An Unexpected Answer

So the last several days have been emotionally very eventful for me. I have and am so grateful for my friends and priesthood leaders who have helped me through this. I wanted to share a piece of my experience with y'all.

So I am sad to announce there will be no call for me. I met with my Stake President last week and he advised that the missionary department said that I cannot serve at this time.

The missionary dept said they feel now is not the time for me to serve because I would be missing the opportunity to get married. But I have zero prospects on the horizon, I'm not even dating currently b/c almost all the LDS guys around me are way younger! I know that I should be preparing for marriage, but that takes two and my companion is nowhere to be found.

I've wanted to get married and have a family since I was a teen. The older I get, the stronger that longing gets, but so much time has passed that I am beginning to lose hope. Now to have something I have worked so hard for, taken away and to be told to continue to prepare for the thing I have already waited 16 years for... I was mad at God and so sad to lose something I wanted so badly.

Thursday is my designated temple night and last week I missed it, not really wanting to go. Friday I told myself that I couldn't miss a week but still had to drag myself to the temple. I went and did family initiatories in the 6 pm session and after I finished, I went to the Celestial Room and poured out my heart to my Heavenly Father. I told Him how mad I was that I couldn't go and that I did not understand why He has denied me this, when it was He who bade me seek it. I asked Him why He said no and had I done something wrong?! I sat there quietly but no answer was forthcoming so I left to change and go home.

But as I stepped into the stall to change, I felt that I should stay. I didn't want to, I was tired,  it would be my first time going through a Spanish session and I struggle to comprehend Spanish when tired but I heeded the prompting, took a family file card out of my folder and got in line for the session. As I sat in the session, I came to understand why I was told to stay. But as I sat and listened to the session that night, the longer I sat in that session, the more I felt the stress, anxiety and other negative emotions drain out of me. By the time we finished and I walked into the Celestial Room, I just felt so calm and at peace. I could feel His love and knew that He understood the emotional turmoil I felt around the new direction He was asking me to take. He calmed His child and I knew then, as I know now, that it will all work out. I still don’t understand why my life is taking the path it is now, but I trust my Heavenly Father and know that He has a plan for me. I left the temple feeling so calm and peaceful, but still sad about the opportunity that had been lost.

Then today I realized something. I was kind of daydreaming and I saw my future. I saw myself talking to my own daughter, consoling her as she mourned the loss of her own mission (she having also received a "No.") I heard myself telling her how grateful I was that I had not been able to serve a mission because if I had, I would not have met her father. I realized that I am already being an example to my future daughter now. How I handle this will help me help her (or perhaps her brother) in my future but how it can help depends on how I react.

I realized that I wanted to be able to tell her that yes, I had struggled to accept His answer at first but that then I realized that He sees the big picture and the best picture for me. That I had accepted the change of paths and that I chose to turn willingly to the new path He set before me and begin marching down it.

So with that in mind, I have begun preparing for the next step. I feel that I am not going to get married while I am in Alabama and I know that I need to go back to school. So I tonight I began researching scholarships available to older students returning to college and started finding out what I need to do to apply to UVU and BYU-I. Let the next chapter of my story begin!

I also just want to thank those of you who have helped me as I struggled to accept this. I am so grateful for my brothers and sisters in Christ!

I made it to the temple!!

Oh my goodness. This has been an amazing week.

Wednesday September 3rd 2014, I went to the Birmingham Alabama Temple to receive my own endowment.

Now those of you who know me, know that it is rare for me to feel safe somewhere. It doesn't bother me anymore because I've gotten used to that over the years. And this is part of what made my session so special to me.

I received my initiatory ordinance and was feeling very happy and excited. Then Sister Denning and I were led to the endowment room. As we sat there, I was a ball of energy, tapping my foot or bouncing my leg. A couple times Sister Denning had to ask me to stop, I didn't realize I was shaking her seat too.

As the time for the session to start drew nearer, my friends and Alabama family started trickling in. Each of them had a big smile and a hug for me. I could really feel their love. The room was almost filled to capacity when the time came to start the session.

