Bring On Thanksgiving Day~

Today was our dear sister Marilyn's furneral. Last night her viewing was held. As we mingled among family there was such a sweet spirit in the room. Perhaps Marilyn was there along with others family members who have passed away. It was at least comforting to think about that.  My husband"s brother Bruce and his wife Anita had brought a picture of a bronze statue. It depected a woman bent over with age and walking with a cane going to the veil and as she passed through the veil, her spirit body was as a young woman being welcomed by Christ. This I know in my heart is what happened to Marilyn when she was welcomed into the world of the spirit. I know that her parents and sister were there to greet her.
There's nothing like a death to bring family together and there was pure love in the room last night. Today I am pausing  with a thankful heart for Marilyn, a wonderful sister and friend and for all of our family that were gathered together today and for those who were not present.

I think that Thanksgiving is a great time to reflect on our many blessings. Pres. Thomas S. Monson stated in a conference address in 1992: "This is a wonderful time to be living here on earth. Our opportunities are limitless. While there are some things wrong in the world today, there are many things right, such as teachers who teach, ministers who minister, marriages that make it, parents who sacrifice, and friends who help. We can lift ourselves, and others as well, when we refuse to remain in the realm of negative thought and cultivate within our hearts an attitude of gratitude. If ingratitude be numbered among the serious sins, then gratitude takes it's place among the noblest of virtures." He further stated:
"A popular refrain from the 1940s captured the thought:
Accentuate the positive;
Elimate the negative.
Latch on to the affirmative;
Don't mess with Mr. In-between.
This is good advice then. Good advice now."
Here is his Gratitude list: ( everything is quotations is from his message: "An Attitude of
Gratitude from CR. 1992.)
"First, there is gratitude for our mothers-"
My mother was such an example of service. I look back on all of the things that she did for our family and now feel sad that I didn't appreciate her more for her selfless efforts in my behalf. I miss her and wish I could just pick up the phone and talk with her. Thanks for all our special mothers who sacrifice so much for us all.

"Second,  let us reflect gratitude for our fathers-
Father, like Mother, is ever willing to sacrifice his own comfort for that of his children."
 I had a father who loved me so much. I was his only little girl and he was such a treasure in my life. I have a valiant husband who loves his children and grandchildren and is such a kind and loving Patriarch of our posterity.

"Third, let us have gratitude for our friends-
 "Our most cherished friend is our partner in marriage. This old world would be so much better off today if kindness and deference were daily a reflection of our gratitude for wife, for husband."
I am eternally grateful for the righteous husband and father of my children. My dear husband  is my eternal friend. I also have many dear friendships with family and friends that I treasure. I have had many friends through the years that have had a deep impact on my life.Friends are such a blessing in our lives.

"Fourth, May we acknowledge gratitude of our country the land of our birth."
We are living in the Promised Land.

Fifth, deep gratitude for the scriptures-

The Articles Of Faith of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ~

8 We believe the ^aBible to be the ^bword of God as far as it is translated ^ccorrectly; we also believe the ^dBook of Mormon to be the word of God.

I taught seminary for 4 years and I was very apprehensive about teaching the lessons on the Bible. It just seemed like it was a very large book. I had never read it from front to back; but had read parts of it through the years. I soon fell in love with this wonderful book of scriptures. The stories were exciting to teach and had so much revelance for our day. Who would not love teaching about Adam and Eve, Moses and the ten commandments, David and Goliath, Daniel in the Lions den, the poetry of the Pslams, and the wisdom of Proverbs. We do believe in the Bible as far as it is translated correctly. 

I also had the opportunity to teach the Book of Mormon in seminary. There is a spirit about that book that is so sweet. Reading of the coming of the Savior to the America's is such a profound additional testament of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

 One can not read the pages of 3 Nephi without sheding tears and feeling the testimony and love that the Savior had for these ancient people and for us today. This Book  is a record of the people who lived in the promised land of America in 600 BC through 421 AD.

It was written for us today. I have found countless answers to many questions through the writings of these ancient prophets. I know this book to be true.

"Sixth, and finally - even supremely -let us reflect gratitude for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. His glorious gospel provides answers to life's greatest questions: Where did we come from? Why ar we here? Where does my spirit go when I die? His called misionaries bring to those who live in darkness the light of divine truth. He taught us how to pray. He taughts us how to live. He taught us how to die. His life is a legacy of love. The sick he healed; the downtrodden He lifted; the sinner He Saved.....Let us follow Him, Let us emulate His example. Let us obey His word. By so doing, we give to Him the divine gift of gratitude."

