They Brought Something More

One Sunday, after my daughter’s husband had undergone two surgeries for a brain tumor, her bishop came to visit him and brought two priests and a deacon from the ward to administer the sacrament to my daughter. While the priests prepared the area, I felt a strong spirit emanating from them.

When everyone was ready, the priests knelt and blessed the sacrament. The words of the sacrament prayers—coupled with the young men’s love and concern—were carried into my heart with such a strong and abiding love that I couldn’t help but weep.

Whenever I participate in the ordinance of the sacrament, I try to tune my heart to feel the Holy Ghost, but on this particular Sunday the feelings I felt were not a result of just my personal preparation. The strength of the Spirit I felt also had to do with the young men and their personal preparation. They brought something more than the sacrament to us.

I shared my experience with my daughter and found that she had had a similar spiritual experience. We told the young men that we knew that what we felt was a direct result of their faith, preparation, and love. They humbly received our gratitude and prepared to leave.

As they were leaving, I shook the bishop’s hand and thanked him for the sacrament and the spiritual experience that had blessed us. The bishop quietly told me that before they had entered, he reminded the young men that because of our circumstance, the veil would be thin and they needed to prepare themselves before they entered the home. He had suggested they pray together before going in. In the quiet of the car, they prayed for the Spirit to attend them as they carried out their priesthood duty.

The prayer they offered in the car allowed them to enter my daughter’s home prepared to do their priesthood duty. Their service blessed our family and strengthened my testimony, for which I will always be grateful.