Then the neatest thing happened, within a couple minutes of the session starting such a powerful feeling of safety descended over me. I felt so safe and secure, so calm and at peace. I cherished that feeling and am very much looking forward to going back to do my first proxy endowment session tonight.

As we progressed through the session, I was grateful for the advice of my many Sister missionary friends who all said "Don't try to remember everything, just focus on the Spirit" because that timely advice popped into my mind just as I was starting to feel overwhelmed by all the information being presented. But when I let go of that anxiety and just focused on the feelings, I instantly felt my peace return.

Now, prior to my session (with the help of my endowed friends) I prepared 10 family names to be taken through my endowment session with me, so that I would have at least some family with me as I received my endowment. When I got to the Celestial Room, there were only 2 people in there I knew, (Sister Denning and Sister Hanks) but I could feel the presence of so many others! I know that my family was there celebrating with me.

Then yesterday I had the opportunity to go back and do the sealings for the family members that had been endowed. Their joy was amazing to feel. 6 of the 10 names that were taken through my session were a family, parents and 4 children. I am so grateful I got to help them be sealed for time and all eternity and I look forward to the day when I am able to kneel across the altar from my own eternal companion and be sealed to him for time and all eternity.

Family history with temple work is so important and there really is a different feeling when you are doing work for your own ancestors.

Took My Family to the Temple!

Last night was absolutely amazing.

 

I have been kind of bummed lately that none of my family will be able to be there when I receive my endowment in just a few days. Then a few days ago I got the idea to get started on my family history.

 

It was an awesome experience. There is a lot of work left to be done, but I have finally gotten started.

 

Last night, just wow! I was able to do the work for TEN of my immediate ancestors last night, including two that I personally knew. This totally awesome guy from my YSA Branch (who I really like) was kind enough to come up to the temple to do the work for the male members of my family whose names I had prepared.

 

When he was being baptized on behalf of my paternal grandfather, the Spirit I felt was simply overwhelming. I was smiling so big that my face should’ve cracked and at the same time, tears were streaming down my face. I know that he was so happy that his work was finally being done. After Stirling was done with the baptisms and confirmations, he went to the other side of the temple to do the next ordinance for them. Immediately after Stirling was finished with the confirmations, I had the opportunity to be baptized for 2 of my great grandmothers (one of whom I met when I was a toddler), 2 of my great-great grandmothers and 1 of my great- great- great grandmothers.

 

I had not felt the Spirit that strongly since my own baptism almost a year ago. This upcoming week a couple of my friends will be doing the next ordinance for the women I was baptized and confirmed on behalf of. Then on Sept 3^rd, during the session that I receive my endowment, these 10 ancestors will also receive theirs and the following day I will be able to return to the temple to seal the respective couples to each other and their children. I am so happy to be beginning the chain that will eventually link my family (and my future children) to all our ancestors.

 

Do your family history and take them to the temple, there really is nothing like it!

 

And another cool thing… ever since I finished preparing the name cards for the temple… I’ve stopped having negative feelings about going to the temple. I no longer feel like something is going to go wrong, or like I’m going to feel lost or confused. I just feel peace and good feelings about going to the temple. I have such a testimony now of the fact that as you do your family history, your family on the other side of the veil will help protect you from the adversary.  I like to think of them as my spiritual bodyguards or spiritual posse (lol). I know that my deceased grandma’s and grandpa’s are watching out for me on the other side and I am so happy that they will be at the temple with me.

And She Opened the Box...

This has been an interesting week for me.

 

The box containing the things I ordered for my temple date arrived Monday. I sat on my bed staring at the box for a few minutes before I could will myself to open it. I opened it and as soon as I saw the packaging for the garments I burst into tears.

 

I did not know that it was possible to feel so many different emotions that strongly and not have my head explode…

 

Joy… for finally being so close to receiving my endowment.

Anxiety… for the unknown covenants that I was going to be making.

Awe… I couldn’t believe that these were MY garments, that I was finally mature enough (on many levels)  to be receiving the blessing of wearing them.

Fear… that I wouldn’t be able to live up to my covenants.

