My Publishing Journey

 

When I was a child, I loved to read the storybook, The Little Red Hen. It made me think deeply. I found myself wondering why no one would help that hen. “Were they all just lazy and apathic? “Did they not trust in her efforts to yield the wonderful bread?” “Could it possibly be that they were intent to profit from her labor later on?” Regardless of the reason, I was grateful for the Little Red Hen and what she taught me! That little hen didn’t give up, instead she did the work herself. When it was time to eat the bread, everyone was ready to help in that process, but the Little Red Hen wasn’t about to share. When I was young, I wondered if her act at the end of the book was an act of selfishness, or was the Little Red Hen withholding forgiveness and compassion in order to hold onto a grudge? Only with age and a few painful life lessons did I understand the lesson being taught, or at least what it meant for me. She wasn’t selfish and she understood the law of the harvest. You reap what you sow. I also learned that it is important to do the work we are called to do, invite others to help (even if they will refuse), and never give up regardless of the effort needed and the obstacles encountered. So, it is with my story of publishing. Much like that poor hen, I found myself with a task that everyone who should have been able to help, chose not to. Yet even though my dream was almost shattered by some shocking opposition, I was determined to finish the task God had given me and God sent compensatory blessings to help me out.

 

In order to explain my experience I need to flashback a few years and give some most important details. My quest to publish began 25 years prior when I was about 24 years old. I had returned from serving a mission for my Church and was attending BYU. For some reason, perhaps because I had been helped by so many authors myself, I wanted to write. Wanting to write and being able to produce a useful book though was not aligning at that time. I was young and inexperienced. In order to overcome my inadequacies I decided to strengthen an area of weakness. The idea had come to me while shopping at the local bookstore. While there, I noticed the qualifications of the authors attached to their books. I instinctively knew if I wanted to write I needed to work on building a resume that would help me gain the trust of my audience. Since the only things I really felt passionate about was the gospel, cooking, and family, I decided I would pursue writing a religious book. I began working as an MTC Instructor, from there I became a full-time Seminary Teacher who dabbled in teaching at area training meetings, as well as teaching an Institute class here and there. Simultaneously I worked as an EFY instructor, and I thoroughly loved it. After years of serving and teaching with EFY I was asked to be part of Best of EFY. Building a resume was a lot of hard work and effort, but I was learning a lot. The experience I was gaining naturally led to collecting book ideas in the back of my mind. My biggest preparation, that launched my ability to write, happened when I was admitted into the Religious Master’s program. There, I had intensive instruction in both research and writing. There I was tutored and mentored by some amazing Religious Scholars, and I wrote my first book. A Thesis to be exact ~ this lengthy effort satisfied that desire to write for a time and led to working for another department of Continuing Education at BYU, Education Week. I still planned on writing a book, but in a matter of speaking, working on my weak areas had paid off. Though I didn’t realize it at the time, I had become a Little Red Hen that could do the work herself.

 

Education Week brought with it publishing opportunities. By this point I had the much-needed resume, and offers to work with publishers. It seemed to be all I had wanted professionally, personally my life was changing with an unexpected proposal by a widower. Much like the plot-line twist to a virtuous Hallmark movie the choice between marriage and publishing seemed obvious. I chose love and family like those Hallmarks. Unlike the movies, the harsh reality, and little known fact, of that choice was due to my weakened physical condition I could not choose both options. I had just completed an intense thesis project with the general young women’s department while working full-time in S&I, the strain of doing both had injured my health. I knew I didn’t have the energy to do it all. I felt it best to devote my time to improving my health and devoting my time to helping my family heal from the loss of their wife and mother. I too was taking on my new roles as wife and mother and needed time to navigate that world. Somehow a year later, and even with all the strain of my new family life, I was not only blessed with two adult sons, I was also miraculously blessed with a beautiful bouncing baby boy. In the past, my doctor had told me my condition made it so it would be impossible for me to have children. I knew he was a miracle! Due to the way policy with S&I was written at the time, the birth of my son meant an end to my career and contract. There was no surprise there, for me, and I found myself content and busy with family life. Fast forward five years and you would find me as I was gaining new skills in marketing and managing my husband’s office. During this time I was also teaching Institute again, but this time I was a volunteer. Working as a volunteer meant it was my church calling. I would often joke about the irony that it was so nice of the Institute to let me do for free what I used to get paid for doing. I was usually the only one laughing, but Jesus had blessed me with a joyful heart and good sense of humor. I truly loved teaching and being in the classroom again. I really enjoyed meeting the young adults and using my skills of teaching I fought long and hard to achieve. Working as a volunteer was spirit filled and I loved every minute.

