After 7 hours in the ER, Vivy was able to go home to recover from being hit by a car. She will spend a few days watching princess movies and eating her favorite cottage cheese, while the family waits on her as they would wait on a princess. She is going to be fine, just fine. This is a true miracle.
Since the accident 2 days ago, I’ve thought a lot about our Guardian Angels and protection we receive, often without even realizing it. I believe that our immediate families are blessed when we keep the covenants we’ve made with God. I also believe we receive blessings because of the covenants our ancestors kept. We are under their umbrella of goodness, even now. I have felt Elisabeth Degen so near, as if she has been letting me know, “I’m Here! and I’m watching out for your precious family.”
This is the only photograph we have of Elisabeth Degen Bushman (b. 1802). The story of how it came to me is also a miracle for another day. I’ll just say that she wanted me to have it, and she saw that it came into my possession.
Elisabeth is the daughter of John Casper Degen and Anna Maria Graf, who married on 20 March 1827. Maria Graf died when Elisabeth was four years old, and her father re-married and had six additional children. When Elisabeth was 14 years old she came to America with her father. The journey was in an old sailing vessel which was delayed by a calm. The extra cost caused by this delay put them in debt to the Captain, which debt was met by hiring Elizabeth out as a domestic servant for five years after arriving in America.
This is Elisabeth’s German Bible, published in 1826 in Pennsylvania:
The family settled in Lancaster County, and Elisabeth married Martin Bushman in 1827. They had 10 children.
In the spring of 1840 two elders, Elisha H. Davis and H. Dean, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, came to preach the Gospel in Lancaster County. Both Martin and his wife, Elizabeth, were very religious and investigated the new doctrine whole heartedly, were convinced of its truth, and were baptized. They were later endowed in the Nauvoo Temple on Christmas Day in 1845.
I believe with all my heart that the blessings of the temple extend through the generations. As we keep our covenants we, and our posterity, are blessed with protection in more ways than we’ll ever know. This week our family experienced that protection. Oh, what a beautiful heavenly gift!
Our Frankfurt Germany Mission 