I have such a grateful heart  for the testimony that I have that we have a Living Prophet today, Pres. Thomas S. Monson. We have the scriptures to learn of our Savior,Jesus Christ. How I love the Savior and am so grateful for his atoning sacrifice for us all. I know that the Book of Mormon is true. I am thankful for temples that dot the earth. I know that my husband and I are eternal companions. We have made a covenant and have been sealed together forever in the temple. I know that if we keep those covenants we can have an eternal marriage. I know that we can be a forever family.
I count my blessings everyday. I recognize the tender mercies of the Lord in my life.

Wishing all of my dear family and friends a Happy Thanksgiving day of joy and rejoicing in the many blessings that abound.

A Tribute To Our Sister Marilyn~

Marilyn Nyal

Last evening my dear husband received a telephone call telling us that his sister, Marilyn  had passed away. Of course there were many tears. We loved her so much. I have many favorite memories of this dear sister of ours. My first meeting with Don and Marilyn was when I began dating my sweet husband. At that time their daughter Kelly Jayne was 18 months old. I remember she was always dressed in the cutest of clothes and you just wanted to hold and hug her. Marilyn loved children and has been a wonderful mother and grandmother. 
I treasured my times  with Marilyn. I didn't have any sisters so Marilyn and Gloria were my sisters too. I loved visiting their home. Don and Marilyn's homes was always so beautifully decorated and there was always a warm, inviting, cozy feeling within the home. Through the years Don and Marilyn not only remodeled their homes; but even built one.
Roger has many memories of times with Don and Marilyn. They spent a good deal of time helping their parents re-do areas of their home. Roger remembers helping with wallpapering and painting. He also loved to help them decorate their Christmas trees. Don decorated Christmas trees at Z.C.M.I. and often times he would have Roger help him. Don often took Roger fishing; which was so much fun.
Roger said one of his favorite memories was around Christmas time his mother took him to Don and Marilyn's where they spent the evening making Christmas cookies and plum pudding. He loved those outings.
One endearing memory was when I first met the family; his sisters call him Sammy. This was a nickname that Marilyn had given him. Through the years that is what they have called him. I think it was so sweet and I love his nickname of Sammy.

Don and Marilyn
Together Forever ~

Don and Marilyn had three lovely and beautiful children, two daughters, Kelly Jayne and Kathryn Anne and a son, Patrick James. Two of the children served honorable missions and have all been faithful members of the church.

Kelly Jayne

Patrick, Heidi and family

Katie

Marilyn loved being a mother and homemaker. Her children were raised with a love for the arts and music.  Her husband Don has been a caring and loving husband through the years. I know that when she wasn't able to get out very much; she would enjoy Don taking her for drives.
Marilyn served in many callings in the church.Later on she was called to be the Relief Society President. At that time she didn't drive; so either Don would take her to the visits or she would walk over to help someone in need. She was a dedicated member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Marilyn was a beautiful faithful daughter of God and last night I could just picture her meeting with her parents and now being free from the limitations of her body. We will miss knowing that she is here; but have deep faith that we will see her again.

Our Birth is but a sleep and a forgetting:

The Soul that rises with us, our life's star,

Hath had elsewhere its setting.

And cometh from afar;

Not in entire forgetfulness,

And not in utter Nakedness,

But trailing clouds of glory do we come

From God, who is our home:

- Williams Wordsworth

When mourning the loss of our departed family or friends, I cannot help but think that in every death there is a birth; the spirit leaves the body dead to us, and passes to the other side of the veil alive to that great and noble company that are also working for the accomplishment of the purpose of God, in the redemption and salvation of a fallen world.
-  Wilford Woodruff

Spiritual Gifts~

The Article of Faith for The Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

7. We believe in the ^agift of ^btongues, ^cprophecy, ^drevelation, ^evisions, ^fhealing, ^ginterpretation of tongues, and so forth.

In the book the "Articles of Faith" by James E. Talmage he states: "The gifts here spoken of are essentially endowments of power and authority, through which the purposes of God are accomplished.....By such the sick are healed, malignant influences overcome, spirit of darkness subdued; the saints, humble and weak, proclaim their testimonies and otherwise utter praises unto God in new and strange tongues vigorated by the Heavenly touch of spiritual vision and dreams to see and comprehend things ordinarily withheld from mortal senses; direct communication with the fountain of all wisdom is established, and the revelations of the divine are obtained.These gifts have been promised of the Lord unto those who believe in His name, and are to follow obedience to the requirements of the Gospel".

