroom, we explained to the fellow what a blessing is, how it is done, and what it is meant to do. We think he understood. His wife, a life-long member of the Church, had also talked to him about the process. I anointed his head and gave the first, short blessing. Then the YV sealed the anointing and proceeded to give him a blessing for good health. (On the way to Bodrum on the bus, I gave to the YV some options that he could think about, options that would fit inside such a blessing — good physical health, good emotional health, full recovery, ability to be a loving father, a loving husband, a good breadwinner, release from worry over his business, etc. He had asked what possible things he might say; so I gave him some ideas just to bring him to a point that the Spirit could guide him to one or more such promises.) At the end of the blessing, he sat still for a long time. I placed my hand gently on his shoulder (it was not to time for a slap on the back, of course). When he rose and gave us hugs, we could see the fatigue etched on his face. We could also see his gratitude for our effort to come so far to give him the blessing. The ride back seemed much shorter.

We were 25 in our Sacrament Meeting today, thirteen in the hotel room and twelve joining us by Skype. We had the unusual opportunity of hearing from a man who now lives in Switzerland and was part of the team that produced the Turkish translation of the Book of Mormon. It was an important story to hear. And the two investigators must have been impressed to hear the narration from a man who had grown up in the country and then, while living abroad, had joined the Church and had made such a contribution. This man intends to attend our district conference next week. He was invited by the fellow who has been the team leader for several years in translating church materials into Turkish. It will be a fitting moment for this man to see how many church members there are in the country.

We are in Bodrum. I am back for the second time in four days. This time, the bus seat was not kind to me. But hey! No one said that these seats should be kind to me. They just need to hold a passenger in place. We are here so that Grandma can interview the two sisters whom she considers to be pioneers in the kingdom in these parts. We are surrounded by ancient lore, but I shall likely have to come specifically for an exploration adventure to see what is here. It is the birthplace of Herodotus, the important Greek historian of the fifth century BC. And other wonderful people lived here in antiquity. It keeps  beckoning to me. Ahh, what wonderful stuff.  

I love you and pray for you.

Grandpa Brown