My Time Out for Women weekend was great! I highly recommend it.
My friend picked me up along with two of her husband’s cousins. From there we headed to this awesome bagel place I didn’t even know existed (even though it’s about 5-10 minutes away from me). We bought a variety of fresh bagels for breakfast, snacking, and lunch the next day, bringing some sandwich toppings with us. What a great idea.
Then we stopped off to get gas at Costco while two of us shopped in search of hairspray (there was a hairspray emergency) and beverages. The four hours we spent on the road went so quickly because we had so much fun talking and getting to know each other. We didn’t turn on the radio at all.
We located our hotel and room at the Marriott, then we headed to the Olive Garden for a early dinner, which was perfect because they still had their lunch menu (quite a bit cheaper than the dinner). We walked off the extra calories on our way to the performance center where we would be blessed to hear from the daughter of President Gordon B. Hinckley, Jenny Oaks Baker on violin (Elder Oaks’ daughter), and other speakers. I was blown away by Jenny’s performances which were quite a few (what a treat!) and really appreciated her heartfelt testimony she shared between songs. I’m definitely putting her CDs on my wish list.
The next day I had to fight hard not to bawl as we heard from a sister named Mariama Kallon. She went through the most horrific experiences in Sierra Leone where she was raised, but there was a huge smile on her face. Even though her parents were shot and killed in front of her, even though she was violated in the worst possible way by rebels, and even though she saw those evil men chopping off her sister’s arms and legs, she had hope. It was a prayer that saved her from the same fate. It was the hope of members of the church there that drew her to our faith and a hygiene kit donated by members in the US that became her most cherished possession. She still has it today and after she was baptized, she brought it with her when she decided to serve a mission. Mariama was called to the Temple Square mission. When she saw some hygiene kits being put together just like hers, she cried. Even though she didn’t need it anymore, she still had hers with her.
Mariama cried as she told her story, but there was laughter too. She and the 25 people she shared her kit with in Sierra Leone had no idea what the shampoo was for, so they didn’t use it. She laughed, “God bless America!” multiple times as she told us of the ways she has been blessed. Her remaining living relatives including her little sister and nephew were adopted by Americans and that same family allowed her to stay with them after her mission while she attended LDS Business College.
It was an amazing story and I don’t feel I can do it justice. You just have to hear her tell it to understand why it was so special. I was deeply touched to see her smiling face and am in awe of her positive attitude after losing so much. She has used her experience to bring others to the Gospel.
There are so many other things to share, but I’ll have to do so in separate posts. More than anything, I came away wanting the same hope Mariama has and I was delighted to have the opportunity to hug her and have her sign my program. I feel blessed. Attending with three friends was the icing on the cake. What a rejuvenating weekend.
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