Immaculee, A Woman of God

I just finished reading this book yesterday morning after I crawled back in bed to enjoy some quiet time to myself! After watching the movie, Hotel Rawanda, I was told about this book of an amazing survivor.  I am so grateful for the opportunity to read Immaculee's story of faith, hope, and determination to survive.

She hid along with seven other women in a small 3' x 4' bathroom of a pastor for three months during the terrible genocide in Rwanda which led to the death of one million people.  She talks about turning to prayer and praing for hours and hours each day.  She felt that her faith was under attack so she spent hours contemplating two versus from the Bible, Mark 11:23-24.  The verses read, "For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them."

In her book, Immaculee wrote  "even a few minutes not spent in prayer or contemplation of God became an invitation for Satan to stab me with his double-edged knife of doubt and self-pity.  Prayer became my armor, and I wrapped it tightly around my heart."

Through prayer she opens her heart and begins to forgive the killers.  She says that after she took this step to ask God to "forgive their sins and turn their souls toward His beautiful light" that she was able to pray for the first time with a clear conscience and a clean heart.  She said that for the first time she was able to sleep in peace.

From her experience, I am reminded of the power of prayer, faith, and forgiveness.  Time after time she was saved from being discovered by the killers.  In the end, she even saw them face to face and her faith and prayer led her to safety.  In the midst of a terrible nightmare, she found the strength to turn to God.  Do we do the same?  Can we forgive others for offenses in our lives? 

Here are two videos about her story.  I think you will feel of her incredible spirit of love.

The Ten Virgins

I had some down Friday evening so I sat at the piano with my songbook of The Ten Virgins by Emily Freeman. At the end of May I posted a lot of information that I had gathered about the ten virgins for a presentation that I gave to our ward about being prepared - click here to see that post. My point was that if we are first spiritually prepared then we will have the desire and necessary faith to be obedient to the specific counsel of setting aside our home food storage and emergency supplies.

(sold online or at your local Desert Book)

The song book helps "rediscover the parable of the Ten Virgins with an enthralling presentation that provides a personal, latter-day perspective to the classic New Testament story. Beautiful words and music give an identity and an individual story to each of the Ten Virgins. Each possesses a positive quality or virtue that could be wisely developed. But as their stories unfold, the struggles of their daily lives present each woman with choices that determine her path.

Will she prepare herself with lamps trimmed and burning when the Bridegroom comes? Or will she procrastinate and find herself left outside and alone?"

I found on youtube most of the songs performed and recorded so you can watch it song by song (when it is performed there is also written script for the ten virgins so it's like a musical play production). The following youtube video links are from a performance of the Ten Virgins Fireside presented by the Templeview Stake, Hamilton, New Zealand in Sept 2009 .

The Shopkeeper on the Hill - This is the song that caught my attention tonight. I think of my own carefully crafted lamp and my need/desire to frequently return to Him to keep my lamp full. This song is powerful and so touching, listen carefully to the words.

What I Need (Eliana's song)

Nothing Matter's More (Ashira's song)

Until (Dina's song)

Easy to Forget (Nava's song)

More (Gabriell & Adi's song)

Time Goes By (Liraz's song)

Magnificent Work of Art (Malka's song)

Lantern Light (Leora's song)

Only One (Jessa's song)

The Coming of the Bridegroom

When He Comes for Me

Optimism for the Future

Today in church our Stake Patriarch gave a great talk about having optimism even through our challenges of today. It was a great talk, at times I have to be reminded to be positive and optimistic because the news and trials of out day weigh heavy on my mind and heart. I love the following counsel that was shared in Brother Montgomery's talk.

President Hinckley gave us this advice: "I have learned that when good men and women face challenges with optimism, things will always work out! Truly things always work out! Despite how difficult circumstances might look at the moment, those who have faith and move forward with a happy spirit will find that things always work out." (Hinckley, Way to Be, 84.)

I also loved this statement from Harold B. Lee regarding America.

“Men may fail in this country, earthquakes may come, seas may heave
beyond their bounds, there may be great drought, disaster, and hardship, but this nation, founded on principles laid down by men whom God raised up, will never fail.

This is the cradle of humanity, where life on this earth began in the Garden
of Eden. This is the place of the new Jerusalem. This is the place that the
Lord said is favored above all other nations in all the world. This is the place where the Savior will come to His temple. This is the favored land in all the
world.

Yes, I repeat, men may fail, but this nation won’t fail. I have faith
in America; you and I must have faith in America, if we understand the
teachings of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are living in a day when we must
pay heed to these challenges.

I plead with you not to preach pessimism. Preach that this is the greatest country in all the world. This is the favored land. This is the land of our forefathers. It is the nation that will stand despite whatever trials or crises it may yet have to pass through. (Harold B. Lee, "Ye Are the Light of the World", 350-51)

Those statements lift me up and give me great courage to continue moving forward in faith - I know that great things await us and that we are surrounded by increasing goodness even in a world that is becoming more wicked.