followHIM - The Prophet Didn't Know, But She Did • followHIM Favorites • January 13-19 • Come Follow Me

Episode Date: January 9, 2025

SHOW NOTES/TRANSCRIPTSEnglish: https://tinyurl.com/podcastDC203ENFrench: https://tinyurl.com/podcastDC203FRGerman: https://tinyurl.com/podcastDC203DEPortuguese: https://tinyurl.com/podcastDC203PTSpanish: https://tinyurl.com/podcastDC203ESYOUTUBEhttps://youtu.be/R19CtCCfPkMALL EPISODES/SHOW NOTESfollowHIM website: https://www.followHIMpodcast.comFREE PDF DOWNLOADS OF followHIM QUOTE BOOKSNew Testament: https://tinyurl.com/PodcastNTBookOld Testament: https://tinyurl.com/PodcastOTBookWEEKLY NEWSLETTERhttps://tinyurl.com/followHIMnewsletterSOCIAL MEDIAInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/followHIMpodcastFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/followhimpodcastThanks to the followHIM team:Steve & Shannon Sorensen: Cofounder, Executive Producer, SponsorDavid & Verla Sorensen: SponsorsDr. Hank Smith: Co-hostJohn Bytheway: Co-hostDavid Perry: ProducerKyle Nelson: Marketing, SponsorLisa Spice: Client Relations, Editor, Show NotesJamie Neilson: Social Media, Graphic DesignWill Stoughton: Video EditorKrystal Roberts: Translation Team, English & French Transcripts, WebsiteAriel Cuadra: Spanish TranscriptsAmelia Kabwika : Portuguese Transcripts"Let Zion in Her Beauty Rise" by Marshall McDonaldhttps://www.marshallmcdonaldmusic.com

Hello, everyone. Welcome to Follow Him Favorites. This is where John and I share a single story to go with each week's lesson. John, we're in Joseph Smith history, the first half, the first vision, basically, and the experiences of Joseph Smith leading up to the first vision. So I thought I'd share a story with you that goes along with verse 17 in Joseph Smith history. Do you know, John? I'm sure you do. The very first thing Joseph hears from the father and the son as they appear. It was amazingly his own name. He called me by name.

Some people might say, oh, no, it was this is my beloved son. Hear him. But just before that, Joseph says, one of them spake unto me, calling me by name. John, you and I have said this before. That might be the most important thing Joseph Smith learns that day. God knows who I am. I'd had to help him through a lot that was coming. God knows my name. I wanted to share with you a story that I love about God knowing someone else's name. And he knows all of ours. This is from a sister who is friends with both of us, John, you know, sister Elaine Dalton, one of the most wonderful people you will ever meet.

She told this story in general conference when she was the young women's general president. She says this, when I was a young woman, my young women's leaders had us each choose a symbol that would represent the life that we would live and what we would strive to become as daughters of God. She said they put them on their bandalo. I didn't know what that was, John, but it's like you wear as a boy scout that you put your merit badges on. Merit badge sash, but this is a bandolo. Right. In fact, she says that they were fabric sashes that we wore. I guess as they earned young women's values,

they put those patches on, you know, faith, divine nature, choice and accountability. They would earn these patches. Each of the bandolos were unique because you had your own symbol stitched onto the bandolo. Does that make sense? I don't know if this was in Sister Dalton's ward or stake or across the whole church that you had this little symbol. She said, I chose the symbol of a white rose because roses become more and more beautiful as they grow and blossom. And the color white, she said she chose for purity, like the temple.

Now that's when she's what? 12 years old. Does the Lord care, John, what symbol she chooses to put on her bandolo? Is that something? I think we're about to find out that he does. Decades later, sorry, Elaine, if you're listening, you're not that old, but decades later, she was called to be the Young Women's General President. As she's meeting with President Monson, who was the president of the church at the time, as she said, he calls me to be the Young Women's General President. Can you imagine,

John, that moment of what? What? Me? Say what? I've heard her tell this story and she says, wait, no, not me. You do not want me. I think she told me before two things she doesn't like to do are speak and fly. Guess what this calling is? Speaking and flying. And I think she thought to herself, I'm just a grandma. I can't do this. You don't want me. And as she's leaving President Monson's office,

he reaches over to a bouquet of flowers, takes out a white rose, and hands it to her. And then she says this, the moment he handed me that beautiful white rose, hands it to her. And then she says this, the moment he handed me that beautiful white rose, I knew why. Doesn't that sound like Joseph Smith history? One of them spake unto me, calling me by name. By name. Elder Lund, I think, called those divine signatures. The Lord just signed that. Tender mercies of the Lord. She says, I took that precious rose home, put it in a beautiful crystal vase and placed it on a table

where I could see it every day. The Lord knows my name. The Lord knows your name. We hope you'll join us on our full podcast. It's called Follow Him. You can get it wherever you get your podcasts. We're with Dr. McLean Heward this week, who goes through the first vision and the multiple accounts, John, of the first vision so beautifully. We hope you'll join us over there and then come back next week. We'll do another Follow Him Favorites.