include 'VIOLIN' in every resume.

I often avoid revealing my whole resume in simple get-to-know-you conversations.

In fact, I sometimes hide whole sections of my life story in order not to --overwhelm someone.  

Well that sounds like a prideful pig!

But really, my accomplishments aren't really that great.  It's just some of the simplest questions are just ... complicated for me to answer. I don't want to sound like I'm trying to impress-- and sometimes I wish that some of my talents required getting to know me before they were uncovered.  whatever.

In fact, I never give the same grouping of instruments I play when I introduce myself.  And I give different answers for where I'm from too.  So, you might go away thinking that I'm a choir singer from Wisconsin, a harpist from Utah, or a collaborative pianist from Paris.  And... depending on how you react, where you're from, or how long we want to keep talking... I might flush out the whole story.  

Well, when I agreed to come visit a good friend in New England, I had no idea that her family were music lovers.  I had told them the basic conducting and piano emphases at school, but it took three days for me to uncover that I played the violin. 

at which point, my host says 'I think I have some violins you'd like to see.' And the hostess adds (apparently taking my word for my musical abilities) 'not just to see -- violins you should play!' 

I honestly thought that he was kidding around with me when he mentioned Stradivarius, but I should have been more trusting.  Of course I didn't sleep that night, thinking about the violins (okay, that wasn't the only reason...), but it was the next morning when we decided to take them out together.  

The first violin he handed me was the small a 1732 violin made by Giuseppe Guarneri Del Gesú, called 'Ferni.'  I slowly started to get used to it with slow scales, and any excerpt that came to mind, from Bach to Barber.  When I started to improvise on my favorite hymns, my host returned. 

This time the violin was made by Antonio Stradivarius in 1704, nicknamed the Gleni.  I had dreamed about touching a Strad most of my life... I never imagined I would one day play on one of his violins.  The power in the violin surprised me--I couldn't believe the G string sound, and the evenness between strings. The change onto the E string had a very clear darker even sonority that I had never heard before.  So out came Bartok, Wieniawski, Lalo and more Bach--I just couldn't get enough of it.   

Eventually the morning had wasted away and I had to leave, still smiling. What a gift!

... And I went away thinking it was such a lucky chance that I mentioned my love for the violin.  

But aren't blessings most often disguised as chances?

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

Concert in Normandy

exchanges this weekend took me to normandy, to CAEN.

it was especially a pleasure because sister Nicole Herway is an old friend from when we lived in Belgium who is just finishing up her mission there. She and her companion publicized and really talked up our coming for a concert for their little branch.

some of the other missionaries + members did piano pieces which were great to show off their little upright :) -- even a brahms rhapsody. then Sister Brough and i sang a nice arrangement of I Need Thee every Hour, and all the sisters sang my arrangement SSAA of Where Can I turn for Peace?

The spirit became palpable when I began to talk about the death of my grandmother, and my oppurtunity to play Meditation at her funeral. many were in tears when I played Massenet's famous Meditation from Thais. I also played the g minor sonata for unaccompanied violin and ended with a gypsy arrangement full of double stops, rhythm changes, and octaves of If You Could Hie to Kolob / Come thou Font. quite a change from the first time that Jane and I performed the first draft of this arrangement sophomore year of HIgh School.

the last one was by far the favorite of the evening. They stood up and clapped in unison for a while until the priesthood leader went up to the pulpit –I thought to say announce a closing prayer—but asked if there could be something more? … the other performers looked at me, and i don't have too much in my fingers on the violin right now… so I sat down to the piano, and played the showy Poulenc Italian Caprice. She plays the piano too!? Crazy.

It was so fun. the members begged me to come back to their branch--which I couldn't agree too--but I could agree to pray for them and continue in my gifts after my mission.

God was glorified through everyone who praised his name through music that night, and I was so touched to be a part of it. This tuesday marks 6 months on a mission... it is going by too fast!

love you all, soeur wilson