The following transcript is intended to aid in your study. However, while we try to go through the transcript, our transcripts are primarily computer-generated and often contain errors. Please forgive the transcripts’ imperfections.

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Segment 1

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We all need help, like every single one of us. Am I right? In fact, none of us can even do any of this on our own. So who do we turn to? Like, how can we find answers to questions that truly perplex us? How do we get revelation? Well, back in the April 2018 general conference, President Nelson gave us some really great advice and a challenge.

He said, "Stretch beyond your current spiritual ability to receive personal revelation." Well, how do you do that? Well, this week's study of Ruth and 1 Samuel 1-7 is going to help us do exactly that, and hopefully help us understand how to receive revelation for all of the yuck that we're in. Welcome to the Sunday on Monday Study Group, a Deseret bookshelf Plus original, brought to you by LDS Living, where we take the Come, Follow Me lesson for the week and we really dig into our scriptures together.

I'm your host, Tammy Uzelac Hall. Now, if you're new to our study group, you're gonna wanna follow our link in our description, and it's going to explain how you can best use this podcast to enhance your Come, Follow Me study, just like my longtime listening friend, Heather Nelson, who I met at BYU Women's Conference.

Heather, it was so cool to meet you. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Now, another awesome thing about study group, and it's my favorite thing, each week we're joined by two of my friends. And so ladies, could not be more thrilled, 'cause I love these two women so much. Okay. We have Holly Howarth and Becky Farley.

Hello. Hello. Hi, Tam. Hi, everyone. Okay, I'm gonna call Holly... Holly's Holly, but Becky is Farley, so I don't ever call her Becky. So we got Farley- Mm-hmm ... and Holly. Ladies. Oh, thank you for being here. The three of us together. Here we are. The- And, and we don't have a Mahjong table in front of us. We have our scriptures.

Hey, listen. And let us be clear. We were playing Mahjong before it was cool to play Mahjong. You bet. We've been doing it for a long time. We were that- Farley and I have been playing for 20 years, we figured. Yeah, decades. Yeah, for a long time. We- Do we know the rules? No, we don't. No. And we still don't play right or follow the rules.

No. No, no, no. We don't play right. No. Oh. But I love us nonetheless. But listen, hey, everyone, Becky has a very fancy Mahjong table. I do. Oh, yeah. I do. Mm-hmm. I got it for a steal. It's the, it's the kind that actually- Mm-hmm ... shuffles your tiles for you- Yep ... with magnets. Yeah. That's how it does it, and then they pop up.

It's like a, it's like a- You can watch it on electronic YouTube ... electric... It's, it's an electric table. It's the coolest. I can't play it any other way, 'cause then we didn't have your table one time. We were at Holly's house and we had to set up our own tiles, and I was like, "Geez." This is exhausting. Yeah, you guys were a little bit complaining that day about that.

Oh, you bet we were. My fingers got sore. But I actually liked it 'cause the other one- Yeah ... we had you could cheat more. It had... It was easier to read and tell. Anyway. Yes. Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. It's true. The little ones. The letters were obviously um- The little ones had the numbers that, that... Yeah. The one set that has no American numbers.

Yeah. Anyway. Well, I'm just so glad you guys agreed to be on this episode because- Listen, I'm gonna hold my emotion until we get into later into this episode. But without crying too much, I did say to the two of them, "I'm gonna need you to carry me on this one because I'm taking my daughter to the MTC."

Listen- We're ready to carry you, Tam Farley has been saying nothing but that today. "I can't wait to carry Tam and you today." Thank you. Thank you. Well, you know, Hol, you've got a boot on, so you shouldn't be carrying anybody- Right, right ... ever since you hurt your, your ankle. Yeah. A stress fracture, Tam. Stress fracture.

Stress fracture. Stress fracture. Yes, yes. Okay. Yeah. Well, for those of you that wanna know more about my friends, and you read their bios and see their pictures of their cute faces, you're gonna wanna find our show notes, which are found at ldsliving.com/sundayonmonday. So grab your scriptures and grab something to mark them with, and let's dig into Ruth and 1 Samuel.

Okay. Ladies, first things first, just tell me what the Holy Ghost taught you as you prepared and read for this episode. Uh, I'll go first, 'cause I think Holly wants me to. Start carrying us. I, I... I'll ca- I'll carry them both. Yeah. Good night. Okay. So I learned the meaning of family. Mm. Mm. That was what really came through for me, is how important family is.

And I feel like it's a, it's a lost... We're losing it. We're losing it. Mm. That, you know, you take care of the people that you're with, even if they're not exactly what you expected. Mm-hmm. You take care of them. So the other thing I also learned is in that meaning of family, just the whole story of the kinsmen, which I know you're gonna get into, Tam- Mm-hmm

later on, but that the Lord never leaves us, ever. And that even though your situation may look so much different than what you thought- Mm-hmm ... and it might be completely different than what you planned, but he will always be there to take care of you. Mm. That's powerful. And he was there for Ruth and Naomi, 100%.

Yeah. But they didn't see it until a little bit later on, and they just held on. And I think that that's hopefully what we're gonna talk a little bit about today, is having that- Hannah and Ruth ... faith. And, and Hannah. I love all of that, Farley. Beautiful connections. Wow, that's powerful. Hang on. Okay. Thank you.

What about you, Holly? Well, as we know, the Spirit comforts, teaches, and sometimes it reprimands. And so that's what the Spirit taught me, and I'm not even trying to be funny. I kind of felt like after all the reading I did, the stories and reading the talk, that- I, I could be better. Mm-hmm. Because I want these answers to my prayers.

I want these things, and yet I'm not really willing to put the work in, the effort all the time. For example, um, and we get to it later, but what we need to be doing, President Nelson tells us, so that we can feel the spirit more, and one of 'em is daily reading in the Book of Mormon. Hmm. And how I work was, like, in December I said, "Oh, I, I'm gonna give the Savior the greatest gift.

I'm gonna read the Book of Mormon from the December 1st till December 24th. You know, and that's what I'm giving him for his birthday." And that was so good, and I did it. Mm-hmm. And there it sat. Now we're May. June, July, you still haven't done it yet. And I'm like- Okay ... well, I, well, I already did it. Yeah. Th- that's what my mind thinks.

I already did it. One and done. You know what? Yeah. That's interesting because so often we take something that should be a practice- Yes ... like scripture reading- Mm-hmm ... and we make it into a performance. Like- Yes. Thank you ... I'm gonna read from December 1st to December 24th. Woo-hoo. Good for you. No, it's not a performance.

It's a practice. That's exactly what the Spirit taught me, Becky, that exact thing. There it is. Thank you for articulating it. Practice versus performance. Is that it is- Ooh, yeah ... every day because I need that spirit that I'm promised it will bring into my life. Mm-hmm. And I've had so many experiences that why do I keep forgetting?

Why do I keep forgetting that I need it every day? Yeah. Not just my performance, but every day. And so there were a lot of things while I was reading all of these things, the faith of these women and their courage, their integrity. A- a, you know, everything that they had, I was like, "Yeah, I, I don't think I would do that."

Well, 'cause I'm not being prepa- I'm not preparing myself for it. Hmm. So that's what the Spirit- Wow ... taught me. Wow. Okay. Good one, Hall. That is a very good one. I just learned something new. I love that, practice versus performance. I could do better. And then hang on. Yep. Okay. Thank you, ladies. Great things that the Spirit taught you.

Look at that. Feeling the spirit and we're only 10 minutes in. This is so... This is gonna be a great day. I'm really excited for this discussion, actually. Only 10 minutes in. 10 minutes in. Okay. So in the next segment then we're gonna dive into the story of Ruth, and I asked these two women to read it and then tell me one or two lessons they learned from the story of Ruth.

It is a familiar story, but I think you might be able to teach us something. I think. Just kidding, I know you will. I love it so much. We'll do that next.

Segment 2

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Here we go. Let's turn to the Book of Ruth. It is a familiar story, and I love it so much, but there is a lot in here to unpack. So just start with me, and here we go. We'll start with Holly, and then we'll go in at Becky. What did the story of Ruth teach you? What did you learn? Well, having four sons, I am hoping they marry great women like Ruth.

Yeah, you want a Ruth, for sure. I really couldn't help but put myself in that situation. And, like, am I that good of a mother-in-law? And, oh, she's so good. And I, uh, the part where she says, "Go back to your mother's," this struck me really hard. "Return to thy mother's house," and it's in verse eight. Uh, "The Lord deal kindly with you."

And I just pictured my mother-in-law saying that to me, and I'd be like, "All right, see you later." I need my mom. Yeah. I'm out of here. You were great. But I need- 'Cause my husband just died and I'm grieving. Yeah. And, and so I need to go to my mom. But you can come with me if you want. That's what I would say.

Mm-hmm. 'Cause I love her dearly. Like, "Come, come with me. My mom's so nice, too. She'll take care of you, too." Mm. But just, I just, oh my goodness, her goodness, her faith, and her love. Mm-hmm. Her love for her sweet mother-in-law. I just, I just loved that. And then in verse 16, when she says, and I highlighted this, when she tells her, "I will go," and she said, "For whither thou goest, I will go.

And where thou lodgest, I will lodge. Thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God. Where thy diest, I will die, and there will I be buried." Oh, so beautiful. Mm. So beautiful. That is a beautiful verse. I love how you pointed out she said they could go back to their mother's house. Mm-hmm. That is such an intimate gesture.

Not to- Yeah ... go back to the land of your inheritance, not to go back to the land of your family, but to put ... I've never noticed that, Holly. That is beautiful. Oh, yeah. Of course she would want to go to her mom. Yes. They were freezing, and they were hungry. Yes. And they had to provide for themselves, and they had no way to do that other than to go back to their family, to the dad, who could provide for them.

And usually it's always father. Mm-hmm. Go back to your father's- Yeah ... your father's land of inheritance. But that mother struck me- Yeah ... when I read it, like, okay, Mommy. Oh, that's beautiful. I love that. That's neat. I love that. Me too. Well, I loved all of those things that Holly said, um- I read it more looking at Naomi- Mm-hmm

more than, I mean, I've always read it from the perspective of Ruth, but for this, for some reason I really saw who Naomi was. Mm-hmm. First off, what Holly said, her relationship with her daughter-in-laws was amazing. This was an incredible woman that took what she had and did the best she absolutely could and made her life better because of it.

