I met Sister Williams at Church for the first time 11 years ago. Since then I have served in the Church with her and been her Bishop or Pastor twice. In 1997 I was ordained a Bishop in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Helen was a member of the congregation over which I presided then. This last Sunday the 30th of May I was called once again to serve as Helen's Bishop. In that self-same afternoon I had the privilege of visiting Helen's home and along with one of her good sons and one of my counselors bidding her farewell in the form of a priesthood blessing. It was a sobering yet spiritually rich moment as we administered one last time to Sister Williams, she who had served so many so well for so many years. In my relatively short association with Helen I learned and observed at least 3 things:
- She was an excellent cook. Her pot roast and vegetable dinner she provided at the birth of our last child is still fondly remembered. When I remarked on the nice pot she brought the roast in she reminded me I could have the contents but not the pot!
- She had a tenacious personality. Through probably equal parts her upbringing and her generation her matter-of-fact nature and her way of "telling it like it is" was appreciated by all her knew her.
- She had a remarkably firm testimony of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. My wife remarked on her deep love for the Savior and her ability to share her feelings convincingly with the sisters in Relief Society (the women's organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints).
When she left us last Sunday there was a wake in her departure, one which will not soon fill. She was fond of saying she was quote "ready to go" when the Lord should call and that she was anxious to meet up with other relatives who had gone on before. Those of us who remain behind might wonder where Helen has gone.
Where is Helen?
Should we mourn her passing?
Will we see each other again?
What do we each face when we step through death's door?
When Helen passed through the veil of death she transitioned to the next phase of her existence as an immortal spirit waiting the morning of the first resurrection.
I would say to you children Raymond, John, Evan, & Denise and to all of the rest of you here assembled:
I know where she's at, and I know what she's doing!
When one of our loved ones passes beyond the veil of this mortal existence the parting brings a deep sadness and longing to each of us that is left behind. We feel disconnected and alone, we pause and consider our own mortality and what we are doing with our lives. We long to know for sure what the future holds for us beyond the certain step with uncertain dimensions we call death. The passing of a loved one invites deep reflection. I believe we may come to know and understand what the Psalmist testified of in the 30th Psalm:
"...weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning."
JST Psalms 30:Verse 5
But how can joy arise from the ashes of sorrow, when we are so clearly left behind? When our sorrow is so painfully fresh? How can we recover from the incredible vacancy that enters our lives?
The marvelous truth is that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has provided a way for us to be reunited with our loved ones on the other side! He has prepared a plan with God our Heavenly Father that ensures eternal happiness and joy awaits each one of us. John chapter 3 verse 16 records probably the most often quoted passage in all of scripture:
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
John 3:16
Everlasting life...this sounds like a long-term affair! When we come to terms with the eternal truth that we are eternal beings and that we will exist forever a massive measure of comfort enters our hearts. Job the afflicted prophet of old declared:
For I know [that] my redeemer liveth, and [that] he shall stand at the latter [day] upon the earth:
And [though] after my skin [worms] destroy this [body], yet in my flesh shall I see God:
Job 19: 25-26
The glorious remarkable truth which applies to Helen and to each of us that we will have the ability in a future day to regain our physical bodies only with the added blessing of inheriting a perfected immortal body which is incapable of suffering all of the vicissitudes of this life.
The other day John and I took a moment to reflect on how wonderful it must have been for Helen to arrive on the other side and find herself alert and free from the cares and worries of this world! How marvelous must have been the reunion with Roy and other family and friends in that elevated sphere! What a great blessing to know we have the opportunity to receive the same welcome home when we depart this world! The Holy Scriptures testify to us of the plan of God for his children's happiness. Let me share three of my favorites with you:
For since by man [came] death, by man [came] also the resurrection of the dead.
For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
1 Corinthians 15:21-22
Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life…
John 5: 28-29
In my Father's house are many mansions: if [it were] not [so], I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, [there] ye may be also.
John 14: 2-3
A Prophet declared, speaking of those who mourn for their deceased relatives:
....when I talk to these mourners, what have they lost? Their relatives and friends are only separated from their bodies for a short season: their spirits which existed with God have left the tabernacle of clay only for a little moment, as it were; and they now exist in a place where they converse together the same as we do on the earth,
I have a father, brothers, children, and friends who have gone to a world of spirits. They are only absent for a moment. They are in the spirit, and we shall soon meet again. The time will soon arrive when the trumpet shall sound. When we depart, we shall hail our mothers, fathers, friends, and all whom we love...
Let us not unduly mourn the passing of Helen. She is not gone forever nor doth she sleep! Her physical tabernacle resides in this chapel, her magnificent eternal spirit has taken its place among the millions that have gone before!
After Hurricane paid a visit to the Gulf Coast last fall Helen made the rounds to check on her sisters in the Church even though this was a real chore for her because of health concerns she was struggling with. I admire the quality of her perseverance in the face of adversity, and I hope that as we take a moment today to remember Helen, we might consider what more we can do in this world to be like her in this way.
I know that Helen is marveling in the splendor of the paradise in which she is a new citizen. We too are drawing ever closer to the transition to eternity we call "death". May we each have peace and clarity knowing that there is indeed a place "prepared for us".
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