Glen Ricks Photography

     As the holidays approach, we, as a family, often look for small acts of service that we can do. We have found something that hits close to home for us because we currently have a missionary serving. So where do I start? Right here: Two months ago we hired a new employee, Sarah. She has been a great blessing for us, exactly what we were looking for. As we have gotten to know her and a little about her family, we have learned that they have quite a story. About a year ago, her dad got a job in Chile where he had previously served a two year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They moved down there with four of their six children. Their oldest son, being married, stayed in the U.S. as did Sarah's younger brother Stephen, who was serving an LDS mission in the New York New York South Mission, speaking Spanish.

     Near the end of 2010, Stephen noticed that he was getting sick far too frequently, but did not think much of it. He assumed that he was just tired from all the hard work he was doing as a missionary. A few months went by and he was getting constantly sicker. At the insistence of his mother and the mission nurse, Stephen went to see a doctor. They ran test after test and could not figure out what was wrong with him. After having ruled out every minor possibility, his mission president, who had a medical background, told Stephen he thought it would be best if he returned home to Utah to continue testing.

     On March 15^th, 2011, Stephen had to come home four months early from his mission. The family, still in Chile, rushed back to Utah to be with him. They arrived just a few hours before he did! They came back to no home because they had sold it to live in Chile and no jobs. They lived with their grandma for six months before finding a home to rent. A few days after arriving home, Stephen was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma, cancer of the lymph nodes. He went through 6 months(12 treatments) of chemotherapy, but it was ineffective. He is now on his second round of chemo therapy, and soon will undergo a stem cell transplant.