The thing that really affected me was at the very end in chapter 4, it's when Boaz and Ruth have, have gotten married and now Ruth has a son. And in verse 14 of chapter 4 it says, "And the women said unto Naomi, 'Blessed be the Lord, which hath not left thee this day without a kinsman, that his name may be famous in Israel.'

15, And he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life, and a nourisher of thine own old age: for thy daughter in law, which loveth thee, which is better to thee than seven sons, hath born him.' And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse unto it. And the women her neighbors gave it a name, saying, 'There is a son born to Naomi.'

And they called his name Obed: he is the father of Jesse, and the father of David." And I'm really close to my neighbors. In a lot of ways they are, uh, very much like my family. I've raised my kids with them. I've, you know, we've seen each other through hard times. And I just love that in the scriptures, in the Old Testament, there is this, this example of your neighbors- Mm-hmm

being the ones that are there for you. I mean, you think about if something bad, you know, a tree falls on your house or, or you know, you get robbed or whatever. Who's there? Your neighbors. Your neighbors are there. And I just love that these women are her, like, they see her life. They witness her life, and they're able to say, "Look, your daughter-in-law is better to you than seven sons."

Yeah. She's given you everything. She's given you a kinsman, a savior to help you in your old age, and they're the ones that witness it. Mm. And how cool in verse 17 what the women do. This is only, this is such a rare occasion. They named, they named the baby. They gave him a name Isn't that amazing? I love it.

That is so rare for any ... First of all, it's very rare for a woman to name a child. Mostly that was a man's job. But then for the women to name it, the women, the neighbors got together, and they're like, "What's the best name we could give this little boy?" And they name him Obed, which comes from the Hebrew word that means servant or serving one.

Aw. And so some people wonder, are they naming it after what Ruth did for Naomi as a servant and serving one? Oh. Mm. Probably. Isn't that beautiful? Love that. I love that so much. So when it says there that Naomi had a son- Mm-hmm ... she didn't give her the son to raise. She's just, they're saying it's also hers because they're now family.

No, she became her, she became his gammy. That's, that's what I see. I just see- Yeah ... she is his gammy. Well, she nurtured him. She became, she's his nana. So I'll tell you what the word nurse in Hebrew means. Yeah, what does that mean, Tam? This is so fun. Okay. Hold on, I need my old lady glasses. Sure, get them on.

Okay. We all got them. All right. So it's the Hebrew word aman, which means to bring up, to be faithful, to support, to be reliable. And then I just wrote, a wonderful grandma. Yes. Yeah, she'll bring up. She'll be faithful. She'll support. She's reliable. She's wonderful. Those are the words that the word nurse means in that context.

Best grandma ever. Well, I also think that because they're all part of this king kinsmen, like being adopted into it- Yep ... 'cause it says it's her son, although there's no relation, they are related. Right. 'Cause she was adopted into it, right? Yep. So it's her son. Look at you using kinsmen wording, Holly. Nice.

Right? Right? Someone came to my women's conference talk. You bet I did. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. That's what I love about Naomi- Yeah ... is that she just understood relationships. Yep. All through it. She just gets it. She gets it. And she makes people her, their, her own. And I just really want to emulate la- that. Mm-hmm.

Like, I want to make people my own, even if they're not necessarily my blood, you know, whatever, my neighbors, my whoever. I want to make them mine. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Bring them into my tent. Ooh, I think that's beautiful. We're, we're, just so everyone knows, we're real sad we're not talking about Ruth for an entire week, because we could.

It's such- Yeah ... a good story that we have to cover it here really quick in three segments. So go and read the story of Ruth, and w- I would love to know what your lesson is from Ruth. Like, that's my question for the week. What does Ruth teach you? Yeah. Because there's so many great things that you could learn, and I want to know.

I want to know everyone listening, like, what did you learn from the story of Ruth? I'm genuinely interested. Me too. Yeah. Me three. Okay. Because here's what we're gonna do in the next segment. I'm gonna share with you what I learned from the story of Ruth, and it's a word that we've kind of already talked about.

It's gonna be really fun now to apply it to the story of Ruth, 'cause I think this is what the story is about. Could be wrong, 'cause it's about a lot of things, but I do love this one Hebrew word. I'll tell you what it is in the next segment.

Segment 3

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So I did say that Holly came to my women's conference talk. So Holly, this is your time to shine, okay? Ooh, shine a way. Okay. I'm shining. Shine a way. This is where you're gonna carry me. Um, anything you can remember from my talk, 'cause this is really what I talked about, was this Hebrew word that I love so much, and it is everywhere in the Book of Ruth.

It's everywhere, which is so fun when you learn it. So let me give you a little bit of background about why you wanna know what this word is. So first of all, first things first, um, one of the ways I started my BYU Women's Conference talk was by saying, "What do you belong to that requires a membership?"

Now, I put memberships up on the wall of the memberships that we have and I said, "Everyone raise your hand if you have one of these memberships." And I had, like, Sam's Club, Costco, AAA- Netflix ... Netflix, A- AARP for old people. Which I do. You know, when you turn 50 you get that in the mail. Um, oh, a gym. And I had people keep their hands up if they had memberships to all of them.

I think only one person had a membership to all of the things I had up there. I had all but one, s- and it wasn't the gym. I said, "I'm not paying to work out, but I'll pay to eat." So I had a Costco and a Sam's Club. But the whole point was to say, okay, membership has its privileges, and that's what's really interesting about this whole idea of there's this membership group in the Old Testament, that if you belong to this group, it has its privileges.

In fact, did you remember that commercial I showed? Oh, absolutely I did. Membership has its privileges. Is that what you just- Yes ... said that? Yeah. I showed that little clip. I didn't see it, but yeah. Yeah, you weren't there, but you, you would've loved this. So I showed that little clip about the husband- I was there in spirit

y- yes, you were. Um, the husband who couldn't make it home for his daughter's play 'cause his flight got canceled, and so he pulls out his American Express card and the lady's like, "I have one flight available in first class," and he's like, "I'll take it." And he buys the first class ticket. And then he lands- Wow

and he gets a private chauffeur, and then he gets cash, and then he makes it on time, and he sits next to his wife, and he's like, "Which one is she?" And the mom says, "Oh, she's the third flower on the left." You know, and, and it was basically like, you know, membership has its privileges when you, you can make it to all your family events.

Boy, the '80s were terrible, weren't they? 'Cause I would love, I would love a parody where the wife goes, "First class?" Like, what were you thinking? She doesn't even have a line in it. Yeah. She's gonna be in so many more plays. You could have waited till tomorrow, but no, membership have its privileges. Oh- The privilege of debt

he just showed his card. The privilege of debt. And that's why he got the private driver. Yes. That's exactly what happened. He's waiting out in the rain, but he flashed his card, his American Express. Line. Guy's like, "Oh- Oh ... you can come with me." It was so funny. It was so funny. Okay, so here's the whole idea, though.

This idea of membership has its privileges because the Old Testament is rooted in this idea that if you belong to this group, you have some of the best membership privileges of all time, and this group is your family or your tribe that you belong to. And within that family or tribe, and Becky, you so beautifully used this word, it has a kinsman, and the kinsman is this volunteer, totally volunteer job.

He steps forward and says, "As a volunteer, I will take care of everybody in this family or in this tribe. And if you belong to this tribe, here are some of the privileges you get." They're going to uphold your total overall welfare. They're gonna pay your debts. You're gonna get interest-free loans. How cool is that?

You're gonna- they're gonna fight your battles. They're going to avenge the blood of a wrongful death. They're gonna redeem property sold because you were poor. Like, they're gonna go back and get your watch that you sold at the pawn shop because you know what? You didn't have any money, and now we can afford that.

So it's very awesome how in Old Testament time if you belong to a tribe or a family with a kinsman, they would take care of you. Holly, how do you get into this tribe or this family? Well, you can be born into it. Nice. Excellent. Or you can ask to be in it. Yes. You can be adopted in through marriage. You can be adopted in.

Mm-hmm. Which I wouldn't mind being adopted. If I have a family now, can I be adopted into someone else's as well? I need all those things right now. Membership has its privileges, Holly. Yeah, yeah. I could use an interest-free loan. I'm not even kidding. That is so awesome. If anyone wants to adopt me and adhere those things, give me a call.

Mm-hmm. Yes. So I love that. I love that. So that, that is what the kinsman does, this volunteer person who's going to help you. So let's look at the word kinsman. Everyone turn to Ruth 2:1, and it says, "And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband's, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech, and his name was Boaz."

So Naomi's like, "There's a volunteer kinsman in my family line. Maybe he'll take us in. Maybe he'll provide for us, and he can do all these wonderful things for us." So that's kind of where this story lies is we need a kinsman who's gonna help us out. So go throughout the entire story of Ruth, and you're gonna want to highlight the word kinsman because here's what it means.

In Hebrew, it is the Hebrew word goel, and you s- you spell that G-O with an apostrophe E-L. And what the word goel literally means is redeemer, a kinsman redeemer. And so then I love so much, Farley, that you read Ruth chapter 4 verse 14. Because if the Book of Ruth, while we do love the story, if it's really about our savior Jesus Christ, and we are all Ruth or Naomi's, then you go to verse 14, "And the women said unto Naomi, 'Blessed be the Lord, which hath not left thee this day without a redeemer, that his name may be famous in Israel.'"

Mm-hmm. That's talking about Jesus Christ right there. So here's my question for you then, because we know the story of Ruth, we've shared things that we liked about it, now we're focusing on the theme, which is a redeemer, a kinsman, that now the savior becomes our goel, and he's going to offer us all the things that you get by being part of this group or this family.

He's going to pay our debts, right? He's going to get us out of trouble. He's going to uphold our overall welfare. And so I asked you guys to think about this question as you prepared for this discussion: When has there been a time in your life where you felt like the savior was your kinsman? A time where he helped you, where you could go to him and say, "Listen, I'm gonna need a, I, I'm gonna need a kinsman right now."

