And now for the rest of the story

How do you put into words . . . feelings?

Today's sacrament meeting speakers spoke with such power. Several years ago a young man by the name of Kyle Copeland bore his testimony in sacrament. He was leaving home to go to college and he said with such tremendous power that I remember it still today, "I just want this ward to know that Kyle Copeland has a testimony." And I thought he's going to make a great missionary.

A couple of months later he got married . . . outside of the temple, and then I thought how did that happen.

Today I got the rest of the story. He's moved back home with his wife and they were our speakers today. She gave many examples of the times and places she has experienced reverence in her life. He spoke about the mistakes they've made in the past two years and how he desperately wished he had served a mission. When he was contemplating a mission he thought of all the pros about a mission: he'd be a better husband, a better father, etc. It wasn't until recently that he realized a mission isn't about the missionary, it's about service. Service to Christ.

Kyle had several experiences where he felt he was being knocked over the head by "spiritual angels." It was those ah-ha moments that led him to realize the lack of the spirit in his life. Last fall they decided to go through the temple and be sealed. After that decision was made, he said how he never felt the power of the adversary so strong in his life. Satan is very real. On the day they were to be sealed, they both overslept, finally got on the road to have their tire blow out. A brother stopped and picked them up, and halfway to the temple (which was 1 1/2 hours from their home) they realized they had left their marriage certificate in the car with the blown tire. In anything could have gone wrong that day, it did. But she relates the peace that enveloped her when she finally made it to the temple and sat down for a breather. "There is nothing more important than families." And that is why temples are so important because it unites families . . . for eternity.

I wish I could describe the feelings that I had during sacrament today. The spirit of Christ was definitely there. In fact at the end of Sister Copeland's talk she sang a beautiful rendition of "Where Can I Turn for Peace." It wasn't part of the program but part of her talk. After she sang the congregation sang a rest hymn "Hope of Israel" which is a rousing song designed to awaken the crowd for the next speaker. It just didn't feel right after her number.

I testify the spirit works through feelings. The whisperings of the spirit are felt with the heart and today I felt I could have floated out of church. Isn't there some way to capture it and put it in a bottle for those days when I feel so void of the spirit? It is definitely something to be seized every day, which isn't easy.

Anyway, I loved, loved sacrament meeting today.