 

That last emotion was hard to handle until I remembered that I know I’ll make mistakes, but that is why Christ made the Atonement. When we make mistakes, we can repent and strive to do better.

 

Thank Heaven for the awesome Hermana Leahman (she’s one of my best friends and just recently finished her mission here in ‘Bama) supporting me. I was freaking out and she just kept calmly reassuring me. Eventually her excitement made me excited again too!

 

My temple recommend interview with President Johnson is Sunday and I am so very excited for it! 3 weeks from now I will be endowed!! Yaay!!

 

P.S. On a non-spiritual note… yesterday I took my 100 lbs photos with my friend Anna. I look so different from when I started back in January of 2013, it’s awesome!

 

Have a good week y’all and remember to be STEADFAST in CHRIST.

 

It's Good to be Me!

So I am long overdue to update things but am happy to share that many good things are happening.

 

This past Sunday I had my interview with President Hutchison (Branch President of my YSA Branch) for my temple recommend to receive my endowment. I keep taking my recommend out to look at it.  And soon I’ll be meeting with President Johnson (my Stake President) for my final interview. It’s hard for me to believe that I’ll be receiving my endowment just SIX WEEKS from today. It feels like it’s only been a couple months since my baptism but it’s been almost 11 months.

 

My physical fitness has gone through the roof. I started a couch-to-5k program the end of May and now I can actually run!! I completed that program and started a second harder one and I am on the 4^th week of the new program. This morning I ran 9 laps around the track at Heardmont Park. That’s 2.23 miles without stopping.  When I checked my stopwatch at the end, I had been running for a straight 31 minutes! And a week ago today, I set a new personal best of a 12 minute mile! That big girl who couldn’t even handle a flight of stairs, would not even recognize me. I have come so far. I think my favorite thing is that when I am done running, I completely catch my breath within just a minute or two.

 

I am down 96 lbs since I started this journey a year and a half ago and am on track to break 100 within the next week or two.

 

Don’t let anyone tell you that hard things can’t be done… remember “There will be many people who will tell you of things you cannot do, but Heavenly Father believes in you.” That sentence is my rock and my mantra. He believes in me and I know that I have accomplished these things because He is strengthening me as I rise to meet the challenges that lay before me.

 

I am now only 18 lbs and 6 weeks away from being able to apply for permission to serve a mission. It’s going to happen!

 

I have a friend who gets home from her mission in 26 days and I am so excited to see her. It’s going to be fun to see the look on her face when she sees me for the first time again because I lost all the weight AFTER she left for her mission!

 

Just remember when you are STEADFAST IN CHRIST, all things He puts before you are possible!

Mission Reunion or Utah Day Three

    So first thing this morning, Sister Robley and I went to the Salt Lake City Temple. It sent a thrill through me to be walking where the pioneers walked. When I closed my eyes, I could see the members of the early church walking to the font and being baptized on behalf of their ancestors. To think that generations of Saints had come there to do work for the dead and now I was going to get to help too!
    After the Temple, we went to the Salt Lake City Cemetery and I had the opportunity to see the graves of many important leaders of the church. I saw the grave of Spencer W Kimball, who was the prophet at the time I was born. We also visited the grave of Gordon B Hinckley. I was surprised and saddened (when I first came back to church) to learn that he had passed away during the time I was away. He was the prophet during my youth. I love and sustain our current prophet, Thomas S Monson. I am grateful to live in a time when we have a living prophet upon the earth.
    I learned something later that day when I went to the Provo Temple again, this time with my good friend Andrea. Apparently I am really pale, because I managed to get sunburn on my legs THROUGH an ankle-length white skirt. I didn't even realize I'd been burned until that evening when I stepped into the font at the Provo Temple. Chlorine on sunburned skin is NOT a good feeling and distracted me from the spirituality I usually feel doing temple work.
    After going to the Provo Temple, I met up with Hermana Stock and we went to the mission reunion that was being hosted at BYU by President Holzapfel. He served as the mission president for the Alabama Birmingham mission from July 2010 to June 2013. It was neat to see him and Sister Holzapfel again. At the reunion I got to see several returned missionaries that I hadn't seen in many months. Elder Rollins, Elder Del Francia, Hermana Schroeppel, Hermana Coleman, Hermana Decker, Hermana Palmer and Sister Robley were all there. It was nice to finally get to hug the guys!

