-Neil L. Anderson
Can I just say that General Conference is my most favorite thing ever? If you are a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or not, I promise you that General Conference can and will enrich your lives if you watch it, and it can and will answer your most soul searching questions. Please watch it if you haven't already! To watch online, please click here.
Monday: Had a good P-Day, relaxed, had fun at FHE. Then, we had a great lesson with Frank!!!
We talked with him a bout swearing, and why we shouldn't swear, and honestly, I don't remember much of what I said. Which is a good thing, because that means that the Spirit spoke through me. I remember having Sister King and I stand and demonstrate the Holy Ghost being a constant companion after baptism, and when we do things like swearing or smoking or drinking, etc. it pushes the Spirit away. Sister King was the Spirit, and I did literally pushed her away. Silly example, but I think it helped him understand. We told him that we cared about him, and then we asked him if he needed anything before we left for home. He said that he just really wanted to feel the Spirit. So, we went into the chapel for me to play the piano and sing soprano while Sister King sand alto.
And my heart was thumping and I was so nervous.
Because, people. I don't really play piano. I don't play hymns. I can't play and sing at the same time.
But we knew that if we tried, the Spirit would be there and would make ALL the difference. So, there I was at the piano again to play and sing and try and help someone feel the Spirit.
I was so nervous! But, I prayed in my heart and we began. We did "Nearer, My God, To Thee" and it wasn't perfect, but the Spirit was there. We did "Lead Kindly Light" and the Spirit grew stronger. I was able to sing and play at the same time. It wasn't perfect, but that didn't matter. I remember singing "I Am a Child of God" and "I Know My Father Lives" and "A Child's Prayer" (which was a capella because we didn't have the music). But somewhere in the middle of all that, I played. I gave our voices a break for a few minutes, and played some of the only melodies that I remember. They weren't church songs, but the Spirit was still there because those songs are inspiring. I played "Jessica's Theme" from Man From Snowy River. Well, part of it. Then, I played part of "River Flows in You." And then I played part of "Go the Distance." Because I don't have those whole songs memorized, I could only play parts of them and I was slightly concerned I would just stop playing and that it would ruin the Spirit. But I played anyway. And I don't know how, but when I couldn't remember how they went, I kept playing. I added my own part and finished it. I put all of the songs together, somehow meshed them into one. I don't know how. I'm not a perfect piano player by any means. I know that I still messed up. But I also know that I was led by the Spirit. I know that at times, keys just stuck out to me and I knew that I should play them.
I know that for those brief few minutes, I was literally His hands.
And as we finished with "Be Still My Soul" there was a stillness and beauty in the air that outdid and standing ovation. There was a Spirit and feeling that I couldn't replicate on purpose, and the only thing that comes close in comparison is the feeling we all got after playing in Carnegie Hall back when I was a Junior in high school. But this time, the only member of the audience was Frank. That performance, imperfect as it was, was totally for him, and it was totally given by the Spirit. It was precious. The moment is gone, yet it is infinite.
It was a glimpse of eternity.
Tuesday: Sister King had MLC, so I had a Hermana with me again- Hermana Hill this time. So yay for a good, thorough language study! We visited with Jenn Hoff. Every time I talk to her, I am inspired and amazed. She is so strong. And hilarious, despite everything she has gone through and is going through. At the end, I told her that I had some scriptures that I'd like to share with her, that I'd been studying hope because I was thinking about her a lot. I told her, "I found a scripture in Moroni 7 that made me think of you, Jenn, because it says
And what is it that ye shall hope for?'-" and she sat up a bit more, eyes HUGE and said, "That's exactly what I asked you last time!!! Read it, read it!" So I laughed and told her that I would. Its Moroni 7:41 and it says;
"And what is it that ye shall hope for? Behold, I say unto you that ye shall hope through the Atonement of Christ and the power of His resurrection, to be raised unto life eternal, and this because of your faith in Him according to the promise."
She loved that. I pointed out that she could not only have hope IN the Atonement, but hope THROUGH the Atonement to eventually gain eternal life, or eternal happiness with God, Jesus Christ and her loved ones. She really liked that, and I know the Spirit spoke to her.
Then, I shared Moroni 8:3 with her because that scripture just describes how Sister King and I feel about her, and I told her to listen to it as if I and Sister King and her family/friends were saying this to her. It says;
"I am mindful of you always in my prayers, continually praying unto God the Father in the name of His Holy Child, Jesus, that He, through His infinite goodness and grace, will keep you through the endurance of faith on His name to the end."
I got all choked up and stuff, and I told her that I love her and that tons of people are praying for her to see this through with Christ to the very end. It was a very touching moment.
Then, we didn't have too much luck with our other stuff.. But we exchanged back, visited Ashley and a lovely member named Sheena.
Wednesday: We went to "The Mission" and had a gazillion lessons there. They weren't super long, or formal, but we were able to testify to a lot of people there, and we invited everyone we talked to to listen to General Conference. "Come, listen to a prophet's voice!!" We were able to withstand any and all questions, and answer them with "courtesy and courage" as Elder Jeffrey R. Holland encouraged us to do. Every time I go there, my testimony is strengthened so much, and I am always so grateful that I grew up in the church with the truth.
