One of my mission moms passed away over the weekend. Mary Elen Bennett Belnap was truly a saint! The first time I met her was in Jakarta, Indonesia on the night I arrived from Malaysia sick as a dog. She had me stay at the mission home for a night until my stomach settled a bit. Throughout my mission, she was there to let me vent frustrations in dealing with bossy companions, family issues back home, distracting letters from boyfriends, etc. I am forever grateful for the little treats she would set aside just for me that would alleviate my homesickness for home and all things American.
According to the obituary, she "fought cancer courageously for 25 years. She lived as an amazing example of optimistic resilience. To the very end, she embraced life and loved her association with family and friends who returned that pure love in kind. ... Mary Elen and Dean served three missions, in London, England from 1969-72; Jakarta, Indonesia from 1992-93; and Frankfurt, Germany from 2003-04. ... Kind and childlike - a person without guile, Mary Elen never felt anyone was beneath her. Like Father in Heaven, she was no respecter of persons and treated a beggar on the street with the same dignity she showed Prince Phillip when she met him in London at Buckingham Palace."
Truly, my life is blessed from my association with her. She will be missed and will occupy a place in the many hearts she had touched in her life.
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