Relief Society Choir

I have been given a great opportunity to get to sing in the choir at the General Relief Society Meeting on Sept. 27th. The Highland and Alpine stakes were chosen to put a choir together for this session of Conference. The bishops of all the wards in these stakes choose 5 people from each ward to participate in this choir. I was so lucky to be one of those 5 people in my ward to be given this chance of a lifetime.

It's interesting for me to look back at all the different places I have lived especially just the last few years and I know exactly why we were supposed to be in those places at that perticular time. When we were first given the job in Valencia, Ca. I didn't want to leave Utah because I felt we couldn't have the same quality of life in Ca. that we had in Utah. But we still went. The year we spent in Ca. is filled with the most fun memories my children and I have. We spent a lot of time together as a family going to Disneyland, the beach, whale watching, swimming and other fun things.
Then we were sent to Denver. Once again, I didn't want to go because I was really enjoying our lives in Ca. But in Denver I was able to find the most amazing preschool for Luke. Luke is our youngest and at the time was suffering with some language and developmental delays. He was terrified of being separated from me and I didn't think he would ever be able to attend preschool. I had him tested for his speech and because he qualified he was able to attend a preschool that helped with all his special needs. The women who were his teachers were amazing and both Luke and I became really close to everyone at the preschool. I know that we were supposed to be there in Denver for Luke. He is now doing so much better with his speech and loves going to Kindergarten with no problems.
After only a year in Denver we were moved once again back to Utah. Again, I did not want to move out of Colorado. We were in Utah only 6 months when Savannah was diagnosed with Juvenille Diabetes. We have been so blessed to be here in Utah where they have Primary Childrens Medical Center. This facility is so amazing and I can't even imagine going through something like these without the support of this hospital.
And now I get the opportunity to sing in the conference center during the Relief Society General Meeting. If I wasn't in Utah I would have never had an opportunity like this. Ok, I'm going to reveal a big secret of mine and that is I would love one day to be in the Tabernacle Choir. I know that is weird to some people, but it's something that has always been a dream of mine.
Anyways, back to the choir, our first practice two Sundays ago I figured we would show up and practice the songs we were going to sing. Boy was I wrong! When we arrived there they had us sign in, we sat down and warmed up our voices. Then we had one of the Stake Presidents from the Alpine Stake speak to us and he pronouced a blessing on all of us. Then one of the ladies from the Relief Society General Presidency spoke to us. We were then given a lesson on what we are to wear, when our practice times would be (if we miss one practice we are out of the choir) and then Sis. Webb got up to speak. Sis. Webb is the conductor of our choir. It's her calling to conduct all the choirs that sing in Conference, except the Tabernacle of course. She also arranged all the music we are singing. She is the most amazing women I have ever had the opportunity to meet. She doesn't just teach us our music, she inspires us every week. The first week she taught us how to connect our hearts with our faces, so that we look and express our feeling in our face that we feel in our hearts. She told us when ever we enter into a room to "add to the room, don't take anything away from it". And if we are dealing with opposition to say "Bring it on"!
I left the first practiced so inspired and ready to change my life. And the next week was even better. As soon as we started practicing our music the spirit was so strong in the room it was almost sufficating. It was hard to breath, let along sing. We had another women from the Relief Society Board talk to us and she gave this great quote "The opportunity of a lifetime rests with in the time of the opportunity".
We were told not to take offensive easily and she gave a example of how she could of easily taken offense and didn't. She was given her first assignement from Sis. Beck (the R.S. General President) and when she thought she had completed it, Sis. Beck told her "good job, now lets do it again". She has been told this three times now by Sis. Beck. She explained how she could of easily been offended by this, but she didn't and she has learned from each "try" and will continue until the assignment is done correctly.
Sis. Web read this quote from Brigham Young to us right before we left choir practice and challenged us to do what this quote asks this week in our personal lives.

"Strength the Hands of Your Fellow Beings"

If you feel evel, keep it to yourselves until you overcome that evil principle. This is what I call resisting the devil, and he flees from me.
When you are influenced by the Spirit of holiness and purity, let your light shine;but if you are tried and tempted and buffeted by Satan, keep your thoughts to yourselves-keep your mouths closed; for speaking produces fruit, either of a good or evil character.

If persons think they have greater sorrow and affliction than any others, when they reveal that sorrow and affliction, it produces fruit. You frequently hear brethren and sisters say that they feel so tired and tempted, and have so many cares, and are so buffeted, that they must give vent to their feelings; and they yield to the temptation, and deal out their unpleasant sensations to their families and neighbours. Make up your minds thoroughly, once for all, that if we have trials, the Lord has suffered them to be brought upon us, and he will give us grace to bear them; and that they do not concern our families, friends, and neighbours, we can bear them off alone. But if we have light or intelligence-that which will do good, we will impart it; but our bad feelings, our desponding feelings, our dark hours, and disagreeable sensations we will keep to ourselves. let that be the determination of every individual, for spirit begets spirit-likeness, likeness; feelings beget their likeness; and custom, custom. You know very well, by your own experience, that you are naturally inclined to more or less adopt the customs, feelings, and manners of the poeple you associate with. If, then, we give vent to all our bad feelings and disagreeable sensations, how quickly we beget the same in others, and load each other down with our troubles, and become sunk in darkness and despair! If you have anything good to say, speak it and comfort the hearts of the Saints. If you have that which tends to death, keep it to yourselves; we do not want it, for we already have plenty of it!

Frame your lives according to the precepts of the Gospel. Let your deal, walk, and conversation be that upon which an angel can look with pleasure. And in all your social communications, or whatever your associations are, let all the dark, discontented, murmuring, unhappy, miserable feelings-all the evil fruit of the mind, fall from the tree in silence and unnoticed; and so let it perish, without taking it up to present to your neighbours. But when you have joy and happiness, light and intelligence, truth and virture, offer that fruit abundantly to your neighbours, and it will do them good and so strenghthen the hands of your fellow beings.

We are given a challenge every week, and they always are something to help improve us and strengthen us. And I thought we would just be singing! This experience of being in the choir I know will change me and I'll be a better person for doing it.
And all because I moved back to Utah. Who would of guessed? Not me!