“The Lord Stood by Me,” Ensign, August 2020
Latter-day Saint Voices
The Lord Stood by Me
I hadn’t expected my husband’s military deployment to last for a whole year, but this experience helped us grow spiritually as a family.
Illustration by Colby A. Sanford
My family and I had been in Texas, USA, for about three months when my mother phoned me one day from her home in England.
“I don’t know, Mum,” I told her, “but I feel like something’s going to happen today, and I don’t know if I’m going to like it.”
When my husband, Matthias, came home that evening, he said, “I have something to tell you.” I knew instantly that he had to go away, but I hadn’t expected his military deployment to last for a whole year. We had two weeks to prepare for his departure. I shed a lot of tears during that time.
It was a tough year. Not having my husband with me or my family in England nearby frightened and worried me, but it was also a great experience for me as a new mother with a baby and for us to learn how we could continue to grow spiritually as a family.
We had already established daily habits of family prayer and scripture study. So when Matthias and I had opportunities to talk to each other, normally through Skype, we would pray and read scriptures together.
As I read the scriptures on my own and with my husband, a verse kept coming to my mind: “Wherefore, be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you” (Doctrine and Covenants 68:6). I then realized that I had always been able to rely on Heavenly Father.
My calling as ward choir director kept my mind focused on the words of the hymns and the scriptures and the promises they offer. Singing and listening to the hymns gave me peace.
When our baby, Noah, got pneumonia, priesthood holders gave him a blessing of health and me a blessing of strength and comfort. I had great ministering sisters who helped me too. I also got together with other wives whose husbands were deployed. They helped me more than I helped them. Our neighbor even helped by mowing our lawn.
I’m thankful for the small and simple things that blessed our family. Heavenly Father always seemed to bless us through someone reaching out to us when we needed help the most.