Families and Temples or Utah Day Two

    Today was ever more awesome than yesterday.
    This morning I had the opportunity to meet part of the family of my favorite Sister missionary, Sister Denning. She looks so much like her big sister! And I found out she wasn't kidding when she said that you could see the Draper Temple's Angel Moroni from her living room. Her family has a beautiful home. I was able to meet her dad and I see where she gets some of her personality from.
    Hermana Stock invited me to an Institute class. We went to a Marriage Prep class at the Sandy Institute building. The class was very interesting. The Institute building was enormous, the one we have in Tuscaloosa would have easily fit into some of the classrooms of the one in Sandy. Things are so different in Utah.
    After Institute we went to the Draper Temple. Such a beautiful Temple and I love the view from the Temple grounds. I understand why Sister Denning says Draper is her favorite temple.
    After the temple we went to Deseret Books. Hermana Stock got a big kick out of the look on my face. It was so cool being in a store where they sell scriptures and other LDS religious stuff. The artwork for sale was so pretty. My favorite part was where they had the scriptures for sale. It felt a bit strange to be buying scriptures at a store. I'm so happy now, I have new (2014 edition) scriptures and these will be the ones I take on my mission. I even decided to splurge and get them engraved with Sister my full name. Oo oo I also finally got a CTR ring. I've been looking for one since my baptism and I finally found one I really like. I could easily have spent all day there. Me and bookstores... don't even get me started.
    So after we left Deseret Books, we went to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple, where I had a rather interesting experience. The whole time we were there (and for most of the rest of the day) Hermana Stock and I were dropping in and out of Spanish. Moving easily back and forth between English and Spanish. I have so much more confidence in my Spanish now. I hadn't realized that I had learned enough Spanish to have a real meaningful conversation in it, it was awesome!!!
    After Oquirrh Mountain, we headed back to the Sandy Institute for class again. This time Hermana Stock was team teaching a mission prep class with another returned missionary (an Elder). I really enjoyed the class. We did a role play for the end of class and I got to role play placing a Book of Mormon. It was such a neat experience and really stoked my fire to share the Gospel more.
    This whole day being in Utah has felt so right. I want to live here! I definitely know that I will be moving here, it's just a matter of when. Being somewhere hasn't felt so right, since I first got to Alabama. I know, in my heart, that I need to stay in Alabama until I receive my endowment. The thought of receiving it at another temple feels wrong, but afterwards... we'll see where the Lord leads me.

Best Longest Day Ever or Utah Day One

    Wow was today long. Up at 2:30 am to get ready to go to the airport. At the airport by 3:30 am and then off to Atlanta and then Utah. I didn't think I could sleep on a plane, but I nodded off a couple times only to be awoken by my poor aching neck.
    I landed in Salt Lake City at 10:30 am and immediately knew I wasn't in the South anymore. It felt so weird to breathe, the air was so dry that my lungs felt strange.
    I was met at the airport by the awesome (returned) Hermana Stock. Seeing her again brought a big smile to my face, I had missed my big little Sister. She took me to pick-up my rental car and then we went to her family's place for a bit. It started snowing on the way there. Driving is snow is so weird, I feel like I'm stuck in a Star Trek warp speed moment.
    After a little time with Hermana Stock, I headed over to Bountiful to see another good RM (returned missionary) friend Sister Toone. It was so great to see her again. Together we went to Temple Square North Visitors' Center and took the tour for the Christus in the North Visitor's Center. The Christus was so beautiful. As I looked at the nail prints in the statue's hands and feet, my heart was both grateful and sad. I am so grateful that my Savior and Redeemer died for me and yet sad for the sorrows and pains He suffered in Gethsemane on my behalf. It strengthened my resolve to continue on the righteous path I began over a year ago, I will not have His sufferings for me be for naught.
    After Temple Square, I dropped off Sister Toone and headed down to Provo to see an RM that I I had not seen in almost a year.
    I picked up Hermana Coleman and we went to the Provo Temple. I was overjoyed to get to go to the Temple with her to do baptisms for the dead. I was sad last year that she went home before my baptism, but it made me smile that at last she was getting to see me in white. Another RM from Alabama, Hermana Simpson, joined us as I awaited my turn to do baptisms.
    I love going to the Temple, but this was such a different experience for many reasons.

