Singing at the Hospital

On Sunday, ten of us went to go and visit Brother Johnson in the hospital. Since Brother Johnson loves music, we chose six songs that we were going to sing to him. As we began our first song, I Am a Child of God, an incredible spirit rushed into the hospital room. It was amazing. Each of us were touched deeply, especially Brother Johnson. He was overcome with emotion, and so were we. As we continued to sing, the same powerful feeling remained in that room. At times it was hard to even get the notes out because of the emotions that were felt. I have never heard a YW group sound so beautiful and angelic. It was almost as if the veil was extra thin and the angels were singing and testifying with us of the love of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

After we sang about five songs, Brother Johnson spoke up. He bore a powerful and heartfelt testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ. He told the girls "to never forget that it is true". Listening to a man at the end of his life, in a hospital bed, bearing such a powerful testimony, was a moment that I will never forget. The very last song that we sang to him was God Be With You Till We Meet Again. After the first line or two, Brother Johnson joined in and sang with us. I don't think there was a dry eye in the room. It is hard to even put into words the feelings and emotions in that room. But, I know that everyone else that was in that room felt the same feeling within their heart. A feeling of complete peace, happiness, and renewed faith and love for the gospel of Jesus Christ.

As we were leaving his room, a woman down the hallway requested that we go sing to her mother as well. We chose about four songs to sing to this lady. She was laying on her bed with her eyes closed. You could tell that she was in pain because of the look on her face, but as we began to sing, a calmness and peace settled over her face and it seemed that her entire body was relaxed as she listened to us sing. There were three other women in the room. As the daughter listened she had tears in her eyes as she kept her face down and gently stroked her mother's hair. The other two women listened intently with their eyes closed and their hearts open to the feelings of the Spirit. It was such a beautiful experience. The daughter hugged each of us afterwards and offered us chocolate. We were able to tell them of the church that we belonged to as we quietly left. Hopefully, these women will one day run into the Mormon missionaries. I have no doubt that when they do, they will remember what they felt in that hospital room.

Before we left, we sang to one last lady across the hallway. Her name was Mrs. B. She was a beautiful, old, and lively woman who was so grateful to hear our songs. We sang three songs to her and before we left we told her who we were and then we also gave her a pass along card. Marlie got really bold and even asked her if "she would be willing to listen to a brief presentation."

As we walked down the hallway to the elevator I felt so much love for these young women. They were the best missionaries I had ever seen. Their testimonies were shared in one of the most powerful ways, through music. Mallory put her arms around me and said what I think we were all feeling at that moment. She said, "Sister Mann, I want to do this every Sunday." I believe that this is what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. Feeling the spirit of missionary work and service is one of the sweetest experiences in mortality. As I drove home after dropping off young women, I felt so much gratitude in my heart. How grateful I am to be alive and healthy, to be a member of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and to be surrounded by some of the most beautiful spirits on earth. These girls are truly amazing. I hope they will always remember who they are and that just as Brother Johnson testified, that this gospel is true.