It was some what of a sad day yesterday for me. As I sat in church yesterday, huddled close to my little ones, I thought about how much I was going to miss church in the barn. Today was really cold. I had neglected to put coats on my children, however I did put them in long sleeves because I knew that it would be colder than we are use to. I was grateful that we could huddle together underneath baby blankets and could unite our souls together for one last day in the barn.
As the sacrament was passed, the reverence of the congregation was amazing. 652 faithful saints (our largest attendance this year, beating our traditionally large, 4th of July) had come to worship in the barn, to renew their covenants with their heavenly father, AND to freeze in the 45 degree weather of rain, snow, wind, and cold. They had come to feel of the spirit, the spirit that is equally as strong and felt in the barn. And they had come to have the "pioneer experience" that we have all been blessed with this summer. To sit in the outdoors, with roof over head and see the great forest as a back drop to the speakers, to have horses "neigh-ing" during the sacrament, cats brushing against your leg, dead mice under your feet, and toads jumping down the aisle is an incredibly AMAZING experience!
There was such a peace there today, as we closed out our barn experience. As the rain clouds parted enough to allow the sunlight through, the light illuminated a gentle rain that was falling behind the speakers. It was absolutely beautiful and enchanting, yet only lasted a few minutes. The acoustics for the hymns were fantastic. And as we sang "Put your shoulder to the wheel" you couldn't avoid the thought of the early pioneers and the hardships that they went through. I imagined that they must have had similar, but not so modern, sacrament meeting settings. I imagined how much more extreme their situations must have been. Though we thought it was cold and had huddled together for heat, I imagine the adverse circumstances in which they met. One of the missionaries, as he spoke, talked about the difficulty he was having in turning the pages of his scriptures because his hands were cold. Again, I reflected upon the hardships of those early saints, valiantly crossing the plains and mountains in the heart of winter, freezing, and yet their faith kept them perservering.
As the meeting closed, our bishop bore his testimony of our experience in relation to the pioneers. He bore witness that this church is true... no matter where you meet and no matter the circumstance. It is true everywhere you go and the spirit was there. A part of me is ready to go back to structure, warmth, and the convenience of meeting in the church, but another part of me is saddened to say good bye to the barn. I am grateful for the memory that my family will have to cherish for a lifetime, of the "summer of sacrament meeting in the barn". And to this... we humbly bid farewell!
(My father-in-law took pictures of our concluding day, and I will post them later, once I get them from him!)
As the sacrament was passed, the reverence of the congregation was amazing. 652 faithful saints (our largest attendance this year, beating our traditionally large, 4th of July) had come to worship in the barn, to renew their covenants with their heavenly father, AND to freeze in the 45 degree weather of rain, snow, wind, and cold. They had come to feel of the spirit, the spirit that is equally as strong and felt in the barn. And they had come to have the "pioneer experience" that we have all been blessed with this summer. To sit in the outdoors, with roof over head and see the great forest as a back drop to the speakers, to have horses "neigh-ing" during the sacrament, cats brushing against your leg, dead mice under your feet, and toads jumping down the aisle is an incredibly AMAZING experience!
There was such a peace there today, as we closed out our barn experience. As the rain clouds parted enough to allow the sunlight through, the light illuminated a gentle rain that was falling behind the speakers. It was absolutely beautiful and enchanting, yet only lasted a few minutes. The acoustics for the hymns were fantastic. And as we sang "Put your shoulder to the wheel" you couldn't avoid the thought of the early pioneers and the hardships that they went through. I imagined that they must have had similar, but not so modern, sacrament meeting settings. I imagined how much more extreme their situations must have been. Though we thought it was cold and had huddled together for heat, I imagine the adverse circumstances in which they met. One of the missionaries, as he spoke, talked about the difficulty he was having in turning the pages of his scriptures because his hands were cold. Again, I reflected upon the hardships of those early saints, valiantly crossing the plains and mountains in the heart of winter, freezing, and yet their faith kept them perservering.
As the meeting closed, our bishop bore his testimony of our experience in relation to the pioneers. He bore witness that this church is true... no matter where you meet and no matter the circumstance. It is true everywhere you go and the spirit was there. A part of me is ready to go back to structure, warmth, and the convenience of meeting in the church, but another part of me is saddened to say good bye to the barn. I am grateful for the memory that my family will have to cherish for a lifetime, of the "summer of sacrament meeting in the barn". And to this... we humbly bid farewell!
(My father-in-law took pictures of our concluding day, and I will post them later, once I get them from him!)
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