"YOU'RE KIND OF KILLING THE SPIRIT"

A fireside was put on by a ward in our stake. I went over to the building and hoped for an evening filled with the spirit.

A girl and guy came and sat on the bench directly behind me. Before the event started they were speaking pretty loudly, but nothing different from the other chatter that was going on.

The fireside started (it was a DVD presentation of a production on the pioneers and servicemen preformed by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir). At the beginning of the DVD, we watched the sign version for whatever reason. This is where the person signing (American Sign Language) while the choir and background music were shown off to the side of the signer. The gal behind me was very opinionated about the interpreter. She was out right rude in her comments. I silently wished I had chosen somewhere else to sit for the evening. Her remarks were degrading and anything but filled with the spirit. And from the way the comments were made, I don't think she was intentionally trying to be rude, but rather as part of her nature she was out spoken with her thoughts.

Her talking didn't quite down but went on and on. I silently prayed to know if there was something I could say. Bless Heidi, right next to me, she knowing Sign language turned around and signed to the girl and in sign asked her if she knew what the interpreter was saying. The girl didn't understand her. Heidi asked her three different times in sign and then finally turned on her voice as she signed and said, "Do you know what that interpreter is saying?" The girl admitted that she did not, but after knowing/seeing that Heidi signed, didn't make another comment about the interpreter. I was grateful for the way that Heidi brilliantly handled the conflict.

Not more than 5 mins into the music, this same girl, with no hush to her voice just started making comments about the singers, and life in general. The comments were inappropriate. The guy she was with agreed sometimes with her comments and that made her speak up all the more!

What to do?! After what seemed like forever, but probably was more like 10 mins or so of her out spoken words, I pondered if I should just get up and sit somewhere else? What if this was her first time back to an activity?... I wanted her a chance to feel loved and not discourage her from being there/coming, I didn't want to be rude, but how to approach someone's irreverent behavior?! And even if my intentions were not wanting to offend and have her feel love, I was feeling anything but love for her behavior. Sheri Dew said it best that sometimes our Charity does fail. Had you been seeing my level of annoyance I would have proved I didn't have any Charity.

I felt to not to change seats, but to stay put.

The row of guys in front of me were obviously annoyed by her outbursts of "matter of fact" comments as well. ???? What can I do was my pleading.

OH BRILLIANT KATIE NExt to me!! After the last really off comment, Katie turned around and I could hear the love in her voice, but she said to the couple, "You're kind of killing the spirit." The girl didn't hear Katie and asked what she said, and Katie repeated again, "You're kind of killing the spirit". There was no hatred in her tone, but a true statement towards what the girl was saying but not who the girl was. The girl taken a little back, I think truly not noticing the problem before, and she did stop talking. She laughed a little, but the rest of the evening, until she walked out an hour later, she remained pretty quite.

Brilliant!! Truly Brilliant! Why I couldn't come up with that?!! For either situation? I was stumped with what to do... bless Katie and Heidi and their bold, yet Christlike way to confront the conflict!! Great examples to me! I was so thankful to have been given the opportunity to view first hand how to handle a situation that I felt could have gone really sour. Thank you girls!!

Sam shared with me last night that in his morning prayers he had pleaded to have an increase of the spirit to strengthen him all day. He then testified to me that he had witnessed the spirit strengthening him in every meeting. What a great thing to pray for!!