Kindness Begins with Me!

What an awesome Sunday we had with our Stake Leaders!! It was awesome to have so many with us and to feel of the power of each of your testimonies as you attended the meetings and listened to the messages that were carefully and thoughtfully prepared by our leaders. When I was told of the topic for RS on Sunday and was asked to choose a song that could be used for Kindness.

 The first song that came to me was “I’ll Walk With You.”

If you don’t walk as most people do,

Some people walk away from you,

But I won’t! I won’t!

If you don’t talk as most people do,

Some people talk and laugh at you,

But I won’t! I won’t!

I’ll walk with you. I’ll talk with you.

That’s how I’ll show my love for you.

Jesus walked away from none.

He gave his love to ev’ryone.

So I will! I will!

Jesus blessed all he could see,

Then turned and said, “Come, follow me.”

And I will! I will!

I will! I will!

I’ll walk with you. I’ll talk with you.

That’s how I’ll show my love for you.

I had called several families to see if their kids could help sing this, but it just didn’t seem like what was supposed to happen this time. I asked my Roomie Nicki for some suggestions and we sat and listened to song after song and finally found “Not to far from Here” and it seemed to fit perfectly. I have always loved this song and it was fun to revisit it. Many of you have asked about it so I thought I would include it for you today.

I love the simple truths that this song teaches. There are people ALL around us. Sisters in our OWN neighborhood that need a little hope. Feel like they are on the last straw. And may feel that life is just too hard right now. A little more kindness toward our Sisters would make such a difference in their world for the day. It may be the very person that you feel has it all together that is really falling apart. If we just work on being a little better. A little more kind. Serving those around us just a little more, we will have an extra portion given us to deal with our own things that we may be going through.

There is something REALLY powerful that I have learned from a sister in this ward as I have become close friends with her. When she has a situation that may be hard to be dealing with in her life, or someone says something that might not be very nice, she chooses to be “generous” with them and try to see what they may be going through to act that way. What a great principle to be GENEROUS. To show an extra portion of love and charity to someone who may really need that. In the end an attitude like that, can only help YOU! Thank you for teaching that to me Nicole. I think about it daily as I face lives ups and downs. I have a LONG WAY to go as I work on being more kind and generous to those in my life, but knowing the principle is half the battle.

I love visiting the Mormon.org site on my down time and watching the Mormon Messages. I always feel so uplifted and refreshed hearing stories of over coming battles, service to others and being reminded of conference talks. Recently I was touched by a story done on a cheerleading squad in Utah. Kind acts and charity are all around us. We just need to open our eyes and acknowledge the people in our lives who show us that example and try our hardest to emulate it.

I am so thankful to all of you for being “GENEROUS” with me through all my short comings. For the many kindnesses that get done for me and the emails, texts, calls and visits of support and love. Those acts help me to stand a little taller, to be a little kinder, to look a little harder for others whose life I can bless. Thank you for trying to be generous in all your dealings with the Sisters in our ward. We truly are a blessed ward and where much is given, much is required.

I love you! I hope you all are holding your heads up high this week and being buoyed up in all your many challenges and you turn to the Lord in prayer. I will not be sending an email for this coming Sunday as I am going away with friends for my Birthday. But I will be back with you on Sunday the 13th.

Sisters, I want you to know that I have a testimony of the Savior Jesus Christ. I know He lives. I know that He has taken upon him all of our weaknesses that they can be made strong. He is our Redeemer and for that I am so thankful cause I need Him. I have a testimony in the power of prayer and fasting. I know that it works. I know that it strengthens our faith and that it reaches us closer to heaven. I know that we have a living prophet today and that He leads our church and is the mouth piece of the Lord. I know that this is His church and am so honored to belong and have a testimony in that. Most importantly, I know that he knows us and loves us one by one. He is always there no matter what and in the day which we live in, that knowledge alone is power. I know these things to be true and I say these things to you in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Meg

Visiting Teaching helps us, help each other!

My spirit is so buoyed up by your faces each week and I think of all of you whose faces we miss each Sunday as well. We are a mighty army of Sisters. We each have such unique things to offer each other. Young and old, married or single we are Daughter’s of a loving Heavenly Father who made all of us unique. I am so glad that we are all different… boy would life be boring and uneventful!

This week we had our Visiting Teaching Conference. There is so many varying situations when it comes to Visiting Teaching that it is hard to pin point what area to talk about or show emphasis in.

