~by Melanie

I love to listen to men sing. This Sunday, I heard the best men’s choir ever. I was ironing my son’s white shirt and my husband was helping our boys, ages 4 and 7, get dressed for church. The three of them were singing “How Firm a Foundation” which is a Hymn that the children learned in Primary last year.

“How firm a foundation, ye Saints of the Lord,

Is laid for your faith in his excellent word!

What more can he say than to you he hath said,

Who unto the Savior, who unto the Savior,

Who unto the Savior for refuge have fled?

Fear not, I am with thee; oh, be not dismayed,

For I am thy God and will still give thee aid.

I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,

Upheld by my righteous, upheld by my righteous,

Upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand.”

(LDS Hymn #85)

It was sweet to listen to my husband teach my children through song the things that he and I both know: that if we have faith, we can turn to our Savior for refuge when times are tough. And times will be tough. I can’t even imagine the challenges and evils that will face our children as they grow into teenagers and adults. My husband and I hope that as they are young, we will be able to give them a “firm foundation” in the gospel.

We hope to send them out into the world with the knowledge that they are children of our Heavenly Father, who loves them and that even when times are hard or we make mistakes, He wants us to come to Him in prayer and He will comfort us. It is a huge responsibility that we have as parents and so we teach them often. We hold Family Home Evening, daily family scripture study and prayer. But just as important are those unplanned times, when they have questions or when we feel prompted by the spirit to share our testimonies with them about the gospel.

And sometimes the teaching simply comes when we’re getting ready for the church and a song pops into our heads.

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I love the hymns, If you look on LDS.org and search under the search term hymns, you’ll find that there are several references to the blessings and power of hymns. Here is one link that I particularly enjoyed from that search:
The Nourishing Power of Hymns by Elder Jay E. Jensen of the Seventy.

Once, I made it a goal to memorize my 25 most favorite hymns including all of the verses. And I did it. Then, I picked 25 more. And 25 more. Then I decided to memorize the first and last verses of 25 more. I love it. It’s a work in progress, but I have seen the blessings of this project numerous times.

Recently, my dear friend, Julie, had to travel far from home to Boston (Massachusetts) to bring her toddler son to a skilled surgeon for heart surgery. Last Sunday, as I was thinking of my friend and her son I was feeling very far away from the situation. I felt completely helpless. I knew my prayers would be heard and felt, but how could my prayers become answers to their needs without me physically being able to serve them in person?

The situation was weighing heavily on my mind as I went to Sacrament Meeting. Our closing hymn that day was Have I Done Any Good? The words in the second verse resonated in my mind and heart all afternoon.

There are chances for work all around just now,
Opportunities right in our way.
Do not let them pass by, saying “Sometime I’ll try,”
But go and do something TODAY. (emphasis added)

I knew I could do something right then. After church, I had my husband contact a previous co-worker of his who now lives in Boston. She quickly responded that she and several of her friends would be willing to take Julie anything she needed right to the hospital. Julie had mentioned in a blog update on her son’s progress a list of things she wished she had brought with her. These sisters in Boston were able to get everything Julie had mentioned along with a lot more thoughtful items they decided to add on their own. They delivered the care package in person and were able to give the attention and time that a UPS man couldn’t.

I was touched by their generosity of time and means and their willingness to help someone they didn’t know. When I asked for a paypal address to compensate them for the items they bought in my behalf, they refused and simply said, “Pass it on.” Many, many prayers were answered by the quick actions of these wonderful women.

Through this experience, I was once again reminded that we are the serving hands of the Lord here on earth. When our hearts are able and willing, mountains can be moved.

One of the scriptures that is mentioned at the bottom of the Hymn Have I Done Any Good? is James 1:22, 27:

Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only…

When I’ve found myself in a scary situations like driving home in a snow storm, or riding in a taxi with my baby in anaphylactic shock, or when I’ve been in need of an answer to a prayer and needed a reminder that I’m loved by my Heavenly Father, I’ve been able to recall the beautiful words of the Hymns. Through this hymn, Have I Done Any Good?, doors were opened, hearts were made available, and many people we blessed by serving.

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Watch the video and share your thoughts in the comments section.

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As I left the Missionary Training Center (MTC) to enter the missionary experience, I felt a strong sense of certainty that there was in front of me a vast sea of experiences to be had. I was anxious to share the gospel that I had been taught all of my life. With a renewed sense of urgency and confidence in my ability as a servant of the Lord, I embarked on my journey.

The first six weeks of my mission were spent in Sacramento, California. I had been called to Portugal, but was awaiting a visa before I could travel there. I distinctly remember the feelings I had as I arrived in my first area and met my companions. A sort of realization washed over me and I sensed that the days of dreaming about golden investigators, packages from home, and letters from a “waiting” boyfriend were now becoming a reality about which I was very uncertain. The feeling, as I can best describe it, is not unlike the feeling you get in the pit of your stomach when you are sitting in your seat on a ride at an amusement park and the bar suddenly locks into place.

About six weeks later, in my first area in Portugal, my companion and I walked along the busy streets of Lisbon, contacting people as they passed by. I had only been in Portugal a few days and had found that the Portuguese I had learned in the MTC differed vastly from the language the people were speaking. I felt insecure in my ability to both understand and communicate. I felt ineffective as a missionary as I easily became lost in conversations. As we walked home one rainy night after a particularly frustrating evening, I felt discouraged. I felt lonely and hoped I was not wasting the Lord’s time. I felt very far from my family and friends, far outside of my comfort zone, and afraid that I was not going to be up to this task.

It was in this rainy state of mind, when I heard in my head the words to a hymn:

“Fear not I am with thee, be not afraid for I am thy God and will still give thee aid” (“How Firm a Foundation,” Hymn #85).

That night I looked up the scripture in Isaiah 41:10,13, which reads:

Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.”

I was able to derive from these words the hope that I so critically needed. I felt that I did not have to rely only on my ability, but that Heavenly Father was watching over me and would help me. Whenever I hear that hymn I think of that rainy night and feel in my heart a warm confirmation from my Father who believes in me.

– by Alli

(Did you notice that you can listen to an MP3 recording of this hymn? Find more hymns here. You can download MP3s of music as well.)

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