While teaching I felt the prompting to write again. So I did. I felt I was true to the promptings I had been given, but when I submitted my efforts, my book was rejected not just once but three times. Since I had been approached to publish by one of those companies, I was given a little more of an explanation for this rejection. I was told that marketing turned down my proposal…to them it was too expensive and very unlikely it would sell enough copies to be worth the effort. For a while I was content with the fact that I tried and there was nothing I could do if the publisher wasn’t going to publish it. I was content and moved on. I said I WAS content! All until the day came and I had a prompting that disturbed me. It was, “You did the wrong thing with your book.”

 

The prompting telling me I had done the wrong thing felt calm and peaceful initially. Yet, the more I thought about it though I found myself becoming uneasy…I don’t like to do wrong things, or feel that I let the Lord down! I pondered and searched for the meaning to that prompting. As I prayed for understanding more information was sent and the knowledge I needed to move forward began to unfold. Thanks to some help from important and experienced friends I began to navigate through the difficulties of knowing what to do. Further information and interviews with the company that had reviewed my book led me to understand that after my manuscript had been lost for months, and it was discovered that the manuscript had been lost, they requested that I resubmit it by email leaving out some of the much-needed details for categorization. Through a series of unfortunate errors my submission was wrongly categorized then subsequently evaluated according to that wrong categorization. Quite frankly, the way it was evaluated even I would have turned it down. Also, since I was new at the whole process, I had made certain assumptions that had also cost me. This was the worst disappointment of my career. Disappointment with my career was not unfamiliar. I was one of the few women in a male dominated field and in that atmosphere, I can honestly say, it was a recipe for having more than a few unhappy moments. Learning what happened both shocked and devastated me to the core…mostly because now my concept was being published by the very company that I had trusted my concept with two year prior. (This information was given in an unofficial investigation by the former editor of the company I spoke with). While I was assured by the publisher that our concepts were different and the inspiration for theirs had developed differently, I felt uneasy with their explanation. Regardless of how I felt I chose to give them the benefit of the doubt. The improved view of what happened clearly revealed my mistakes but it didn’t change the sad facts of the mishandling of my submission or return to me the opportunity to publish my concept with my preferred publisher. Most importantly my mistake was, I realized I had forgotten to push forward like the Little Red Hen. I realized I had accepted the answer from a person, or company, as an answer of what to do instead of checking with God, the one who inspired me to write it in the first place. Why did I not pray to see what to do after the rejection? How could I have been so unwise? Nephi taught in the Book of Mormon that if God has something we need to accomplish, He’ll also provide the way for us to do the work. I wouldn’t let Him down twice.

 

At the point of complete sadness, it appeared that there wasn’t a good solution for me. The way I saw it, I wouldn’t have a publication because I couldn’t interfere with their publication. After all, my end goal of helping children understand doctrine seemed to be their goal too. Helping children to understand doctrine was most important to me. Learning from my first mistakes I decided to resubmit my book, with a few alterations as to not compete with the other company, while still remaining true to my original concept I submitted in 2017. God inspired me on who to connect with to make my book even better, and thankfully they were all very gracious and helpful! After I had improved and clarified my original work I resubmitted it to the parent company of the first company I worked with. Again, I was rejected and not just once but I was rejected by all publishers who had any connection to the first company. I was left not feeling like there was another option. I felt these particular publishers had the best skill for the kind of publication I had. I was concerned about what to do next. I had been told that our concepts were not the same, yet other evaluators said they were similar enough to mine to make them uninterested, thus the reason for the subsequent rejection. 

Even though I felt nothing could be done at that point, thankfully my associates didn’t. The Lord helped me through them to not quit. I was prompted to keep going by an unexpected friend and contributor to my book. All my artists agreed to stay with the project regardless of who published it, that too was astonishing to me. I chose to have hope and I chose to turn to the Lord. To help you understand the desperation I felt, I would liken my predicament to be very similar to our Red Hen.  All the farm animals that she approached seemed to have the time and skill, but chose to do nothing helpful, and it really didn’t matter why. Yet unlike the Hen, I knew I couldn’t do this myself. The feeling of devastation, along with the wound that came from mistrust, burned in my soul. I felt emotionally gutted and spiritually injured. Yet, at this low point I still chose to trust the Lord, and I turned my pain and desires over to Him. I knew what to do, I chose to ask Him for His guidance.

