Earlier this year my stepmom, Emiko Aki Farnsworth passed away at the age of 94. She was born on a small island owned by Japan and lived an incredible, heart-breaking life for many years. When she was 9, her mother died, and she was sold by her alcoholic father to feed his addiction. She lived without the support of family through the terrible bombings of Japan during WWII, one of the few girls in her factory to survive by fleeing to nearby caves for safety. After marrying an American pilot in Japan, her first baby was stolen at birth by the hospital, who insisted she had come in simply because she didn’t feel well.
Eventually she joined the Church in America and life became sweet for her, but through her many challenges she learned to recognize and empathize with the needs of others and listen to the promptings of the spirit.
One day she felt she needed to check on a near neighbor who was also a member of her ward. This woman was aging and had difficulty getting around. Emiko first tried calling, and when there was no answer, she headed over to her neighbor’s house. Still there was no response. She contacted the bishop (who happened to be my father at the time, though they were not yet married) and spoke of her concerns. He brushed them off, suggesting that the woman might just be napping or out with a friend.
Emiko felt the strong urgings of the spirit, and like the persistent widow in Luke 18 who wearied the civil judge with her demands, she finally wore down the bishop and they met at the neighbor’s house. They discovered this woman had fallen a couple of days before and was barely hanging on to life. An ambulance was called, and a rescue was made.
Most of us will not face such dramatic events in our ministering, but as we pray for and listen to the promptings of the spirit, we will touch many lives for good, and perhaps even help in the spiritual rescue of a brother or sister.
Sheri Gordon
Stake Communication Director
Kommentarer