Heartwarming: Ward Members Find Old Microphone for Visitor in Wheelchair

Springville, UT — In a touching display of community spirit and resourcefulness, members of the Springville 18th Ward came together this past Sunday to locate an old microphone for a visitor in a wheelchair, ensuring that everyone could participate fully in the worship service.

The story began when Sister Linda Martinez, a longtime member of the ward, noticed a new visitor wanted to speak during testimony meeting. The visitor, who had recently moved to the area and uses a wheelchair, expressed his frustration at not being able to engage with the service due to the stairs leading to the pulpit.

“I could see him straining to get his wheelchair up the stairs, and it broke my heart,” Sister Martinez recalled. “I thought, ‘There has to be a way to make this better for him.’”

Despite the local young men’s group volunteering to carry the visitor’s chair up the stairs, he lost interest in addressing the congregation and wheeled his chair outside.

Inspired by a desire to help, Sister Martinez reached out to the ward’s leadership after the meeting and proposed the idea of finding an old microphone that could be used to amplify the visitor’s voice. “I knew we had some equipment stored away in the library, but I wasn’t sure if it would still work,” she said.

With the support of the bishopric, a small team of ward members quickly mobilized to search the church’s storage areas. After a thorough search, they unearthed an old but functional microphone that had been gathering dust for years. “It was a bit vintage, but it looked like it could do the job,” said Brother Tom Anderson, who led the search team.

Once the microphone was located, the team set to work testing it and ensuring it was in good working order. “We wanted to make sure it was ready to go for the next meeting,” Brother Anderson explained. “It felt great to know we could make a difference for someone who needed it.”