When has there not been a time that's more the question for me. Um, I can remember so many times in raising kids where I just didn't have the answer. I didn't know what to do. I didn't know how I was gonna make it. And to just want someone to take it. And he- Hmm ... he takes it as a kinsman would. Takes on my debt, takes on my mistakes, takes on all of the dumb things that I did in raising my kids.

You know, maybe, I mean, I still have some doubts and, oh gosh, maybe I should have done this better or should have done that better. But gosh, Jesus will take it on for me. Mm. That's a great application. I like that. That you can go to the, the man of the tent and just say, "Listen, I can't do this on my own."

And he's like, "Great, you don't have to. That's why I'm here." Yeah. I'm there for you. Mm. I like that. Yeah. Share with me your thoughts, Holly. Well, mine mainly is, uh, I've had to learn to let go and let him do his job as my kinsman. Oh. Right? Wow. Rather than trying to control every situation and want to be in charge of everything, and remember, no, I h- I have a savior, and he's in charge.

And he's got it, and he can see the end where I can't. Mm-hmm. And he can see all the little miracles along the way that he's planting and things that I can't see, but he can. And sometimes it's really hard to do that, to- Wow ... give up the power and allow him to take over or, um, yeah, we, we think we... I, okay, I'll just put it in my perspective.

I think I know better. Like, yeah, but you don't really know. You, you, you don't really know this. And actually, he does really know that. Yeah. So that's, for me, one of the greatest things. I, I, I w- I think I was telling you, Tam, the other day, which helps me think about the Savior that way is many years ago, about, I don't know, 25 years ago, we had a speaker come and talk about the Savior and what it might have been like in Gethsemane.

And he said time absolutely stood still. Mm. He said He didn't just say, "And forgive everybody for all the sins they do." Amen. He said He took every single one of our names, wrote it down- Mm ... Holly Howard, and laid it on the altar and said, "This is everything." And he felt every single bit of all my heartache, and that's how He knows, otherwise He wouldn't know.

But because He said, "This is for Holly, and this is for her sadness, her anger, her heartache, her pain, all her sins," and then He was there another day. Mm-hmm. And then- So it's like, so when I think of it that way, when I picture- Mm ... Him kneeling there and writing my name down and then I think, "Yeah, He does know everything.

He does know my heart. He felt it all." Yeah. And, uh- Not just writing your name, but engraving your name. Yes. Mm. You're right. He engraved- Beautiful, Becky ... my name. Wow. Anyway. I love that, Holly. Well, and- Yeah ... here's what I think is so powerful what you just taught us, Holly, is that in this kinsman, kinship relationship in the Old Testament, you would never, you would never say to the kinsman, "Let me take over.

Listen, I, I, I know how to do this way better than you." Like- Right ... you would be kicked out. You would never do that. The, in fact, in order to even get to be part of this group, if you're not born into this family, you have to enter into an oath and a covenant- With the head kinsman that you are willing to uphold his decisions, that you are willing to support him and follow him for the rest of your life, and in return he will protect you, uphold your overall welfare, all the things you read at the beginning, because that's the covenant that you've made.

And so I love how you just said that, Holly. Like, could you imagine, like, how many times I, I... And I'm thinking of my own life, how many times I go to the Lord and I'm like, "Listen, I know I've made a covenant and I promised all these things, but I really think I could do this better. In fact- Yeah ... here's my plan.

I've written it down, I've thought about it, I prayed about it." And I love how the Lord's like, "Yeah, that's not how this works." But He's so nice to me. He doesn't. He listens to me. Yeah. And then He's like, "Oh, boy. All right. Well, it's, it's actually gonna play out like this. I'm gonna need you to get to that point where you're gonna let me do my work."

It's, it's- Love that, Holly ... totally. It's, it's kind of like, Tam, if we invite somebody over for dinner. Yes. And we've worked really hard on making this beautiful dinner, and our guests come in, they're so lovely at first and so appreciative, and then they're like, "Well, that was okay, but I, I make my roast a little better than yours."

"Next time you should probably follow my recipe." Right? "And your cake wasn't as good. I've had it better, and maybe you should try my recipe. I've got a few- Mm-hmm ... suggestions for you." And, um, we do that all the time with the kinsman- All the time ... with our go well. Oh. That's like my go-to. Yeah. But then to think of this idea of going to the temple, because that's what's so cool is that during ancient Old Testament times, and even today in Bedouin tribes, if you're fleeing for your life and you need a new tribe, you need somebody to protect you, you can run up to the tent door, and according to Hugh Nibley, he says you could cry out, "Ana daki luka," which means I am thy suppliant, meaning help me.

"Look, I need your help right now. There's nobody else who can help me. I don't know what to do." And so you run up to the tent door, you call out that wording, and then the lord of the tent, the kinsman, walks up to the tent door and he has, he can do two things. Number one, he can turn you away and say, "I can't feed one more mouth."

Kind of like in the story of Ruth. Mm-hmm. When they said, "Listen, Naomi, there's somebody who's even closer, a kinsman who's closer than Boaz. Let's go see if he'll take care of you first." And he was like, "Yeah, I can't take on any more." So you see that in the story line. The other thing he can do then is if he's going to take you in, he takes the hem of his robe, he lifts it up, he wraps it around the shoulders of you at the door and says, "Enter in.

Join my tent. Join, come into my home, my tribe, my family, and I will totally take care of you through an oath and a covenant." Wait a second, Tam. Is that what happened when Ruth asked Boaz to spread his skirt? There's some idea that- Yeah ... that's what it is, yes. And when Nephi says in the Psalm of Nephi- And he talks about encircle me in the robe of righteousness.

Oh, yeah. Like, he's using kinsman wording there. Wow. If you go read that whole verse, he actually says- Mm-hmm ... take, hedge up my way before mine enemies. Please take care of me. Like, he uses kinsman wording there. Mm. The go well wording. Isn't that cool? So cool. I know. So cool. I love it. So that's what she's saying, like, take care of me.

Spread your skirt on my shoulders. I love that, Farley. I love you made that connection. Mm. Wow, ladies. Thank you. What a great discussion about the go well. That's the theme of Ruth, and that's the application to our lives. Awesome story, and we have a go well. We have a kinsman, so- Mm ... thank you, thank you.

Okay, this is gonna be so fun then. We have a special surprise for everyone. In the next segment, we have somebody that we've invited to join us for the discussion of Hannah, and we can't wait to introduce you to her. We'll do that next.

Segment 4

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We have a very special announcement to make. We have a special guest who has joined us right now for the next three segments, and I could not be more thrilled. And same with Becky and Holly. How you feeling about our guest, ladies? Um, I'm starstruck. So excited. I'm so excited. In fact, when we dis- when we talked about ta- um, discussing the Book of Samuel, specifically Hannah, we knew who we wanted to have.

But I, so I just threw it out there. I threw caution to the wind, 'cause she's so busy, and she was so gracious to say yes. And we knew we needed to include her because, just so everyone knows, I think I can collectively say for all three of us that one of our favorite places in the whole wide world is the women's initiatory floor in the St.

George Temple. Yes. Mm. I love that it's a floor and not tucked behind the bathroom. Yep. Uh, because there's a painting, and every time we go to the St. George Temple, we get there early just so we can sit and stare at this painting. And so the artist of the painting is here today, and we are so excited to welcome Jenedy Paige.

Hi, Jenedy. Oh, hi, Tammy. Thanks so much for having me. We have so many questions. Okay, so first of all, we are gonna tell you about the painting. And first, Jenedy, what do you call the painting? What's the name of it? I Have Poured Out My Soul Before the Lord. Oh, my gosh. Oh. Oh. Can we, can I say something, though, first, before she starts?

Yes. That the first time I actually saw it was in the Taylorsville Temple, and I was sitting there just mesmerized by it, and the sweet temple worker came in and gave me a little card that told me about the painting and how you painted it- Oh. Mm ... and what you did, and it was incredible. And I was so grateful they had that card, 'cause they don't at St.

George. Mm-mm. But at the Taylorsville Temple they did. Hopefully eventually the temple art committee can make some kind of a little booklet, you know, that has- Oh, I would love a little booklet Oh, yes. 'Cause there's- I'd love a little booklet ... there's so many stories behind all the art, you know? Mm-hmm. And I think that it just adds to the richness and the spiritual experience that you have with it, so.

Well, and I will say this to our listeners. Don't try and Google it. Don't try to find it, 'cause you won't. It's- It's not accessible to anyone outside of the temple. So you have to go to the temple to see it. So we're gonna do our very best to describe it to you, and hope we do it justice. What year did you paint it, Jenedy?

And actually talk about that, like how it came about. And did you specifically paint it for the temple? Were you commissioned- Yeah ... to do that? Yeah, this painting of Hannah was actually the first commission I ever received from the church to do a painting for a temple. Oh, wow. And they came to me and specifically asked if I would paint Hannah.

And to be honest, I didn't even know her story. Uh-huh. Wow. So I had to, I had to, like, super deep dive, and I, I had months and months to study. I studied the Tabernacle of Moses. I actually reconstructed the Tabernacle of Moses. What? Like, a little, um, like, a little scale model of it in case I needed it for reference.

And, um, yeah, like, learned so much. Wait, what did you do it out of? Legos or sugar cubes or- Would you believe it, I found a kit on Amazon? Yeah. Serious? Yeah. There's a kit. I don't know if it's still there, but there was a kit that you could, like, build your own Tabernacle of Moses. Oh my gosh. And so I did.

And, um, I mean, just learned so much, like the colors of, of the door of the tabernacle. And I learned that the, the covering of the temple is animal skin. Um, and we, you know, I just think we, we learn about the animal skin as a symbol of Jesus Christ's atonement, and then that covers the whole temple. Like- Wow

I thought that was beautiful. And anyways, I learned a, I learned so much and, and wanted to really wrap my mind around, you know, this, this tabernacle. And then it, when it came time for the photo shoot, there just happened to be a replica out by, I think it was by the Great Salt Lake, that some- Mm-hmm ... stake had set up.