The most important message I think that was shared was that there is no wrong way to do your Visiting Teaching as long as you do it for the RIGHT reasons and with all the love that was intended. The great news about Visiting Teaching is WE ARE ALL ON THE SAME TEAM!! We are all working toward the same goal, to return back t our Father in Heaven, NONE OF US can do it alone. That is why he has given us each other. Visiting Teaching gives us an added opportunity to link arms with our Sister and strengthen our team.

When I get a new route of Sisters, before I get the chance to get to know them well, in my head I think of the opportunity of serving my family. I think,
“I want to be the best Visiting Teacher for them, knowing that other Visiting Teachers are doing the same for my family members that are far away from me.”
We are a ward family. Being so we have these Sister’s trusted to us, they are our stewardship. We have the unique opportunity to work as the Lords hands and bless their lives and in return their spirits bless ours. It is such an awesome thing that takes place.

When I think of this principle, I think of the sweet lesson taught in the Disney Movie Lilo and Stitch,
“Ohana Means Family and family means,
no one is left behind or forgotten.”

If we had the spirit of Ohana in our ward Visiting Teaching efforts, we would see miracles take place. If every Sister whether they were active or not were treated with the spirit of Ohana we’d have no one left behind or forgotten. This kind of miracle takes Action. It takes work. It takes all of us on the same team, united in heart and spirit.

The following story reminds us that it is the PEOPLE that count not the number that you report. It was retold by President Monson in November 1997 Conference:

Long years ago, Joseph Lyon of Salt Lake City shared with me the lesson of a lecture which a minister from another faith observed as he spoke to the Associated Credit Men of Salt Lake. The minister boldly proclaimed, “Mormonism is the greatest philosophy in the world today. The biggest test for the Church will come with the advent of television and radio, which tend to keep people away from the Church.” He then proceeded to relate what I’ve called the “hot coals” story. He described a warm fireplace where the pieces of wood had burned brightly, with the embers still glowing and giving off heat. He then observed that by taking in hand brass tongs, he could remove one of the hot embers. That ember would then slowly pale in light and turn black. No longer would it glow. No longer would it warm. He then pointed out that by returning the black, cold ember to the bed of living coals, the dark ember would begin to glow and brighten and warm. He concluded, “People are somewhat like the coals of a fire. Should they absent themselves from the warmth and spirit of the active church membership, they will not contribute to the whole, but in their isolation will be changed. As with the embers removed from the heat of the fire, as they distance themselves from the intensity of the spirit generated by the active membership, they will lose that warmth and spirit.”
The reverend closed his comments by observing, “People are more important than the embers of a fire.”
As years come and then go and life’s challenges become more difficult, the visits of home and visiting teachers to those who have absented themselves from Church activity can be the key which will eventually open the doors to their return.
Upon return from my mission I was in my home ward for a few years. I was placed in a companionship with my Mom for Visiting Teaching. We were asked to leave a note each month with people that didn’t want to have any contact with church members. We had this same route for over a year. Each month we would make a treat and write a personalized note or give a handout from Relief Society and walk it to the doors of these Sister’s, whose faces we didn’t know, and drop it on their door step.
Every so often we would try to call them and leave a message on their phone. We’d explain who we were and ask if they would let us come to get to know them. When we had no reply, again the notes and treats started coming.
It was interesting to me how much I began to care about these Sisters whom I had only met their door. Then it happened.
One call it happened. Jody ANSWERED her phone! She was so thankful to us for not giving up on her. She talked to us about the notes and treats that had been left many times and welcomed us into her home.
Our visits with her were not the typical Visiting Teaching visits, they were friendship visits. We talked about her love for her job, her remodeling projects, her hard days parenting. She came over and said hello to our family at the City Parade. She offered to help my Mom refinish her hardwood floors.
We became friends and for the season that was all that mattered!
No Jody didn’t come back into to activity, but she had new friends and knew that she was loved by members of the Relief Society.
“Visiting Teaching is a very serious responsibility; it really is. But it is not a heavy burden, it just takes a little more faith. It is worthy of our very best effort.” President Gordon B Hinckley
Sisters, I know that the Lord desires to bless us in all things. One way he blesses us is by serving his daughters through Visiting Teaching. Every Sister in the Meadows ward area deserves to be watched over. To know that she has an “Ohana” and will not be left behind regardless of what her standing with the church may be she HIS is Daughter.
May each of us take this responsibility a little more serious and show a little more faith and watch miracles happen in our lives and the Sister’s around us.