 

So, “What do I do now?” became what I needed to focus on.  As I prayed, I was given clear insight without any specific direct path. I was told, “Don’t focus on what they did wrong, focus on who the book is for.” I was also told, “You have everything you need.” I was not yet over the pain from the loss, because it was excruciating, but those words somehow soothed my soul and gave me purpose! In moving forward I desperately sought the Lord’s help and healing. At this point I felt completely abandoned by earthly help I sought to resolve the matter with, I felt the only way to heal was to forgive and leave the outcome in the Lord’s hands! I found healing as I worked towards the goal that God had blessed my heart to carry. As I pondered on what to do and sought heavenly direction, I did get it. I received further insights and spiritual drive to continue. I applied every spiritual direction I received. I sought to forgive and think of who this was for, it was then I remembered the publisher that had been contacting me for a month. This publisher had worked with members of my faith before, but they didn’t have the religious knowledge and skills I desperately needed. I also knew there were advantages working with this company and so I accepted the terms of the contract and found myself reaching beyond my comfort zone for three more years! 

Due to the fact that I needed help from those experienced in the doctrine and gospel of Jesus Christ, I set about hiring my own illustrator and religious content editors. This move was expensive for our family, but feeling a drive to help those children and at risk families, we invested our saving to make the best book we possibly could. There were plenty of issues along the way to work through, but I had learned my lesson to not quit or pause, but rather I was to push forward and trust the Lord. Along with the difficult days and heartbreaking delays added to the stress and pressure. I realized after three years of sacrificing my weekends, holidays, and vacations, because none of them came without me needing to spend significant time working on this project, then somehow, it was finished. Not to mention there were difficulties besides the publication. I had worked through difficult personal trials, the terminal diagnosis for my Dad, and need of my help in his treatment plans and death of my father-in-law. I continued to help with the farm, run our business where I worked full-time during the pandemic and supervised my young son’s education at the same time. Later, when the school opened again, I continued my volunteer work there and at the LDS Institute, and last but not least I produced and hosted a podcast called Gather in Christ. Somehow in the midst of everything I now had a beautiful book that not only described miracles inside its pages, but I knew the miracle the book was itself! I knew for a fact that when I helped others God lifted and helped me. I was grateful I had been true to my original prompting, and I knew that book had power to heal hearts. “Why did I have that confidence?” you may ask, because I was echoing God’s word and I had felt healed by those words myself.

 

“How are things going now?” you may curiously wonder. Well as any author knows, the book is only half of the battle…it takes getting the word of its release out there as well. I found that the Lord prepared me and my help not only for the writing portion of my book, but to assist in the marketing of it as well. While I still need His daily help and strength, He had blessed me with long history of marketing because I worked many years in a family business, and I had some amazing connections to professionals that were happy to help. After only a day of promoting my Ebook on Amazon it reached Amazon best seller status in three categories. I don’t even know how to process this. 

If I could pass on any wisdom it would be, if you would like to write a book…the best advice I can give you is to join with the Lord in all you choose to do and trust His promptings! Trust that He has a way for His words to be accomplished and when He prompts you, He trusts you to be part of the process! Understand that hardship doesn’t give you an excuse to quit. We need to understand that the adversary is seeking to destroy you and the Lord’s work. His opposition will always come when we seek to do what is right. I have also learned that God will send friends to help us and more importantly He will be with us.  May God bless you to do the Lord’s work and participate in Gathering Covenant Israel. Like the Little Red Hen we can persevere and gain new skills as we make the efforts that bring about eternal growth.

Thanks for taking time to read My Publishing Journey. I hope it helps you to understand how sometimes even the unexpected road can still be a good road.

If you would like you can order your book here!

https://bookstore.dorrancepublishing.com/collections/amazon-bestsellers/products/gods-plan-book-1-of-the-true-doctrine-series

Exciting News! I wrote a book!

I have been busy finishing a publication. It is interactive doctrinal children’s book. The book is finally finished. What a miracle!  It is titled, God’s Plan: Book 1 of the True Doctrine Series. Writing this series has been a labor of love and after seven years in the making I can’t believe it is finally ready! 

For those of you who are interested here is a little background; For years I longed to helped overwhelmed parents, new members, single-parents, part-member families, grandparents, aunts, uncles and really anyone who want to help their little loved ones learn the basic doctrines of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. These doctrines are vital to spiritual safety and are the basic building blocks of scripture. 

My experience teaching in the Seminary and Institute gave me pause to think how nice it would be if younger children were given greater exposure to these basic life-changing doctrines. Knowing these concepts were complicated and sometimes intimidating, I sought to make them simple to teach and understand. So I got to work motivated with the thought, “when children better understand that God loves and watches over them their anxieties about life will ease.” As for myself, I took great comfort in the scripture, “If ye are in prepared ye shall not fear (see D&C 38:30).” 

