I chanced to run into our Stake Relief Society President at the grocery store. (see www.lds.org Relief Society if unfamiliar with terminology)  She asked me to write a theme song for the Stake Home, Family and Personal Enrichment night that was coming up in April.  She asked me in about the middle of December.

I delved into the project right away.  I was pretty excited to be given a project to work on.  I actually came up with a melody within a day.  If I stopped to think about it, the project seemed rather overwhelming.  But, I could see how the Lord had prepared me to do it by having me do a lot of preliminary research in to orchestration before I was even asked to do it.  I believed I could do it because I knew Heavenly Father would help me.  

I immersed myself in scripture study.  I read the draft of the script I had numerous times.  I was thankful to obtain a copy of a book about the history of Relief Society from a friend of mine.  I studied that diligently as well.  I worked very hard.  Because I worked hard, I prayed and exerted all my best efforts, I got everything except the verse lyrics for the solo part of the song done before the first meeting of individuals participating on the program. 

Somewhere over the course of the writings, our R.S. President came over to hear what I had come up with.  She asked for suggestions for one more song to be sung on the program. As it turned out, she felt like Ye Have Done It Unto Me fit perfectly where she needed it in the program.

After the meeting, I set to work on those other lyrics.  The first verse decided to come then.  What I couldn’t understand was why I wasn’t being able to get that second verse to come.  I had what I thought were some very good ideas, but nothing was meshing quite right.  I was getting frustrated that my ideas weren’t falling in to place nicely.  That was when I had a gentle, nudging thought come to mind.  The spirit pointed out to me what I was saying to myself.  “My ideas.  My ideas?  Why should I worry about what I think would be the best”.  At that point, I realized it wasn’t what I thought or wanted that was important.  I finally turned things over to the Lord and asked Him to steer me in the right direction.  It was quite amazing as to how quickly the words came to my mind and on to the page then.  After I looked back at what I had written, I knew it was superior to what I had been trying to force it to be. 

The first time I heard each instrument playing what I had written for it to play, I was so thankful to the Lord for guiding me in each step to get it right.   I was able to learn so many things in a short amount of time.  I know the Lord helped me. 

I know the program went as well as it did because of help from the Lord.  He heard my prayers.  He heard the prayers of the many others who were involved that night.  After the program was done, I was just so happy that the spirit had been there in such abundance.  My favorite comment of the evening came from a 90 year old lady.  She said, “That was the best thing I have ever heard, and I have heard a lot of things in my life!”