Being a temple worker I had the privilege of a little advance notice and of course had to learn the changes to the ordinances. Like many, upon hearing the news I was anxious to know the changes and wanted to be prepared. So the night before my temple shift I attended the temple as a patron in both Initiatory and an Endowment session. I "heard" the changes during the ordinances, but of course after just one time had not yet "internalized" the changes ... until the next day during my shift. As I administered in the Initiatory ordinance, though subtle the change, I remember feeling 'My Heavenly Father loves me just the way I am." Not that I ever felt otherwise, but being a divorced woman in a marriage-centric church can be a struggle at times. So those subtle changes were huge to me and reaffirmed that I'm okay in my present situation and He loves me just the way I am and I don't need to have a man in my life to define my divine role as a daughter of God. Someday marriage will happen again, but until then, all is well.
TomSeptember 5, 2019
The first Black to recieve the Priesthood after this announcement in 1978 had joined in our Ward in Hawaii. He was stationed in the Army their. He was called as our Youth Choir Director and served admirably until leaving the Islands. What a joy it was to hear that the Blessings of holding the Priesthood was now open to all.
PennySeptember 5, 2019
I agree with Bryan...either you believe they are prophets and God is in charge or you don’t...perhaps some of these things were put in place as deliberate stumbling blocks. I am a convert to the Church and have had questions I researched and prayed over...sometimes the answers were “you don’t always need to know everything right now ...be still and know that I am God and ...I don’t need your permission” Also I blocked this article on my FB...
Sharon HowardSeptember 5, 2019
I was saddened. By the changes to the Endowment . I had studied diligently to understand it, and when I did I was thrilled by the beauty of it. When I go now I let the old things I have been taught by the Spirit pass through my mind. I feel the LORD gives us what we are prepared to receive and understand.
KarinSeptember 5, 2019
I am so very grateful for all the wonderful changes which have come about lately as a result of continuing revelation in the Lord‘s church. The revelation of 1978 was preceded by long and arduous struggles of the prophet. I do not doubt that similar preparations must have preceded the changes in our day. I rejoice with Tessa and can honestly say that there is no judgment concerning what has preceded these changes - only rejoicing in what they reveal about how Heavenly Father sees his daughters. I cannot express in words the joy they brought to me. That’s all I read in your article, Tessa.
ChuckSeptember 5, 2019
I well remember where I was when I heard the news on my car radio. I was driving under an overpass in San Antonio, Texas. When I heard it, I started weeping for joy. At long last, as a Seventy, I could now teach the gospel to every person---every person. What a great joy this was.
BryanSeptember 5, 2019
Revelation is an exciting part of Christ's church. We all welcome the coming forth of so much light and truth.
But I'm a little leery of the tone of this article. It seems that somehow this Sister thinks that Pres Nelson has gotten it right when all before him, including Joseph the Prophet, somehow got it all wrong. Sisters, if you feel inferior somehow in the church, either now or before, why? If you somehow felt that the endowment ceremony somehow 'belittled' you before, why? I am married to a wonderful woman that has NEVER felt 2nd class in the Church or with her HF.
To me, hanging on is an essential part of faith. And ALL of us have to hang on at some time or another. But this recent spate of 'NOW the Church is in sync with our HF' shows, to me, the lack of faith and the lack of understanding of how the Church operates.
Either the prophets before were prophets or they weren't. Either they rec'd revelation or they didn't. You can't have it both ways.
Celeste McclainSeptember 5, 2019
I absolutely love this article! So much of it reminds me of having faith, and hope and having God’s mercy given to us! All of us! I’m so glad to have read this article, because I can remember that not too long after my Baptism in 2017 my Bishop asked if I could come see him for a talk! I went, not knowing what to expect and Bishop was so caring and thoughtful as he, explained to me that in 1978, the church had allowed for Black men to have the priesthood and that he don’t know exactly why they were not allowed to have the priesthood prior to that, but they were not! He looked a bit uncomfortable in telling me this, and then I smiled at him and said, you do know that I’m a woman right? Trying to lighten what must have been uncomfortable to tell this newly converted Black sister about the church history and it’s Old ways! I told Bishop I’m ok with the decisions of this church of past times as long as it knew to correct things, that’s all that matter! God is a forgiving God, who am I to hold and grudges? I explained that all things for a reason and that I wasn’t bothered by it at all! Bishop explained that he wanted to tell me before someone else told me about it! I told him and I meant it! Change is everything, who would have ever thought I’d be a Mormon? A Black Woman who grew up on the mean streets of Chicago, who have a family of Baptist Pastors on her Father’s side and Baptist, Apostolic’s, and Catholic’s on her mother’s side of the family. No one would have ever thought it, but God works in such a profound and mysterious way! I am so blessed to have been led to a faith that I feel like I belonged to all along! Being a convert is hard, I won’t act like it’s not. However, the thought of being with Heavenly Father and Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has a stronger and more significant hold on me and I wouldn’t change it for the world! The reason I love this article so much, is that I’m a new convert and I really didn’t pay attention to the significance of what having the priesthood could have meant to others of my race and color! I mean of course the obvious, but needless to say, I’m so glad to have learned it first hand today!
