Listening to the still small voice

         When I was on the Stake High Councel for the Michigan Lansing Stake Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, I was advisor to the Special Interest group in our Stake. Sister Flannery was the female leader of the singles over 30 group. We hade a male leader who never showed up. Sister flannery’s goal was to have a Saturday Special Interest group meeting inviting all singles over 30 in the Stake each year and they were well attended.

     One year She was planning and got approved for a 3 day  conference to be held at Hillsdale College South of Jackson.  I was assigned by the company I worked for to go to Chicago for 3 weeks of training on some new equipment (laser printers) they were rolling out and I would be there until the Special Interest conference and I would be home just in time for the conference.  Sister Flannery was working with the church in Salt Lake to invite a General Authority to be the key note speaker for the conference. While I was in Chicago i began thinking about what I would say if I was the keynote speaker for the conference and over a week and a half started noting down some notes.

     The Sunday before I was to return home Sister Flannery called mom to see if She could talk to me and mom gave her my phone number.  She called me and we talked about the arrangements made with Hillsdale College for housing and food and the schedule for Saturday and Sunday and I began to feel some tension on her part (she always had things under control).  I Said “Sister Flannery, what’s wrong?  She said “We couldn’t get a keynote speaker, would you be willing to do it? I said Sister Flannery, I have been thinking about that for 2 weeks and I have notes on paper all I have to do is organize it and practice it, so the answer is yes. She said “Oh thank you, you have just taken a big load off my mind.  

     So, we had about 60 people at our at our singles conference.  I got home from Chicago Friday night and Saturday morning I went to Hillsdale to the conference.  The keynote address was scheduled for 10AM on Sunday and I was prepared.  We had an opening song and opening prayer and I was introduced as the speaker.  Out of the 60 people we had about 25 or 30 there scattered around the large auditorium. My immediate thought was I’m not a general authority and they are  disappointed . As I was introduced I could see disappointment in some faces and some left. As I looked around I could see interest in the faces of those who stayed and there was one young lady who gave her complete attention and  I thought, she will be my focus. I wish I had saved that talk because those who stayed I was able to build a relationship with as I talked, I could see them nodding as I talked. Every time I looked at that one young lady, she was tuned in, focused, that gave me confidence and I realized that the ones who stayed were there because they wanted to hear what I had to say.

     I started off with an experience I had when I went to New Jersey for training for my company for eight weeks. The first week I was there I looked for a church to attend and the closest one was almost 6 miles away and no car or bus service, so I walked. But I didn’t go right in, I waited for the opening song to start and after the closing song and prayer I was out the door on the way back to my hotel,  I thought, why did I do that?  But, the next Sunday was the same because I didn’t know anyone.  But this is the time someone saw ME, some one who had moved from Michigan and recognized ME, and asked ME to sit with them, asked ME to lunch at their h and drove me back to my hotel.  What is the difference?  What was the difference?  When I didn’t want to be seen, nobody saw me. Why, because I was trying to hide, I was alone.  When some one saw me, suddenly I wasn’t alone anymore.  So the responsibility goes both ways,  put yourself out to be seen and look for the opportunity to see someone you don’t know. 

     Side note:  my lovely wife was good at this, she was really shy and had trouble looking at someone or talking to someone.  So she took it upon herself to go to church early and go around and introduce herself to someone she didn’t know and talk to them. Everybody loved her!  

     

     So back to my story.  After my talk was finished and we had the closing prayer several people came up to say how much they enjoyed my talk but the one lady that sat alone and really listened to me hung back until the others were gone, came up to me and told me her story.  She was ready to quit going to church because nobody knew if she was there or not, or, she thought, cared. And she realized she was doing the same thing I did, go to church incognito.  She said: nobody noticed her because she was trying to hide and didn’t realize it, she was blaming everyone else. She said: my home teacher told about this conference and paid for me to come and listen, and I’m glad I did, thank you. I told her that she made my day a happy event.  

     So, I think we should all be aware when we see new people in church and make it a point to introduce our selves.  Find out, are they visiting, did they move here, make a new friend,

Thanks for reading my blog❤️