Angels Were Singing to Me

Photo from LDS.org, used with permission

This talk was given at the 2019 stake women's conference.
by Lindi Salmond

To quote a good friend, life gets heavy. It can be burdensome, tiring, scary, and overwhelming. Sometimes I find myself deep in these feelings. Life feels like just a lot of work.

At some point in my misery, Heavenly Father gently reminds me to return to Him, remember my covenants, and give my burdens to him. If, at this point, I listen to his counsel and find Him through scriptures, prayer, and temple attendance, my days become lighter. It is just like those first rays of sunshine breaking through an overcast sky.

To me, this is especially true with temple attendance: it is the sunshine to my soul. When I find myself in the temple regularly and consistently, my days that used to be so heavy are now filled with light. They turn from the gray days of January to the bright beautiful days of June. It’s not that the hard things have gone away--we still have thunderstorms in June! But focusing on my covenants, which in turn strengthens my relationship with my Savior, my burdens are no longer mine alone.

Covenants do that for us; they yoke us to the Savior and, unlike yoking with regular animals that evenly share the burden, He does most of the heavy lifting! When my days are bright I can, in turn, find others to help on their way.

When we say “rejoicing on the covenant path,” I can’t help but picture myself linked arm-in-arm with my dear sisters walking down the path of life. We are laughing together, serving each other in our times of need, worshiping together, and even crying with each other. That is true rejoicing to me--when we can help others, and in turn, they lift us up as well. Our covenants put us all on the same path, giving us each other. I cannot think of a better gift.

As some of you know, I have Lupus, and with that comes all sorts of different things that I deal with. Most are just nuisances. I had been dealing with a cracking voice for a few months (think teenage boy; it wasn’t my favorite). One day I was sitting in Relief Society, and one of my favorite songs was being sung for our closing song. With the way my voice had been, I couldn’t hit any high notes in songs. Usually, it didn’t bother me--I would just silently skip the parts I couldn’t reach--but I really wanted to sing this song. I pleaded with Heavenly Father to please let my voice work for just this one song.

As we started singing, I was hopeful but as we got to the first high part, my voice failed. I was so disappointed, but that disappointment only lasted a second because as I sat there silent my sisters all around me continued singing: angels were singing to me. I felt as if He was saying to me, "You can’t do it right now, but they can do it for you." The love of my Savior for me was so strong at that moment, and it came through my ward sisters.

What is rejoicing on the covenant path? To me, it is the description of this beautiful life we have been given the chance to live. Staying close to the Savior with the companionship of others as we all strive to return to the presence of our Heavenly Father and his Son, Jesus Christ. I am eternally thankful for this truth in my life.

Becoming True Disciples

This talk was given at the 2019 stake women's conference.
By Shelly Harrison

The other day, I was out doing my morning exercise route when I saw a huge backup of cars on a busy road. I thought to myself, "Oh no, an accident!" As I got closer, I saw a lot of people getting out of their cars and heading to the first car.

It looked like the driver was having car trouble in the middle of the intersection. Some people pulled over, got out of their cars, and jumped in to help this lady in her minivan, by pushing it to a safe place. Then there were a few extra men who stayed with her to see what they could do to help get her van working.

Photo from LDS.org. Used with permission

My thoughts were, "This is so heartwarming and amazing to see all the people jumping in to minister to her in a time of need."  I think many of us are always willing to help, especially in a crisis. But sometimes ministering may be easier when they are people we don’t know. Putting ourselves out there to minister to people we know can create some uncomfortable feelings inside us.

Let me explain… Anxiety, uncertainty, lack of confidence, feeling threated. feeling unprotected. This is the definition of INSECURITY. Is this how you feel when it comes to ministering? Maybe not for all of you, but for some, like me, it is.

Visiting Teaching: Bringing Unity

Some women in the stake were asked: How has your life been touched by visiting teaching or a visiting teacher? Over the next few weeks we'll feature their responses.

Image from LDS.org. Used by permission.

My visiting teachers have made me feel loved. I haven’t felt like I “needed” service, but the service they gave me was their love.
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Visiting teaching helps me get to know the sisters in the ward better than I would otherwise. It brings unity to a ward.
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One of my first visiting teachers in this ward became one of my best friends. She helped make me feel so welcome in the ward, and as I was new, it had a huge impact on me.
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Several years ago I was assigned to visit a sister who was not active and whose lifestyle was very different from mine. I assumed she would not want to be visited and that we’d just be dropping something off each month. She actually welcomed our visits and we became close friends. Soon we started walking a couple times a week early in the mornings. She was wonderful to listen to my problems and not judge but just offer support.

Visiting Teaching: It's Nice to Know Someone Is Thinking of Me

Some women in the stake were asked: How has your life been touched by visiting teaching or a visiting teacher? Over the next few weeks we'll feature their responses.

I have been blessed with wonderful visiting teachers. When I have been going thru trials they text, email, or just stop by to see how I am doing. It’s so nice to know someone is thinking of me.
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The little (and big) acts of service have meant the most, including:

- helping me fold laundry while we visited
- helping with my children & laundry when I was sick
- using their talents to bless me
- bringing yummy treats for me and my family
- a visiting teaching partner (with an inactive husband) called me from the hospital needing a ride home, not knowing who to call, but knew I loved her and would help.

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My life has been touched because many of the women I have visited have opened my eyes to so many things, whether it is a new perspective or a new understanding. It may be that she has a hobby or talents I am unfamiliar with and I learn more about it. Maybe they are in a different stage of life that gets me to think of another, besides myself.
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I was matched up to be companions with a young mom who had just moved into the ward. Through visiting teaching and my interaction with her, I found a best friend and great example. She was so selfless and was always looking for things to do both with our visiting teachers and with others. She truly taught me of someone who is Christlike and pulled me into the ward as I didn’t have kids and didn’t fit in. She is still one of my best friends to this day, and she taught me what visiting teaching is really about.