One month before our youngest was born, we found out my wife, Alicia, had a malignant tumor that would need to be treated as soon as possible after birth. The doctors gave Alicia one month to get her strength up after delivering our daughter Mali’e, and then it was straight to a surgical neck dissection to remove the malignant tissue. Then she started radiation treatment.
At this point, I was two years into serving as bishop. I’d thought the Lord would protect me from big problems like this while I was serving, so I felt angry and disappointed for a time. But prayer, study, and conversations with trusted friends helped me realize that service doesn’t make you exempt from trials. And looking back, I believe my calling brought so many miracles to our lives.
After Mali’e was born, so many people reached out to help our family. They really were mortal angels. But ultimately, caring for our home and family was my responsibility. Between work and my calling, taking care of a newborn who could not nurse or be held by her radiation-filled mother, caring for our other two young children, cleaning the bathrooms, washing clothes, making special meals for my wife to comply with her treatment diet, and making meals for us, I would often find myself going to bed at one in the morning. Then I’d get up at five a.m. This went on for about four months.
One sunny, warm Saturday morning, I was doing yard work. The older two children played outside while I had Mali’e on my back in a baby carrier. Alicia was in bed, recuperating from another radiation treatment round.
As I swept the driveway, I saw the beautiful blue sky and heard the sweet little voices of my children playing and giggling, and I was suddenly aware that even though I had been tired maintaining this schedule, I had a lot of energy. I was not as exhausted as I should have been. And both work and things in my ward were going well. I suddenly noticed that, despite the demands of my life and the uncertainty of my wife’s health, I was filled with peace and a deep sense of joy. “How is this possible?!” I thought to myself.
Almost immediately, the answer came to my mind through a scripture: “Because of thy faith in Christ, whom thou hast never before heard nor seen; ... wherefore, go to, thy faith hath made thee whole” (Enos 1:8).
That day I was experiencing a fruit of Jesus Christ’s Atonement: He can literally give us strength, hope, and peace when logically, given our circumstances, we shouldn’t be feeling those things. The Savior was there with me, saving the day and lifting me up inside.
I know what President Russell M. Nelson said is true: our faith in the Savior will move “the mountains of misery in [our] lives” and help us “turn challenges into unparalleled growth and opportunity.”
Editor’s note: This article first appeared in the September/October issue of LDS Living magazine.
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