i. love. Sunday afternoons.
I really really do. Everything about them.
The weather is always marvelous, no matter the forecast.
The food is always delicious, no matter the meal.
The spirit is always present, no matter how strong.
and friends are always abundant.
These past two Sundays, have been perfect.
Last Sunday was testimony meeting, and there was SUCH a strong spirit. Actually, there is quite a powerful story with last Sunday's happenings... Recently it has been beyond difficult for me to get up at nine for church. I have no idea why, but it was as if I was literally being bound to my comforters by Satan himself. So in result I missed church quite a few times this past month.. Perhaps making it to one or two meetings of a random ward.. But last Saturday night around one in the morning, i was sitting on my lawn with my friend Jado. We were just silently reminiscing about random events, he was about to leave, but he turned to me and asked if I would come to church with him. I laughed and said that I was determined to wake up and actually go to my own college ward for once. He laughed and said, "Alright, but just in case I'm going to text you and ask you again."
Of course the next morning, I awoke with no problem. I was so early to rise, I actually had time to do my hair. A first probably all summer. So, then I was off to my college ward which started at nine. ...or so I thought. I got there, and in the room typically filled with familiar faces, was a room left empty. Of course. So I found myself searching the building for some answers, & I figured out that because school started, all the times of wards had changed, and I was in fact three hours early. Right on. So, I went back home, questioning what I was going to do now. Go to another ward? My home ward? My answer? more sleep.
I ended up sleeping till about twelve thirty, waking from a soft vibrate under my pillow. It was Jadon inviting me to church again. Because of the earlier events, I was pretty mad, and not exactly in the mood for a church meeting, but with Jadons pleas, I succumbed, and showed up. And let me tell you, there is a reason I was meant to go to that ward last Sunday... It was such a powerful testimony building experience for me.. With every person that stood, emotions filled my heart, and I was overcome by so many answers I had been searching for. It was absolutely beautiful. I even bore my own testimony. Something I haven't done for a while now.. It always amazes me when I get up to bare my testimony, the moment my feet are moving towards the pulpit, my heart and mind flood with the spirit, and I begin to hear ties to lessons, and answers I've been searching for.The Spirit is just SO great.
The last, last Sunday was incredible too. I was able to listen to one of my best friends sing one of my FAVOURITE songs, EVER. Shelbi sang "His Hands" at our friends ward, and I couldn't help but be overwhelmed by the spirit. Her voice and the lyrics make for a perfect combination of peace. True, real, soul calming, peace. It was so beautiful. & the talks before, given by a family of handsome young men, were all beautiful too. I couldn't help but tear up in all of them for various reasons.. the Gospel just has so much to offer a searching heart. Its such a beautiful thing. :)
Another reason that makes Sundays wonderful, is service. see, my friends and I used to have game nights on Sunday nights, where we would all meet up and play Trivial Pursuit, but recently we've changed our "Game night" to "Service night". And its the best thing that we ever did.
What we do is go sing at a Rest Home, Kolob Care Center. It started out as just a small group of us, but every Sunday we grow more and more with a larger crowd, and its always such a neat experience. We just grab a couple hymn books, walk the halls, and step into a few rooms. and the power of music goes to work. I truly believe it has healing powers.
An example of this is last Sunday there were so many kids that showed up, we decided to split into two different groups. And near the end, the group I was with found two little ladies sitting outside of their room talking. We stopped and asked if we could sing them a song, and they were delighted. We started to sing "As zions youth in Latter Days." And while we were singing the other group met up with us, making us gradually larger and louder. If that wasn't cool enough, One of the little ladies, whom I later found out was named Maxine, grabbed my arm and started talking to me. She told me of her husband and her kids, and how she felt a little crazy. She told me she was methodist, and how she would go to church every Sunday to sing the hymns. And eventually she teared up, and told me that six kids, her parents, and her husband had all recently passed away...right after she told me this the group began to sing "God be with you till we meet again." Chills ran down my entire body. I gave her my hymn book and told her what the lyrics meant. That I knew she would see her beloved husband and family again.. She believed me, and gave me a warming, beautiful, peaceful smile...and finished the song with triumph. ( even without her glasses.)
It was such a beautiful experience, & I already can't wait till next week when we get to brighten up a few more lives with the sound of music.
i fully recommend everyone giving it a try. The folks you meet there have the best things to say. If you are interested let me know, we would LOVE to have you. :)
Like I said, I LOVE Sunday afternoons.