Comments | Return to Story
TanyaSeptember 6, 2019
Being a temple worker I had the privilege of a little advance notice and of course had to learn the changes to the ordinances. Like many, upon hearing the news I was anxious to know the changes and wanted to be prepared. So the night before my temple shift I attended the temple as a patron in both Initiatory and an Endowment session. I "heard" the changes during the ordinances, but of course after just one time had not yet "internalized" the changes ... until the next day during my shift. As I administered in the Initiatory ordinance, though subtle the change, I remember feeling 'My Heavenly Father loves me just the way I am." Not that I ever felt otherwise, but being a divorced woman in a marriage-centric church can be a struggle at times. So those subtle changes were huge to me and reaffirmed that I'm okay in my present situation and He loves me just the way I am and I don't need to have a man in my life to define my divine role as a daughter of God. Someday marriage will happen again, but until then, all is well.
TomSeptember 5, 2019
The first Black to recieve the Priesthood after this announcement in 1978 had joined in our Ward in Hawaii. He was stationed in the Army their. He was called as our Youth Choir Director and served admirably until leaving the Islands. What a joy it was to hear that the Blessings of holding the Priesthood was now open to all.
PennySeptember 5, 2019
I agree with Bryan...either you believe they are prophets and God is in charge or you don’t...perhaps some of these things were put in place as deliberate stumbling blocks. I am a convert to the Church and have had questions I researched and prayed over...sometimes the answers were “you don’t always need to know everything right now ...be still and know that I am God and ...I don’t need your permission” Also I blocked this article on my FB...
Sharon HowardSeptember 5, 2019
I was saddened. By the changes to the Endowment . I had studied diligently to understand it, and when I did I was thrilled by the beauty of it. When I go now I let the old things I have been taught by the Spirit pass through my mind. I feel the LORD gives us what we are prepared to receive and understand.
KarinSeptember 5, 2019
I am so very grateful for all the wonderful changes which have come about lately as a result of continuing revelation in the Lord‘s church. The revelation of 1978 was preceded by long and arduous struggles of the prophet. I do not doubt that similar preparations must have preceded the changes in our day. I rejoice with Tessa and can honestly say that there is no judgment concerning what has preceded these changes - only rejoicing in what they reveal about how Heavenly Father sees his daughters. I cannot express in words the joy they brought to me. That’s all I read in your article, Tessa.
ChuckSeptember 5, 2019
I well remember where I was when I heard the news on my car radio. I was driving under an overpass in San Antonio, Texas. When I heard it, I started weeping for joy. At long last, as a Seventy, I could now teach the gospel to every person---every person. What a great joy this was.
BryanSeptember 5, 2019
Revelation is an exciting part of Christ's church. We all welcome the coming forth of so much light and truth. But I'm a little leery of the tone of this article. It seems that somehow this Sister thinks that Pres Nelson has gotten it right when all before him, including Joseph the Prophet, somehow got it all wrong. Sisters, if you feel inferior somehow in the church, either now or before, why? If you somehow felt that the endowment ceremony somehow 'belittled' you before, why? I am married to a wonderful woman that has NEVER felt 2nd class in the Church or with her HF. To me, hanging on is an essential part of faith. And ALL of us have to hang on at some time or another. But this recent spate of 'NOW the Church is in sync with our HF' shows, to me, the lack of faith and the lack of understanding of how the Church operates. Either the prophets before were prophets or they weren't. Either they rec'd revelation or they didn't. You can't have it both ways.
Celeste McclainSeptember 5, 2019
I absolutely love this article! So much of it reminds me of having faith, and hope and having God’s mercy given to us! All of us! I’m so glad to have read this article, because I can remember that not too long after my Baptism in 2017 my Bishop asked if I could come see him for a talk! I went, not knowing what to expect and Bishop was so caring and thoughtful as he, explained to me that in 1978, the church had allowed for Black men to have the priesthood and that he don’t know exactly why they were not allowed to have the priesthood prior to that, but they were not! He looked a bit uncomfortable in telling me this, and then I smiled at him and said, you do know that I’m a woman right? Trying to lighten what must have been uncomfortable to tell this newly converted Black sister about the church history and it’s Old ways! I told Bishop I’m ok with the decisions of this church of past times as long as it knew to correct things, that’s all that matter! God is a forgiving God, who am I to hold and grudges? I explained that all things for a reason and that I wasn’t bothered by it at all! Bishop explained that he wanted to tell me before someone else told me about it! I told him and I meant it! Change is everything, who would have ever thought I’d be a Mormon? A Black Woman who grew up on the mean streets of Chicago, who have a family of Baptist Pastors on her Father’s side and Baptist, Apostolic’s, and Catholic’s on her mother’s side of the family. No one would have ever thought it, but God works in such a profound and mysterious way! I am so blessed to have been led to a faith that I feel like I belonged to all along! Being a convert is hard, I won’t act like it’s not. However, the thought of being with Heavenly Father and Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has a stronger and more significant hold on me and I wouldn’t change it for the world! The reason I love this article so much, is that I’m a new convert and I really didn’t pay attention to the significance of what having the priesthood could have meant to others of my race and color! I mean of course the obvious, but needless to say, I’m so glad to have learned it first hand today!
ADD A COMMENT