17 - Song of the Heart

(50 minutes, lets see how much I can write! Just kidding, 40 minutes... haha)

Being in a trio has been... very hard. But it's been good. Struggles do surface though, just with trying to work evenly in each others areas to keep both areas healthy and just with good ol' learning how to deal with each other the best way possible, learning all sorts of lessons through it all. It's been good though. And this week is going to be even better.

Again, I want to apologize about last week's scatteredness. To just rectify that a little, last week, we had a ton of inspired finding experiences. We went to the Soup Kitchen to help out, to get our optional and recommended service hours in, and we didn't end up serving there, but rather going to this picnic thing and it was raining and we were like what? but we found 3 less actives there. And one day we went to return a plate to someone since one of our lessons canceled and it turns out she was having a really hard day and we were able to comfort her by being there. "It's amazing how the Lord had someone schedule a doctors appointment so we could come return a plate," at Sister Springer powerfully put it. We gave out a Book of Mormon this week to someone chillin at the hospital for the free coffee who we saw at the soup kitchen picnic. We ran into a guy who said he'd come to church and bring his friends. And there have been even more finding experiences than that. Little miracles, but so great at the very same time.

Wedding at the Chapel

We also attended a wedding this week. Not our investigators, we were just there to give support. It was good. But I've got to tell ya, I'm never letting a fast food restaurant cater for my wedding. It just felt like we were having a family get together or birthday party. But, it was good.

Rough Wedding Cake (LOL!) 

We went to Fort Yates this week for district meeting. Sister Springer and Sister Paniagua are in a different district than I am, even though they're in the same ward... don't ask me how it works, I really don't know. But, it was pretty cool. Nice change of scenery, looked like a green green place with some dumpy trailers. And it smelled like a still-water lake, because it basically is one. Crazy. And the church has bars on the windows! Whoa nelly!

But I want to tell a story today.

A story about the power of music.

The Lord has said a heartfelt song By the righteous is a prayer; A hymn unites us and invites The spirit to be there (Hymn #71, With Songs of Praise).

It was a Wednesday. We received word that one of our less actives who we were working with had a brother who was just found and issued into the psych ward in the hospital. (I'm sad because I don't have a lot of time to tell this story.) This guy, he was in Fargo, just, running away. He had been locked up in jail for false charges. two of his close relatives, one of them being his son, committed suicide in his own home. He was in a dark dark place right now.

We arrived with the family and the conversation was so somber. So disheartening, but inspiring, but sad, all at once, full of encouragement yet despair and angst. Then the conversation moved to more, well, conversational things. It was nicer. The kids, his nieces who are about three, were running around being crazy. It was getting late, almost time to go. But we felt like we should give a little something more. So Sister Springer and I decided to just start singing. We sang a song and they stopped and marveled. Sister Springer was my alto, which I admit was different, reverse of what I am used to. It was so nice, clicking into that harmony, feeling it lock into place. And we sang another song, this one, A Child's Prayer. Sister Springer made up harmony for it previously. It just flowed, and it was such a treat to all of us to hear it and be a part of it. Teddy was so amazed at later hearing that we had never sung that song together.

A Child's Prayer became his favorite song. We sang it every day we went back to visit. We told him we would visit everyday, or try to. We didn't make it the following day, but we did the day after. And the day after. And even the day after. We sang a Child's Prayer this time for all who were in the lobby of the psych ward. It was silent and the spirit was strong. Teddy was so proud to have us sing for them. One person actually started praying after we finished.

The next day however, we didn't come. He was so disheartened. The next night when we showed up he just lit up inside. He is like a little child, such a sweet spirit. He told us he was praying for us last night, that we were safe. He said that he had a good dream last night, for the first time in a while. He dreamt that we were singing, and that we were like, halfway angels. We had a good casual night where Sister Springer cut Teddy's hair and Sister Paniagua and I were being severely stumped with a bible crossword. We were quite close now. We sang again the next night for all of the psych ward and when we started to sing, the person watching the TV turned it all the way down without anyone tell him to. It was special to them all. Teddy said goodbye to us and watched us leave. It was heart breaking.

Then. We went to visit the next night, Wednesday, and he Was being discharged. But we weren't even allowed to go in, since he was being 'kicked out' and he didn't have a ride and he couldn't talk to us even though he could see us through the window and it was just a mess. But. We were there for him in the mess when he 'did get out.

We sang. And it calmed him.

The power of music is real.