And so I was able to go there to do the photo shoot, which was super helpful. Wow. Because I thought I was gonna have to shoot the models and then shoot my little scale model and then put them together in Photoshop, which is- ... sometimes what you have to do as a scrappy illustrator artist. Um- Oh my gosh.

But yeah. So but it was really interesting because, so the painting is of Hannah kneeling at the door of the tabernacle, and there's this beautiful light coming from the west like the sun was setting. And Eli stands on the left-hand of the painting, and he's the chief priest, so he's fully robed in the, the garments that the chief priest would wear, including the breastplate that had the jewels for the 12 tribes of Israel, the ephod.

And then you see the, the gate or the door of the tabernacle, which I learned was embroidered. Mm-hmm. And then you see Hannah in this little beam of light coming through the temple doors praying in the dirt. And then behind Hannah is, uh, is just some, like, rolling hills, uh, low, low-lying mountains. To construct this image, you know, it's like you, you study Hannah for months and months and months and months, and you come up with all of these ideas and, and things that you wanna point out.

And I would submit sketches to the committee, and they repeatedly got rejected. And I, you know, I was fasting, I was praying, and I couldn't understand why I wasn't getting it right, you know? Hmm. And then, um, eventually, like one day after I think six attempts, I was reading Hannah's psalm again, and she talks about how God raiseth the poor up out of the dust.

And I was just like, "God, I am just here in the dust with Hannah," because I felt so humbled and so vulnerable and so tired and, and like I didn't know anything. You know, it's like, it's like you do all this studying. You're like, "Yeah, I get it. I under- I understand the tabernacle. I understand Hannah's position, and I know what I'm gonna do, and it's gonna be so cool."

And you are prayerful about it, but you kinda start in this place of like, like, "Oh, I get it. Like, I understand the story," you know? And then like God kinda took me to this place where it's like, "I don't know. I don't know anything." Like, I mean, I've tried. I've tried six times, and they've all been rejected, and I'm just in the dirt with Hannah.

And then that phrase just kinda stuck with me, like I'm in the dirt with Hannah. And I was like, oh my gosh, I'm gonna paint her kneeling in the dirt. Hmm. Because she probably was kneeling in the dirt. Mm-hmm. And it just, even if she wasn't, like symbolically I felt like it just said so much about what, the places God takes us to a lot of the times in an effort to help us grow, in an effort to stretch our faith.

Sometimes He takes us to desperate situations, so that's why I painted her kneeling in the dirt. You can feel, you, you can sense that in her face how desperate she is. Yeah. And then it was crazy 'cause then I submitted that idea and then my seventh sketch was accepted, and I was like, "Oh, now I just have to paint it.

Yay." Can I- You know what- Can- You know how much I love the number seven in scripture. I know. It's the number for complete. Complete. I know. Of course it took seven sketches. Seven tries. Yeah. Mm-hmm. And, um, and you know, it's funny because I think people see this image at the, the temple, or they see me painting and then they just think, "Oh, this artist just, like, has this gift where they just, like, see this image in their mind and then they just, like, paint it," you know?

It's like- ... n- no. You know? I had to, like... I had to get models, and I had to get costumes, and yeah, Hannah's costume I wanted to be... I want everything to be as accurate as possible. And so I got some linen and I dyed it in a big, giant vat of beets in my kitchen. Then my- Wow ... mother-in-law did some hand stitching that you can't even, barely see maybe through the veil that she has on.

And then the door, okay? So I had to research ancient Hebrew symbols, like embroidery symbols. I got a book on ancient- Hmm ... Hebrew embroidery. A book, guys- Wow ... an actual book. Like, yeah, it was, it was bound and everything. And then, and then I, I started to, I had to basically piece together what I thought might be on the door, because we knew it, it was embroidered, we knew it was purple, blue, and red, but we don't know exactly what, what was on it, right?

So now this- Mm-hmm ... is, this is guesswork. So I chose the star of David, um, which is at the hem of this, uh, this gate or this door. And then you have these, the stalk rising up which represents the 12 tribes of Israel, like the wheat stalk. And then you see these little red birds that are at the base of these stalks of wheat, and, um, the bird was symbolic for a, a messenger or an angel.

Mm-hmm. Um, and so I put little, little angels or these little birds around there. And, and so I designed this all out, like, on a piece of paper, and then my mother-in-law is actually, like, a textile artist. She's amazing. And I gave it to her, and she actually embroidered for me a small piece of linen. It was probably maybe, like, uh, like, uh, 12 inches or so.

And I was able to make, like, a mini replica of this, um, door, this gate, and hung it next to my easel. And then I painted the gate from that reference that she made me. Um- Hmm. Wow. Yeah. And it took a long time. Wow. The gate was, like, forever. And then, and then the, the high priest clothing, you know, learning about the different stones, and there's, like, pomegranates, um, around the hem of the ephod that the high priest wore, and little bells and...

Anyways, it was, it was really, really beautiful experience putting it all together and, um- There's actually more to it than that too, so How, why'd you decide to put her in red? Um, well to be honest, because there weren't a lot of colors available to them. I mean, you can have yellow from like onions. You could have blue, but that wasn't as common.

And most of the time people are in shades of brown. You know? And I just, I wanted her to stand out. And so I thought, what's the, like, what's the richest color besides purple that we could use? Mm-hmm. And so, and knowing that there was going to be green in the background, you know, as an artist you think about complimentary colors, and green and red are complimentary colors.

Mm. Mm-hmm. And then also visually to tie it into, because I knew there was purple, blue, and red on the door of the tabernacle on the gate, right? And that those colors would also be present in the high priest clothing. And so to visually draw the viewer- Yeah ... in like a, a circle of interest through the painting, then red would also serve that purpose.

Mm. Wow. That is crazy. How long did it take you from the time you were commissioned until this was complete? I think it was a year. Yeah. Yeah. Mm-hmm. I really had no idea how much work people put into art like this. Mm-hmm. I r- I really didn't. Yeah. Uh, it's spectacular. It's just so beautiful. Just I'm in awe of this.

I w- I would die to have this in my house. I hope someday e- we can get a copy of it. Right. If the church will let us, like in 50 years maybe. Yeah, yeah. When they release the temple art images to do another round. Right. Yeah, be like Carl Bloch, and they put it in the BYU Museum. We'll have a Jenedy museum. I don't know.

Yeah, I don't know. But this, this painting, I mean, I don't know if you guys are ready to like jump into the story of Hannah, but I learned so much studying about her life and finding her story in my own and in my, in my mom's life too. Well, and I was gonna ask that. Like, did you feel her with you? Do you feel like you got so...

studied her so much that she was with you? W- w- maybe not really, but kind of really. No, like 100%. Guiding you? Like, I, I, I think I wrote in my journal that Hannah was my new BFF. Yeah. Because- Oh, I love that ... I mean, you just study her story, you know? And it's like if you just read a scripture story once, like, okay, it's come follow me.

We're gonna read the story of Hannah. Oh, that was such a good story. Wow, I loved that You know, and then if you read it again- Mm-hmm ... and then you read it again, and then you read it again, and then if you have to try to imagine putting yourself in it, and then you have to paint it, like it becomes so much more real to you.

And then you get these models, and you set them up, and you have a physical Hannah or someone representing her there- Uh-huh ... with you. You know, it just, it, it's so beautiful. It's such an incredible process, and it's, it's such an honor to paint the scriptures because of that journey that you get to go on with the characters, with the actual people in the scriptures.

Right. Oh, I bet. Yeah. Wow. Like, you know, as I read this story and I think about this really tricky, you know, relationship that's going on with- Yeah ... with her husband and with his other wife, and I feel bad for everybody in the- Mm-hmm ... and, and, and just how messy life can be, you know? And I think- Yeah ... think of why did, why did God put Hannah through this whole thing?

Like, how come it couldn't just be, like Elkanah or Elkanah, I don't know. I think on the... think they pronounce it Elkanah on the- Yeah ... audio of the scriptures. But, you know, w- how come Elkanah couldn't just marry the love of his life, and they have kids, and- ... it's, you know? Like- Yeah. No, totally ... and I, and I think, well, a couple of reasons.

Like, there's all this growth that comes through desperation. Like, I've been offering the same prayer for, like two months, not just me, but my kids, 'cause we're moving, and we haven't sold our house. And, you know, like I'm ready or not leaving in three weeks, and I still haven't sold my house. And, and I know this is, like a small problem, but, you know, it's, it's something that we've repeatedly prayed for.

And my kids are like, "How come God hasn't answered our prayers?" "How come, how come we've asked for him to send somebody to buy our house for, like two months, and, like it's not happened," right? Yeah. Yeah. And I, and I told my kids, I said, "Because the minute that that happens, your prayers will change." Mm. Think about, think about how we pray as a family right now.

Think about how it's not just a repeated, like, "We had a good day. Let's have a good day tomorrow. Let's not get sick." No. Like, you're like, "Heavenly Father, we have a problem, and we really need your help." And so your prayers have this intensity, right, and this power with them. They're where you're growing spiritually.

But the, the minute the answer comes, well, then you say a really great prayer of gratitude, but then it's not too long before you go back to, "Let's have a good day and never get sick," you know? Mm-hmm. Mm. And so I really do feel like God likes to put us in these stretching moments and sometimes stretching years, and in Hannah's case, like a stretching decade, right?

Yeah. Because she had to get to this place of desperation, else she would have never committed her son to the Lord's service, right? Right. Like, no one just has a baby and is like, "Well, when he's three years old, we're gonna g- we're give, give him to the Lord." Like, nobody does that. Right? It's like she- Right

had to be in, like this desperate situation. But in any case- Which is kind of what happened with you when you painted it ... exactly You had to hit, you had to hit this point- So desperate ... of I just need to be able to paint Hannah, and I've got to sit here in the dirt. And then that's- Mm-hmm ... when it came to you.

Right. Oh, I like that, Becky. Yeah, that's good. Okay, let's do this. Let's do this then. Um, let's get into the story of Hannah, because there's so many stories to share. So that is the, that's the painting. Like, we wanted Jenedy to come and talk about this painting that we love so much, and it is so incredible.

