COMING UP PACKER: Steve and Anita are headed to Turkey!

The night before Joe and I moved to Las Vegas for him to start Dental school, Ken, Joe's dad asked if I wanted a blessing. In that blessing he told me that when I got to Las Vegas there would be a "grandmother there that would wrap her arms around me and take care of me." I remember at the time thinking that was a neat thing for a blessing to say. I envisioned grandmothers and friends I would make, but really didn't think that much about it. Two weeks after we moved I walked into relief society and sat down next to a cute lady who certainly didn't look like a grandmother. I was nervous for some reason and I remember thinking to myself "your okay, you've been on a mission, you've done this before, your fine" but I felt out of place that day. As the first song started that cute lady I sat down by leaned over and asked who I was, I explained to her that I was new and that we had just moved for my husband to start dental school. She told me that her husband was a dentist too. We talked for just a minute and as the song finished she leaned over, this woman I had never met and wrapped her arms around me and said to me "you go home and call your parents and tell them that I am going to take care of you while you are here." I have never felt the spirit so strong, I just started to cry. Through the tears I told her of the blessing I had received two weeks earlier. We both sat there crying. We became instant friends, she and her family truly took care of us and became some of our best friends. It's now been eight years and so much has taken place in those eight years! Joe and I have had four kids and now live in California. They have recently relocated to their home in San Clemente, they also retired, Steve from his practice and Anita as a Archatechual and Interior Designer. They have been called as the Area Authorities in Istanbul Turkey over the churches welfare service. It's an amazing call and we were so thankful to spend the day with them. When I think back to that day in relief society and the faith Heavenly Father had in Anita to bless me two weeks before, knowing that she would act on the promptings she would have. I am still amazed.