1. I was going with one of my original pair of missionaries and that was so special to me.
2. There was a long line of people waiting to do baptisms. I am used to the Birmingham Temple, where there may be (at most) 10-15 people doing baptisms. I pray that I will live to see the day when our temple back home gets to be that heavily used.
3. There's this room full of chairs across from the viewing area (where you can see the font and others getting baptized, as you wait your turn) and we sat in there singing hymns with others for probably almost an hour as we waited our turn. I am used to time at the temple being full of hushed voices. I had the opportunity to sing my favorite hymn, "How Firm a Foundation", in full in the Temple. I was grinning ear-to-ear.
4. We only did a couple names and I'm used to doing ten, so it felt a little abrupt to be done after just a couple.

    After the Temple, the three of us went out for dinner. We went to Cafe Rio (a Mexican restaurant I had heard a lot about from different missionaries in Birmingham). I gotta admit, it was pretty good. I'm hoping that they'll expand and open a franchise in Birmingham.
    I was up at 2:30 am and am just now getting to bed. Seriously, best longest day ever!

Opposition in All Things

This last week was both really hard and pretty cool.

On the really hard side of the spectrum, someone I care deeply about was diagnosed with Leukemia. She's in the hospital undergoing Chemo now and she (and her family) stay in my prayers. I've never known someone personally before who've been diagnosed with a severe illness before and it really threw me.

I had already been having a rough week due to some family issues. I am beginning to feel like I am being asked (or forced) to choose between my Heavenly Father and His plan for me... and my mortal family. The path I am on now has made me happier than I can ever remember being, but at the same time it is a lonely path for I feel that I am walking it alone. I haven't found my eternal companion and this makes me lonely sometimes, but lately I feel like half my family isn't on the path.

It feels like the deeper I have gotten into understanding and applying the Gospel into my life, the weaker my relationship to my sister and my father has become. Things we used to do together simply hold no appeal for me and I don't know how to alter our relationship to find new common ground. Being 800 miles away from them definitely doesn't help things. I miss them so much, but have such a hard time talking to them now.

Heavenly Father and His plan for me has become the focus of my life. I am seeking to further my education in both spiritual and temporal matters while fighting the temptation to waste away more time on meaningless pursuits. I know what I want to do with my future. I want to serve a mission, go back to school and get my nursing degree and have a family of my own (if my companion finds me before I go on a mission, then I'll serve a senior mission when we are older).

I want my family to be able to partake of the peace that knowing the long-term plan (He has for us) brings. I worry a lot about my Dad. He's struggled for years and I worried about leaving him when I left Florida, but I knew that I couldn't keep living my life based on others needs. Heavenly Father gave ALL of us agency and expects us to use it. If I live my life for my parents sake, then I am abdicating my agency and allowing others to dictate my future and my progression. That would be squandering the precious gift that He gave me.

And now the adversary is using my father as a weapon against me. I deeply desired to serve a mission and the adversary doesn't want me (or any of us) to go, so he is attacking me thru my father. Dad has sounded so sad the last few times I have spoken to him and I am at a loss how to help him. In my immediate family, I'm the only one who seems to really understand him(which makes sense, considering that looks and personality wise I am almost a female clone of him) and I worry how he will handle not being able to talk to me for 6 months at a time (Mothers Day and Christmas).

And my sister, I wish I could let her feel how the Gospel makes me feel. The peace and comfort, there's truly nothing like it. The world can most certainly give you temporary happiness, but that pales in comparison to the pure joy the Gospel brings. It's like comparing baby pink to crimson. The joy from the Gospel is so full and rich, words can't adequately describe it.

I am just going to keep doing what I need to be doing and support my family as best I can. Heavenly Father promises to take care of His servants families and I am going to trust that promise as I continue to prepare to serve my mission.