Having a master’s in Religious Education, I knew about teaching these concepts to the youth with different learning styles. This book is simple enough that children ages eight to twelve can learn unassisted. Whether your child is a visual, auditory or hands-on learner, they will all be able to benefit from its illustrations, music, and guided experiences. Much like the method of learning a foreign language, I have created this book to be a doctrinal immersion experience. I know this method works because I taught, using it for years. This book will help these truths more easily unfold in the minds and hearts of your children. 

The Kindle Version of my book is now available on Amazon for ONLY $2.99! You won’t regret giving your young children a way of learning the priceless truths of The Godhead, The Plan of Salvation, and The Atonement of Jesus Christ. These three doctrines are foundational as well as crucial building blocks for children as they begin their quest to know God better. 

I would be so ungrateful if I didn’t mention that I had some amazing help compiling this book. This help came from people who really care about children and love the gospel! Major contributors were Leon Parson, my cover artist, Kelly Donovan created over 40 illustrations inside, Shawna Edwards wrote the music, and I have forewords from Susan Easton Black and Robert L. Millet endorsing our efforts. I am positive this book will help all those who are concerned with the important work of helping the next generation build their testimony on the pure doctrine of Christ. So check it out my ebook for just $2.99, or order a beautiful hardback book for just under $30.00. Either way you’ll be glad you did!

https://a.co/d/8aTQkc7

#gatherinchrist

#HearHim

#kellydonovanartistoftheoldwest

#shawnaedwards

#LeonParson

#RobertLMillet

#SusanEastonBlack

#DorranceBooks

Priesthood Power and Healing Blessings

 This is a picture of a chair we use when participating in healing blessings. In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints one receives blessing of healing by the laying on of hands. This means that one or more worthy male members, who have been ordained to the higher Melchizedek priesthood, anoints the individual with oil, by placing a very small drop of that consecrated oil on their head. They then place their hands upon the individuals head and seal that anointing by the power of the priesthood and pronounce a blessing as prompted by the Holy Ghost. The priesthood bearer when inspired by the Holy Ghost then has the ability to speak the healing words of Christ. (For more information see https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2010/04/healing-the-sick?lang=eng)

I have received many such blessings and I am always amazed that in every instance there is a positive change. Sometimes I have physically felt better immediately, other times I am prompted to seek proper medical attention in order to continue the healing process as the Lord directs. Yet regardless of the counsel I receive in that blessing my heart is lifted and I feel the love of my Savior and Heavenly Father.

One thing is also certain through these sacred experiences and this is that the holy priesthood power is a real force. Every time a blessing is extended to me I feel God’s love for me and His desire to bring His heavenly light and healing into my life, if I am willing to ask for it. I know He will do this same thing for all of His children. So remember that if life is dark and difficult, look to Christ and invite His help and healing through Priesthood power.

#HearHim

#gatherinchrist

Trials are Blessings if We Seek the Lord's Perspective

Dyers Woad is a noxious weed. This dreaded flowering plant grows so vigorously that the efforts to get rid of it have been organized and intense. Did you know that it had a purpose that was good? The root of this plant is one of the strongest known herbal antiviral. Harvested in the Fall, the roots contain the greatest concentration of its medicinal properties. Who knew that this terrible weed could have helped with those that are struggling with colds and sicknesses of a viral nature.

Locally, you can see this plant pretty much everywhere in the valley I live in. I have heard neighbors recently complain about its infestation. It is surprising to learn that this noxious weed has the ability to heal. How ironic that during the pandemic global proportions when antivirals were becoming harder and harder to get, they were with us all along. 

With that said, have you ever thought your greatest trial viewed with proper perspective may become your greatest asset in providing the strength we need to face the struggles we have in life? Sometimes I have viewed my hardships as being quite unfair… now I’ve come to understand that when we forgive a debt owed by another who is harmed us, we receive compensating gifts from the Lord. Those gifts then accelerate our progression along the covenant path. Sometimes the very source of our burden becomes the vehicle by which we can have a better life. Because of the Savior, Jesus Christ, everything wrong and unfair deed will be made up. There is no stronger source of healing. He is the healing that comes with every trial if we are will to see Him there. Trusting in Him, and in Him promises will uncover blessings within the tragedy. 