Go find it. It's in so many different temples. And in the next segment, we are gonna dive into the story of Hannah. And Jenedy, I love that you talked about prayer, because there are two important prayers that she prays, and we're gonna talk about Hannah's life in the next segment.

Segment 5

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I'm a wreck, you guys. You need to tell Jenedy why you're a wreck, Tammy. You didn't tell Jenedy why you're a wreck. Why are you a wreck, Tammy? Well, listen, Jenedy. Okay. I'm gonna cry. You can cry. That's fine. I'll probably be crying anyway. The irony of this whole situation, I can't even believe we're recording this episode today.

It didn't really sink in at all when I asked them to be on this and, and you said yes. I'm like, "Okay, great, 'cause I need to hurry and get recorded. I have to get it done by next week." Ugh, I'm already crying. Because they're in... I didn't even notice this. I know this story. I've taught it so many different times.

But in 1 Samuel 1:27-28 say, "For this child I prayed: and the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of him: Therefore also I have lent him to the Lord; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the Lord." God, because I dropped my daughter off at the MTC this morning. Aw. And I'm a wreck. This afternoon.

Yeah, this afternoon. Like, just truly, just a couple hours ago, and I, ah, I prayed so hard. The child that she prayed for, for- Mm. Yeah, like, I didn't get married till I was 35, and I finally had a baby at 36. Mm-hmm. And then I just dropped her off at the MTC, and here I am. I'm like, what lessons can we learn from Hannah?

Oh, wow, apparently a very big one today for me. 'Cause I've lent her to the Lord, and I'm like, "Heavenly Father, you better protect her. Like, she's going so far away." Anyway, wow, I'm such a baby, and I just read that right as I was preparing. I'm like, "Okay, got to get ready to record," and I'm reading 1 Samuel, and I read 27 and 28, and then I start sobbing.

Like, why did I plan to record today? Was that auspicious or foolish? I can't decide. God, you're good. You're funny. That's a good one. Well, well, you know, Tammy, I actually... I mean, you say, like, "I've done this so many times. How come I didn't see this?" Well, I actually, you know, like I said, had studied this painting or, or had studied this story for months, and then it wasn't until, like, the very end when I was in the dirt with Hannah that God was like Jenedy, do you remember trying to conceive Victory Morgan?

Oh, your baby. Do you remember how every month was a disappointment? And, and then you finally got him here. And then when he was three years old, you had to give him back. 'Cause I, I learned that they, they, you know, they didn't, um, they, they weaned them and when they were like three or four, you know- Mm-hmm

like they, Samuel would've been like a toddler. And I just wept, and that's when me and Hannah became really close. But you know what she told me? She said, "But I visit him in the temple." Oh. I brought a he- she brought him a coat every year. Yeah. Don't you love that? She made him a little coat. Oh, I love that.

I love that verse. Yeah, and so God was like, "Jenedy, you can, you, you can meet him in the temple," so. Oh, gosh. Well, I didn't bring tissue. I didn't think- I know, right? I know. Here we are. Everybody pause. Go get the tissues. Um, I just love that in the last segment though, it changes your prayers. 'Cause now I feel like I'm in the dirt now for the next 18 months.

Mm-hmm. And I've, and I've done this before with a daughter, like I was in the dirt for those 18 months, and I just... It does, it stretches you, it changes your prayers. It's good. It's good to be in the dirt. Okay, so there's what I learned from Hannah. Amazing. Why don't you guys tell me. What do, what were your lessons from the story of Hannah?

That's what we get to talk about. Well, mine was like, Hannah takes her grief to the temple. Oh, love that. And- Yep. Wow ... when, when God isn't giving you what you want, and you're frustrated with life, and it can be hard of, to let go of what you want- Yeah ... is that, that you can go to the Lord at, and, and take your grief to the temple- Yeah

and that you can find peace there. Mm. Write that down. Yeah. Mine's kind of the same, that she trusted God. She had so much trust in him that he would give her what she asked, that she made that plea to him, you know? And I, I was also so touched by her integrity to follow through with it. I think I, once I got the baby here, I'd be like, "And I'm running."

Like, where can I go? Yeah. Just kidding. I'm not really gonna lend him to you. Yeah. I mean, I just said that. No give. Yeah. Sorry. I, and I thought, oh, to be that faithful, to finally get him, and then to... The wording, loan him. Mm. I, I loved that wording for some reason, that she loaned him to the Lord. 'Cause- Mm ... we always hear it the other way, right?

That he loans them. They're not ours. Yeah. And so the fact this kind of flips the script and she's loaning her child to him, I thought was so beautiful. And Tam, I liked that you put it in the perspective of missionaries, because we do do that. We loan. Right? our children to the Lord in all sorts of ways.

Mm-hmm. And Jenedy, you did it in the most difficult of all ways. He's just on a extended mission in the spirit world. He is. Yeah. He absolutely is. I also think Hannah teaches us not to take offense. I think it's pretty amazing that, you know, she's there pouring out her soul before the Lord, and she's such a hot mess that Eli thinks that she's drunk.

Yeah. Yeah. Right? I love that. He's like- I so love that ... "Woman, put away that wine," you know? And she's like- ... "I'm actually not drunk. I'm just really this sad, okay?" Yeah. Yeah. Like- Yeah. Um- I love that. Well, that's what I thought. That every time I read Hannah, I think about this time when one of my kids was in a, a, a bucket full of mess, and I couldn't help them.

And I didn't... I, I, I couldn't help him. There was nothing. I tried everything I could do. I had gone through everything I could think of. And I remember going to the temple and thinking of Hannah doing the same thing, just, like, almost having a- Mm ... a visceral rocking and- Mm ... and praying and wor- and making the words with my mouth just like her, and not making any sound, but just sitting there rocking and just praying and sobbing and willing to give whatever it took to help this child, to be able to, to help them through it, and not knowing what the answer was.

And I think that that's where Hannah had to come, and Ruth also. They had to come to a place of, "It's not gonna be my will- Mm-hmm ... but I'm willing to do something really crazy like loan my child to the Lord, or follow my mother-in-law to a land that I have never gone to," to be able to actually do the thing that, that is crazy or give up your, give up your desire, what you think is supposed to happen, that you're supposed to raise your child, you know, till they're an adult.

That you're supposed to... No. Sometimes the Lord asks something so different. And you're right, Jenedy, it makes, it makes all the difference with us because our prayers do change when we get what we think is right or what feels like, "Oh, yeah, that's the next rung on the ladder." Well, no, the Lord's gonna, like, totally confuse, I don't wanna say mess it up, but just put us in a situation where we do remember him, or we have the opportunity to remember him.

Mm. And- I like that I don't know. That's what I always think of. And then I love her faith in chapter one of 1 Samuel where in 17 and 18, "Then Eli answered and said, 'Go in peace and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him.' And she said, 'Let thy handmaid find grace in thy sight.'

So the woman went her way and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad." That she was able to just say, "Okay, I was blessed by the prophet, and I can move on, and I know that things are taken care of." And I really just respect her faith- Yeah ... for that because I tend to bring things back. I tend to bring things back.

But man, she just had that faith and moved forward and said, "Okay, it's all gonna be good," and then ended up having, like, five or six kids after that. Mm-hmm. Which is crazy to me that she, she... Everything did work out. I like that, Farley. I, yeah- I love your rainbows ... I feel like, I feel like God, like, honored Hannah's sacrifice, you know?

Yeah. Mm-hmm. Yeah. He's like, "I'm gonna ask for one, and then I'm gonna give you five more." Hm. So Jenedy, can I ask you that question? Do you feel like God has honored your sacrifice?

Like, like a thousandfold. Like, I mean, yeah, it's obviously challenging. Yeah, I miss him all the time. Yeah, he would be graduating this year, and you, you, you see all of his little friends graduating and stuff, and you, you go through all these different layers of grief. But at the same time, I look at my life and how God has turned my ashes into beauty and how He's allowed me to use this deep sorrow that I had to pass through to bless the lives of other people.

And yeah, and, and, and He's... Like, I look at this studio that I get to paint in, and, like, I could have never imagined that, you know? And I was just this young mom painting in a unfinished basement under a- ... hanging light from the ceiling, you know? And- And to be able to do the work for the temple, like, oh my gosh, such a, such a blessing.

In fact, you know what? Um, I struggled with head and figure drawing in college. Um, I wasn't naturally gifted at art, and I thought I was gonna be a children's book illustrator 'cause I was like, "Hey, I could do, like, cartoon bunnies or something." And then I'm in these figure drawing classes, and I had a academic scholarship, so I had to get an A, and it was so stressful.

And, um, I actually went home from, from school for Thanksgiving break, and my dad gave me this blessing because I was just struggling. And in the blessing, my dad promised me that my paintings would hang in the house of the Lord. Wow. I remember- Looking at my dad after that blessing being like, "Do you realize I'm a children's book illustration major?"

Wow. And so, um, I was just at the Lindon Temple dedication. We just... They're playing, like, these slides of temple art and temples prior to the dedication, and a couple of my paintings came up in the slides. And my kids just looked at me and they were like, "That's your- ... that's, that's my mom's painting." And in that moment, I just could hear my dad's blessing, and it's just so beautiful that God fulfilled that promise, you know, for me.

Mm-hmm. Just like his- I can't believe that ... he fulfilled the promise for Hannah. Yeah. That is- Wow ... wow. And- That is amazing ... and you know what? It's interesting 'cause I did this painting, and then my mom, it wasn't even until she was, like, in the temple looking at it that God was like, "Robin," my mom's name is Robin, "Robin, this is your story, too."

So my mom grew up in, a, a home of, of, of a lot of abuse. Alcohol abuse, substance abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse. The whole gamut. It was in Utah. Um, she never felt comfortable really going to church 'cause she felt like she smelled like cigarette smoke from her h- her home. Mm-hmm. And it, it wasn't until she was about 17 that she, because of a repeated invitation from a friend, started getting active in the church.

And then believe it or not, she married my dad at 17 in the Salt Lake Temple. Wow. And he- Wow ... he was a return missionary. I was like, "You were 17?" Right. She- Wow ... she was graduated from high school. She was just young for her grade. Um, but anyways, so my mom grew up her whole life saying, like, hearing, you know, probably well-meaning kids in her neighborhood say that when she died, she was gonna be all alone because she wasn't sealed to her parents.