On the pretty cool side of the spectrum, so I've been studying Spanish for about 8 months now. The last 2-3 weeks I've only been reading in the Spanish Book of Mormon, not doing any outside Spanish study.
I've been reading out loud, slowly working my way through the Book of Mormon.

Well last week I was reading Alma 31 and decided to do something different, I decided to read in Spanish and translate out loud to English. I got to verse 5 and realized I was totally understanding (and then thought I must be wrong, I don't know Spanish that well) so I decided to check the English Book of Mormon to confirm. Lo and behold, I was actually right. I kept going, translating and then checking for correctness.. I successfully read and translated all of chapter 31 from Spanish to English, such a cool experience.

I'm in Alma 59 now and am striving to finish before I go to Conference in April. I know that I'll make it. It's so need to see the prophet's promise (that if you read the Book of Mormon in another language, you'll be fluent by the time you are done) coming true.

Also awesome was that I got to go to the temple Friday to do baptisms. Once again, walking thru the gates onto the grounds of the Alabama Birmingham Temple was like a breath of fresh air. It really does feel like my burdens and trials are lifted when I walk onto that holy ground. I know that they are there at the gate, waiting to be reluctantly picked up when I leave, but inside the temple I pretty much forget that they are waiting for me. It is where I get to be closest to my Heavenly Father.

More awesome is that 6 months from today I will be going thru the temple to receive my own endowment. I eagerly look forward to that day. Obedience has brought me many blessings and I look forward to the opportunity to make additional covenants with my Father in Heaven.



Like it says in the scriptures, opposition in all things. I know that we must have the bitter to appreciate the sweet. So when the bitter times come, I just tell myself that Heavenly Father is planning something sweet and wants me to appreciate it!

My First Talk!!

Service talk - a scripture, a story, my testimony

Hi my name is April, I was asked a couple weeks ago to speak about service today. When I was asked to speak, it made me start thinking of a few questions, beginning with

What is service?

- when I think of the word service, I think of that scripture that is so often quoted

Mosiah 2:17 And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.

- while I was preparing this talk, that scripture led me to another that is probably quite familiar to most of the missionaries here.

D&C 4:2  Therefore, O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day.

- now since we are serving God anytime we are serving our spiritual brothers and sisters, we need to make sure that we are serving them with all our hearts, mights, minds, and strength. Now the dictionary defines service as an act of helpful activity, but I wanted a deeper definition so I looked in the Bible dictionary only to come up empty handed, so I went to the topical guide for service, and when I did, it really opened my eyes. It ties service to

Commitment ; Dedication ; Duty ; Good Works ; Priesthood, Magnifying Callings within ; Self-Sacrifice ; Servant ; Serve ; Work ; Worship

- That last one really caught my attention. Service is worship?! But then I thought about

Why we give service?

- the main reason is we are following the example of Christ. He was perpetually serving those around Him and He is the perfect example for all of us to follow. We read in

JST Matt. 4:11–12 And now Jesus knew that John was cast into prison, and he sent angels, and, behold, they came and ministered unto him [John]. And Jesus departed into Galilee …

I mean He had just finished being tempted by the devil and still thought of others…

            - another example of Christ giving service when in the midst of His own trials is found in

John 13:5 After that he poureth water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.

- I’m not perfect, far from it, but I can testify that making someone else’s day better always makes mine better. When I am having a bad day, I look for opportunities to help or serve another because helping someone else lightens their load and distracts me from the weight of mine at the same time. Now physics says that picking up another’s burden will only increase the overall weight you are carrying, right? But that’s the cool thing about service, when you follow Christ’s example and help to bear another’s spiritual burden, He makes you stronger and lightens your load. And speaking of load bearing...

How do we give service?

- any way we can (lol). But in all seriousness.. there are so many different ways to give service. There are as many different ways to give service as there are people to give service to.

Something I have learned is that many of us are far more comfortable with giving service than we are with receiving it. I know I personally struggle with pride and do not like to ask others for help, but I’m learning that we all are meant to give and receive help in this life. We are all told to serve our brothers and sisters, so by not allowing others to serve us, we are denying them that opportunity to grow by showing  Christlike love for those around them.

