Many Witnesses

This weekend I have been reminded in MANY small ways that the Lord really does know (and cares) about the very little as well as the very big concerns and details of our lives. I'll start with a seemingly small one -- but with so many witnesses maybe it's not so small after all...

Our stake young women leadership meeting is scheduled for November. I have been considering for several months what the Lord would have me give as a message. The YW leaders in our stake are so committed to the gospel, yet each has such a different (and varied) set of challenges in their calling. I'm sure each has a different set of circumstances and challenges in their family and personal life as well.

As I pondered the challenges that I knew the YW leaders face in our stake, and also realized there were probably many of which I was unaware, I sought the Lord in prayer for I knew he knew them all. I began to feel that there was one message that the Lord would have me share, and that was the power of worthily and meaningfully partaking of the sacrament each Sunday. October conference was approaching and I also prayed that my impressions would be confirmed, and that I would receive further understanding in the conference addresses.

My prayers were answered, and I gained an even stronger witness that this is what He would have me share. Elder Oaks' talk stood out as one of the main references, but there were others too with smaller mentions -- but each one I had been attuned to hear.

Fast forward after several weeks of pondering and studying about the sacrament.

My visiting teachers scheduled an appointment last night, for this (Sunday) afternoon. This weekend had been quite exhausting, (I MUST blog about several other parts of it) and included staying up an entire night, attending an all day camp meeting, and coming home to a call from Emery county sheriff's office that Trent was missing from his youth activity in Goblin Valley, and they would be sending out a search plane, and would be in contact with us when he was found.

By Sunday afternoon, though all had worked out well,(I promise to Blog about that too - but I'd really rather have Trent) I was still very exhausted, and really just wanted to take a nap. But it's not easy to catch me for an appointment, and my visiting teachers are so good to try, so I agreed to a visit.

My visiting teacher chose to review a conference talk that had touched her, as she read from the November Ensign. It was given in the priesthood session. I always glance through those talks as soon as they are posted on the church's website, but I had forgotten this one. It specifically spoke about the sacrament:

"By coming humbly and fully repentant to sacrament meeting and worthily partaking of the sacrament, we may feel those arms [of safety] again and again."

As my visiting teacher so sweetly reviewed the talk, I was filled with gratitude. Gratitude for my visiting teachers who care about me, and who follow the spirit, gratitude for another witness and help in knowing what the Lord would have me share with the YW leaders, and once again a deep gratitude for the Atonement of the Savior and the opportunity to access that cleansing and enabling power and His arms of safety, comfort, cleansing, and love.