Sister Patti Tippetts
Primary Music Leader
Several thousand years ago, Prophets had been telling of the birth of Jesus Christ throughout the Bible. They predicted many events that would happen both before and when the precious baby was born. There were also Prophets here in America, about 7,000 miles away, that were prophesying of the events of the birth of the Savior as well. The people in this part of the world were also able to know when baby Jesus was born because of the Prophets. All of the things the Prophets spoke of came to pass and prophecy was fulfilled.
We know that when our Heavenly Father speaks through a Prophet, he is speaking the truth. Often it takes many years to see the fruition of those prophecies, and occasionally it happens quicker.
Many years ago, pioneers were sent south from Salt Lake to settle a new area right here in St George, Washington and other communities. They had to build everything from the ground up---Homes, barns, churches, stores, streets, and fields to plant food, and even ditches to carry water where they needed it to go.
They worked tirelessly to make their new home a beautiful city. But in 1899 they had been suffering from drought for a few years. There was no rain for a very long time. The ground got hard and barren, and the rivers, streams, and reservoirs began to dry up. They couldn’t feed or water their horses and cattle, and they were having a hard time feeding themselves! The situation became desperate.
At the same time, the church was suffering great financial burdens and had fallen into tremendous debt.
The Prophet Lorenzo Snow felt prompted to tell the Saints of St George that if they would pay their full, honest tithes they would be blessed with rain and the church would find a solution to its indebtedness. They also shared this same promise with the other cities in Utah. The Saints believed and listened to the Prophet. The drought continued for some months, but finally the windows of heaven were opened, and not only did the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints begin to recover from the financial predicament, but the land was blessed with an abundance of rain. The Saints were grateful, and they were learning that when a Prophet speaks from God, those things will come to pass.
The Saints had to all work together and strengthen each others’ faith. When we all work together as disciples of Christ to accomplish what Heavenly Father wants, we are strong enough to do it. If only a few Saints in this story would have followed the Prophet, they may not have seen the promised blessings. We are stronger disciples together than alone.
We can learn to trust the Prophet and follow his instructions for us knowing that they come from our loving Heavenly Father.
With General Conference coming up very soon, I hope you all consider ways you can more closely follow the Prophet’s words for us.
I love you all very much!
Sis Tippetts
Here are some more songs you could practice:
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