Joseph Smith taught "....seek ye earnestly the best gifts, always remembering for what they are given. For verily I say unto you, they are given for the benefit of those who love me and keep all of my commandments, and him that seeketh so to do; that all may be benefited..." (D&C 46:8,9).

The Gift of Tongues -

 Two of my children served Spanish Speaking Missions for our church. Both of them told me how amazed they were that they could speak and understand the Spanish language after just a  few months on their missions. Our daughter served in Aruba and had to learn a different dilect called Papiamento which she was able to do quickly. Thousands of missionaries each year learn languages that are spoken throughout the world. They testify that they have been aided through the spirit to be able to interpret and to speak the languages of the areas they are assigned too.There are many stories of moments when the words that needed to be said would come to their minds in the language of those they were speaking too.

The gift of Prophecy  -

Again in the book " Articles of Faith" by James E. Talmage,he stated the following:

To prophesy is to receive and declare the word of God, and the statement of His will to the people."
In Amos 3: 7 it states that: "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets". The Prophets through the ages had the Gift of Prophecy. We believe that the Prophet and Apostles of our day prophesy and bare testimony of those things that we as a people need to know for our times.  Again, Elder Talmage stated: " The Church today constitutes a body of witnesses....one of the great gifts of God."

The Gift of Revelation -

I believe with all my heart that our Prophet and Apostles of this day receive revelation for our church. Modern day revelations come to us through the General Conferences that are held twice per year. At these conferences we hear the Prophet and other general authorities give messages that contain the Lord's will for us. Elder James E.Talmage gave the following thoughts: "The words of him who speaks by revelation in it's highest degree are not his own; they are the words of God Himself; the mortal mouthpiece is but the trusted conveyor of these Heavenly messages".

The Gift of Visions and Dreams -

Visions come through the waking senses whereas dreams are given during sleep. In both the Bible and The New Testament we find stories of those who have had visions and or dreams. Here are a few of those who received these gifts. Moses and the burning bush; Jacob, Job, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Habakkuk and Zechariah received this gift. During the dispensation of Christ the following are examples such as the birth of John  the Baptist was foretold to his father. Joseph, betrothed to the Virgin, received a visit from an angel. Warnings and instructions were given to Joseph in dreams to care for the welfare of the Holy Child.The Wise men from the East were also warned in dreams. Saul, Peter, and John were also given visions. Dreams with special import were given to Pharaoh, Nebuchadnezzar and others. In our day various Prophets have spoken of dreams and visions. Joseph Smith's First Vision was the beginning of the Restoration of the Gospel. Others such as Joseph F. Smith received the vision of the Spirit world as found in D&C 138  .  Many individuals have received warnings through dreams and have been recorded in various books and I am sure many more have them recorded in their journals. I myself have had some very important dreams concerning my own family.

The Gift of Healing -

I believe in the gift of healing and have been healed many times through priesthood blessings. Here are a few of those experiences on being healed. I received a priesthood blessing and was healed of a disease called Sarcoidosis. I had a tumor under my clavicle bone and  after our family fasted, prayed and I received a priesthood blessing the tumor could not be found on the repeat x-ray.

My husband  had a heart attack when he was 45 years old. After receiving a priesthood blessing; it was found that he had minimal damage. Later on he had fluid on the lung the became like jelly and it look like he would need a procedure called a lung peel. We fasted as a family and he had a blessing given by our home teacher and on the repeat x-ray the jelly like fluids were gone.The physician said it was a miracle. We have our little granddaughter Averi who is a walking miracle today. 

There are many more examples within our family; so I can bare testimony that we have been healed of many afflictions. I know that the gift of healing is a wonderful gift from a kind Heavenly Father.

My favorite scriptures on Gifts of the Spirit are in Moroni 10: 8-18.
 Here is verse 8: "And again, I exhort you, my brethren, that ye deny not the ^agifts of God, for they are many; and they come from the same God. And there are ^bdifferent ways that these gifts are administered; but it is the same God who worketh in all; and they are given by the manifestations of the ^cSpirit of God unto men, to profit them.
I believe in the 7th Article of Faith.

A Thankful Heart For Family ~

Our Family began in June of 1967 when I was married to my dear husband Roger for Time and all Eternity in the Salt Lake Temple.