Oh. You know? And that was, like, the thing that she always wanted. And then fast-forward, I'm 12 years old. We're at a, a regional conference in Ogden, and Jeffrey R. Holland was speaking. And my mom was never one to stay after and, like, want to shake hands or anything. She'd always be like, "They have families.

Let them go have dinner," you know? And, um, but this one time she's like, "No, I really feel like we need to stay," and I was like, "Okay." So I remember this... We're at, like, this tabernacle in, uh, in Ogden, and there was just this line that stretched, you know, from the pulpit to, like, the, the nosebleeds. And I was like, "Oh, man.

This is gonna be a minute." And I, and I just remember, like, standing in line with my mom forever, you know. You start, like, hanging on her. And then eventually we get up to the front, and Elder Holland shakes my mom's hand. And he says, "Whatever it is that you want, you can have it." And I was like, "Am I next?"

What? Like, maybe. Wow. And I, and my mom just started sobbing because the only thing she had ever wanted was to be sealed to her parents in the temple. So we left from the Ob- Ogden Tabernacle. We drove to my grandparents' house in Clearfield, and my mom walked into my, my grandparents' living room and she said, "Daddy, an apostle of the Lord just promised me that I can have you, so seal me yours forever, Dad."

And my grandpa had just gotten a DUI, you guys, like, just a few weeks prior. Um, but that promise, like, put my grandpa on a, a path to, to healing and overcoming his addictions. And then I was, uh, about a freshman, I think, in college, so this must have been over a period of about six years that, um, my grandpa got clean and he was ready to go to the temple.

And my mom wrote Jeffrey Holland a letter just to say, you know, like, "I shook your hand, like, all this time ago, and I just want to let you know that God honored your promise." And he said, "Well, I want to be the one to seal you to your parents." Wow. And so Jeffrey Holland sealed my mom to her parents in the temple.

So it's really interesting because in this painting I chose my grandfather to be Eli. Oh. So he is the chief priest in the painting, and he's extending the hand to Hannah that says- ... "Whatever it is that you want, you can have it." And, um, my grandpa became a, a temple worker for as long as he could, and he passed away about two years ago.

And I just love that, you know, my grandpa is now permanently a fixture in the temple Wow. Wow. And offering that promise to Hannah, so... As if this painting didn't- Mm-hmm ... already hold so much significance. You guys. Right? God, God tells good stories, and He's, and He's so layered. You know, it's like when I do- Yes.

when I do a painting, it's always like the, the layers of what the painting is about and the meaning of the painting is always, like, growing, you know? And it's like when I paint it- Mm-hmm ... I paint in layers. There's like two or three or four layers of paint on the surface, and then God does, like, the same thing with the, with the story and the meaning behind it, so...

Wow. I'm sorry. I just can't help but thinking, too, like, I'm looking at these pages. One of the things I asked Holly and Farley to do was to highlight every time they saw the phrase, "The Lord" in- Hmm ... First Samuel one and two, and what did you guys find? What does your page look like? Well, it's- It's constant.

Yeah, it's all over. I counted 46 times in- It- ... two chapters. I mean, isn't it amazing- It's all yellow Uh, yeah, like, uh, here's what I loved about this. Like, the Lord is everywhere in this story, and if we are to liken scriptures unto us, then we are Hannah, and we have to just trust and believe that He is everywhere in our story.

He's in every single verse. I mean, that, that's what I loved about this. In the story you were telling, Jenedy, like, the Lord is in all of our stories, layers upon layers of Jesus Christ hearing us and hearing our little pleas and... Oh, my gosh, that's a great story. The Spirit's so strong. Wow. Well, and, like, the idea that sometimes it takes a long time, you know?

Like- Mm-hmm ... I was actually reading President Nelson's talk, Revelation for the Church, Revelation for our Lives, and he talks about his parents, right? And, like, I think his parents were in his 80s when he was finally sealed to his parents in the temple, you know? And I think sometimes it's hard in our world because, you know, when our prayers haven't been answered in two months, we're like, "Well, where are you?"

All right. "Come on." You know? Mm-hmm. And, and to know, like, I mean, Hannah, I mean, she had to... It had to have been at least a decade, right? Like, do you know the Jewish law, like, how long you could be infertile before you could take a second wife? No. Oh. Well, that's a thing. I wanna say it was a decade. I could be wrong, so...

I'm not a scholar, don't quote me. But I know it was a while. So the whole reason he even has Peninnah as his second wife is because it had been so long that Hannah was infertile, right? Oh, my goodness. And so you just think about how many prayers and how long she waited, and God was true to His word. But we just...

It's so easy to not get mad or give up when it's, you know, when it feels like it's been a long time already. And I think about my mom, you know, as a kid thinking, like, "I don't wanna be alone when I die." And, um, I don't think that we are necessarily alone even when we're not seeing our parents. But just, like, that- Yeah

that, that prayer of a child, you know? And then it's not until my mom is, like, in her 40s that she gets the answer to her prayers. Wow. But then God answers it. It's like He makes up for lost time. I mean, Jeffrey and Holland, like- Right ... he healed her. Like- Totally ... it's like, it's almost like the magnitude of the weight is followed by, like, the magnitude of the blessing, you know?

And, and- Mm. And Hannah- Yeah ... getting those five kids, you know? It goes back to the f- question Becky asked, has God honored your sacrifice? 100%. Like, that's the theme of this whole entire episode. God honors sacrifices. He just does. Whatever it is, it's time in the temple, it's time on your knees, it's, it's time at, in your ward, it's fasting.

It's all the sacrifices we make. God honors those. And I love how you said, Jenedy, and it's probably not gonna be in two weeks. Or, you know, when you need it. Yeah. But it's when God knows you're gonna need it the most, and it does change your prayers. Oh. Well, and it, like, it makes me think about how, like, I had to move my senior year of high school, and I thought it was this huge sacrifice.

Yes. And I thought when I got to this school that God was just gonna give everything back to me that I had given up, you know? Mm-hmm. But, but the fruit of that sacrifice didn't come until, you know, many years down the road. But now I think, "Wow, wow, look at, I'm a professional painter," and it's, it's all because I made that choice to follow the Lord and leave my people- Yeah

and move Yeah ... to a foreign people of Colorado. Yep, back to Ruth. Back to Ruth. Back to foreign people of Colorado. Leaving, leaving you, yep. Just like Ruth. Well, and then- God honors her sacrifice ... here I am right now. I'm, like, right in the middle of it. Like, I'm- Yeah. You're leaving your people, Jenedy ... I'm leaving- You're leaving your people

I'm leaving my pe- and I'm going to Gotham City, you guys. Oh. There's a Batman there for you. There is. And I just, I'm just like, "God," like, "what are you doing?" Like, this, this studio I get to work in is my sanctuary. Yeah. It, it is a holy place. I've painted for the ward here for six years, and I have to leave it behind.

And not only that, but my son is buried in Ogden. Mm. And for some reason, that has been, like, weighing on my heart, is that he is gonna stay here. And I know he's... I mean, I know his spirit isn't there, but his body is, and there's something about- Yeah ... leaving my buried son that's been really hard for me to swallow.

And I just have to have this hope, even though I'm still in this time before, that as I move forward in faith that, that there will be blessings on the other side, you know? So it's kinda beautiful for me too that we're all discussing this tonight because it's all so relevant. Yeah. Well, he's gonna honor it some way, but who knows- Yeah, he will

what way. And in the meantime, I mean, our expectations, we've gotta remember that, which is so hard. Mm-hmm. You gotta stay with, like, he's gonna honor it, he's gonna honor it. And I just think about these two women, Ruth and Hannah, and boy, they stuck with it. Right. They did. Yeah. They stuck with it. Well, I love that Jenedy brought up that talk by President Nelson, because we're gonna discuss that in the next segment.

Because there's a lot of people listening right now who are in that space, where they've been, they're in the dirt, they're praying, they're sacrificing, and they're still waiting for an answer. So we have some good news. We get to talk about how to hear the Lord and receive revelation. We'll do that next.

Segment 6

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So we are gonna turn now into 1 Samuel. We're still there. Let's bracket off really quickly Hannah's prayers, 'cause we didn't do that earlier. But if you just wanna read them and study them, her prayers are in 1 Samuel 1:11-12. And then her second prayer, we have one before the b- child is born and then one after the child's born.

And her second prayer is in 2 Samuel chapter two, and it's verses one through 10. And then we get into this awesome story about her son that she lent to the Lord, and this little boy is going to go and live with Eli. And he's the priest, or Jenedy's grandfather. So. I love that. And he has this really cool experience because he keeps having this moment where the Lord is speaking to him.

So now turn the page into 1 Samuel chapter three. And here's this little boy, and he's sleeping. And let's just start with verse one. And will you read that for us, Holly? You bet. "And the child Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lord was precious in those days. There was no open vision."

And highlight precious or circle it, and what that really means- Oh, good ... is rare. I wrote a note about that. Oh, good. It means- I'm like, what does that mean? It means rare or scarce. That's what it means. So the word of the Lord was scarce or rare in those days. There was no open vision. Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. Maybe you feel like the word of the Lord is scarce in your life right now.

Maybe you feel like there is no open vision. And so then you have this beautiful story starting in verse three. Jenedy, you're a storyteller. Do you wanna tell us what happens here? I just love the way she tells the stories. Well, I just think it's interesting because you were talking about how there's no open vision, and then in verse two we learn that Eli can't even see anymore.

Yeah. That he's, like, blind. So you have this kind of God saying, "Okay, there's not a lot of revelation happening," and then, like, Eli's, is physically can't see. And then even the lamp in the temple was out. Yes. And so it's kind of this God's setting you up for, like, there's no light. Mm-hmm. Yeah. And I need someone to hear me.

Yeah. And then- Uh-huh ... and then God's like, "Samuel." And then cute Samuel, I wanna know how old he was in this story. I wish I knew. Um- Yeah ... but he pops up and he's like, "Eli, what can I do for you?" He said, no, he says, "Eli, here am I." And I think that's interesting, 'cause I think the Savior said that too. Mm-hmm.