As I’ve worked with the Sister Missionaries over the last year, I have had lots of opportunities to serve and to be served in many different ways:

- Received a shoulder to cry on, when I was struggling to accept that my baptism would happen in the Lord’s time, not my own

- Given a strong arm and back to help a family that is working to build their own home

- Received some helping hands to rearrange my apartment

- Given comfort and encouragement to a mother who was disheartened that her children had strayed from the Gospel path

- Received more knowledge about His Gospel and in turn was able to share my testimony and give that light to others.

- we are surrounded by opportunities to serve. We just have to open our eyes and hearts to see them.

Who are we to give service to?

- There are so many people we can serve, family, friends or strangers.

- We can start by serving those closest to us (be it physically or emotionally). We can handle the dishes even though it isn’t our night, because our roommate has a major exam the next morning. We can offer a shoulder or a listening ear to a friend going through a hard time We can call on relatives we know may be feeling forgotten as the younger generation moves forward with their lives. Sometimes all a person needs is someone to talk to, everyone wants to feel loved and wanted

- We can serve those we don’t know. After all strangers are just friends we haven’t met yet. There is a beautiful story of an act of kindness from President Spencer W Kimball that I’d like to share with you.

“A young mother on an overnight flight with a two-year-old daughter was stranded by bad weather in Chicago airport without food or clean clothing for the child and without money. She was … pregnant and threatened with miscarriage, so she was under doctor’s instructions not to carry the child unless it was essential. Hour after hour she stood in one line after another, trying to get a flight to Michigan. The terminal was noisy, full of tired, frustrated, grumpy passengers, and she heard critical references to her crying child and to her sliding her child along the floor with her foot as the line moved forward. No one offered to help with the soaked, hungry, exhausted child.

                   

“Then, the woman later reported, ‘someone came towards us and with a kindly smile said, “Is there something I could do to help you?” With a grateful sigh I accepted his offer. He lifted my sobbing little daughter from the cold floor and lovingly held her to him while he patted her gently on the back. When she was settled down, he carried her with him and said something kindly to the others in the line ahead of me, about how I needed their help. They seemed to agree and then he went up to the ticket counter [at the front of the line] and made arrangements with the clerk for me to be put on a flight leaving shortly. He walked with us to a bench, where we chatted a moment, until he was assured that I would be fine. He went on his way. About a week later I saw a picture of Apostle Spencer W. Kimball and recognized him as the stranger in the airport.’”2                

                   

Several years later, President Kimball received a letter that read, in part:

                   

“Dear President Kimball:

                   

“I am a student at Brigham Young University. I have just returned from my mission in Munich, West Germany. I had a lovely mission and learned much. …

                   

“I was sitting in priesthood meeting last week, when a story was told of a loving service which you performed some twenty-one years ago in the Chicago airport. The story told of how you met a young pregnant mother with a screaming child, who was in distress, as she stood waiting in a long line for her tickets. She was threatening miscarriage and therefore couldn’t lift her child to comfort her. She had experienced four previous miscarriages, which gave added reason for the doctor’s orders not to bend or lift.

                   

“You comforted the crying child and explained the dilemma to the other passengers in line. This act of love took the strain and tension off my mother. I was born a few months later in Flint, Michigan.

“I just want to thank you for your love. Thank you for your example!”

You can’t always tell what can happen from a simple act of kindness. God does notice us, and he watches over us. But it is usually through another person that he meets our needs. President Kimball touched not only the lives of that young mother and her unborn child, but through that child he touched the lives of many others. Remember this when you help another, you never know when Heavenly Father is using you as a tool to meet the needs or answer the prayers of another one of His children.

And I bear you my testimony that I know that this is His church restored to the earth and that giving service to our brothers and sisters will help us to draw closer to our Heavenly Father as we strive to become the people He wants us to become. I would just like to close by challenging each of you to look for ways to serve those around you, especially when you are going through your own trials. I promise you that as you seek ways to serve His children, Heavenly Father will bless you and I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen