PRESIDENCY MESSAGE

I enjoy listening to Handel’s “Messiah”. He took scriptures and prophecies from the Old Testament about the coming of Christ and put them to inspiring music. One of my favorite arias uses this scripture from Zechariah: Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee…And he shall speak peace unto the heathen… (Zechariah 9:9-10) Whenever I hear this song, it uplifts me and helps me see myself as God sees me. It inspires me to truly think of Christ and rejoice in my many blessings.
Sister Mary Ellen Smoot, a former Relief Society general president, gave sisters a list of things that we can rejoice about. She said, “First and foremost, we rejoice in our knowledge that our Heavenly Father loves each of us. We rejoice in our testimonies of Jesus Christ and His atoning sacrifice. We rejoice in the restoration of the gospel and the mighty work accomplished by the Prophet Joseph Smith. We rejoice that we live in a day when a living prophet …boldly moves forward the mighty work of the Lord. We rejoice in the number of temples being built, the breakthrough in computer science to research our ancestors, and the excitement for service. We rejoice in the number of missionaries being sent into all the lands of the earth to gather the honest in heart. We rejoice in our individual lives and the opportunity given to each of us to be part of God’s great plan of happiness. We rejoice in the organization of the Relief Society, and we know that women throughout the world will be drawn to the Church as we perfect our lives and live essential truths to light the way for others to follow. It is our time, and it is our destiny to rejoice as we fill the earth with greater kindness and gentleness, greater love and compassion, greater sympathy and empathy than has ever been known before. Each of us, no matter who we are, no matter where we serve, must arise and make the most of each opportunity that comes. We must follow the counsel given by the Lord and His servants and make our homes houses of prayer and havens of security and safety. We can and must deepen our faith by increasing our obedience and sacrifice.” Ensign Oct 1999

My hope for all of us this month is that we will rejoice in all the good things with which we are blessed and share the blessings and joy that we feel by being members of Christ’s restored church.