I have attempted several times to write down my feelings about my experience singing in the choir for the General Relief Society Meeting. However, with each attempt, I have given up because my words are not enough to relate the profound feelings I have had during this experience.
When I was invited by my Bishop to sing in the choir, I was excited. I love singing in large choirs, and it was an opportunity I didn’t want to pass up, even though it required attending 2-hour practices every Sunday, a dress rehearsal at the Conference Center the Saturday prior to the conference, and spending all afternoon at the Conference Center on the day of the conference. As I said, I was very excited, but at the time, I didn’t realize the extent of what was in store for me.
At the first rehearsal, Sister Webb made it clear that, “It’s not about the singing.” She began by giving us a present (which she did at every subsequent rehearsal). It was a Hawaiian Chant. The message that she wanted us to remember from the chant was, “I am the precious adornment around the neck of my ancestors.” She encouraged us to remember that we are precious adornments, and act accordingly. Sister Webb taught us and shared many great insights as she talked about the words of the songs and about the experience we would have in this choir.
As Sister Webb spoke each week, I was filled with the spirit. Everything she shared seemed to be meant just for me. I was filled with joy and love at each and every practice. With her wit and her insightful words, she helped me evaluate my life and the way I interact with others, especially my family. She was able to inspire increased strength and a deeper spirituality within me. She promised us that we would probably have an increase in trials as we experienced being in this choir, and she challenged us to handle the trials with dignity and grace, and instead of asking, “Why me?” to say, “Oh—so this is what it’s going to look like…” She encouraged us to learn to be grateful for our trials—not after they are over, but in the midst of them. She helped us to understand that when we enter a room, we change it—either in a good way, or a bad way. She shared a quote from Brigham Young about letting “bad fruit” (complaints, gossip, etc.) drop from our trees without being said and freely sharing things that are good. She encouraged us to live the way the hymns we were singing suggest, focusing on phrases like, “I would be my brother’s keeper, I would learn the healer’s art,” and “No longer as strangers on earth need we roam.”
Not only were we blessed with Sister Webb’s words, but we were able to learn from each of the members of the General Relief Society Presidency and several members of the Relief Society Board. Sister Beck helped us to understand that she wanted sisters around the world to feel a sisterhood with us. Thus, she asked us to wear simple, modest white shirts and no jewelry. She said that wherever she goes in the world, sisters are living hard lives, but they are filled with joy in the gospel. They sing in choirs at the meetings Sister Beck attends, and they always dress in white shirts, even if the only white shirt they have is a t-shirt that is turned inside-out so the writing on the shirt won’t show. Sister Allred said that they hymns that had been chosen for the conference were hymns that are found in every hymn book in every country around the world. The talks at the conference are translated into different languages, but the hymns aren’t, so the Presidency wanted to choose hymns that are familiar, so the sisters would be able to know what the songs were saying and feel the message of the spirit as the songs were sung.
Even though this experience was much more than the singing, Sister Webb went to great lengths to make sure that we were portraying the messages of the songs with love “shooting from our eyes” and a pleasant expression on our faces. I noticed that as I sang with expression, making sure that I was trying to radiate love as I sang, I felt the spirit so deeply. When we sang in the Conference Center for the first time, with the huge sound of the organ there, and the voices of 350 women ringing in harmony, I was so overwhelmed with gratitude and love that I couldn’t refrain from weeping. The tears rolled down my face as we sang, “Hail Prince of Life and Peace, thrice welcomed to thy throne, while all the chosen race, their Lord and Savior own. The heathen nations bow the knee, and every tongue sounds praise to thee!” What an amazing and overwhelming experience.
I feel such gratitude that I was able to participate in this choir. I am not an amazing singer. Sometimes on the high notes, I sound terrible. I am sure there are many women much more qualified than I. Our ward choir director said that when the Bishop asked her to choose women to sing in this choir, he suggested she choose people who had been supportive of the ward choir. I had been to only 2 practices! I really feel that the tender mercies of the Lord are what allowed me to be a part of it. At the last practice, Sister Webb expressed that if anything she had said had touched us, it was because she had prayed to be the vessel, or conduit, for the Spirit of the Lord. I know that the Spirit conveyed much to me that I truly needed to hear at this time. Every part of the experience has inspired and uplifted me in deeper ways than I will ever be able to express, and in ways that I will never forget.