HAPPY VISITING TEACHING!

The Sabbath: Is it a Holy Day or a Holiday?

I have been back and forth from Utah in the past 3 weeks dealing with some family things and events.  I too have missed all of you! I am back and glad to be in the swing of things again.

Sunday we had a great lesson on The Sabbath Day by Sarah Udall.  I am so thankful to our teachers who plan and prepare so well.  I am also so thankful that our lessons are going back to the basics.  I think we all can use refocus and reminding of the things of most importance. 

Remembering our Savior and his sacrifice for us in a day where we rest from our normal routines is crucial for our spiritual development and feeling closer to our Savior.

I am so thankful for our newest Sister.  Sister Angeny was brave and shared with us how she received an understanding of the Sabbath Day and gained a testimony of it.

Sister Jeni Jones shared how her part-member family chose as a family that they were going to keep the Sabbath Day holy by not frequenting stores and restaurants. She bore testimony how it has made for more quality time at home with her family. 

Both of these small things made a strong impression to me. Here two woman/families who are relatively new to the church both showing faith in keeping an important commandment that has been given. Thank you Sisters for sharing your testimonies with us about things you are trying hard to do in your life.

Something that Sarah Udall brought up is how do we teach the principle of The Sabbath Day to our Children?  She talked about one way she thought we can teach is:

How do we treat the Sabbath Day when we are on vacation?

I think she is spot on in that question. I think how we act on Sundays when we are out of our normal surroundings speaks volumes to our families of our testimonies all around.  I remember a Mormon ad from when I was a youth that said: “Is the Sabbath Day a HOLY DAY or a HOLIDAY” and showed a family taking their boat out. That very AD sticks in my head now.  It was a lasting impression to me that even now, I can recall it.

I know that this topic can get a little touchy.  Everyone has their own strong feelings on what we can and can not do on the Sabbath or what is or isn’t appropriate.  There is no need for hurt feelings, or feelings of frustration on the subject.  We all know that we ALL have areas for improvement.  Yesterday, I found ways that I could better honor my Saviors Day  and give more to being still and reverent in honor of him and all he as done for me.  President Hinckley would ALWAYS tell us to try a little harder, to do a little more, to be a little better.  In every commandment we have to take an inventory and see what we could do to give a little more in that area, it is a great feeling that a little at a time we can do that.

Sarah gave us THREE questions that we as families or individuals can do to make sure our Sabbath Day’s are best being spent with our families. 

We can Ask:

·      Will  the activity uplift or inspire us?

·      Does it direct my thoughts to Him?

·      Does it show respect to the Lord?

I bear testimony that as we keep the commandments and work with ourselves and our families to find a deeper sense of reverence for the Sabbath Day that we will see testimonies within the walls of our homes increased.  We will have more family unity.  And Sundays will be more anticipated than dreaded.  When we understand the WHY’s of keeping the Sabbath Day holy, it is more easy to DO! 

“Water cannot be drawn from an empty well, and if you are not setting aside a little time for what replenishes you, you will have less and less to give to others, even your children.” Elder Ballard

As a former EFY employee I saw the fruits of your efforts in your youth.  We have scriptorian youth out there that KNOW the scriptures and the stories.  They know who they are and know right from wrong.  I recognize that a lot of that comes from the teachings and examples in your homes.  I also know that it also comes from them on their own WORKING to get that testimony and praying that it be true.  And then they also have some great leaders who inspire and put the teaching into terms that they connect with and grasp onto.  One of my favorite EFY leaders is John Bytheway.  Here is a clip for you where he teaches in simple terms about the Sabbath Day.  I think you will enjoy!  I love you Sisters.  You are doing a great job!  Thanks for trying to be your best, I notice!

Meg

Remember the Reason for the Season

Yesterday we had some BIG changes happen for those of you who weren’t there, we had a new RS Presidency put in.  Our new presidency is as follows:

Norine Oborn, President

Helen Kennedy, 1^st Counselor

Jaime Breinholt, 2^nd Counselor

And I remain as secretary.

A very loving WELCOME and support to the new presidency as they figure out their new role in the ward.

