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Aug 2008 Issue
By Nettie H. Francis
Las Vegas is a wilderness. I know, because I moved here from a comfortable “Jerusalem.” I wasn’t as supportive as Sariah must have been when Lehi announced that they were moving. I’m sure she just said, “Whatever you say, Honey. I’d be happy to leave all this gold behind and go live in a tent.” But, I’m not such a submissive wife. It took a while for my “Lehi” to convince me that the Lord had called us to move; and to the wilderness, no less. Moving was also difficult for me because I was great with child at the time. In fact, I was due the following month. Besides leaving my comfortable home behind, I had to leave my comfortable doctor and familiar hospital as well. Luckily, we found a wonderful new provider to assist us, and my first born in the wilderness arrived the day after we moved into our new home. We named her Sariah.
Our move also came as a surprise to our children, who had to leave good friends and well-known surroundings behind. The months that followed our decision to transfer were often confusing and stressful.
Across town or across the country, moving a family is a challenge to both parents and children.
However, with some extra effort and guidance from parents, moving can become a testimony-building, emotionally strengthening and unifying experience for family members.
Once we had made the decision to accept my husband’s job transfer to Las Vegas, we carefully considered how to present the upcoming changes to our children. Here are some of the ideas that worked for us:
■ We planned a special Family Council when we would all be together, without any rush or nterruptions. Family Home Evening would also work well.
■ With our children, we read and reviewed the scriptural account of Lehi, Sariah and their family leaving Jerusalem. Then we discussed these points of the story:
◆ Lehi’s family left their familiar home, friends and neighborhood.
◆ There were many things they didn’t know about their destination and new home.
◆ Heavenly Father gave them the Liahona to guide them.
◆ They had the companionship of their family members as they traveled through the wilderness to their new home.
◆ When they arrived in the Promised Land, they found a better place than where they had been.
◆ The Lord blessed their faithfulness and they grew in their knowledge of the gospel.
■ We told our children that our family had also been asked to move. We compared our upcoming transition with the experiences of Lehi and his family.
◆ We would also be leaving our familiar neighborhood, friends and home.
◆ We were still unsure about exactly where our new house would be, and what the neighborhood would be like.
◆ Just as Lehi’s family had the Liahona to guide them, Heavenly Father would guide us with the Holy Ghost as we moved into a new home and made new friends.
◆ Even though many familiar things in our life would change, our family members would be constant. Throughout the upcoming transitions, we could depend on and strengthen each other.
◆ We were excited to anticipate that whatever lay ahead of us would be better than what we were leaving behind.
◆ We had complete faith that our change would bring tremendous opportunities for growth and many blessings.
■ We drew a simple map to show where we lived currently and where we would be moving to, and explained our anticipated time frame for certain events, such as selling our home, and my husband starting his new job.
■ We sang Nephi’s Courage (Children’s Songbook p.120).
■ We finished by sharing our testimonies of Heavenly Father, His interest in our family and the guidance he sends us.
Our move to Las Vegas proved more complicated than we initially anticipated. However, once all of the pieces had fallen into place and we were settled into our new home, the blessings we experienced were also greater than we initially expected as well.
Our trying experience proved to be a great benefit to each of us, just as Lehi’s trials eventually led his family to a far greater Land of Promise. We gained an added testimony that the Lord is in charge, and will guide, direct and bless us anytime we are asked to “make a move.”