And then Eli's like, "Bro, I didn't call you. You can go back to bed." And then, um, and then it happens again, and Samuel's like, "Eli, here am I." And Eli's like, "Oh my goodness, I did not... Uh, no. Go back to bed." Happens three times. Yeah. And then after the third time, Eli's like, "So- I'm thinking you're hearing someone and it's not me.

So next time this happens, I want you to tell the Lord, "Here am I." And so that's what he does, and then Samuel gets to come to know the Lord. Yes. And I think what I love in this story is when verse 11, it says, "And the Lord said to Samuel, 'Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of everyone that heareth shall tingle.'"

Oh, yeah. And I just love that description- ... of receiving revelation, right? Hearing the word of the Lord. Mm-hmm. Oh, it's so fun. My arms, my arms tingle. Yes. That's what tingles for me. Totally. Holly, you're like that. Oh, my. You always say goosebumps. I just got goose- Oh. All the time. I, I love this so much because I feel we think that if Samuel was foreordained to be a prophet, which we know that he was, how come he didn't just, how come he wasn't just naturally good at hearing the Lord?

You know, I think sometimes we think, "Oh, shouldn't he have- Mm-hmm ... that spiritual gift?" And we actually learn in verse seven, it says, "Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord." Yes. "Neither was the word of the Lord yet revealed unto him." And it, it's just kinda like, you know, it, it gives me this peace that, like, our spirituality is something that can be practiced.

Mm-hmm. And it's a talent that we can, or a skill that we can develop. And, you know, it's like especially in the art world, a lot of people think that you have to be, like, you were struck with the art stick before you were born. And some people are. Some people are. I was not. And, and it's cool. I love that that growth mindset I've seen in my art practice that you can actually learn a skill you weren't naturally born with can apply also to our spirituality.

You know, some people might be like, "Well, God doesn't talk to me. I mean, I don't, I don't know, like you, you have these cool spiritual experiences, but, like, I, I... it's, like, static over here," you know? And- Yeah ... and to just know- Precious ... that if you're willing to put in the effort, like God reaches are reaching.

If you're willing to put in the practice of learning spirituality and learning to hear him, that you 1000% can. In fact, he's waiting for you to develop that skill. For sure. So let's, let's talk about how we can do that then. And y- we all read the talk Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives.

I'd love to know what stood out to you about this idea of receiving revelation and how we get good at it. What stood out to you? And I'm gonna ask Holly to go first, 'cause she shared a little bit with me on the phone the other day, and it was really, really good. Oh, well, I was so grateful that you asked us to study this, 'cause I got so much out of it.

But I thought one little part I loved, he says, "Because I know that good inspiration is based upon good information." Mm. Mm. I thought that was so interesting. Almost a little bit scary, right? So we have to be careful of what we're studying and who we're associating with and what we're doing. Because if we want good inspiration, it's based on good information.

So where are we getting our information from? I like that ... just throwing that in there because that way- Yeah ... and, and I didn't highlight it in here, but I talked to you about it, Tammy. Of course, I can't find it now. And it was just what you were talking about, Jenedy, where he says, "Do it day by day, week by week, month by month, year by year."

Mm-hmm. So it's not... It doesn't mean it's gonna happen, uh, every time, day one. And he uses the example of Joseph Smith, that we know that God still talks to us because of Joseph Smith. So I feel like he's our guide, right? He had a question. He was 14, had a lot of faith, went to the Lord. Boom, did he get his answer.

Mm. And so we kind of think that's how it should be for us, right? Mm-hmm. 'Cause we lack wisdom. We want these things, so we're just gonna go, and we're gonna get our answer. But it doesn't work like that for all of us for everything, and, um, it can take years. And he- I would say for any of us. Yes. Yeah. Yes.

Yes. And so he does... I don't know how much you want me to get into it, but he just says, to have the heavens opened, he gives examples of what you need to do. It, it says, "Nothing opens the heaven quite like the combination of increased purity, exact obedience, earnest seeking, daily feasting on the word of Christ in the Book of Mormon, and regular time committed in the temple, and family history work."

So five things that you need to be doing regularly to have the heavens opened. And- Well, no wonder it's day after day, month after month, year after year. Right? 'Cause, 'cause that's a lot- It takes time to get good at. That's a lot to get good at, yes. And- I love that we're allowed that time. Mm-hmm. And I th- I thought it was interesting, increased purity, and it...

'Cause he talks about this time that we're living in is so difficult and so much evil. Uh, you know, we have access to so much information, and too much information isn't good for our minds all the time. Mm-hmm. We're getting all this information around the world and people and all of these things. But I just loved the increased purity.

Yeah. So I... That's what I kinda wanna focus on and for me personally. Mm-hmm. 'Cause I feel like I'm pretty obedient, and you know, I go to the temple, and I do those things. But that really stood out for me, that increased purity and what that looks like. And it's gonna be different for everyone- Yeah ... but I kinda wanna do a deep dive into what that really is, what he meant when he said that.

Yeah, and how it applies to you. That's a great one, Holly. Yeah, and how it applies to me. I love that And then he says, "Continue to be obedient, have gratitude, and be patient." Mm-hmm. Oh, that's a whole thing. That whole list. Be patient. Yeah, you have to have that patience. I can, I can be obedient and have gratitude.

It's the patience. It's a hard one. Well, and I think with, like, Joseph Smith's story, it's easy for us because we see the end from the beginning. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. And we're like, yeah, he had a question, and then he prayed, and then, like, God appeared to him in the forest and then, like, he has this incredible vision, you know?

Yeah. Yeah. And I think- Yeah ... well, yeah, but what we don't know is how, how many scriptures, study sessions, and how many prayers preceded that moment. Mm-hmm. Yeah. And then, and then also remember the opposition that came. Yeah. Yes. The intensity of the opposition. Well, that's what I was gonna say is we... His life was not easy.

Well, and did he know when he prayed that he was gonna find a Book of Mormon? Right. And that he was gonna translate it? Mm-hmm. That he was gonna restore the gospel? Like, he didn't know any of that, right? Mm-hmm. And, and, and if you think about his position, you know, it's like he has this incredible experience when he's 14, and then like three years goes by.

Yeah. And we're like- Yeah ... "Yeah, it was only three years." No, in our life, three years is- Oh ... actually eternity. Yeah. You know? It is. It is. It's like when you're, when you, when you've seen God and then he just tells you to just, like, "Hold on a second," you know? It's just like all you know is, like, "Don't join with the other, any other, you know, sects.

Just, just know that, like, you know, I exist and this is my son and I know you." Yeah. Mm-hmm. And then, and then- That is what he knew. That's, that is- That's it. That's it ... that's all he knew- Yeah ... at that moment. And then, like, three years goes by and he's like, "Maybe I messed up." Yeah, nothing else has happened.

Well, did I imagine that? He's like, "Maybe I was called then, but then I'm, like, a teenager, so maybe- Yeah ... maybe I'm not called anymore." And then- Yeah, yeah, yeah ... and then an angel shows up in his bed one night, you know? And then it's another, what was it, four years until he actually got the plates? And so that's...

I mean, that is, like, a spread, you know? Yeah. And he... And, and the Lord just gave him one little nugget at a time. Mm-hmm. And, and I feel like the revelation in our life- And he held onto that. Yeah. He held on. Like, he held on to what he knew and... But, you know, it's so easy for us to just be like, "Oh, Joseph Smith, he got all these answers to his prayers," you know?

Yeah. But a- another example is I think of Elder Kevin Brown of the Seventy gave this, like, literally, like, mic drop talk at conference in October- Oh, yeah. Mm-hmm ... called The Eternal Gift of Testimony. And he shares his experience where, you know, he, he feels inspired to read the Book of Mormon. He's praying about it.

The first time he prays about it, does he feel anything? No. You know? And, and I, you gotta honor him because he's, he's repeatedly showing up early in the morning praying over his toilet, you know, about this book, and I think it was, he was, he was into it. It wasn't just like, "I read the Book of Mormon, and then I prayed about it, and then I got an answer."

Right. You know? I kind of, I kind of think, man, if I was in his shoes and I read the Book of Mormon and then I prayed about it and I felt nothing, I'd be like, "Well, this must not be true. This is bogus." For sure. You know? But to, to keep showing up even though you don't get an answer right away, I mean, that's- Oh, I like that.

Keep showing up ... that's like true faith. Yeah. I do too. Yeah. Keep showing up. We say this all the time with Tam, and he says at the closing, "Choose to do the spiritual work required to enjoy the gift of the Holy Ghost and hear the voice of the Spirit more frequently and more clearly." Mm. The spiritual work.

You gotta put in the effort. Yeah. 'Cause the Lord loves it. And pay the price. Like we always- Yeah ... you know, I always have to call Tam and ask her all these questions. "What... Now what does this mean? Now what is this?" Because she's put in the work- To know it ... 'cause I got in trouble when I didn't- ... by my area director.

And- Yeah. And so here he's telling us to put in the spiritual work required- Yeah ... to enjoy the gift. I love how he said, "Enjoy the gift of the Holy Ghost- Mm-hmm. That's beautiful ... and hear the voice of the Spirit more frequently and more clearly." Mm. So. I really like- Thank you, Hall ... I really like how President Nelson tells us that when we're, we're praying, that we should write the thoughts that come to our mind.

Yeah. He says, "Record your feelings and follow through with actions that you are prompted to take. As you repeat this process day after day, month after month, year," here's the quote, "year after year- Yeah. Yeah, dab ... you will- Thank you ... grow into the principle of revelation." Mm-hmm. Yes. And, and, and- There it is

I think that writing part is really key. Yeah. Oh, you... And you are a writer. I've learned that from you, Jenedy. Yeah. I... Jenedy has a testimony of journaling, and I just... We've just recently learned, the three of us in our friend group have talked about that, 'cause they're finding with therapy now that therapists are saying the best therapy tool out there is journaling.

Yeah. More than talking out your feelings, more than see- and they even said more than seeing us. Get a journal and write in detail everything- So true ... you're thinking and feeling. Well, and how you talked about gratitude, Holly, like somebody recommended to me after I lost my son that I write five things I'm grateful for every day in a book.

