The First Vision in my head

Sammy and I were on a walk to Macey's yesterday afternoon when quite unexpectedly the thought came to mind that it had been a long time since I'd told the story of Joseph Smith's First Vision. Time was, I told this tale several times a day . . . in Tagalog.

The exact wording of Joseph Smith's own account -- or rather, the official Tagalog translation of Joseph's own account that I memorized before leaving the MTC -- began running through my mind. It was a bit of a challenge remembering it all word for word. I guess eight years takes it toll, but surprisingly it all came back.

A few thoughts came to mind:

• God knows each one of us by name and answers our prayers.
• The Tagalog way of saying "I saw . . . " is a mouthful when compared to English, or even more so Spanish, "Vi . . .." Tagalog phrases it as either "ako ay nakakita . . . " or "nakita ko . . .."
• I miss speaking Tagalog.
• I miss sharing Joseph's story daily with people who have never heard it before.
• I know a lot of people who can relate his story in a lot of different languages. In my immediate family alone Portuguese, Spanish, Korean, Tagalog, and German. One evening my siblings and I sat around and shared the first vision with each other in our respective mission languages. It was cool that even my siblings who had been home for years and years still remembered it. Treasured memory.
• I love that God chose this kid from a farm in nowhere-ville New York to become a prophet. He didn't choose someone who was looking for a chance to "be someone" or trying to learn "leadership skills." He chose someone real that I feel I can relate to.
• I believe him. That he saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.
• My life has been powerfully impacted because of that belief.