October 14, 2007

October 14, 2007

Spencer Kelly

Shabbat Shalom! We enjoyed another wonderful Shabbat service at the Jerusalem Center today. The auditorium was as full as we have yet seen it here for a sacrament meeting service. We had guests mostly from Utah who were participating in a guided tour of the Holy Land. Their tour guide David Rona, former branch president of the Jerusalem Branch, addressed us as well as Kendra Crandall and Greg Marsh. Each of them prepared well and those of us listening benefited from the personal thoughts and feelings that were prompted as they spoke.

The one thing that made this day a memorable experience for me was the music. Bro. Galbraith spent a considerable amount of heartfelt time arranging a song for the choir to sing during the sacrament hour. He said that as far as he knew no choir had ever sung the piece before. He continued by saying that he wanted them to know this so that the choir could feel honored to participate in such an event. The choir performed beautifully and the spirit of the song was felt by all in attendance.

In Relief Society, the sisters were taught about joy. I spoke to one sister who appreciated the thought that they have self worth because they are daughters of God. She thought that it was important to understand that you cannot love others until you love yourself. This is why having self esteem will always be important to her. The sisters agreed that the idea that they are of no self worth was something which Satan continually uses against them. They said, “one cannot feel the need to take hold to the Savior and be healed by his sacrifice when they believe themselves to be of no worth.” The meeting ended with a musical number entitled “Joy of the Morning.” The sisters said that it was amazing and that it testified to them that which they had just been taught.

The musical number apparently was so amazing that the sisters were asked to sing at the evening fireside given by Bro. Ludlow’s. Bro. Ludlow emphasized the fact that Isaiah’s writings are the most quoted of all prophets by the Savior. He told us that he understood the initial fear that most people have of Isaiah’s writings and stressed that you just have to roll up your sleeves and get into it. The Bible Dictionary, Topical Guide, and footnotes are the best resources we can use to unravel the words of Isaiah. Bro. Ludlow closed with his testimony that Isaiah was a prophet and that he prophesied of Christ and that the writings of Isaiah are important to understand. I feel grateful for the spirit that I felt this Shabbat and for the testimonies spoken and sung which strengthened my faith in the Savior.