Children Are An Heritage From The Lord~

A year later we were blessed with our first baby boy in June of 1968. We named him

 Sean David.

Our second dear son was born in May of 1970, we named him

Travis McCall.

Four years later we were blessed with another baby boy in June of 1974 and we named him

James Christian

18 months later we were blessed with our first baby girl in December of 1975; we named her Christina Louise.

18 months later we were  blessed with a sweet baby girl  in June of 1977 and we named her Jenni-Marie.

Our caboose a baby girl was born 22 months later in April of 1979 and we named her

Tiffani Leigh.

We have been deeply blessed by a kind Father in Heaven with wonderful children.

Our six  children have all been married in the temple to outstanding 
sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father.
Our family tree has expanded to

31 children and 2 Great Grandchildren.

The Roger and LeAnn Williams Family 2010

Our newest little grandson - Layton Pierre

Our First Great Grand daughter - Jadyn

Our 2nd Great Granddaughter Lilly LeAnn

We have been richly blessed with children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Children are an heritage from the Lord

Psalms 127:5

"Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them....

Our Family Motto is "No Empty Chairs In The Celestial Kingdom".

Our Families are our greatest treasure and I am deeply grateful for mine!

I was invited to share a post on faith at  one of my favorite blogs @
 The More the Merrier -
A week of Faith posts by the following:


Sunday - Julie from Hesses Madhouse
Monday - Becca from Confessions of a SAHM
Tuesday - Tristan from Our Busy Homeschool
Wednesday - Leann from Living Waters
Thursday - Monserrat from Chocolate on My Cranium
Friday - Me, Alida from Living Somewhere over the Rainbow Drop by and enjoy some great thoughts on Faith ~

"Follow The Prophet" ~

            The Articles of Faith of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

6. We believe in the same ^aorganization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles, ^bprophets, ^cpastors, ^dteachers, ^eevangelists, and so forth.

 believe that we have a living prophet today, President Thomas S. Monson.

 I believe that he is the prophet to the world. I believe that we have twelve apostles that are called to go throughout the world just as the Apostles of old and teach and preach of Christ.

As stated in the book, "Preach My Gospel" a guide to missionary service the following are thoughts about prophets: "The Church of Jesus Christ is built on the foundation of apostles and prophets.

In Ephesians 2: 19-20:

19 Now therefore ye are no more ^astrangers and foreigners, but ^bfellowcitizens with the ^csaints, and of the ^dhousehold of God;

20 And are built upon the foundation of the ^aapostles and ^bprophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief ^ccorner stone;
In Ephesians 4: 11-14:
11And he ^agave some, ^bapostles; and some, ^cprophets; and some, ^devangelists; and some, ^epastors and ^fteachers;
12 For the ^aperfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the ^bedifying of the body of Christ:

13 Till we all come in the ^aunity of the faith, and of the ^bknowledge of the Son of God, unto a ^cperfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

14 That we henceforth be no more ^achildren, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of ^bdoctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

These leaders have divine priesthood authority. Through revelation they direct the affairs of the Church. They maintain doctrinal purity, authorize the administration of ordinances, and call and confer upon others the priesthood authority".

We believe in the great Apostasy and the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ through the early day Prophet Joseph Smith. Here is his testimony as found in Joseph Smith History.

I believe that all can find their own testimony of each of the Articles of Faith and of Prophets, Apostles and the Book of Mormon.  In the The Book of Mormon- Another Testament of Christ the following challenge is given:

 Moroni 10: 3-5:

3 Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how ^amerciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ^bponder it in your ^chearts.

4 And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ^aask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not ^btrue; and if ye shall ask with a ^csincere heart, with ^dreal intent, having ^efaith in Christ, he will ^fmanifest the ^gtruth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.

5 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may ^aknow the ^btruth of all things.

I know that the Book of Mormon is true because I have followed this challenge and prayed about it and received the confirmation through the spirit that it is true You too can read this book; pray about it and you will receive the testimony that it is true. Here is The Book of Mormon.

These scriptures are true. For those who desire to know if there is a Prophet and Apostles on the earth today they can read and pray for that confirmation.I have read and study the lives of our Prophets and many of the Apostles. I have prayed and received a confirmation in the depth of my soul that we do have a Prophet and Apostles today.

