Stake Conference

Stake Conference was amazing.  For some reason, the older I get, the more I love stake conference.  I remember when Jeff and Annie were little that often we would count stake conference as a 'vacation' from church.  We did go to stake conference often but we also skipped it often as well.  Shame on me!!

So fast forward 45+ years and I found myself speaking in stake conference often as the stake relief society president and now leading my ward choir (that I refer to as my little tabernacle choir) in stake conference.  Before I left for conference that morning, I knelt in prayer and asked Heavenly Father for help for me as the director and for my choir that He will accept the songs we sing.  What an amazing a spiritual experience that was for me.  The two songs that I chose for the choir to sing was I Am a Child of God and The King of Love My Shepard Is.  Both beautiful and very moving spiritual songs.

My confidence began to diminish as stake conference started and then an amazing thing happened.  President Little had already announced the first half of the program.  He sat down, I lead the congregation in the opening song, we had the opening prayer and all of a sudden President Little stood up and said that he needed to say something.  He talked about how our Heavenly Father accepts everything we try to do.  And it doesn't matter if we fail at what we try, it is that we tried and he accepts that and rewards us.  I wish I had recorded it.  It was the most amazing little sermonette that touched my heart and gave me the confidence I needed to lead the choir.

After stake conference I had so many people tell me how wonderful the choir sounded and one gentleman even said that he had been a choir director and sung in ward choirs for over 16 years and had never heard a ward choir that sounded that good.

I don't take credit for any of it.  I know that the choir was blessed from beyond.  I even think Annette and Mother were there.  Annette was probably singing with them.  What an incredible spiritual high I experienced.  I came right home and found a quiet place and knelt down and thanked my Father In Heaven for hearing and answering my prayers.  How I love the Gospel and the challenges that every calling in the church has brought to me.  The growth that I have experienced is amazing and beyond anything I ever thought I could do.

Yup, THE CHURCH IS TRUE!!!!  And don't you forget it.