Interfaith Thanksgiving Service- by Thomas

*After church today, Wayne took Christina and Thomas to a local "Interfaith Thanksgiving Service."  This is Thomas' report:

The Service was at The Church of the Nativity.  The elders were there and some other people from our ward and other churches.  A rabbi read from Psalms and a Reverend read from the Bible.  Even though we go to different churches, we agree on some things like being thankful.

We were invited to light a candle and share something we were thankful for.  At first I was a little nervous because I was one of the only kids there, but when I stood up and said that I am thankful for the gospel and for what I learned in church today I felt warm in my heart.  I took a candle and went to the back of the chapel while other people said what they were thankful for too.  I heard other people say they were thankful to live in a country where we are free to share our opinions, Sister Nixon said she was thankful for their community that was so helpful when her kids were in a serious car accident, and one of our missionaries said he was thankful for his family.

Some people brought food for the local food pantry.  They also collected money for the food pantry so people that didn't have food could have food.  Dad gave them some money.

At the end we had refreshments including cinnamon buns, M&M cookies, small donuts, sparkling apple cider, and normal apple cider.

I'm really glad I went!

-Thomas

Just before he headed to bed last night, I asked Thomas which part of his baptismal covenant he kept today.  He thought about it and took some guesses.  I asked him to find the story of Alma baptizing the people at the waters of Mormon, and Thomas found Mosiah 18:8-10.  After reading these verses, Thomas said, "I stood as a witness in all places!"  I agreed and added, "Heavenly Father kept his part of the covenant today too by filling your heart with the Holy Ghost."  Thomas was obviously happy with this realization.  I asked how it feels to keep a covenant and he said, "It feels really good."  He was still smiling as he hugged me good-night and went on his way.

I sat there overwhelmed with gratitude for...

Thomas

my role as a mother

covenants

life experiences such as this that build my testimony

life experiences that build my children's testimonies

Neal, who representing our faith, has built such a relationship with the Interfaith Council that they accommodated our congregation by holding this Thanksgiving service later than usual so it wouldn't interfere with our worship services, and more of our members would be able to attend