My husband and I were married in the Salt Lake Temple by the Apostle Ezra Taft Benson who later became the Prophet for our Church. He loved America and served in the Cabinet  as Secretary of Agriculture.  Two years after our marriage we made an appointment and visited with him again. We loved him and he was a wonderful prophet. Through the years we have had opportunities to shake the hands of other Prophets and Apostles of the church. Our Prophet President Gordan B. Hinckley spoke at my Father in Laws funeral. My children had the privilege of singing at the feet of the prophet that day. This was a sweet moment in our lives.

Twice a year we have the privilege of listening to our Prophet and Apostles in conferences. We believe that the messages given by these great men are for our day and are added scriptures to study along with the Bible, Book of Mormon and other writings.

My dear husband had the opportunity to be a Bishop of a ward. A Bishop is like a pastor in other faiths. However, this is not a paid position. Bishops give many hours of service to their ward members.This was a wonderful opportunity for him to serve.
Take the challenge to study the Book of Mormon, read about Modern day Prophets and Apostles and then ask God if what we believe is true!

We Thank Thee O' God For A Prophet ~

                                                       http://www.aholyexperience.com/

http://womenlivingwell.org/

A Grateful Heart For Dear Friends ~

November always seems to be a good month to count our blessings. I know that I have numerous blessings that I am so grateful for. During this month I will be sharing a few posts from  my grateful heart.
One of the things that I have always had deep appreciation for is friends. We have lived in three different states and nine cities. Wherever we have lived we have left behind some very wonderful friendships. Many of our friends are people we will communicate with and see on at least a limited basis. Some of those friends I feel are eternal friends. Perhaps we even knew each other in the Pre-existence and promised to find each other in this life. I have had those strong feelings with various friends. It's a connection that it hard to explain. I have bonded with them quickly and even though we don't communicate often; when we do it is as if we had never been a part. I didn't have that the blessing of a sister; so in many ways they have fulfilled that desire. I treasure the relationships that I have with my dearest friends. Three of these friends are Toni, Barbara and Tammy. Two live in Washington and the other here. I at least get to see Toni on a more regular basis. I can tell these three sisters anything and they will still love me for who I am.
There have been a few experiences where I have ran into a lost friend that I haven't seen for years. I have had a couple of those moments. I was at the temple one day doing some temple work and I could hear the voice of another sister and I knew who it was. She was a very choice friend and when we were through with our work; we just hug one another with tears of gratefulness to have been able to see each other again. Over the last couple of years I have found two friends on facebook that I knew 30 years ago while living in California. It has been so much fun to get updates on their lives.
I am still searching for one other friend that I haven't see for many years.  We moved back to Utah 6 years ago and I have reconnected with one friend from Nursing school and several friends from High School. Two of my High School friends I found in the temple. At a High school reunions,I have reconnected with high school friends. We try to go to lunch together at least quarterly. What I can say about these friends is that they are forever friends. It is so fun to be with them at a lunch and we have so much to share and talk about. We are a good support group for each other.
Always I have found great friends through the years in the wards I have belonged too. I have some very deep and sweet relationships with many of these friends.
I have a very unique group of friends that I have made on the Internet through blogging. This has been so sweet for me. As I have developed this blog; I have gained many friendships with the ladies that I follow. Just recently I had the wonderful opportunity to go to lunch with one of my blogger friends. I am going to share with you how we met through blogging and how we came to meet one another in person. 
When I first started to blog. I had a very dear friend who is also my Daughter in Laws mother.

LeAnn and Barbara

 I started following Barb's Blog and noticed a few of her blog followers and decided to read their blogs. Two that I loved are Marmee's Pantry  and The Farmer's Daughter. Then I found Marie at A Year At Oak Cottage. One day she asked  her friends to pray for a very dear lady named Lura who had just been in a bad accident and was critically injured. At the time Lura had a  blog called Grammy's News . Her daughter was keeping her followers  advised as to her condition. For some reason I just felt like I wanted to get to know her. As she got better and returned home we started to follow each others blogs. She is such an inspiration to me.

