Singing Primary Songs

 I read an article to Avram and Briggs today called "Why an NFL offensive tackle sang Primary songs on the football field."  

In this article it references the quote by Parley P. Pratt, "The gift of the Holy Ghost...quickens all the intellectual faculties, increases, enlarges, expands and purifies all the natural passions and affections...It inspires, develops, cultivates and matures all the fine- toned sympathies, joys, tastes, kindred feelings, and affections of our nature.  It inspires virtue, kindness, goodness, tenderness, gentleness, and charity.  It develops beauty of person, form and features.  It tends to health, vigor, animation, and social feeling.  It invigorates all the faculties of the physical and intellectual man.  It stregthens, and gives tone to the nerves.  In short, it is, as it were, marrow to the bone, joy to the heart, light to the eyes, music to the ears, and life to the whole being." 

The article goes on to talk about Garett Bolles of the Denver Broncos.  It talks about how he didn't start football until he was a freshman in college.  He had always struggled with academics and learning.  He naturally was a very gifted athlete but he couldn't learn the plays.  He tried praying and having the spirit be part of his life in football.  It talks about him singing primary songs on the sidelines, his favorite song is I am a child of God, just before he ran into the game for a play.  He also writes his favorite scriptures and quotes on his shoes.  The article says that the other team probably looks at his shoes and thinks he is a big softy, just before they get plowed over by him.  

I have been thinking about the Gift of the Holy Ghost all day and the blessing it has been in my life.  This afternoon I received an email from a sister in my ward:

Hi Lisa, Just wanted to tell you thanks for all the time and preparation you put into the lesson last Sunday, and for sharing those inspiring stories with us. It was so touching to hear you talk about going to the temple as a gift to your son.

After attending the Stake Family History Fair several years ago I was so inspired by what you and Annette were doing that it lit a fire in me to start searching out my ancestors and ever since that time I have been doing lots of searching and have found many, many names to take to the temple. Sorry this is so long... but just wanted to say thank you! It has been wonderful and such a Godsend, especially during these past few months when we haven't been able to attend the temple. 

It was humbling to me to receive this email for many reasons.  

1.  I taught the RS lesson last Sunday over zoom.  Even though I have taught a little bit with family over zoom it isn't the same as teaching a class (family has to be nice).  I have been so worried about how the lesson came across to the sisters.  I did a power point and shared my screen which made it so that I could only see 2-3 faces on my computer.   A couple of times I would be looking at someone walking around the room, eating, or looking extremely bored.  Obviously you can't reach every person every time because it takes preparation on both sides but typically you can see when your teaching if you are connecting with the majority of the class.  

I did ask a few questions but not many people were participating, which again is harder over zoom.  When I finished the lesson I knew that I had been blessed and I had felt the spirit in preparing and teaching the lesson but I wasn't sure if I had given the message to the sisters that the Lord wanted shared.  

2. When I was asked to teach by the RS president she told me I could choose any talk from conference that I wanted to share.  This was hard because there were so many great talks but I wanted to share the message the Lord wanted given.  I called Crystal and Mom to get their feed back on which talks had stuck out to them. In doing so Mom reminded me of the talk by Elder Rasband called "Recommended to the Lord."  I knew immediately without question that was the talk I needed to share.  This was confirmed to me by the spirit and then the confirmation was solidified Friday when the RS president texted to tell me that the Elders Qurom had also chosen the same talk for their lesson.  Neither of us knowing that was the talk we were using.  

3. Last night in my RS meeting the president told me she had been visiting with a sister in our ward, she has been homebound even before Covid, she told the president that since hearing the lesson she felt she needed to make an appointment to get her temple recommend renewed. 

The President was telling me to let me know my lesson had reached this particular women.  In the back of my mind I was thinking I hope I didn't give this woman a gilt trip because she is at the point in her life where she will probably never be able to do another temple session.  I guess there is nothing quite as comforting to as knowing you a worthy to hold a current temple recommend when you pass away.  

4.  Its humbling to me that the Lord would prompt this sister to send me an email.  Not that it is a big deal but It is amazing to see something like this important enough both in my life and in the Lords eyes that he would bless me by bringing me comfort that I accomplished the task I had been asked to do.