A song led my entire family to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
After hearing about the Church from a friend, my father had been visiting a branch near our home in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. He asked me, as the oldest son, to come to church to help him decide if this was something our family should pursue. The opening song in sacrament meeting that day was “Praise to the Man,” about the prophet Joseph Smith. I was so touched by the words in the hymn. I knew this is where we needed to be as a family.
The next week, our whole family came to church. My father was baptized one week later, while the rest of our family started meeting with the missionaries. We were all baptized in May 1999.
Music has continued to be very important to my testimony. Our family loves to sing about the Savior, especially at Easter time. We sing at home and help organize concerts in our area.
My favorite Easter hymn is “Savior, Redeemer of My Soul.” The final verse says, “O’errule mine acts to serve thine ends. Change frowning foes to smiling friends.” Those lyrics became very true for me during a miraculous experience I had last year.
I was invited to be a global choir member with The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square and sing during general conference. But my visa to the US was denied four times, despite my best efforts to follow procedure. I became dejected and disappointed.
I had one more appointment at the US embassy before it would be too late for me to get to general conference. A friend told me she was praying the Lord would send an angel to help me.
On the day of my appointment, I was number 97 in line. There were two offices at the embassy, but only one was open—and the official working there didn’t grant any visas all morning. I grew nervous. Just as number 96 was called up, another official entered the embassy and opened the other office.
My hope soared. Here was the angel who would validate my visa! He sat down and beckoned me to him. After a few questions, he said the long-awaited phrase: “Your visa is approved.”
The Lord had overruled my humble efforts and made it possible for me to serve Him in The Tabernacle Choir. He turned frowning foes to smiling friends. For the rest of my life, I will sing my favorite Easter hymn with all my heart:
“Never can I repay thee, Lord,
But I can love thee. Thy pure word,
Hath it not been my one delight,
My joy by day, my dream by night?
Then let my lips proclaim it still,
And all my life reflect they will.”
Editor’s note: This article first appeared in the March/April issue of LDS Living Magazine. The theme for the issue was walking the road to Easter more closely with the Savior.
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▶ 12 Easter gifts to keep the Savior front and center this season
