I got conjunctivitis (pink eye) Monday night! I had to stay in the apartment all week since pink eye is highly contagious (I caught it from some young kid in the ward). But I got to spend the entire week studying my scriptures and oh man, I didn't know I was capable of sleeping so much! I took three naps one day! Missionary work is exhausting, and my body appreciated the catch-up time. I didn't find out until yesterday how pink eye happens...which is great, because I've been super grossed out since.
Last night, we had the privilege of meeting and hearing from Joseph Freeman, the first African American to receive the Priesthood. (Yes, he's still alive.) He's the father of a woman in the Fort Campbell branch and he did a fireside for us. He grew up in North Carolina and described the racial mentality of that area at that time. If you were an African American walking down the street and a white person approached, you stepped off the sidewalk and into the road. If you wanted to go to a white person's house, you had to go around to the back door and knock, you never stepped on their porch. Of course, schools and churches were segregated. He talked about Martin Luther King Jr's influence. Brother Freeman said, "People ask about this issue [of not letting African Americans have the Priesthood], and Surely the Priesthood could not survive in a situation like that."
Brother Freeman's grandfather and mother were baptist preachers and he wanted to be the same when he grew up. He joined the army and would often fast, pray, and read the Bible with two other black men. He always felt God's love for him. Then he went to Hawaii where he visited the Polynesian Cultural Center. He was shocked by how warmly the people treated him, an African American. He met a Samoan LDS woman, Isapela, and they fell in love and married. When he became a member, he did not worry or even think much about not being able to have the Priesthood. During those first 5 years, Sister Freeman said, Joseph Freeman never asked why we go to this church even though he can't pass Sacrament, go to the temple, go home teaching, etc. He had such strong faith and peace. He still paid his tithing. He knew that the Lord loves us and KNOWS our hearts, and he opens doors for us. He said, "I left it to God. I was not focusing on what I could not do. I was focusing on what I could do. I knew that God loved me so much and I felt so happy."
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf said, "The answers to our prayers come in the Lord’s due time. Sometimes we may become frustrated that the Lord has delayed answering our prayers. In such times we need to understand that He knows what we do not know. He sees what we do not see. Trust in Him. He knows what is best for His child, and being a perfect God, He will answer our prayers perfectly and in the perfect time."
In 1978, President Spencer W. Kimball received a revelation that all worthy males were able to receive the Priesthood. He was the first African American to be ordained to both the Aaronic and Melchizedek Priesthoods, and he went to the temple shortly thereafter. Brother Freeman is one of the most humble men I have ever shook hands with. He has such a positive and clear outlook on life. He said, "We are just like flowers in a garden, all different colors and different sizes, all love our Heavenly Father."
There is so much diversity here, both because of the Gospel and especially because of the military. I have met people from all over the world or who have been stationed all over the world. This past week I met a member from Bloemfontein, South Africa! I could never figure out those accents, or how religious rugby is to them! When we pass through the gate to get onto post, we have to hand our IDs to the guard. Often we will get the question, "Two girls from Alaska and California. How did y'all meet?" We laugh and explain that we're missionaries, and we drive away excited that we were able to share that small piece of information on a military base. I mailed letters to missionaries in Russia and the West Indies this week! How blessed we are to be in such a diverse, beautiful world.
May we remember President Uchtdorf's words, that the Lord knows us and will answer our prayers in His own due time. :)
Sister Ryceejo Nordstrom
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