#gatherinchrist
#HearHim
#burdenstoblessings





Motherhood, The Celestial Role Of Women Of God

 My journey to be a mom was filled with years of tears. I didn’t know then that the Lord was preparing me through these tender experiences to be sensitive and to expand motherhood’s sacred role in my soul. Before I entered what the world would see as the role of motherhood, I learned of my eternal identity. That in the eternities an exalted woman was a mother. I realize that I was already deepening and exercising the gifts and talents of motherhood as I loved my students, cared for and prepared my home to be a refuge from the world, supported friends, and served my neighbors. I found life could be fulfilling, even if I was never going to be able to bear my own children. I WAS HAPPY! I loved others that God placed in my life. As a single woman without children I learned motherhood was no longer an event, but part of my eternal character.

At age 36 I entered an eternal family whose Mother died of cancer. Each Mother’s Day was extremely tender and sometimes the saddest day of the year. I knew my family was aching for the mother they lost and while I desperately wanted to help ease that pain, only the Savior had the power to right that terrible loss in their hearts.

Now fast forward twelve years, and I can honestly say, of all the Mother’s Days I have experienced, this Mother’s Day was the best! My younger son and husband sacrificed a fathers and sons outing to help me prepare for a commercial shoot for my book and tend to our many chores on the farm. I would’ve never asked them to give up that fun activity since my son and husband have very little time for fun events. They sacrificed and worked hard to clean the house and help stage the several scenes that were recorded the next day. I worked two 16 hour days in a row, and that was not enough to be ready. Without their help I would have failed. They made the impossible task, possible. My husband even starred in the commercial…which is really not his thing. Then against all odds, my own parents came to be stars in the commercial and to wish me a happy Mother’s Day. I don’t remember the last time I got to spend Mother’s Day with my mom. It was lovely. 

Those two, my little son and husband didn’t stop there. They made me dinner on Mother’s Day and invited my friends to share the day with us. My husband didn’t just make dinner he washed two loads of dishes.😂 My older boys found ways to let me know that I was cared about and thought of. One day at a time Jesus has healed our family. As we wait upon Him for the time where all of our tears will be wiped away we can enjoy truly heavenly days.

My heart is tender for friends and family who wait upon the Lord for their righteous desires to be realized. I know the only one who can give us perspective and ease our pain is the Savior.  I am so thankful He is the answer to all our of problems. I know through Him we as women can embrace the sacred role of all women of God, that role is motherhood. The sooner we embrace our eternal identity as mothers, and seek to fulfill it in the Lord’s time and way, the happier we will be. I promise you gaining a celestial perspective is worth it.

Some Angels Wear Chaps

It was a light year for hay and life is crazy for everyone, so we knew we would be bringing in this load ourselves. The situation was not perfect. When is it ever though? My husband Guy had periodontal-surgery on Monday and worked an overflowing schedule this week due to an international seminar he is in charge of the following week. He is the muscle for our hay crew and admittedly he was tired. Please don’t think we are ungrateful and whining, only understand we are helpers…which means, for the most part, we are used to doing everything ourselves and then helping others. Don’t get me wrong either, we have been the beneficiaries of Christian service before and perhaps that’s what made us even more the “helpers”. We know how good it feels when your neighbor shows up, and to lend a helping hand, when your workload is just too much. 

Now back to the miracle of the day. We were on day two of hauling hay and admittedly we were moving a bit slower than the day before. My husband and I with our 10 year-old-son were content to bring in the load of hay this year. We had a sunny weather forecast for a week and we knew we could get it all in eventually. We enjoy the time together even though the work is hard. 

I like to farm because it gives me time to reflect and today I began to reflecting on a story that took place during the Spanish flu epidemic. Those were difficult times. My memory was a bit foggy with some details but I clearly remembered certain details. A man had cared for and lost half of his family to that Spanish Flu, yet he still needed to go out and harvest his sugar-beets. When he went to the fields to work, to his astonishment he found the men from his congregation already had done the work. He just sat down and cried. 

Though I never had a story like that in my life, I was pondering that life was starting to inch closer to it. Today, in a small gracious way, this story came back to me as I pondered how hard our life has been since the pandemic. Life had been stressful for us for years. To save you from boredom, I will keep the sharing of that stress to the past 7 years. When we came to this new area we had a lot of trouble building a house and setting up a medical clinic, but that was nothing compared to the stress that came to our family in the beginning of the pandemic of 2020. We contracted Covid, which was later medically confirmed, early on in the pandemic. We were sick before the shut-down and even before we knew what symptoms to look for. Since I had several autoimmune diseases, and I was physically weakened by a miscarriage, I was a sitting duck for this disease…There was no time to grieve my loss in a culturally normal way or really understand everything that had happened… It was during that same time and due to my weakened state, I fell ill pretty quick and became a covid-long-hauler. 