Lura and I at lunch

 She had such faith while going through the accident. After a few months she was feeling somewhat better when she had another frightful diagnosis that required surgery. I was praying for her and was so happy no cancer was found. It was so scary for her. In October her husband brought her back to Utah to visit her children and we connected for lunch. To me she is a forever friend and it was like we knew each other before and we bonded quickly. Recently in her blog she told about her accident and her testimony of her recovery through her deep faith; be sure and read that one.  
There are a number of other blogger that I love and care about and have enjoyed getting to know them through their blogs. I have learned so much from so many bloggers. I love reading their testimonies of our Savior Jesus Christ. These woman share their souls and  my own testimony of faith and of the Savior has increased. Most of all I have grown to love them all. I love to read about their day, their trials, triumphs and joys. I love learning about their families, jobs and activities. So I just want all of my friends and blogging friends to know that I love you all very much. Thanks you for all of your sweet comments on my posts. Thank you for sharing your heart on your own blogs. Thanks for lifting my soul, inspiring me and helping me to grow. Thanks you for sharing your testimony, thoughts, poetry and just life experiences. You have blessed my life in so many ways.
Blessings to you all and know that you are greatly loved by me.
Here are just a few of the blogs that I follow and I will add more to this list each week this month for those of you who might want to look in on their blogs.
Sue's New's and Views - You must visit her blog. She is a fantastic writer and has written books and I love her poetry.
Just Rambling -  Like quilting and other fun projects visit her site.
Singing Granny - Paints and does photography; but mostly I admire her for going back to school.
The More The Merrier -This is a favorite of mine. I love reading her life experiences with her sweet family. For the next several days she is having guests who are writing about Faith - Join in on this one.
Grandma Robbin's Nest - Grandma Robbins is in her early 80's and I love her wisdom and everyday experiences. She is way fun!
Ok, next week I will share some more.

The Baptisms - The Callings~

Take A Moment and Read This Great Story on 1st Baptism in Uvira RDCongo
This Is Very Sweet; A Must Read!
By Emily W. Jensen, For the Deseret News

http://grammyandpapafrogley.blogspot.com/2011/10/all-of-heaven-was-smiling.html

The Articles of Faith of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

5. We believe that a man must be called by God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands of those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.

Every member who is called to a position in our church are lay members and do not receive any money for their service. When we are issued a calling to serve in our church we believe that the calling comes from God through inspiration to those who have prayed and asked our Heavenly Father who should do this particular assignment.

When we receive a call we are set apart in this position by the laying on of hands by those who have the priesthood authority over us. We receive a blessing associated with that calling.
Sister Coleen K. Medlove, Primary General President stated the following:

"Some may think people are called to a position in the Church because they have perfected talents and abilities that suit them for the calling. I am learning that perhaps we are sometimes called because we need to develop specific talents and attributes. The Lord knows us, and He knows which callings or opportunities will help us grow to spiritual maturity."

"A call to serve is an invitation from Heavenly Father for greater spiritual growth. It is a call to overcome fear with faith and to learn greater humility as we accept the Lord’s will. The call can bring the peace and joy of eternal progression. It is an opportunity to be part of the miracle and wonder of this great cause and kingdom that is sweeping over the earth, blessing the lives of people wherever it reaches."

Here are some scriptures on callings:

Called of God: Luke 6:13; John 15:16; Heb. 5:4
The laying on of hands: Acts 6:5–6; 1 Tim. 4:14; Alma 6:1
The proper authority: Acts 14:23; Alma 49:30; D&C 42:11

Through the years I have received many opportunities to serve in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I have felt the spirit testify to me at the time of the calling that I was suppose to do this assignment. I have felt unqualified to serve in positions and wondered how I could do what was ask of me. Through faith in the Savior and much prayer I have been able to serve to the best of my abilities.
I have had the sweet opportunity to serve in leadership positions where I have had to go to Our Heavenly Father in prayer to choose other women to serve with me in a Presidency. One time I had a list in my mind of several women's names that I felt would be good to serve in this presidency. I had fasted and prayed and gone to the temple. While there I prayed to know who the Lord wanted in these postions. I knew right away who should be the Secretary and 1st counselor; but I couldn't figure out who the 2nd Counselor should be. I continued in prayer and then the name came to me and it was clear who I was to have in that position. Her name had not been on my list of women because she was serving in another area. I felt such joy and peace when my decision was made. I knew beyond doubt that these were the women that should serve. I gave these names to our Bishop and he too felt through the spirit that these were the right names.
 After these dear sisters were called and sustain by the Ward Membership; we received our setting apart blessings.The spirit was so wonderful in that room  as we were set apart by the laying on of hands and then given blessings to aide each of us in the positions we were called to.
I have a strong testimony of the Fifth Article of Faith. I know that our callings come from God through the Spirit of the Holy Ghost. Right now my husband and I are called to serve a part-time Inner City Mission. We know that this is where our Heavenly Father wants us to serve at this time. It has been a sweet experience to serve these humble brothers and sisters in our assigned ward area.

If you want to learn more read here:  Called of God by Prophecy  by President Boyd K. Packer