Beautiful Sunday Experience

On Sunday I was sitting in sacrament meeting with my children feeling very stressed. I was trying to talk myself into enjoying sacrament meeting, but it is hard with two kids arguing about who gets to sit where and other such things and a baby who just wants to get down and explore. There was a boy who was baptized on Saturday who was going to be confirmed. He came to the front of the chapel and sat down. One of the missionaries in our area was going to confirm him a member of the church and give him the gift of the Holy Ghost. I closed my eyes and bowed my head. I sat this way for a moment, but heard nothing so I looked up. The microphone wouldn't work. The brethren up front fidgeted with it for a bit, tried it in another hook up and still nothing. It then appeared that they were going to proceed with the confirmation without a microphone. I bowed my head again and closed my eyes. We were sitting on the opposite side of the chapel and several rows back. Our ward is made up of many children, so you can imagine that silence rarely found. I could tell the missionary had started the confirmation, but I could not hear his words. In my mind, in the voice of my father who confirmed me when I was 8 years old I heard the words...."Marcie Diane Taylor, by the Holy Melchizedek priesthood which we hold, we lay our hands upon your head and confirm you a member of the Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-day Saints and say to you 'receive the Holy Ghost'. Marcie, Heavenly Father is very pleased with your decision to become a member of his church. He is proud of the way you have conducted yourself throughout your life to this point. I bless you with the ability to listen to the whisperings of the Holy Ghost. I bless you with the ability to be an example to those around you. I bless you that you will always stay close to your Heavenly Father and to the church that you may always have the companionship of the Holy Ghost. He will be a great companion and guide in your life and direct you to choices that will bring you much joy and happiness. Know always that your Father in Heaven loves you and desires that you return to him some day. Remember that you are a daughter of God. We leave you with these blessings in the name of Jesus Christ, amen." Tears flooded my eyes. I am not certain these words were actually spoken to me when I was confirmed a member of the church, but when I heard the words "receive the Holy Ghost" I felt a warmth fill my body from my head to my feet. I don't remember much about the day I was baptized and confirmed a member of the church, but in that moment I saw myself in a room in my old stake center, sitting in a chair with my father, grandfather, a few uncles, and my former bishop standing around me with their hands on my head. I am very grateful for this experience and love when God gives me glimpses into special experiences I once had, but cannot remember.

My next beautiful experience came when the second to last speaker stood to speak. The stake primary 2nd counselor had come to speak in our ward. I do not remember her name (for this story I will call her Sister P), but I remember her message. Follow the promptings of the spirit. I have really struggled with following promptings. Maybe that's why I don't get them very often. I pass them off as my own thoughts that mean nothing. Yet time and time again I find myself regretting not following through with a prompting when I realize that it wasn't me who gave the prompting, my own emotion or thoughts, it was God speaking to me through the Holy Ghost.

Sister P told of a time when she listened to the Holy Ghost. One afternoon she had the thought to go visit her friend Karma and take her some apricots. Karma had recently had knee surgery and had apricot trees of her own. Sister P thought that she would wait some time before visiting Karma, give her a bit of time to recover and settle in, plus she had apricot trees of her own, why would she need apricots. Sister P dismissed the thought. The next day she had the same prompting. Go visit Karma and take her apricots. Again she thought this was a silly idea and went about her busy day. The next day she was driving past Karma's house and again had the same thought as the two previous days. She drove home, picked some apricots put them in a basket and headed up the street to Karma's house. She rang the door bell and a home health nurse answered the door. She explained that Karma had developed an infection and was not expected to live much longer. The nurse allowed Sister P to visit with Karma. Karma was delighted to see Sister P and her basket full of apricots. She told Sisiter P how she had been wanting apricots, but her trees had frozen earlier in the year and did not produce any good fruit. Karma ate the apricots. The nurse explained to Sister P that Karma had not been able to eat anything since she had been home, but the apricots. The next day Sister P was notified that Karma had passed away. Had Sister P not listened and obeyed the promptings of the spirit she would have missed out on seeing her friend one last time and bringing the sweet joy of tasting apricots for one last time.

The next time Sister P told of following the spirit she had the thought to call Penny. "Call Penny? Do I even know a Penny?" she thought. Then she remembered a roomate she had in college many years previous who's name was Penny. "This Penny?" she wondered. She received a warm comforting feeling comfirming to her that yes, that was indeed the Penny. She tracked down Penny's phone number and called her. Penny remembered Sister P and was very happy to hear from her. "I can't believe that you remembered that today was my birthday" Penny exclaimed. Sister P explained that she did not remember that it was her birthday, but that she had received a prompting from the spirit to call her. Penny explained that she had been having difficulty in her life and was not looking forward to her birthday. Having Sister P call uplifted her and made her happy day after all.

Sister P then told of another time she had followed the promptings of the spirit. When her or her husband go grocery shopping they always come help the other bring in groceries when they hear the garage door. One night she heard the garage door opening so she headed out to help her husband bring in the groceries. The laundry room is next to where the door is out to the garage. Upon passing the laundry room she had the thought to change her into a white shirt instead of the black one she had on. She thought "this shirt is perfectly fine", but remembering her previous promptings from the spirit she decided to go ahead and change her shirt. After changing, she went out the door into the garage. Unknown to her a large black widow spider fell from the rafters and on to her shoulder. Her husband got out of the car with an arm full of groceries and turned to greet her. He stopped and she could tell from his face something was wrong. "FREEZE" he said "Don't move, there is a black widow on your shoulder and is about to either crawl up your neck or fall down your shirt." Sister P froze and her husband swatted the spider from his wife's shoulder and on to the floor and then began to beat the spider into the pavement. He then said "It's a good thing you were wearing that white shirt or I would have never seen that spider on you."

I want to have promptings from the spirit and listen to them. Sometimes I think my life is too noisy for me to be able to listen. I don't take time to listen. I'm always running here and doing this or that. Taking the time to be still and really think about my thoughts would help me learn to recognize the spirit better. I am so grateful for these wonderful messages and experience I received on Sunday. They help me to remember the wonderful gift of the companionship of the Holy Ghost. All I need to do is live my life in a way that I can accept this wonderful gift and then use it. If I don't I probably won't know what a prompting sounds or feels like.