With that said, I was really lucky that I am married to one of the best Chinese Medicine Doctors in the West and he had herbal medicine and acupuncture that was effective in treatment against this unknown virus. He was able to care for me and keep me from hospitalization and dying. I instinctively kept my distance from people and after three weeks I wiped away my tears and and I went to work. I started back to my regular routine of managing my husband’s clinic and taking care of the farm. 

When the “shut- down” happened in the US and our kids were sent home for their schooling, it was hard for people. It was difficult for us too. There was no shut down for medical workers. We adjusted our clinic to the requirements of the State and local area to stay open, and we worked hard to keep our first responders, and parents with young families working and healthy during that time. We had a spare room at the clinic and so I would help my son with his school, run the clinic, and watched my home fall into a deteriorated state…since I had very little time to work on it.

It was at that time I was extended call serve in our local congregation. I was called serve and minister to the sisters in our congregation. I’d been prepared by the the spirit of the Lord, to know that this was going to be the case, so I immediately accepted the assignment when it was extended. I found that serving during this difficult time wasn’t a burden, it was a blessing. Serving the Lord as I served my fellow sisters gave me a way to channel my grief into something positive. I worked to serve others who were in distressing circumstances and I felt myself heal and change at the same time. Then three years later my assignment changed, but the burden of my responsibilities remained heavy. 

Now for what all this has to do with hauling hay. We weren’t just having a busy summer or a hard year…it has been hard for many years. So now maybe you can imagine what I might have felt when my angels in chaps showed up today. I was rolling bales of hay so they could be more easily picked up by the truck and trailer in the north end of the field, so I was the only one that could see when the help arrived. I couldn’t hold back the tears when our neighbors, who have enough to do with their farm and work, came to help us. I still can’t think about it without getting emotional. Those strong, service oriented neighbors made quick work of a job that would have taken us days to complete. 

As I pondered on the story of the harvested sugar beets I realized while I haven’t burried half my children and our crop, while important is not our livelihood…Yet I cannot express in words what it was like to see our unexpected help. I feel a peace and love that is better than anything entertainment can offer. I feel what is feels like to be rescued again and it is amazing and special. So remember that when your trying to escape the stress and pressure of your world you will be lifted to a higher state of living if you seek to lift the load of another. 

#gatherinchrist
#HearHim
#helpaneighborinneed
#justserve

Follow the Prophet

As I sat in church I looked around the room a familiar picture captured my attention. It was a picture of Noah and the final boarding of the animals. This time Noah’s worn face stood out to me.  I tried to fathom what it must of have been like to have all your people, save your own family, ignore the warnings you were inspired by God to give. I thought about how sad he must have been. I am positive he loved them and it was difficult to watch the consequences of their decisions end their mortal lives. 

Many people on the Earth today do not know that there are living prophets again.  It began with Joseph Smith in the 1800’s and there has been an unbroken chain of living prophet’s since. Today President Russell M. Nelson is the Lord’s prophet. He has taken opportunities to share the word of the Lord on numerous occasions. Those who have listened to and followed the inspired word of the Lord through him have been greatly rewarded with increased faith.

Along with my gospel studies I like to study people. I have watched and studied people and their responses to prophetic invitations for many years. I have noticed that as the prophet has been extending challenges that are socially difficult yet faith promoting, there has been a group of people that have risen to every challenge. I like to call this phenomenon the rising of the wise.  In saying the “rising of the wise” I reference the wise virgins that were in the familiar New Testament parable, “The Ten Virgins.” 

This parable is widely known among Christian’s but the Latter-day Saint perspective has modern insights from Prophets that helps us better understand the context of that parable for our day.  President Dallin H. Oaks taught in his talk “Preparation for the Second Coming”  in April 2004 that the virgins represented the members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He explained that 50% of the membership of the Church will not be ready for the Savior’s 2nd coming. In stating this he called this a “chilling statistic”. That is alarming to say the least. What I am amazed by are those dedicated saints that are willing to put politics, social status, and worldly positions behind to serve the Lord and follow the prophet. 

Of course with the “rising of the wise” we start to see division as well. To be perfectly honest I have felt divided in my own heart when I have had challenges extended that were really difficult to follow. This of course is a common feeling due the conditions of the Fall. We all have natural tendencies of the flesh that we must overcome through God’s grace. 