Carole, Karlyn and Ashlee have been such a blessing to our ward and they have truly taught us the meaning of Christ-like service.  They were ALWAYS there when a need presented itself and served all of us with a smile and with the Love of the Lord.  I am so thankful to know that they will continue to do the same in our ward because that is who they are!  Thank you ladies for blessing my life with your wisdom, gentleness and patience.  Thank you for emulating the Savior in all you do.  I love you and am so thankful to call you friend.

Our lesson Sunday was taught by Karlyn. She showed us a video clip that took us through the time table of Christ’s birth.  From when the angel appeared to Mary and told her that she was to be the one to carry the Savior of the world, to when she told Elizabeth of the news till when he was born and the mission that he accomplished on the earth.  It was a great documentary.  She then talked about GREAT women in the scriptures who also were called to do extraordinary things and have great courage to do so.  Then she spotlighted some Sister’s in the ward at different stages of life who have shown courage or faith along the way.  It was touching Karlyn and we appreciated your words to us.  It was a perfect ending to such a spirit filled Sabbath.

When I think of this time of year, my thoughts always go back to when I was able to be in the Service of the Savior as a missionary, during the celebration of His birth.  My heart was continually touched during that December of 1999 while I was teaching about the VERY Person in whose name I wore upon my chest.  I felt a closeness to him that to that I time I had never bore felt.  I felt honored that He would chose me, a imperfect person to represent Him and His church.  I have never had such a rewarding and Christ Centered Christmas since but the memory still burns bright in my heart and mind.

May we all look to serve Him, to emulate Him and strive to honor the name we took upon us at baptism this Christmas and throughout this new year!  Merry Christmas and safe travels to you all.  May you have the comfort of love, the attitude of charity, and taste of AMAZING food this holiday season!

All my Love,

Meg

An Attitude of Gratitude

This week we had a lesson from Suzann.  She helped remind us to cultivate an attitude of gratitude and be thankful in all things. 

“A grateful heart…comes through expressing gratitude to our Heavenly Father for His blessings and to those around us for all that they bring into our lives.”

-Thomas S. Monson-

October 3, 2010

Lori Henningson sent me this email that in a FUN way sums up what we have been learning this month!  I hope you enjoy these reminders!

I AM THANKFUL:  

FOR THE WIFE

WHO SAYS IT'S HOT DOGS TONIGHT, 

BECAUSE SHE IS HOME WITH ME, 

AND NOT OUT WITH SOMEONE ELSE.

FOR THE HUSBAND

WHO IS ON THE SOFA BEING A COUCH POTATO, 

BECAUSE HE IS HOME WITH ME 

FOR THE TEENAGER

WHO IS COMPLAINING ABOUT DOING DISHES BECAUSE IT MEANS SHE IS AT HOME, NOT ON THE STREETS.

FOR THE TAXES I PAY

BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM EMPLOYED.

FOR THE MESS TO CLEAN AFTER A PARTY 

BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE BEEN SURROUNDED BY FRIENDS.

FOR THE CLOTHES THAT FIT A LITTLE TOO SNUG

BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE ENOUGH TO EAT. 

FOR MY SHADOW THAT WATCHES ME WORK

BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM OUT IN THE SUNSHINE

FOR A LAWN THAT NEEDS MOWING,WINDOWS THAT NEED CLEANING,AND GUTTERS THAT NEED FIXING

BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE A HOME.

FOR ALL THE COMPLAINING I HEAR ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT 

BECAUSE IT MEANS WE HAVE FREEDOM OF SPEECH.

FOR THE PARKING SPOT I FIND AT THE FAR END OF THE PARKING LOT

BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM CAPABLE OF WALKING AND I HAVE BEEN BLESSED WITH TRANSPORTATION.

FOR MY HUGE HEATING BILL

BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM WARM.

FOR THE LADY BEHIND ME IN CHURCH WHO SINGS OFF KEY

BECAUSE IT MEANS I CAN HEAR. 

FOR THE PILE OF LAUNDRY AND IRONING 

BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE CLOTHES TO WEAR.

FOR WEARINESS AND ACHING MUSCLES AT THE END OF THE DAY 

BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE BEEN CAPABLE OF WORKING HARD. 

AND FINALLY FOR THE ALARM THAT GOES OFF 

IN THE EARLY MORNING HOURS

BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM ALIVE.

Let us ALL be Thankful to be alive!  What a great light hearted reminder to us!  Thanks Lori for sharing!  Have a great week!

