I Was in Prison and Ye Visited Me?
Sent: Monday, February 05, 2007 10:49 AM
Subject: Re: Who Will Lullaby The Spirits in Prison?
Karyn, Thank you so much for sharing this. What an angel and a blessing you are. Thank you for helping me to understand more fully how to share the gifts we have been given. And how much we are all loved by our Savior and our Father. What a bright light you have added to my day. Thank You!! I love you.
Dear Cherishing Circle,
On this past Friday night, I was able to go to the prison and sing to the women there…this is an account of our beautiful experience and the knowing that the ministering of angels has not ceased. We need more….a new cherishing circle begins…
Who Will Lullaby The Spirits in Prison?
I received a call, from a dear friend, Rayonna, who was traveling over the Point of the Mountain, last November, 2006. “Karyn, as I passed by the prison, I heard a very audible voice say, “Don’t forget us!” It was accompanied by a very strong impression that you need to go and sing to the women there.” I had always wanted to go and sing out at the prison to the women, but didn’t know how to arrange this. Two years ago, I was on my way, through a blizzard to go and sing to the men in the prison, but I couldn’t see my way through the snowstorm and realizing I had forgotten my driver’s lisence, I turned around and made my way back home. I had always felt bad that I had missed the opportunity to share my love of the Lord through the gift of song because I know that music has the ability to soften hearts in a way that nothing else can.
It took a few months for Rayonna to make all of the arrangements with the Relief Society President out at the prison, but finally, the date was scheduled for Friday, February 2, 2007. The night before I was to go, I really wondered if I was doing the right thing. I thought, “What do I have to share with these women? As I negated the worth of anything I had to offer them, the urgings of the Spirit came insistently reminding me, that years ago, I had knelt upon a grassy plot at the Pleasant Grove Cemetary and asked the Lord to please allow me to take my song to the spirits in spirit prison.”
As I pondered that reminiscent scene, I was reminded of my sacred petition and the words came into my mind, “This is the answer to that petition that you made years ago to Me. Don’t you remember you asked me if you could go and sing to the spirits in spirit prision?” And also, a line from my Patriarchal Blessing, “The Lord has called you to be a peacmaker…to spread love and peace where there is hate and contention.” And lastly, this, “Now go—-I will give you the words that you should speak to My daughters there.”
In that moment, I knew I needed to go and keep that commitment. The next evening, I tucked my driver’s license in the large envelope which contained my printed lyrics and the soundtracks to “The Healer’s Touch” album. Rayonna and I drove peacefully to the designated building, marveling that we were truly being afforded such a beautiful opportunity to share our hearts with these women. I said a quiet little prayer of gratitude that the weather, although very chilly, was beautiful and the drive was effortless. No blizzards to block my view or hedge up my way this time.
As we walked into the small room, where the women were gathered, I noticed their smiling faces. Immediately, I felt a sense of peace. I was in the right place. How many audiences had I sung to where I felt uncomfortable at first—because of my story—knowing that I was a woman at the well?
With these women, I felt no judgment. I felt complete acceptance. As the evening progressed on, tears were shed and the small group of twenty nearly doubled when another group of women came in halfway through the program. I sang to them the lullabies from “The Healer’s Touch”, wending my way through the songs, with my assurance to them that as they would begin to visualize the little child within, they would each remember a time when they were pure and innocent.
I urged them to revisit the happy times in their mind’s eye, through the power of visualizing themselves with the Savior as a little child. I then said something that was completely unexpected. “How do you know that you are not on a divine assignment here? How do you know that your gift of a listening ear may be just the gift that another one of the women in this room needs to make it through the day? Each one of you has gifts and talents to be able to bless one another while you are on your journey here! Each one of us has suffered through through experiences in life that has caused us, from time to time, to forget that we truly are the divine offspring of a very loving Father and Mother in Heaven.”
At the end of the evening, I closed with the song I had begun the program with. But, this time, I asked them if I might lullaby their little child within. I told them that they could close their eyes if they would like and/or lay their heads down on the tables before them. There were tears in every eye. Arms and hands extending to one another, Kleenexes reached for, as it was the spirit of the Lord who lullabied these women and softened their hearts to the knowledge that too can become clean and pure before Hm. I bore my testimony saying, “I have suffered through some experiences in life. I have been married six times. I am married to a Hawaiian who was a foster child of twenty three different homes. He has told me that he has not yet bonded to me— I was called on New Year’s Eve, by a paramedic telling me that my son was in the emergency room after having taken six hits of ecstacy. I have looked for love in some of the wrong places and in a few wrong faces…but I can honestly tell you, that there is only one person who has escorted me through the trials and tribulations of my mortal life. That is the Savior, Jesus Christ. He is my counseler, my best friend—and he is the reason I stand before you tonight. He reminded me of a petition I made to him years ago, when I was at my lowest point. I asked him if I could come home and sing to the spirits in spirit prison. He told me that this is the answer to my prayers. We are all in prisons of our own creations, in one way or another, There are many who are not on the inside of these walls, who have created spiritual prisons for themselves…whether we are in here or out there…we all need to be delivered by Him in one way or another…”
After I finished singing, I asked them if they would share a few things with me. One woman, who I had felt so drawn to, (who literally looked like a brunette and brown eyed, “Mary” and who had played “Mary” in their Christmas program, began to share her testimony of the atonement. She told how she had lost her testimony and her will to live before entering the prison. She shared how she feels so sorry for those “on the outside” who do not have the opportunity to come to understand the atonement to such a deep degree as those who need it so desperately because “we have sinned to such a deeper magnitude than most people.”
She told how much she loves the power of music and how music has been her companion throughout her life. She shared how in less than a week’s time, she would be released and that she was so anxious to get home and play her piano again. Her testimony of the atonement was one of the sweetest and strongest I have heard. As she spoke, her sweet face was radiant and illuminant with the Spirit. I saw white healing light literally shining all about her head and shoulders.
I closed by singing once more, “Oh, know ye not that Angels are near?” from “The Healer’s Touch”. One by one, the woman came up to me and so generously thanked me with tears streaming their cheeks, for coming. One beautiful Hawaiian young woman, said, “I was so thankful that you reminded us that we might be here on divine assignment. When I first got here, the bishop gave me a blessing that told me that I am here on divine assignment and I had forgotten all about that blessing!”
Another young mother came up to me with tears streaming her cheeks and said, “I am so thankful that you taught us how to visualize. I have not been able to “see” myself being reunited with my little girl but when you sang one of the songs, I was able to visualize it and I finally could imagine myself going home to her! Thank you!” I hugged her and told her, “Remember the song I sang that says, “blind eyes will see again!” Part of “seeing” is simply being able to believe!
As each one of the women came up to me, I could not help but embrace them and whisper “I love you!” in their ears. I felt as though I was surrounded by angels! The Spirit was so light, so airy, so pure, so full of a sense of innocence as we had discussed the child within each one of them!
One of the women said, “Will you come back? There are a lot of women who weren’t able to come tonight and they are going to be upset when they hear about this?” I turned to Bishop Lombardi and said, “When can I come back?”
He said, “February 18th, is a Sunday night. You can come and do a fireside in the chapel! I called the Bishop the next day and said, ” Music is so healing! This music is all about the atonement of Jesus Christ. If there is anyway I can go on a music mission to the women there, I would love to. Rayonna and I will come once a month!” He was happy and said, “We will get you here! I have a meeting with all the Branch President’s tomorrow and we will discuss it!”