I once noticed the fight in me with a fairly simple challenge given by the Prophet to read The Book of Mormon by the end of the year. The challenge was simple enough but my life was extremely complicated. Even though my world seemed to be crashing down on me because I was struggling with my health, work and family responsibilities, I found the faith to trust in the prophet’s words and read The Book of Mormon. I wanted the blessings he promised. In following I chose to I ignored the justification, while still acknowledging the real fight within me, that I didn’t need to do it because I had already read The Book of Mormon several times before. I chose to obey with exactness. As was asked, I highlighted every time that the Lord’s name was mentioned. It was a good experience and as an unanticipated result I felt the desire to help gather scattered Israel grow within me. I became more courageous in sharing the gospel with others. My faith increased.

When the prophet encouraged us to get the vaccination I again had a wrestle within my heart. I am sad to say this challenge stayed a conflict in my heart much longer than any other challenge given by a prophet. I already had COVID-19 why did I need the shot? I erroneously thought it wouldn’t spare me anything. To be even more honest I was upset! All the counsel seemed to be “a day late and a dollar short” to help me. To make matters worse I was also getting conflicting recommendations from my Doctors. One Doctor sent out a form letter recommending that I get my shot and that it was a approved for my age group. I decided to take the recommendation seriously but my Specialist didn’t recommend that I get the vaccination due to my present health challenges and past medical history. 

At that moment, confusion and anger were reigning in my heart. I wanted to follow the prophet but my health would make this very difficult. Did I really have a legitimate excuse or was I falling into a trap and rejecting God’s blessing because of pride? Fortunately I knew anger and confusion was not from God. Clearly I was going to need inspiration to settle this problem. If I went against the specialist it wouldn’t the first time. In my single years I would choose to follow the spirit instead of well intentioned medical counsel. When I was in my early 30’s I was recommended to have a hysterectomy because of disease and I had a zero percent chance of having children. I chose to trust my patriarchal blessing which said otherwise and seek other methods of healing. Just as the Doctor predicted I did suffer for years, but the suffering motivated me to find alternatives that I didn’t know existed. I now have an awesome little boy who I love dearly and I still shock Doctors with my medical history and my miracle son. 

The letter from the First Presidency presented another faith building experience. I would again need to choose to put worldly wisdom aside and trust God. Thankfully my husband chose to follow the prompting he received from the spirit to get the shot first and his example helped to ease my concerns. My Specialist understood my dilemma completely and wisely allowed me the opportunity to choose for myself. I trusted in scriptural promises that I could take my questions to God and get my answer.

During that time I also had my faith nurtured as I saw faith-filled examples of my neighbors. I had spiritual impressions that softened my mind and heart. One such impression the spirit brought to mind was the children of Israel when they were asked to look at Moses’ staff. The story was graciously repeated over and over in my little world by faith-filled friends and leaders. It was a great illustration of what we were going through. Just imagine how strange it must’ve seemed to stare at an idol, which was not Christian worship. It was also an idol of what bit them. How ironic it must have seemed that they would need to look at an image of the very thing that bit them in order to get better. That story is definitely worth pondering about in context of what we are going through. Yet even with all of these tender workings of the spirit I was still uneasy. I knew I needed a confirmation from the spirit of the Lord. I do not take sound medical advice lightly.

In order to get the inspiration I also knew I needed I had to weed out the false assumptions I had made or accepted about the shot.  I would also need to work on my health challenges and not use them as an excuse, if I had a way to improve them. Through the grace of the Lord I did actually had a way to improve all of them. Unfortunately none of those solutions were quick easy fixes though. 

Most of the health challenges I had struggled with were part of Post-Covid syndrome. Since I had contracted the disease early on in the pandemic I was left to seek solutions that were on the cutting edge of science and most of the population in America didn’t know about them. Only through continued prayerful daily effort for more than a year did my health start to return…now I was faced with getting a shot before I was completely better. Would it put all my hard work into a tailspin? We actually didn’t know. 

I was also privileged to work in the healthcare system during this entire pandemic. I witness numerous cases of Post-Covid syndrome. All unique, but all devastatingly difficult. I also was aware that some groups of people would be medically unable to get the vaccine due to allergic reactions. I had seen allergic reactions to flu shots cause a recipient to have to learn to walk again. I had a sweet mother share her story of a child who almost died getting a normal vaccination. Their case was carefully recorded with the cdc and her daughter was actually medically exempt from getting the shot. Yet with all this information I was reminded of three boys who carried the Saints a crossed a frozen river and who all died later in their lives from the effects of this heroic act. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pXRRtjKRkvM Why did they do it? They did it to follow the prophet. They did it for the love of the people. They did it for the Savior. What mattered? Are we here to have a life filled with ease and luxury? Are we here to prove ourselves? For some the answer is to have the faith not to get the shot when it has been proven medically dangerous for them. For others it is to move forward and get the shot even if you don’t want to. For others it will be to make improvements to their health and make the requirements to get the shot. Whatever the spirit of the Lord says is right.

