An African Blessing and Heavenly Father's Love

When I was young I was lucky to have a father worthy to give me priesthood blessings when needed. He was always willing to give a blessing and was also careful to make sure to remind me to work out my thoughts with the Lord in prayer.

I remember his warm hands on my head and the sound of his voice. He would usually start the blessing with the words "Susan Heavenly Father wants you to know that he loves you." I got used to hearing this. I hate to admit it but somewhere in my head I supposed it was what my dad just said. I knew there was truth to it but it didn't sink in as an important part of the blessing and a message directly from my Father in Heaven.

It wasn't until years later, thousands of miles away somewhere on the continent of Africa that this message in a priesthood blessing sunk in...



I was newly married and living in Niarobi, Kenya and I had just been called to be a young women's counselor in a tiny branch there. The church building was small and hot with propped windows and cement floors but very nice compared to any other buildings in the area.

The branch presidency invited me to get set apart for my calling. One of the counselors, a very humble man, the salt of the earth, who spoke very little English laid his hands on my head. After pausing momentarily this Native Kenyan brother said humbly, in broken and fumbled words "Sister Chapman your Heavenly Father wants you to know that he loves you." His quiet voice and powerful message awakened my soul. Up until that time I unknowingly supposed that phrase was something that my dad said as part of the vernacular of his blessing. But to hear it from a newly converted brother, thousands of miles a way in a different culture and environment made me listen. It was a different voice but the same power, I knew it was a message that my Father in Heaven had been wanting me to know and realize for some time. He did love me, and wanted me to know that! All of the moments that I had heard that phrase before rushed back to me. Why had it not sunk in when my dad had said it? It had been there, as plain and as simple as possible but I had missed the potency of this incredible message because I wasn't listening with my heart.

I often reflect on this experience and ponder over what other plain and simple truths of the gospel that I see, read or hear daily but still miss their impact. Not because they are not amazing but because I am not always perfectly in-tune or listening. Since then I have tried to listen more in priesthood blessings and when pondering the word of God. It shouldn't take me traveling the world to learn truths that I could learn in my own home.