Mikkia on a Mission: O my Father (Happy Father's Day) - Week 60 (Transfer 10, Week 4)

Sister Turley is Da Best!

This week was life changing on so many levels. Some days felt like nothing but sweat and exhaustion (haha walking in 90 degree heat everywhere) but some days were a calming relief. We were asked to do a musical number in sacrament meeting for Father's Day. My companion and I chose the song "O My Father" for a couple of reasons.
1. I remember singing it in church with my own father growing up. That song always meant so much to me because I knew it meant so much to him.
2. It's the song that answered a lot of my dad's questions when he first joined the church. We felt it would do the same for the people we are working with here.
3. It's absolutely beautiful. We picked a lovely arrangement of it and Sister Turley plays the piano beautifully.

So we spent the week practicing the song in spare moments after district meeting or when we had 10 minutes at the end of the night.

Sunday came along; I woke up on Fathers day to say my morning prayers and immediately thought of dad and of our Heavenly Father. (Wishing them both a happy fathers day!) At the end of the 3 hour block of church when we have sacrament meeting, not enough of the young men were there to bless and pass the sacrament so Elder Taylor and Elder McKinnon got up to bless the sacrament. They are the two elders that are serving in our ward with us. Elder McKinnon blessed the bread and Elder Taylor blessed the water. Never before have I heard anyone with such sincerity and such an understanding of the prayer they were giving bless the sacrament. The Spirit came with such force that I felt as though I were truly taking the sacrament for the first time in my entire life. I could hardly lift the cup to my lips. It was such a moving experience for me. I truly felt my Heavenly Father there with me, on His Day and Fathers Day.

Immediately after the sacrament I got up to sing the song we had prepared, O My Father. I got up, looking around at all of the people in our ward and was moved with such love for them and such a feeling of the spirit. I explained to them why this song was so important to me, and with the thoughts of my family and my dad back home, I pretty much just started to weep out of joy and love and bittersweet sadness all at once. Sister Turley started playing the piano and for the first couple lines of the song I managed to sing until I could only muster a whisper. I felt like everything was still, the whole room was just so full of the Spirit. And all of a sudden I could sing again! Louder than I ever had before. By the end of the song, everyone was literally weeping. It was like at that moment, everyone in the room understood and felt the exact same thing. So, this Fathers Day was very special for me. It really changed me. :) I don't think I could ever sing that song like that again. I swear, it wasn't even me singing.

Well, I love you all. Watch this video. It makes me cry. https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2014-06-001-always-remember-him?cid=HP_WE_8-6-2016_dPFD_fMLIB_xLIDyL1-C_&lang=eng

Haha Happy Fathers Day dad. I love you!!!! Also, mom, I love you. And also, Caelan I love you. And also, Tashina, I love you.