My healing experience had already given me plenty of knowledge about being on the cutting edge of science so the position wasn’t at all unfamiliar. Yet the moment came that all of my concerns and worries melted away when finally I weeded out the last lie about the vaccination I had accepted as truth.  In my heart all that was left was the desire to follow the prophet. I felt an increased appreciation for his faith and calling as a prophet as well as his wisdom as a medical Doctor. I more deeply understood the importance of his willingness to be vaccinated himself. That was enough for me to move forward with faith. As I was sharing my experience of having my thinking changed I felt a rush of that peace that comes only through the Holy Ghost. I didn’t have to move forward without a clear confirmation as was required of some of my close associates. I had received my promised confirmation.  

Within a few days I had my shot scheduled. I marveled that I had gone from never intending on getting the vaccination, since I had already contracted the disease and successfully fought it, to being submissive and getting it even with not understanding all the reasons why.

Like most people who get the vaccination I had uncomfortable side effects. I had my routine interrupted and faced the fury of the "anti-vaxers". Luckily for me I had great medical help through that process and I was able to overcome every side effect. As anticipated my experience with the shot was much more complicated than my healthier friends and family, but I had a confirmation that I was doing what was right and had proper help. Now I feel a great peace. Just as Nephi taught in the opening pages of The Book of Mormon if God gives a commandment he also gives a way to accomplish it. We also need to understand that just because God commands it doesn’t mean it will not be soul stretching. God loves soul-stretching experiences. Through the process we change and grow into the true version of our selves.

Now back to Noah. Just like in Noah’s day we have a choice to make. We can choose to ignore or misunderstand that there is a prophet on the earth today that speaks for God or we can find safety and peace in coming to know that truth and then follow him. I get that it is not always easy, but I am also secure in the knowledge that the Lord’s prophet is not allowed to lead God’s people astray. I feel that doctrinal truth in my heart and I have had it confirmed by the Spirit of God time and time again. I know that we can have personal confirmation that there is a Prophet on Earth again. We can also know by the spirit that a prophet is again speaking to men and that through following his prophetic counsel we can avoid many sorrows and tragedies in the last days. 

The vaccination is not the only issue that is causing people to leave the safety of prophetic counsel. Yet no matter which issue is a personal struggle for you the method to increase faith is the same. Our Heavenly Father understands our heartaches, our misunderstandings and the climate that we live in perfectly. He wants to hear from us in prayer about everything we’re worried about. Then he expects us to start listening to Him if we want things to improve in both ourselves and society. That’s why he’s given us a prophet, and scripture. The prophets and scripture declare His doctrine. Like the angels in heaven the Prophets only have the power of the spirit to do what God wants them to. Angels and Prophets must do God’s will. To think that they need to align their words to be politically correct, comfortable, or just not offensive to us would deny the purpose for their speaking. Jesus himself went to be baptized by John the Baptist because John had authority from God and Jesus said it was to fulfill all righteousness. Jesus didn’t have any sin therefore didn’t technically need to be baptized for the remission of sin. Yet Jesus was responsible to be baptized to fulfill a commandment and show the way to heaven. Should we really question “why?” when we’re asked to do something to show our faith and obedience? If Heavenly Father required the Savior to do it should we be surprised that He required a similar test of us? The nice thing is that we don’t have to do it alone and we have had others come before us to show us the way.

Some call this an Abrahamic test, as I was reminded this morning. Can you imagine being asked to give the only son you have left (since you already had to give your beloved Ishmael to the Lord’s keeping) and then have the faith to stop when the Angel came to tell you that you had to done what was required? You had to show your willingness. Abraham, Moses, Noah and the Savior were all dispensation fathers who had great things required of them. They also show that the Savior’s sacrifice in our behalf allows us to have a constant companion in Him, the spirit, and angels. With those heavenly beings He sends His enabling power to do whatever God needs us to do, and suffer whatever he needs us to suffer. 

It is my sincere desire to add my witness that Russell M. Nelson is the Prophet on the Earth today. I know there are solutions to all the world’s challenges because of Christ. Jesus is the way the truth and the life and is the solution to every problem. We need not be confused in life because we can know through prayer what to do. May God bless your hearts and minds through these difficult days with peace and God’s perfect love.