Our History - 2016 Moving to St George

 Written by Cheryl Groom Merrick spring 2017

I could barely walk across the room. The doctors did not have any more suggestions or treatments for me to try. In desperation, I asked the Lord for help.

In July (2015) I had recovered from Addison's Disease. After 15 years, I no longer had to take cortisone each day. I was thrilled! Then slowly, in the fall I became more, and more, and more tired. By January I was restricted to bed. What was happening to me? I should have felt great now that my adrenal glands were working again. Why wasn't I?

As I prayed, I felt a strong impression to "go to St George, Utah". That's strange, I hardly knew the place having only driven through it twice. I reasoned that being in a warmer climate for a few days might help me feel better. So my husband helped me into our old van, and we headed south to St George.

As soon as we arrived, I began to feel better. I happily spent the next few days visiting the historical buildings in the St George area. I hadn't felt this well in ages! We even visited our old neighbors who had moved to the area a few years before. Once again our neighbor suggested that I move to St George for my health. We had always ignored his invitations, but this time it felt right. Later, I sat there looking at my husband and feeling strongly that I needed to share my impressions about moving to St George with him. I thought that I just couldn't do it. His retirement businesses were going well and how could I leave our children and grandchildren?

The next day before leaving, we stopped at a model home where my husband was offered work. We were both increasingly feeling that we should move to St George. I was stunned. We had never even considered moving. What were we thinking?

With such thoughts and new hope, we returned to our home in the Provo area. After being there for only a few hours, I was more ill than ever. I was afraid. I wanted to go back to St George.

So a couple of days later, I was once again helped into our van, and we headed south. This time we went with a determination to find a place to live in the St. George area. I kept wondering how we could do this. I passed out if I even entered a brand new house with all its chemicals, and I became ill in an older home with it's dust, scented candles, and mustiness.

Fighting logic, we looked. Three days later we found a home that did not make me ill and bought it. We were completely stunned at what we had just done, but were at peace. It felt right.

Before we moved in at the end of May, we learned that I had chronic bronchitis and needed to live in a place with a lower elevation with clean, warm, dry air. It sounded like a description of St George! After the move down to St George, my health began to dramatically improve. Now I am walking a mile a day and am no longer restricted to my house. It is wonderful! The Lord knew what I needed and answered my prayers.