This morning I drove about two hours to pick up the JOY-ous surprise I have for the girls when they get back from camp tomorrow (no, it's not a puppy...) and on my way home, my sister in law, Meg, texted me about the shooting in Munich and asked if I had heard anything from Savannah.
All the way home, I tried not to think about the details I didn't have, and I tried not to worry.
"Of course she's fine..."
"It's Friday, surely there would be no reason for her to be in Munich and certainly not in a mall at 6:00 on a Friday night..."
When I got home, I took care of the JOY-ful priorities but kept an eye on my phone, waiting for an email from Savannah's Mission President saying that everything was fine.
I was a tiny wreck for a couple of hours, but with a house guest and no information, there wasn't much I could do but try to just keep it together.
I snuck in the bathroom for a minute and said a prayer that ALL of the missionaries were safe including President Kohler and his family. The mission home is in Munich. And according to the news I kept reading, the shooter/s had not yet been captured.
Note to self: Stop reading the news!
The prayer worked and I instantly knew that Savannah was fine. But I still wanted to KNOW...you know? I just wanted something certain before I let myself go about the rest of my day.
When I checked the Missionary Moms FB page, I found this...
Is it weird to say that I could totally feel the power of that collective prayer at 12:40? I have no idea how many of the moms even saw that FB post or were participating at that time, but I know at least two of us were, and I felt the strength and comfort of those united efforts. And then 20 minutes later, at 2:00 Birmingham time, 1:00 Utah time, and 8:00 Munich time, this email came from President Kohler...
I honestly can't even express how much love I have for that Mission President and for all of those missionaries. My sister in law said in her text, "I can't remember if Savannah is in Munich or not...hopefully not." But really, even if she wasn't, I would have worried about ALL of the missionaries anyway. I have no idea how it's possible to love people so much and feel so connected to people I've never even met before. But I do and I am...to the missionaries, their moms, and to the people in the areas where Savannah has served for the past 9 months. My heart breaks for the people who were in that mall today and for their families. And I know the missionaries there will be heartbroken, too. I hope the Spirit is able to comfort their hearts tonight and in the coming days.
How grateful I am for the power of prayer, for the collective efforts of missionary moms, and for the awesome missionaries serving in the Alpine German-speaking mission and around the world. I have an absolute testimony that Heavenly Father is aware of not just those of us who happened to be praying today, but of every single person affected by the crazy terrorist acts that seem to be happening so much more frequently around the world lately; every worried, lonely, or breaking heart. He has the ability to calm and sustain all of us. And He has this all under control.
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