By Tamara Ellsworth Francis

As we come to end of the year 2025, and as the weather has finally become moderate here in Mesa Arizona, my husband and I were able to take a bike ride around our neighborhood and were so delighted to observe so many homes beaming with Christmas lights and Christmas trees brightening windows, which in a sense, felt of a manner of worship of the ‘birth’ which happened over 2000 years ago. I am a believer in Jesus Christ, I am a Christian, I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as we sing in our Primary, “I am a Witness of Jesus our Savior.”

We have scripture in the books of Abraham and Genesis when Jehovah talked face to face with Abraham (Abraham 3:11) (Genesis 17:1). Jehovah told Abraham that “there stood among them one who was like unto God, and he said unto those that were with him: We will go down, for there is space there, and we will take of these materials, and we will make an earth whereon these may dwell and we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them (Abr. 24, 25). Jehovah was the creator of our earth.

Later in the same chapter of Abraham (3:27), we read, “And the Lord said: Whom shall I send? And one answered like unto the Son of Man: Here I am, send me. And another answered and said: Here I am, send me. And the Lord said: I will send the first.” He was known as Jehovah in the Old Testament. He was the Son of God, the Father and Mary, in the meridian of time, and is Jesus Christ, our Redeemer.

I had a wonderful experience during the last hike my husband and I took in the Grand Canyon. If you have been there, you may have felt the awe and grandeur. A year ago, last April, we were hiking down the Bright Angel trail, which is one of the most beautiful settings on this earth, and as I looked across the vast expanse of layers of earth from the South Rim all the way to the North, with the Colorado River running through, I was filled with gratitude for the beauty of it all. As we rounded a bend and happened to look up onto the wall of the canyon, there before our eyes, tucked under a Pine tree, was a fully mature big horn sheep, a ram. It watched us pass along the trail, and as we continued, I experienced a deep spiritual witness that Jehovah was the creator of this world, the ram that was sacrificed for it, and He who submitted to the will of the Father because He loves us. All this so that any of God’s children who are willing could, through Him, Jesus Christ, return home.

I feel so much gratitude for the infant whom we celebrate each Christmas, Jesus Christ, who took upon himself all the unfair things, suffering, mistakes, miscalculations, transgressions, and sins of this world through His infinite atonement. As Isaiah so beautifully prophesied: “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows….He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities” (Isaiah 53:4-5). We read in Luke that while in Gethsemane, Jesus Christ suffered and “in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat was as if it were great drops of blood falling to the ground (Luke 22:44). The magnitude of what He did is beyond comprehension.

Continuing on our Grand Canyon journey, we reached Havasupai Gardens and ate our sandwiches. The plan was to wait for the rest of our party, including our son, who had started their much longer hike at 9:00 pm the evening before, and hike out with them for the last 5 miles. My husband, ever the observant, noticed that heavy clouds were approaching from the North Rim, and the longer we waited, the closer the tempest moved toward us. There was a display of lightning, and we could hear thunder rumbling in the distance. We were compelled to start our climb out of the canyon, and as we reached the top, the thunderclaps reverberated against the walls of the great chasm, which echoed resounding evidence of striking majesty and power. I was left unmistakably aware of our creator.

He lived a perfect life, the only person ever to do so on this earth. He served, He blessed, He taught, He was wrongly accused, He was betrayed, He forgave, He was crucified, and He rose again on the third day. He lives. He fulfilled all that the Father asked, and because of Him, we can feel peace, joy, and hope. And so, this Christmas we worship Him, this Jesus Christ whom we love and believe.

I am A Witness

I didn’t walk beside him on the road to Galilee

I didn’t hear Him teach along the way

I didn’t see him suffering that day on Calvary

But I’m part of His story today

I am a witness of Jesus, my Savior,

Just like the people who walked with Him so long ago.

I know he lives and He loves me forever,

For I can feel it right here in my heart and my soul

I am a witness

I kneel in prayer and feel he’s there

I read the words he spoke

I see His love in all the things He made

So come with me, and you will see the truth I’ve come to know

That the Lord is still with us today.

I am a witness of Jesus, my Savior,

Just like the people who walked with Him so long ago.

I know He lives and He loves me forever,

For I can feel it right here in my heart and my soul

I am a witness.

Works Cited

Edwards, Shawna. Lyrics to "I Am a Witness." Shawna Edwards Music, https://shawnaedwardsmusic.com/pages/i-am-a-witness. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q02wPndMsjA

Francis, Brad. Grand Canyon. Author’s personal collection. 24 April 2024.

Holy Bible. King James Version, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1983.

The Pearl of Great Price, Published by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

Tamara Ellsworth Francis grew up in Scottsdale, Arizona, and is the oldest of ten children. She has fond memories of raising her family, two daughters and three sons. She obtained a Bachelor's in Nursing from Brigham Young University-Idaho, and has studied family history at BYUI and evidence-based nutrition at E-Cornell. She has spent the last 14 years working for Mesa Public Schools as a tracheostomy specialist and managing health offices throughout the district.

She resides in Mesa, Arizona, with her husband Bruce and enjoys being outdoors, gardening, and traveling together. Tamara is passionate about her continual studies of mental, physical, and spiritual well-being. She has 18 grandchildren and cherishes each moment with them.

I am a Witness

More Blessed and Holy

The Prosper Foundation