You all have amazed and inspired me every single week. You continue to bless my life as we spoke on the telephone, exchanged emails and text messages, and had the opportunity to visit each week as you prepared yourself to sing to the world. Your dedication and perseverance have been unwavering. The sacrifices you have each made to be to each practice and to continue your lesson as you studied each week on your own and perhaps with other friends will never be forgotten. The Sisterhood that emulates amongst all of you is truly one of the most beautiful sites to behold upon a set of eyes.
As I watched each of you prepare yourselves for the Broadcast yesterday afternoon my heart began to swell. The weather was not so fantastic but it set an incredible scene for the beautiful Fall colors that you were wearing. Each of you carried a spirit inside and it came shining through as you rehearsed with Sister Tall. The chatter and the smiles, the makeup and hair fixes in the bathrooms, the hugs exchanged between those of us in the background and those that perhaps were sitting next to you in the choir loft, the tears shed, and the final footsteps as you headed down the tunnel to find your spot in the loft.
But it didn't stop there.
As you began to sing and as the words that you have worked so hard to memorize came out of your mouths, the tears began to fall. My eyes were full of tears and my heart was immensely proud of each of you. I have watched as you have worked so hard each week. I have listened to your concerns and your struggles with this piece or that. I know that there have been many prayers on your behalf. And tonight? Never in a million years would I, or anyone else in the world, know of all of those things. You guys are an amazing choir and you sang your hearts out and I KNOW that your Heavenly Father is so proud of you!
Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to come into your homes each week through this blog. Thank you for allowing me into your struggles and into your successes. You have all strengthened my testimony in Faith and in turning our concerns and worries over to The Lord. You have allowed me to witness miracles and blessings that never were dreamed of when this calling was first extended. I love you. I am proud of each of you.
A quick recap on the evening and then some photos:
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| Watch or Listen Here |
I don't have the link quite yet of the children in Korea singing "I Love to See the Temple" but did you just love that?! I kept thinking of all of the times we were reminded that your words would not be translated into any other language but that the words you would be singing would be felt. When those beautiful children began singing in their native language, you could not deny the Spirit that was there. It didn't matter that I couldn't understand them. I felt the love of the song through these sweet spirits. Just like the entire world did with yours last night. :)
Congratulations Sisters. You indeed served Him well.
Thank you so much for keeping this blog for us and for all of the love and support from the sidelines! The outpouring of love since the broadcast has been overwhelming. The experience was amazing and our testimonies were strengthened. What a wonderful knowledge we have in the Gospel! And great sisters we share it with all over the world!! Angela Harris
ReplyDeleteI cannot even begin to express my gratitude for this great opportunity to participate in this beautiful choir. That gratitude is also for all the behind the scene people who did so much to support us. We couldn't have done this without you! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!!!
ReplyDeleteI want to share one small little tender mercy that took place for me that evening. My daughter is serving a mission in VA. She has been gone a little over a year and oh how I miss her, even though I know she is doing exactly what she needs to be at this time. When we were getting ready to leave the conference center, I turned on my phone so I could text another daughter and tell her where to meet us. On my phone was a text message from a sister I had never met. It simply said "I am from Virginia, and I am sitting next to your daughter, she wants you to know how much she loves you and how much she enjoyed tonight"
Thank you to my Heavenly Father for a sweet blessing and Thank you to EVERYONE who made this possible. I will never forget it!
Thank you, Jen, for all your efforts regarding our clothing needs and this blog. What a wonderful, choice experience! I feel so honored to have been a part of this amazing group of sisters, young and old, who sang praises to our Father in Heaven! I will cherish this memory for the rest of my life.
ReplyDeleteFirst I want to say THANK YOU to Sister Eborn, Sister Winder, and President Harmon for "MAGNA"fying your callings to the maximum! :-)
ReplyDeleteExcerpts from my journal: If I could describe my experience with being in the General Women's Choir in one word - that word would be HEAVENLY! How else do I put into words the range of emotions I've felt? "These were the days never to be forgotten." I loved the music and the words of the songs we sang, I loved our choir director Sister Tall, I loved getting to know others from my stake and the area, I loved watching the Crockett’s in action and spending time in the Conference Center.
But I think what I loved most of all was the blessing of associating with such Spiritual Giants in the General Auxiliary leaders and their board members. Their examples of faithful service, spiritual outpouring, and all-encompassing Love are so powerful that they have been written on my heart hopefully never to be forgotten!
A summary of a miracle we had. On the morning of the Women’s Meeting my 14-year-old daughter woke up with stomach and leg cramps. This gradually turned into a lack of appetite, nausea, chills and a slight fever. At 12:00 noon she was wrapped up in bed trying to feel better. I felt strongly that Heavenly Father wanted her, my 10-year-old daughter, and me to be able to participate fully in this experience. As we knelt by the bed in my daughters’ room I prayed most fervently that we might be blessed with a miracle. Within 30 minutes my 14-year-old was able to get up and finish her hair preparations, get dressed, eat a small lunch while we stood in line outside the doors, and by the time we walked through security she was nearly 100% recovered. We feel so blessed and so much loved by the Lord. Thank you again everyone.
Melinda Peterson
(Magna South Stake)