And it was supposed to be five things specifically from that day, not just like, "I'm thankful for sunshine and ice cream," you know, every day. It's like- ... what happened that day. Mm-hmm. And it's interesting because I find myself in a, in a similar... not, not similar. I find myself in another grieving situation in a different way, and I felt prompted the other day, 'cause I'm, I'm saying these prayers, and I don't really have any answers yet.

And I just decided, you know what? Instead of just sitting here and asking over and over again, we're just gonna turn this situation into gratitude. I'm currently now just praying thank you. Mm. And, and I'm writing- I love that ... five things, 'cause God already knows, like, we've already had this discussion, like, 100 times.

Yeah. Yeah. So, so we've covered those bases. So now that He already knows, and, and now I'm just waiting on Him, on, and His will and His timing, that let's just switch over to gratitude, and we're just gonna have prayers of gratitude. Wow. And every day I'm writing down five things in my journal that happened from that day that I'm thankful for, and this is gonna be, I think, a practice that will help me make this huge life shift.

Yeah. You know? I love that, Kennedy. Kennedy, is w- you're 100% the first line in Hannah's prayer. After she gets the child, then how much do we love her? She just says, "My heart rejoiceth in the Lord. My horn is exalted in the Lord. My mouth is enlarged over mine enemies because I rejoice in salvation." Like, I love it.

You're just gonna rejoice in the Lord now and hope for the best, 'cause she gave Him away already. And th- Right ... now she's like, "Oh, boy, I'm praying." Yeah, I like, I just love how she's gonna, "Okay, I'm gonna rejoice." Well, and not only that, but she makes all of these contrasts. Like, I think about Sister Freeman's talk at conference, like the best- Mm-hmm

days and the worst days. Yeah. She's like, "The Lord killeth and maketh alive." Right. "He bringeth down to the grave and He bringeth up. The Lord maketh poor and He maketh rich." And, and she ha- she has all these contrasts and, and, and letting us know that, you know, life is both. Yeah. Yes. And- Yep, yep. Yep ... yep, yep.

And it, like, gives me a lot of hope because I think is that she's interesting, and she says this twice, you know, the, the grave and bringeth up, and killeth, the Lord killeth. Yeah. That's that. The Lord killeth and maketh alive. Mm-hmm. I love her prayer. But don't you think it's more than, like, the Lord is killing your experience in Pleasant Grove-

and He's making alive Gotham City? Yeah. And He's- Yeah ... killing the animal in me. And he's, he's awakening the saint, you know? Yeah. Yeah. But look how... I want to show you this cool, really cool thing I found in chapter two, verse three. There's something in Hebrew called plural amplification, where sometimes, like in the Book of Mormon, you see this a couple of times where you read a word and they pluralized it, and you're like, "Wait, that's...

It's not supposed to be plural. That doesn't fit." Hebrew does that to put emphasis on the word so that it really stands out. And in verse three, it says, "Talk no more so exceedingly proudly. Let not arrogancy come out of your mouth, for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed."

Highlight knowledge, because in the actual Hebrew translation it reads, "For the Lord is a God of knowledges." Oh. Oh. Meaning he is the most knowledgeable. No one knows more than him. They have... I love how the author has plural amplified the Lord's knowledge. He is a God of knowledges. Like, he knows. He knows exactly...

Like you said, Jenedy, he knows what you're praying for. He absolutely does. And he knows exactly how it's gonna play out. And so in the meantime, you're gonna praise his name, and it's gonna work. I can apply this to myself. I've just dropped my daughter off at the MTC, and he is a God of knowledges. He knows how this is gonna play out, and I'm just gonna get in the dirt and pray for 18 months again.

Get in the dirt and pray. And telling you're grateful that she's on a mission. Yes. So grateful, and just protect that child. To have these incredible experiences. Exactly it. Oh my gosh. Ladies, this has been an amazing Spirit-filled discussion all about Jesus and prayer and revelation, and I just thank you.

Jenedy, thank you for saying yes and joining us- Oh, it's- ... for this last half, because we needed her, didn't we, ladies? Yeah, we did. Oh, no. You guys are awesome. No, I feel lucky. I seriously feel like- Yeah ... I won the lottery. Mm. Yep. Same. So thank you, thank you, friend. You're awesome. So that's it. We're done. You can go.

Well. Family. Well, thank you, Jenedy. Oh, yeah. We- wow. Wow, that Jenedy, I'll tell you what, she had to run, and we love her. That was... Thank you, Jenedy, for giving us your time. She's the best. Okay, so here's my question for you two then: what eternal truth did you learn from this incredible Spirit-filled discussion today?

Well, I have two- Okay ... because I wanted to get... I wanted one from Ruth, and I wanted one from Hannah. Mm. Because I just think both... I wish, I really, honestly wish that we could have had a week on Ruth and a week on Hannah. Yeah. And so just to honor both of these amazing women and their stories, the takeaway I had from Ruth was it really comes from Naomi.

I just want to know how I can love my people better. Mm-hmm. And how can I take them in my hearts? And then how can I see and remember and love my kinsmen? And remember like what Holly was saying that she sometimes wants to take over or, you know, because it's so easy to say, "Well, I'm just gonna take it from here, God.

No, no worries." Yeah. "You know, I know that you've created me and that you've provided all this stuff, but don't worry, I'm just gonna take it from here." Yeah. But I wanna remember that He is caring for me even though I can't see, I can't see how that's gonna work out, like Ruth and Naomi couldn't see how it was gonna work out when their husbands- Mm-hmm

all died, and they were left penniless and childless, and they couldn't see, and yet it did work out. So how can I remember that? And then my second takeaway was how has the Lord honored my sacrifice? Mm-hmm. Because there has been sacrifices and, and like we talked about, we've all been in the dirt- Mm-hmm

with Hannah praying and kneeling and whispering under, you know, the prayer. Whatever it is, how has He honored that? Because He has. He has- Yeah ... honored it in some way, whether it's peace or whether the answer has come or whether knowing that the answer will come, and that He'll be there. Beautiful, Farley.

Thank you. Those are great takeaways. Great. Holly, what's your eternal truth takeaway? Well, I also, how has the Lord honored my sacrifice? I loved that question. I've never, ever thought of it that way, ever. Yeah. And it's beautiful, and, uh, something to think about. And, um, I'm really, I'm really gonna work on that and, and think about that.

I also like how Jenedy said to write things down. You know, reminded again to write things down. And v- personally, for me, um, I need to increase my spiritual capacity so I can better receive revelation. Mm. And however that looks for me, then I think I need to do that. You know, put in the work. Yeah. Put in the effort and focus, like I said, on what that really means, the purity, 'cause that's interesting to me.

Yeah, I love that you thought that. Um, mine, I have one for each of you. So I did love so much when Jenedy talked, talked to us about being in the dirt and, um, just how we are, our prayers. Just get in the dirt and get real. I loved that. Um, Farley, I loved when you said, "Has God honored your sacrifice?" Wow, that was a great discussion surrounding that.

Thank you for being inspired to ask that. And Holly, I love so much what you taught us about the idea of being able to receive revelation requires daily, monthly, yearly effort, that it's not immediate. And don't expect it to be. If you don't feel like you're receiving revelation, it's okay. You're just in the learning process.

And I love so much that that's what stood out to you, 'cause we have to be reminded of that. And I love how you said, 'cause with the Joseph Smith story, it seems like the answer comes like this, and it did for him. But we d- again, we don't know how much went into getting that and then what happened after, and I just...

We get caught up if we don't receive revelation immediately that we're somehow less. But we're just in the learning process. Yeah. Well, we're not righteous enough. We're... Yeah. And we go in that cycle, like, "What am I doing wrong? Why aren't I good enough?" Yeah. "Why aren't I enough?" Yep. "Why, why doesn't God love me?"

Well, you know. We're, we're not just in the learning process, we're in the layers. We're in the layers. The layers. Yes. I love that. Oh, I loved the layers. The layers. The Lord is in all the layers of our lives, yeah. Oh. So if you're not getting the revelation right now, it's okay. Just stay in the dirt. Yeah.

Keep on keeping on. The Lord will honor your sacrifice of the time you spend in the dirt. I believe that. I really do. And that the layers are important. Yeah. That it's, it was important for Jenedy to dye the dress and to think of who was the model for- Mm-hmm ... for, you know, the priest. And oh, gosh, all of that- That's a good point

was layers, and she had to go through, go through it to figure it out, and be in the dirt to figure it out. Yeah. Well, thank you. Love it. You guys did it. You carried me. I love you both so much. Love you too. I knew you would carry me. Goodness gracious. What a day. And I just, to end it with the two of you, thank you so, so much.

I have touchstone episodes where I'm like, "I will never forget that episode ever again." This will be one of them. Tam, you say that every time. You know. You kind of do. There's some, though, that I'm like, "Oh, I will never forget that episode." Well, I hope you write down tonight. Yes. That's happening. I'm gonna write my journal.

This is what we study- Write down, write down your layer. Yep. I love you both. Love you guys. Thank you so much. Love you. Love you. Well, what was your eternal truth takeaway? Please join us in our group on Facebook or on Instagram and share what you have learned. And then throughout the week, we're going to ask a question from this discussion.

I would love to know what your lesson from Ruth is. What does the Book of Ruth teach you? Comment to the post that relates to this lesson and share your thoughts. You can get to both our Facebook and Instagram by going to the show notes for this episode at ldsliving.com/sundayonmonday. And go there anyway because it's where we have links to all the references and a transcript of this whole discussion.

So go check it out. The Sunday on Monday Study Group is a Deseret Bookshelf Plus original, brought to you by LDS Living. It's written and hosted by me, Tammy Uzelac Hall, and today our awesome study group participants were Becky Farley, Holly Howarth, and Jenedy Paige. And you can find more information about my friends at ldsliving.com/sundayonmonday.

Our podcast is produced by Cole Wissinger and me. It is edited and mixed by Cole Wissinger, and our executive producer is Erin Hallstrom. Thanks for being here. We'll see you next week, and please remember that you really are God's favorite.