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Missionaries that served under President and Sister Otto Shill
December 2009
Dear Friends:
What we have experienced these past two years, has reaffirmed to us, how very aware our Heavenly Father and our Savior Jesus Christ are of each one of us. So many prayers offered, have been answered, and we are eternally grateful. Thank to each of you for your prayers and concern.
On 30 November, 2007, President Shill survived an accident that demolished his pickup. Bruises covered his body, and we called him “The Purple People Eater”, but we were so blessed that his life was spared.
24 January, 2008, Sister Shill fell, causing a series of problems and was hospitalized 6 May, 2008 where she remained until her discharge the 30 July 2008. At the time, she was still in the process of learning to walk again, therefore it was necessary for us to have help at home. Also, President Shill was going to have to have both knees replaced because of injuries sustained in the accident . Through a friend, President Shill was able to find a lovely young Hispanic woman. It was a double blessing. We needed help, and her husband had recently been laid off from his job.
We found Lizeth to be a very capable young woman. After being here for a few days she said to Sister Shill, “I would like you to teach me abut your church.” From then on each day they read scriptures and talked about the Gospel. At the time, her oldest boy was fourteen, so we talked about scouting. She knew there were Mormon churches in the area where she lived, but had no idea which one she would go to. At that point, President Shill called the Stake President, gave him Lizeth’s address, and he called the Branch President. The Branch President went to meet Lizeth and her family. He arranged for the missionaries to start meeting with them. After a few weeks the first missionaries were transferred, which disappointed the family, but they soon learned to love the new Elders.
On 14 April of this year, the whole family was baptized, Lizeth, her husband Juan and their two sons, Edwin, age 14 and Andrew, age 8. We have never witnessed such a supportive branch. The chapel was absolutely filled.
Juan and Lizeth have been called as the Activity Directors of the Branch. Lizeth is a wonderful organizer, and she and her husband work well together. Edwin is active in Young Mens, and Andrew is excited about Cub Scouts.
Another great blessing is the help Lizeth has been to Sister Shill with our family histories, scanning pictures etc. They have also done genealogy, using the new computer programs. Not only has sister Shill benefited, but Lizeth has also been able to find some of her records in Mexico.
We truly look forward to hearing from each of you and knowing how you and your families are doing. By the way, we have lots of Facebooks on our Email. They are difficult for us to use…..plain Email is much better for us. (oshilljr@cox.net)
Following, is a true story which reaffirms that Heavenly Father and our Savior are so aware of each one of us and they fill our lives with enumerable blessings.
We send our love,
President and Sister Shill
Pastor Rob Reid
The brand new pastor and his wife, newly assigned to their first ministry, to reopen a church in suburban Brooklyn, arrived in early October, excited about their opportunities. When they saw their church, it was very run down and needed much work. They set a goal to have everything done in time to have their first service on Christmas Eve.
They worked hard, repairing pews, plastering walls, painting, etc, and on December 18, they were ahead of schedule and just about finished. On December 19 a terrible tempest - a driving rain storm, hit the area and lasted for two days. On the 21st, the pastor went over to the church. His heart sank when he saw that the roof had leaked, causing a large area of plaster, about 20 feet by 8 feet, to fall off the front wall of the sanctuary just behind the pulpit, beginning about head high.
The pastor cleaned up the mess on the floor, and not knowing what else to do but postpone the Christmas Eve service, headed home. On the way he noticed that a local business was having a flea market type sale for charity, so he stopped in. One of the items was a beautiful, handmade, ivory colored, crocheted tablecloth with exquisite work, fine colors and a Cross embroidered right in the center. It was just the right size to cover up the hole in the front wall. He bought it and headed back to the church.
By this time it had started to snow. An older woman running from the opposite direction was trying to catch the bus. She missed it. The pastor invited her to wait in the warm church for the next bus which would arrive in forty five minutes.
The woman sat in a pew and paid no attention to the pastor while he got a ladder, hangers, etc., to put the tablecloth up as a wall tapestry. The pastor could hardly believe how beautiful it looked and it covered the entire problem area. It was then that he noticed the woman walking down the center aisle. Her face was absolutely white. "Pastor," she asked, "where did you get that tablecloth?" The pastor explained. The woman asked him to check the lower right corner to see if the initials, EBG were
crocheted there. They were. These were the initials of the woman, and she had made this table cloth 35 years before, when she lived Austria.
The woman could hardly believe it as the pastor told how he had just bought the Tablecloth. The woman then explained that before the war she and her husband were well-to-do people in Austria. When the Nazis came, she was forced to leave. Her husband was going to follow her the next week. However, he was captured, sent to prison and she never saw her husband or her home again.
The pastor wanted to give her the tablecloth, but she insisted the pastor keep it for the church. The pastor then insisted on driving her home, for he felt that was the least he could do. The woman lived on the other side of Staten Island and was only in Brooklyn for the day for a house cleaning job.
What a wonderful service they had on Christmas Eve!
The church was almost full. The music and the spirit were great. At the end of the service, the pastor and his wife greeted every- one at the door and many said that they would return. One older man, whom the pastor recognized from the neighborhood, continued to sit in one of the pews and stare, and the pastor wondered why he wasn’t leaving. The man then came forward and asked him where he got the tablecloth that was hanging on the front wall, because it was identical to one that his wife had made years ago when they lived in Austria before the war. But how could there be two tablecloths so much alike? He told the pastor how the Nazis came, how he forced his wife to flee for her safety, and he intended to follow her, but he was arrested and put in a prison. He never saw his wife or his home again in all the 35 years in between.
The pastor asked him if he would allow him to take him for a little ride. They drove to Staten Island and to the same house where the pastor had taken the woman three days earlier. He helped the man climb the three flights of stairs to the woman's apartment, knocked on the door and he saw the greatest Christmas reunion he could ever imagine!
