This General Conference Odyssey post covers the Friday afternoon session of October 1975.

For God, nothing is impossible.

It was during this conference that Thomas S. Monson first mentioned Christal Methvin, of Shreveport, Louisiana. She was the little girl who prayed a General Authority to her side. Elder Monson was the visiting authority and he followed his impression to answer her sweet prayer. I invite you to read the complete story here.

Sometimes it’s hard to recognize the spirit. I struggle, like many other people, to know what comes from my Heavenly Father and what’s simply wishful thinking. Christal’s story is remarkable because she didn’t apologize for her spiritual desire. And neither should we.

I’ve learned that the spirit is even more sensitive than we may even suspect. It is for us to purify ourselves enough in order to feel the Lord’s spirit. We have to understand that it is us who either invite or push away the spirit.

All day long today, my husband and I have walked the streets around Time Square. I love the excitement and energy of this city, but to be honest, I don’t feel the Holy Ghost here. We worked our way north and stepped inside the Manhattan Temple. The contrast was incredibly stark between the worldly city and the serenity of God’s house. This beautiful building, in the heart of the city, was an oasis filled with the spirit of the Lord.  

The temple truly is an amazing respite but back on the streets, I began feeling the other gift, the Light of Christ. Many people smiled at me, offered an apology when they bumped into me on the streets, graciously opened doors, offered me a seat, let me go first, etc. There are nice people everywhere, no matter how rough around the edges they look. They have the Light of Christ in them. There is goodness everywhere … still.

While walking these streets of New York, I can’t help but think that God worries about them too. He wants them to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. He wants them to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, so they can better feel His love for them. But how does one reach these people?

In the scriptures, we read how masses of wicked people were converted. We also read how one individual was touched and changed forever. God works, through us, in a mysterious way and we merely have to be ready and open to direction. That takes practice on our part. That takes giving up our will and calling upon the Lord to cause the miracle to happen in His way.

I guess I can’t explain it very well. All I know is that the spirit was working on me this weekend. I didn’t think I was feeling it as I battled the wicked city of New York, but it seems the Light of Christ is alive and well. I testify that Heavenly Father loves ALL His children. We are here to prove ourselves receptive to Him, and for those who know not how, the Lord will provide them with an opportunity.

Christal was a little girl, sick, in pain, and dying; yet she has been an example to us all of how to call upon the spirit for miracles to happen. We, too, can call upon the spirit for miracles to happen. Even, and especially, when it looks impossible. For God, nothing is impossible.

Additional General Conference Odyssey posts:

The great causative force Marilyn Nielson

Literal Selflessness G

The Humility of an Apostle Nathaniel Givens

Standing Up to the Tide of Evil Daniel Ortner