This last Sunday started off the same as any other Sunday, well except for the time change. We went to nine o'clock church at the first of the year...SOOOOO much better than one o'clock! Anyway, upon getting to church, Jace and I went into nursery together, Izzy went off to CTR's and Scott headed in to teach his lesson. Just as Jace and I were making some major headway with the four piece puzzle in front of us, Scott came bursting through the door, ranting about some VIP from the church that was coming to Sacrament meeting and demanding to know what songs we were singing so that Brother Moriyama could type up the program. Was he serious? First of all, the VIP was probably a nice Brother from the Second Quorum of the Seventies...and not that this is not a big deal, but relax! Program or not, the show would go on! And secondly, I have no idea what songs I picked. That was two weeks ago. They cannot possible expect me to remember that far back in my life. I have trouble remembering two hours ago! So, I had to run home to look up the music on my computer. As soon as I got back, Scott left again. Not more than three minutes later, Jace pooped his pants. Nice. Did I have a diaper with me? Of course not. So, I picked up Jace and headed out to find Scott and the car keys. He was sitting, eavesdropping really, next to the bishops office, pretending to be going over his lesson for Sunday School. No new news on the VIP, he explained. Great! I don't care. I've got poop here and no diaper to change it. Grabbing the keys, Jace and I now set off for the car. By some miracle, I happened to have one diaper in the glove compartment, but no baby wipes. Antibacterial wipes would work, right? Sure! Diaper changed, and back into nursery for coloring time. Five minutes later, Scott was back. What now? Oh nothing to big....just the announcement that Elder Eyring would be the VIP joining us in Sacrament meeting! What?!? He's totally one of my favorites...if we're allowed to have favorites. His speaking abilities are amazing. And he's coming to our Sacrament...and I'm leading the music. I. Am. Leading. The. Music! I'm going to be within arms length of an apostle of the Lord...the first counselor to the President of the Church. I think to I'm going to be sick. Play time in nursery drags by. Should I leave early? I've got to get the number tiles put up for the songs. I need to make sure my hymn book is marked accordingly. I need to fix my hair. (Deep breath) I need to chill out. Singing time and snack time come and go, and Jace and I leave in search of Izzy. We all head to the chapel together to meet Scott. Only Scott is not there. I can't take my two kids on the stand. What if Elder Eyring comes in to find Jace crawling all over the chairs and Izzy hiding under the piano? That'd be real slick! And what's even better, I don't have the song numbers! I know, I know. I went home to get them. But I didn't write them down for me, I wrote them down and gave them to Brother Moriyama! And there is not a program to be found. Lovely. Here comes Scott. I rush up to him to ask if he can get the numbers. Sacrament is about to start. He runs out to find the list, and sweet Hannah Green from the ward comes to sit with my kids while I get things ready on the stand. I've just finished putting the numbers up when a hush falls over the congregation. I turn around to find everyone standing silently, watching Brother Eyring and his wife enter the chapel. It. Was. AWESOME! Talk about feeling the Spirit hit you head on. Wow. The meeting started, I sweat through the songs wondering if I'd picked the right hymns for an apostle of the Lord, the Sisters that spoke were amazing, and then suddenly Elder Eyring was there...standing at our pulpit. He's much taller in real life than he appears on t.v. But his voice is the same, and immediately I'm pulled under the spell of his words. He told us how if President Monson were present, he would have said 'amen' to each word sung and thoughts shared that day. He said that the meeting he'd just sat through was one of the better Sacrament meetings he'd ever attended and that the Spirit had taught us well. He then went on to say that whomever had picked the music for the day had been truly inspired! That was me! Many people turned to look in my direction. I couldn't take my eyes off of him. He told of the hectic morning he'd had because of a 'situation' that he was put over. He explained that there were planes involved that didn't get to the right places and pilots that didn't show up. He said that it seemed people were undermining his authority and that he was frustrated that things were not going as planned. And then, just as he's gotten ready to come into the meeting, a call from Elder Packer had assured him that all was right, that the problem was resolved. Elder Eyring chuckled and said, "I just had to remind myself, once again, that I am not in charge. The Lord is in charge. And His will, will be done.' I couldn't believe it. Here was this man, as perfect as a man can get, admitting to all of us that he still has to remind himself sometimes that he is not in charge; that the Lord sees the bigger picture. That was an awesome moment. He went on to talk about missionary work and the importance of serving. He told the YM that 'of course you want to serve. Why wouldn't you want to enter into a two year relationship with your Father in Heaven? It will be the best experience of you life!' He talked about the miracle of calling two of his granddaughters to a mission and that he knew, without a doubt, that they'd each been called to their perspective areas for a reason. One of his granddaugthers had gotten very sick on her mission and was going to have to go home. However, it just so happened that her mission president was in direct contact with the only man in the world who had knowledge on the specific disease and who had studied it directly. Because of this, she would get to finish her mission. He then went on to say that he knew he was supposed to be in our meeting house, in our ward, on that Sunday. He explained that he'd been given a book by one of the ward members upon getting to the church. When he opened the cover, he saw that that book had been signed by HIM when he was a Deacon. He told about growing up with the church when the ward was so small that it met in his house. He talked about the day his bishop had all the Deacons sign this particular book. He explained how four years later, when he was First Assistant to the Bishop, his Bishop had taken him on a visit to one of the less active members houses. He'd been surprised and a bit shocked at the gruff way his Bishop talked to this single sister. But after they'd left the house the Bishop opened his scriptures and taught that 'tough love' is sometimes the only way. The Bishop said that this lady was living in filth and poverty for no reason. She had the means and a way, but had given up. But the Bishop knew her potential and knew that if she'd turn her life around, she'd help many others. Brother Eyring then got very emotional as he went on to say, 'how could the Lord have known, back when I was a Deacon signing this book, that one day I'd walk into the Centerville 7th ward and have the book be handed back to me? How could the Lord have known as a shy 16 year old, assistant to the Bishop, that by going out on that visit that day, I would learn how to care for the poor and the needy. How could he know that 50 years later, I would be called to the First Counsellor in the Church, presiding over the care of the poor and the needy? I'll tell you how. Because the Lord knows each of us. He knows our needs, our wants, our desires. He knows our sorrows and our heartache and our trials. He knows our beginning and He knows our ending. He knew mine, and He knows yours.' He then finished by bearing his testimony of the gospel and by promising us that if we would only be obedient to the commandments of the Lord, we would know happiness beyond all comprehension. It was amazing. It was another testament to me that the Lord calls and qualifies his servants. And his words hit me so strongly. I know that the Lord knows me. He knows everything I've gone through, and all that I continue to struggle with. He knows where I'm going and how I'll get there. And He is there to hold my hand, every step of the way. Thank you Elder Eyring for reminding me. The church is true, and I love it with all my heart.
