Our talks today

Since I intended to write about Maggie on Saturday, but didn’t have the chance, you have to get a couple of posts on the same day. I’m hoping that this won’t cause ClarksInWyoming overload for anybody, but if it does, I apologize in advance. This post is somewhat churchy in nature, so if that bothers you, you can quit reading now.

We’ve had a great day today. Our talks went off without a hitch. The kids both did a great job: Anna recited her line from last year’s primary program, and James recited a scripture that he memorized for primary last month. I started to get pretty nervous during Julie’s talk, so I (sheepishly) admit, that I don’t know what she talked about.

My talk covered some of the impressions that I got as I read “The Living Christ”. I talked about the need to prepare ourselves for the coming of the Lord; we should prepare ourselves physically (food storage, financial reserves), mentally (education and understanding), and spiritually (obedience to the commandments and learning to love God). Then I talked about the hope that Christ gives us, especially the hope of a resurrection. I talked about Miguel, one of the converts that Elder Allison and I taught in Chile, who drowned on a scout activity just a month after his baptism. His family, though beset by grief at the loss of their son, was strong because of their knowledge of the resurrection. They were sealed together a year later (Miguel by proxy), and as far as I know, they continue to be a beacon in their branch. I talked about how I hoped for the day of resurrection to see my grandfathers, whom I love a lot, and long to see again. Because of Christ, I am sure that I will see them again, and it gladdens my heart. I also talked about the Atonement and its importance to all of us. I shared some of my favorite scriptures on the Atonement, and finished by bearing my testimony. I closed, we sang the closing hymn, and walked out of the chapel at precisely 10:10. I couldn’t have planned it better if I had tried.

Every time I speak in Church, I’m amazed by the way the Spirit works. There were a couple of times when I had planned on saying one thing, but I said something else, and there were a couple of scriptures that came to mind while I was speaking that I hadn’t even thought of during my preparation, but that I felt needed to be shared. I’m certain that the Lord had something in mind for someone when He prompted me to say and do what I did.