December 16, 2013
Hello!!!! This week has been crazy!! We have had so much to do with the choir it has been insane!! Apparently everyone likes missionaries singing! It is a blast and I love it so much!
So we had practice Wednesday and Thursday, and then the choir was double booked, so they had to split the choir! We sang at 2 events Friday, 2 events Saturday and 3 events Sunday!!!!! I had to go to a ward Christmas party with 40 other choir members and I conducted 2 of the 5 songs. Sister H, the other assistant director, conducted the other three. We sang really well, and we had a solo and a string ensemble! So cool!! We have such a talented mission, and I am so grateful to President for letting us utilize our talents for the work! Then on Saturday, we sang at this live nativity and other displays. It was nice, but I kind of just felt like background music and entertainment, so the Spirit was not as strong as it could have been. Sunday, there was a ward that wanted just an octet to sing for them. I sung in that, and we sang "Softly and Tenderly." It is a beautiful song, and the Spirit was really strong. That whole sacrament meeting was all about missionary work so that was awesome:) Then, after our church, we sang in the San Clemente YSA ward sacrament meeting. THAT was powerful!! We (just the choir) sang the opening hymn, which was "Angels We Have Heard on High" with an added 4th verse. We took the 1st verse of Jesus Once of Humble Birth and put it in. It was really powerful! Then, after the sacrament was passed and the meeting started, there was a recent convert that spoke about how he joined the church. Then we sang Come Thou Fount, which I believe is one of our best songs that we perform! It was so good! Then another convert spoke and we sang Softly and Tenderly. It is such a beautiful hymn about how Jesus is Calling all of us sinners to come home. Then the Bishop spoke and it was really powerful. He talked about how the members are the powerful ones. You are the ones that make the difference. If they know someone who is Mormon, they will be a little more interested! Share your testimony through your example and through your conversations! For the closing, we sang God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen and Go Ye Messengers of Glory. I think that is one of my favorite songs, like ever!! It is to the tune of Israel Israel God is Calling, and the words are so powerful because it is about spreading the gospel to the world! I love it so much! It is inspiring!! Our final performance yesterday was at an interfaith concert at the San Clemente Stake Center. There were a lot of people there that are not of our faith, but really appreciate music and singing about the birth of Jesus. Our choir did a "flash mob" They weren't expecting us to come in right away, and one elder stood up in the audience and sang the first line of Joy To the World, and then 3 other elders joined, and then 4 sisters joined, and then on the refrain, the rest of the choir came in from the back of the chapel! It was soo cool!!! We then sang Far Far Away on Judea's Plains, which was really good. Then we sang our version of Angels We Have Heard on High, and it was really powerful. There were people in tears! It was amazing!! Then, at the end of the concert, they had the entire congregation join and sing the Hallelujah chorus. Handel was crazy!!!!!!!!!! Those notes are so high!!! But it was REALLY fun to sing it and hit those notes:) I love being able to sing about the Savior at this time of Year. There is nothing quite like it.
How are you spreading the Christmas Cheer this season?
I love you all! Save some snow for me! It is weird to be in December and not have any snow... At all.... I miss it, but I love the ocean too:)
Keep being amazing! And Keep the Spirit of Christmas with you always!
Love
Sister Kayla Haws:)
