From David and Viola Ricks
Teaching in Germany
There is an older couple that we have visited on a regular
basis, probably the first couple that we visited when we got here. She
has waited on him hand and foot every since we got here. She is 89 and
has been a complete angel in her care for him. That is what I call her
when I see her, "an angel". He hasn't appreciated it too much
because he has wanted me to call HIM an angel also. He has been a very
nice man, but he hasn't been the angel. Sister Ricks hasn't known what to
do when we visit, so she has always prepared a song to sing and they have
always enjoyed that very much. When we visited he always said, just before
we get sat down, “Where is my Botschaft?” which means message. When the
message was finished, then he would ask for his song, which they always enjoyed;
then he would get tears in his eyes and bear his testimony.
We got a call yesterday evening…that Brother Meyer had
died. We went and got the elders and took them to the hospital where he
was. We had wanted to visit him on Wednesday, but had not found the place
before we ran out of time for our next visit. So we missed them, kind of
sad. Anyway, we found the place this time. He was lying there and
had been dead for a couple of hours. A wonderful young Relief Society
president and her husband were there and were tenderly attending to Sister
Meyer’s every need. They had gone
to visit and it just so happened that Bother Meyer passed away while they were
there. Otherwise, Sister Meyer would have been alone. What a tender
mercy, and example of a Relief Society President responding to a prompting.
The spirit was so strong there. Elder Fialho said a
very heartferlt prayer, and then said, "He is still here." And
his spirit was there. We could still feel his presence. He was a
very faithful, endowed man who loved the gospel with all of his heart.
His wife is a non-member, but always read the Book of Mormon with him every day,
and came to church with him before he became too feeble. Like Elder
Ricks said, “She is an angel.”
I felt like we should sing a song. The feeling was
just as if we were in his small apartment again and he said he wanted the
"singen". The Elders are very musical and had been having the
same feelings. Elder Fialho even had the song running through his
head. Sis Meyer said that would be nice and walked over to her husband
and patted his cheek and said, "Sweetie, they want to sing you a song
before they leave." She was really touched and full of joy for the
song. Dad said we did a wonderful job of singing Naher mein Gott zu dir, Nearer my God to thee.
We all left together. It was a very humbling and peaceful experience. The
Elders will have impressed on their hearts for a lifetime.