The Gift of the Holy Ghost

HAPPY THANKSGIVING WEEK!  I am indeed very grateful for you!  We are so blessed to have each other and be blessed in each other’s lives.

Today we had a wonderful lesson by Sister Sarah Udall on the Holy Ghost. She broke down the Roles of the Holy Ghost  into 8 things:

1.       To Bear witness of the Father and the Son

2.       Testify of Truth

3.       Purify and Sanctify

4.       Reveal Future

5.       Comfort

6.       Guide

7.       Reprove Sin

8.       Prepare you for things to come

President Brigham Young said:

“We want to live so as to have the Spirit every day, every hour of the day, every minute of the day, and every latter-day Saint is entitled to the Spirit of God, to the power of the Holy Ghost, to lead him in his individual duties. (In Tabernacle, May 15, 1864)

She reminded us that we all have the chance to have the spirit with us 24 hours and 7 days a week. But that we have to work on being worthy of it.  Several sister’s shared personal experiences as to how the spirit has blessed them through different means.  Sister Jean Urry shared a beautiful experience when she was PREPARED by the spirit for a HARD conversation was to be coming.  She was told what was going to happen and so when the conversation came, she was able to handle in a calm matter rather than out of control.

The memory that I had going through my head through this lesson was feeling Holy Ghost so strong when I received my Patriarchal Blessing.  I was 16 when I chose to get it.  I was spiritually immature and frankly the reason that went in for my blessing (which I never divulged to anyone) was because I had a friend that had just been killed in a horrible drunk driving accident.  Weeks before her death, Kim and I had this conversation that we always wondered if we may die young.  We talked about different experiences that we had to maybe feel that way.  So when she REALLY did die, I was so freaked out! I felt like I NEEDED TO KNOW if I was going to have the same fate.  Unfortunately I felt that a Patriarchal Blessing was the way to find it out.  I breezed through my interviews and had an appointment with the stake Patriarch.

The morning of my blessing I was not kind to my Mother.  I was grumpy and had a chip on my shoulder.  Mostly I was suffering great anxiety as to what the blessing might say.  The sweet Patriarch welcomed my family into his home in the wee 6 am hours.  He talked to me about linage and what it meant.  (I wish now that I would have listened to a word he said, cause I would really like to hear it now).  At the conclusion of his thoughts he asked me to offer the prayer so that the Holy Ghost could attend his words. 

After saying the prayer he placed his hands on my head and he sat there.  He sat there for a VERY LONG, awkward space of time. I even opened my eyes and looked at my Mom who too was looking up wondering what was happening.  After what seemed like 5 minutes of silence the Patriarch removed his hands from my head and scooted a stool right up to me so close that he was touching my knees with his knees. I was thinking to myself, “ I HAVE NO FUTURE! That is what he is going to tell me!  He is going to say, YOU ARE GOING TO DIE!” (Yes, I am a little dramatic, but that is really the thoughts that came to me.)

Patriarch McKinnley looked deep into my eyes and said, “Megan, I cannot tell you whether you are going to live or die.  That is not the purpose of a Patriarchal Blessing. We are not fortune tellers.  We are Men appointed by God to tell you the blessings that you will receive IF you are righteous and make wise choices.”  At this statement the spirit FLOODED the room and I started sobbing.  My Mom looked at me as to say, “What is going on?!” I just kept sobbing.  I couldn’t believe it!  He knew what I was thinking. The spirit helped him perceive my very deep thoughts.

He then looked at me and said, “ The Lord desires you to have a Patriarchal blessing as a Liahona in your life if you desire to have it for the right reasons.  Would you like me to give this blessing to you now?!” I wanted it now more than ever, because I understood that It was given with such power and inspiration, that I wanted that guidance in my life.

That experience with the Holy Ghost, through someone else was one I will not soon forget.  It has been an anchor to me at times when I might doubt or might want to choose a wrong direction.  It steers me back to safe waters.

Sisters, the Lord is in the details of our lives!  He has given us such great tools to use in our journey back to him.  The Holy Ghost is one of those tools.  It is a constant guide and compass to us if we choose to follow. Hold tight to that power and guidance and your life will be full of understanding and peace.

I love you.  I am grateful for my friendships with you and the love I feel!  Enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving with those you love this year!

