Yesterday Paul and I celebrated Palm Sunday by tuning in to our local sacrament meeting and enjoying the Testimony meeting over zoom.  Then we testified to each other and he then administered the Sacrament.

It has been a long time since I bore my testimony. During this beautiful and sacred time together we shared our love of our Savior Jesus Christ and the hope we have for eternal life with our family. We have been married for 33 years now and have five children and three in law children and two grandchildren. The recent safe arrival of our little grandson was uppermost in our thoughts as we testified to each other and thanked the Lord for our blessings.

As we basked in the sweet spirit of testimony and the gospel, I had this sudden desire to be with my children who are here in Colorado.  I called my daughter and asked if we could stop by for a minute to say hello. She said yes and we all gathered in her backyard for a short visit.  As we talked, I again felt the sweet glow of love that is here, in our life, and in our hearts.

I have hardly written my personal thoughts about this past year on my blog. So much has happened I can hardly think about all of it, much less write it down.

I melted listening to the Easter message of President Nelson, who is a prophet, seer, and revelator. My heart felt so full thinking about the murder of Jesus Christ. His life ended so violently. I still get a start when I am on the internet and see someone openly mock him or his prophets. I feel overwhelmed with shame, for them, that they are in that place of dismissing him.  This amazing Messiah who offered to help all of us back to Father in Heaven? STILL being mocked? It overwhelms my heart.

These past five years I feel like I have been on a treadmill running furiously to heal the broken parts of my soul, stand up for freedom and free speech, and do everything within my sphere of influence to expose human trafficking as the evil that it is. I believe we are on the cusp of a huge awakening around the issues of the sale of children for prostitution, sacrifice, and organ harvesting. As each day has clicked by my number one question as I prayed was, “What can I do today to help the cause of freedom and justice?”

It is a lofty idea to believe that one can make a difference in the world.

But I have always believed in the power of one.

And I also know that Father in Heaven has the authority and the will to multiply our efforts and helps us do so much more than we can do on our own. And so my constant prayer has been, “what needs to happen right now?” And the Holy Spirit would nudge me about something I could do that might help, and I would do it. It is my faith in Jesus Christ that enabled me to engage in profound and debilitating spiritual warfare these past few years.  At times I felt like I was dying, but he would always point me towards how to have better health and despite a few scary moments with my health, I am still alive.

I am grateful for a righteous husband who honors his priesthood every single day by the choices he makes and the great love he has for Jesus Christ. Paul is unique in the sense that he does not think he is any different from other people, and assumes those he comes in contact with are just as good as he is. 

I am not so nice. I tend to be highly suspicious of strangers and anyone who attempts to insert themselves into my life. And I have accepted the fact that I am fatally flawed. I try not to speak out loud too much.  Most of the time people get mighty upset when I share what is on my mind. I do share quite a bit on the internet and recently decided to re-certify as a childbirth educator.  I will once again have the opportunity to share the facts with young couples. And I am really looking forward to it.

I am taking an internet break this week. Happy Easter!

Jenny Marie Hatch