Prompted to Play Bach

Saturday afternoon, we were serving in the Exposition on the Church next to the Pompidou center. I brought my violin again since it had doubled the number of visitors we had last week. it worked again.

everyone that passed turned their heads and read 'saints des dernier jours', 'jesus christ...' as they passed on. Many stopped to look at maps conveniently right outside the door where the music was coming from, to talk to noone on their phone, to smoke or to tie their shoes right outside of the door... i laughed a little... and still many came in.

A Chinese young woman left her number to learn about language classes and to be taught about the church. Another whom I taught about our beliefs was an Iranian/French who was teaching Economics of Religion and very supportive of our church and wanted to know all about why there is not yet a temple in France. The only flaw to the plan was someone asking how they could sign up for violin lessons... my greeny told him they were for free... :) sorry! but the most interesting visitor came when I stopped playing a poor wayfaring man of grief because of the slightest thought that I should play Bach. I recognized this as a prompting, so I started his first Partita for violin unaccopanied.

A man stopped and stared at me from the window for the first few lines. then he continued staring from the door. then he came in and sat down and continued listening. the second half was never as polished as the first half, but he still burst into applause at the end. I asked if he played the violin, and he said that he simply Loved music. I then played an arrangement of the Spirit of God full of open strings for him (improv on the spot) which he also loved but did not recognize. I told him how music had been such a gift from God, and most of what i'm playing are hymns in here. and how we give all Glory to Him...

He came over and asked about my life and what I had done with music. I told him of moving, of teachers and of praying to choose piano as a major. I told him of playing with orchestras and I bore testimony of giving up music to serve the Lord for 18 months. how my sacrifice was acceptable to God, and how he has let me continue to use it. He had tears in his eyes when he confessed that he was a head of violin from Verona, italy. he has taught violin for years. We both were touched by the testimonies that were shared and he told me to always thank God for the talent that I had. He wished me luck in the music world after the mission and bowed several times to me before he left. I told him I would praise my Creator until the end.

Even thought the experiences rack up--there are so many-- they are no less precious. to see the hand of the Lord, to bear witness of His Goodness, to have had his name taken upon myself in the Holy Temple, to have the fire of the covenants that I have made burn strongly within me, and to have had his image change our countenances... when we first walked into the funeral, the senior couple over the paris institute breathed a sigh of relief, joy, peace: you just glow, he said, you radiate for miles... to have our names engraved upon His palms. To be purified by his Holy Spirit, to do nothing that does not add to his Glory. to become his co-worker, to praise the Lord for ever.

i love you all, and special thanks to the Palo Alto Primary for providing my mail this month!!!

Sister Mariah Wilson