Meg

Filling our Testimony Tank

Happy Monday!  I am absolutely LOVING this weather!  I just got back from taking my 8 month old twin babies (nanny kids) to The Botanical Garden’s.  It was gorgeous with a breeze blowing outside.  We had a WONDERFUL time.  I am so excited for this cool weather and I am looking forward to many more cool months!

Yesterday we got such an AWESOME opportunity to hear about Testimony from Ashlee LeSuer.   She gave us much to think about and we had some great testimonies that followed, including hearing from our newest sister, Jennifer that was baptized on Saturday.

As Ashlee was speaking I was thinking of the times that I had experience with my Testimony.  Which have been a lot through the years.  We all get so many chances to grow our testimony or fill our testimony tank.  I find it so interesting how we some times look as our testimony like an ON/OFF switch.  We go through phases of our lives where we may have depleted our testimony and some of us may think, “Oh it’s on again!....Oh wait, it’s off….It’s on….It’s off!”  Have you had times in your life where you felt this way? I like to see it a bit differently.  I like to think of it as a gas tank.  We get out of our testimony what WE put into it.  Are we filling up our testimony tank?  Or are we just letting it stay at half full or a quarter of a tank?  Could your tank be nearing empty?  We might search for the answers to how we might again fill this tank again.  Those answers are found in the “primary answers” as is nearly every answer to our questions to increased spirituality are.  Scriptures, prayers, church and temple attendance. President Packer suggests another way to build our testimonies.

President Boyd K. Packer said: "A testimony is to be found in the bearing of it. Somewhere in your quest for spiritual knowledge, there is that 'leap of faith,' as the philosophers call it. It is the moment when you have gone to the edge of the light and step into the darkness to discover that the way is lighted ahead for just a footstep or two."

I was thinking of times when through other’s examples of “bearing their testimonies, I was able to increase mine.  While living in Orem, Utah I was given the pleasure to be primary chorister for 5 years.  I LOVED IT! During the time there I felt inspired to ask special permission to use a song I had learned at EFY (Especially For Youth Summer camp at BYU) in my primary song line up.  This song was written by Kory Kunz after the FINAL testimony of Elder Bruce R. McConkie. After the Bishop heard the song he thought it would be an awesome challenge for our Senior Primary and granted the permission.  We worked on the song for months.  All different parts and talked about testimony, had them listen to his last testimony and talked to the kids about letting their OWN testimony SHINE through singing this song.  When they sang it, We all felt the spirit so strong and I saw how they were feeling their testimonies through as I watched some these children sing with tears coming down their cheeks.  We performed this song as the CLOSING song to our primary program that year and I do not believe there was a dry eye in the congregation. It was one of those moments when you could tangibly feel the spirit surrounding you. We were even asked to visit a BYU ward to sing that song in their sacrament meeting.  It was a blessed time where I saw these Senior Primary children transform their OWN personal testimonies through bearing it through singing this testimony of Elder McConkie with all their hearts. 

As I told you at Mother’s Day, I was able to fly home and have a reunion with these youth (who are now a lot of them in their Senior year of HS) and sing this once again for their Mother’s (who all say it is still their favorite song) on Mother’s Day.  The power of how they sang it, even seemed to multiply.  What an awesome opportunity to see the starting for some of them as to finding THEIR OWN testimony through sharing their talents. I want to share with you the song as well as the closing testimony today.  If you don’t want to watch the whole 7 min talk, put it forward to 6 min and watch from that point on (although I think you should listen to all of it.).  An important thing to know about this particular talk is Elder McConkie passed away 10 days after he gave this POWERFUL witness of our Savior!  Enjoy!

As you listen to this song, think of a bunch of 9-11 yrs singing this with all their hearts..

Sister’s, I am eternally grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ.  I am thankful that someone as imperfect as I can be forgiven from my sins and try again.  I am thankful for The Book of Mormon that bears a second witness of our Savior and teaches me of the faith and obedience that is required to make it back to the presence of my Father in Heaven.  I am so thankful for a prophet that leads and guides this church under the direction of the Savior. I know that I can turn to the prophet for truth and if I follow, I will always be safe and be able to find peace amidst the turmoil all around me. I am so thankful for opportunities all around me to share even the small part of the gospel that I know. I know that as I continue to bear my testimony that I can continue to grow and progress toward the Woman of God that I need to be.  In the Name of Jesus Christ. Amen