3-5 testimony building moments

This post is part of my "30 Things My Kids Should Know About Me" series.  One of the most important things I hope they can know is that I have a testimony of the gospel and the church I belong to.  I think they could also benefit from knowing some of the ways this testimony came about.  Here are three of those experiences, which will possibly be followed by more later.

1. For some reason I remember the first time I went to a Relief Society meeting (which is the Sunday meeting for the women in the church).  I don’t remember the details very well but I think it was with my Grandma Chandler and I think it was at the Daly City ward.  I don’t know why I was in there with her instead of in Primary- I think I was 10 or 11 at the time- and I don’t know why I remember being there with her and not my mom (maybe Mom was in primary).  I wish I could remember these details, but what I do remember is the feeling I had while I was there.  A woman talked about her experience with faith during her battle with cancer.  I remember that she was older, very skinny, and had extremely short hair.  I remember that she cried as she told her story and I remember sitting there in a captivated reverence as I listened.  This may have been my first real experience with feeling the Spirit.  I never knew anything could be so uplifting, I never knew that words could fill me up with so much joy.  I remember feeling God’s love so strongly, for myself and for this woman.  I felt in awe and I thought that that kind of feeling was a once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing or at least few and far between.  I had no idea how often I would have that feeling and feel that powerful love from God throughout my life.  It was the first of many, many, many times.

2. There was a youth activity we had years ago that was a “walk through Christ’s life” kind of thing.  Rooms in the church were decorated and set up with a scene from His life and there was a ward member in each one to read or talk about the story that room was about.  I remember the Nativity room at the beginning with Mary and Joseph and the Baby Jesus and I remember the Crucifixion room towards the end where we heard nails pounded into wood for effect.  But the room I remember most was the Last Supper room.  Sister Dalisay, a small elderly Filipino lady who was a friend of my grandma’s was waiting for us in that room.  There she had a long table set up with a beautiful white tablecloth, she told us the story of Jesus and His Apostles, and she read us scriptures.  Then at the end of her presentation she bent down in front of each of us with a bowl of water and a washcloth and one by one she washed our feet.  When she came to me I thought I had a small glimpse of what the Apostles must’ve felt.  I was embarrassed to have her wash my feet- this woman who was good and kind and righteous was knelt in front of me, a teenager who was at times loud, rude, and ungrateful.  It was one of the most humbling experiences of my life.  I think it taught me more about the Savior than almost anything.  It changed the way I thought about Him, the way I felt about Him.  I felt such a deep love for Him and from Him.  And I felt such a deep love for that dear wonderful sister who was teaching me about Him in this personal way.  The rest of the activity I pretty much spent in tears.  That youth activity was a turning point for me and I’m so grateful to the leaders who put it together.  And I’m so grateful for Sister Dalisay.

3.  It was at Girl’s Camp that I think I learned to love the Church- not just the Gospel we believe in, but the Church itself that I’m a part of- the people, the camaraderie.  High school was so full of ups and downs, but there was one week of every year that I knew I would spend feeling great about myself.  There were girls to look up to and there were girls who looked up to me.  The testimony meetings were so fulfilling to me, as we all felt comfortable and loved enough to share personal things.  My last year of camp my self-worth sky rocketed when 2 girls younger than me looked right at me during their separate testimonies and said through tears how I had helped them.  This isn’t to toot my own horn; it just was such a spiritual experience for me.  I specifically remember Mayra looking at me with tears and saying in her sweet Brazilian accent, “Hillary, you’re why I’m here.”  I felt so full, so worth something, so loved.  It solidified my testimony because the feeling of love between everyone there was real and undeniable. The spirit knit our hearts together and was so strong.  Because of it, I knew without a doubt that the Church was true.

What testimony building moments have you had in your life?  Times when you've felt Heavenly Father's love (whether you're Mormon or not.)  Big moments or small ones.  I feel like I've had many more than these three.  But sometimes it's the small ones that make the biggest difference in your life.