Yo sé

Yesterday was our Ward Conference and as many of you know my calling is, “La coordinadora de la programa de música del barrio.” Therefore, I was given the privilege of organizing and directing the Ward Choir for Ward Conference.

I experienced many roadblocks that I won’t go into right now. But if you ask my mom, my sister, my gramma or Karina, I was really stressing.

I decided to fast yesterday for nothing more that we could bring the spirit. I didn’t care if we messed up or if we only had five people. I just really wanted to at least serve the Lord by helping to bring the spirit into our meeting.

The strongest song that I had chosen was an arrangement of “I know that my Redeemer Lives.” The plan was to sing the first verse in English, the second in Spanish with women “oohs,” third with the choir and the fourth verse with the whole congregation. When I started to sing, even with all my nerves, I heard more than just my own voice. I know that God blessed me with the help of an angel.

But it was in the fourth verse that I really felt His presence.

The bishop had forgotten to announce that the congregation would be singing with us, so during the interlude I turned to the congregation, shouted out the page number and signaled for them to stand. I think I made it one line and suddenly my loud singing and obnoxiously large directing ceased. A few members of the congregation stopped with me, but probably for different reasons.

Anyone who knows me, knows that I do NOT like to cry in front of people. It’s just not something that I go around doing. I will fight back tears, bite my lip, fake a smile, whatever it takes, but don’t expect me to cry for you. Yet yesterday, in front of the whole congregation, in the middle of a musical number, I broke down. I didn’t rejoin until the last line in the chorus. And then I finished the number, shaking physically, but spiritually immoveable, “He Lives. Yo sé. Él vive.”

I ran to my seat without even seating the congregation or choir. Presidente Rogelio Osuna Ruiz got up to speak, and had trouble starting. He bore firm witness of his experience of gaining a testimony and his knowledge that the Savior lives. He referenced the scripture in Ether 12:6 “For ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith.”

This past week, these past two months and 10 days have been rather trying. But I have worked hard and pushed forward faithful. And yesterday, in front of the whole congregation, I received my witness.

Yo sé que vive mi Señor. I KNOW that my Redeemer lives.