It was the Delhi Stake Devotional presided by Elder Uchtdorf, an Apostle of the Lord visiting
India. Dorothy Mehra started the opening prayer with an appeal to our “Dear Heavenly Father to give (her) the strength as she was praying for the first time in (her) life under such circumstances. As Dorothy continued praying, we felt a powerful Spirit fill the hall. Her heartfelt appeal, “Please help me out so that I don’t have any kind of problem in saying a small prayer to you”, touched our hearts. Her child-like faith and sincere words bore witness to the power of prayer.
Yes, Dorothy was speaking to her Heavenly Father and “Jesus”, and YES! God was right there, listening! Her prayer was short and simple, but it left a powerful impression. What we felt as we heard her pray, we will never forget!
Sister Johnson, the wife of the first counselor in the Asia Area Presidency, along with many other beloved members, also felt the power of her prayer. With a trembling voice, she said, “I loved the opening prayer the beautiful sister gave us. When I heard her pleading with Heavenly Father for blessings for each of us, I was very touched. I bear testimony that Heavenly Father heard her, and He hears each of our prayers… I want to bear testimony that He is with me through every prayer”.
Elder Uchtdorf also talked about the “beautiful opening prayer”. He said, “I was touched, too. It was a heartfelt conversation with Heavenly Father. That’s what prayers are.”
An Apostle of the Lord bore witness to the power of Dorothy’s prayer.
Dorothy, after her powerful prayer, said that she just wanted to “talk to Jesus” because she was “shivering with fear”. She felt the Spirit when “Jesus helped”, and she calmed down. With great excitement Dorothy shared that Elder Uchtdorf thanked her for her “heart-touching” prayer. When Dorothy asked him to pray for her son, Elder Uchtdorf promised to pray for her physically challenged son.
Dorothy accepted the Gospel in 2012, and She met the full-time volunteers Elders Paul and Varada at her friend’s home in Mohan Garden, New Delhi, in 2011. She was touched by how they spoke about Christ; she recalled her mother, who had taught her about Jesus since childhood. Dorothy along with her two daughters and son, delightfully accepted the Gospel. Though her husband has not accepted the Gospel, he is very supportive, said Dorothy. She later testified that through this experience, her faith in the Lord Jesus Christ has been strengthened, and she is very grateful that he hears our prayers because He is real.