Then, we had a completely amazing lesson with Sandra! She is so prepared. We read part of Alma 32 with her, and she loved it. And she was pulling out things from verses and likening them to herself personally! She understood it so well, and it answered a lot of her questions. She is amazing. Heavenly Father is truly blessing her life. She is here for a reason.
We spent some time at the Family History Center, which is dangerous for me, because Family History work is completely addicting. I think I found like 4 people that weren't in my tree before. It was a pretty rewarding experience :) People! Please send me some family history stories!! I love my family, and General Conference has motivated me to learn more about my ancestors.
Thursday: During personal study, I read the talk "Teaching With the Power and Authority of God" by David M. McConkie. It was so good! Here are some things I took from it:
1. We are on the Lord's errand.
2. Preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ
3. Teach principles as found in the standard works, conference, and from the Holy Ghost.
How to do the above?
1. Live so you can have the Holy Ghost as a guide and a companion
Most important part of teaching is spiritual preparation
2. Seek to obtain His word
Knowing is half the battle- therefore, PREPARATION is half the battle
3. Learn to listen
"If we'll listen with spiritual ears... our investigators will tell us what lessons they need to hear!" - Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
4. Be willing to LET GO
Follow the Spirit, no matter what notes say- then it becomes the Savior's lesson.
5. Stand as an independent witness of things you teach, not an echo of the manual or thoughts of others- this allows the Spirit of revelation to go to both YOUR heart and THEIR heart
All of this starts in the Sacred Grove. "Because of what took place on that beautiful spring morning not so long ago, you are entitled to teach with the power and authority of God."
Ask "What would the Savior say if he were teaching _____ today, and how would he say it?"
He would say "I am the Savior, Jesus Christ, and I love you!"
So, that helped me prepare for our lesson with Frank at the temple. We told him that if the Savior would here, he would tell Frank that he loved him. We got him pumped for conference, and I think he really enjoyed the lesson.
Then, we did some weekly planning. Woot woot.
After that, we saw Jenn again because her family was out of town and she was alone all week. I love her. I gave her a little thing that I made way back in Montgomery that says "HOPE" and wrote the scripture Moroni 7:41 on the back of it.
Made us a gourmet dinner. YUM. And....MIRACLE OF MIRACLES!! We finally had a lesson with Erick, our long lost investigator! He seems really sincere. He apologized for not meeting in a while, and told us that he wants to continue coming to church and learning and changing and progressing. It was a lesson filled with the Spirit, and it was a good way to end the day.
Saturday: 10 months out!!! Freaky. Weird. Let's not dwell on that.
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| Picture Kirsten drew on how she feels about being out 10 moths! |
Elder Holland got it started off with a good Spiritual punch. I loved that he pointed out that the popular question "What would Jesus do?" will not always bring a popular response. "Now be strong. Live the gospel faithfully." I'm going to have to go back and read that because I just couldn't soak it in all at once.
I loved that Ronald A. Rasband continued the theme of discipleship, and I loved Carlos H. Amado's honest and simple testimony when he said, "I love Him with all my heart."
Then, Linda S. Reeves. Oh goodness, that was such a good talk!! I am so glad that a woman brought up the topic of pornography, because it desperately needs to be addressed in our world today. And she did such a wonderful job. I loved that she pointed out that our best filter is our TESTIMONY, and that the Book of Mormon carries power to protect our families.
Neil L. Anderson did a wonderful job. I loved the "whirlwinds" comparison! I also learned, from the Spirit, during his talk that I am on my mission for my future family. As much as I am helping others and learning things myself, I am here for my future family. Its as simple as that.
I loved that Henry B. Eyring pointed out that "the effects of choices are often delayed to promote faith."
*insert delicious lunch with AJ and her mom here*
3,050 stakes.
405 missions.
15,092,028 members
289,000+ converts
83,035 missionaries!
Russell M. Nelson started just as the Savior would have by telling us that he loves us. Are we securely tied back to God? WRONG IS NEVER RIGHT.
I gained a lot of personal revelation during Richard G. Scott's talk. I loved that he said that we must "first love them, and second trust them!"
Robert D. Hales did such a good job. Do not participate in "selective obedience." Do not rationalize disobedience. Confound your enemies. And remember, they will be confounded in His time.
Claudio M. Zivic did such an amazing job. I loved that he pointed out that we should keep the commandments without constant reminders, and that we need to accept correction, and that we should not fear man more than God.
W. Craig Zwick helped me remember that I need to make sure that my words are always in line with what the Savior would say.
Quentin L. Cook motivated me to do more family history work. "And the prisoner shall go free."
Then, Frank watched the Priesthood session with the elders at a church building! Because he was watching it, we wanted to watch it so we could answer any questions he may have that might stem from it. So, we went to Kristen's house and watched it with her. That was very insightful, and the talk that President Thomas S. Monson gave was directly to Frank. I am so glad we watched it because now I have notes from the talk that will help Frank the most!!!
Sister King and then went home, did the miles in our car, and then walked to our apartment. As we rounded the corner, we noticed some hoodlums smoking who knows what at the door of the apartment right below ours. We were walking towards our stairs on the sidewalk, and the hoodlums said hi. We, of course, said hi back but did not stop to talk. As we got closer to our stairs, I got a distinct and strong impression from the Holy Ghost; "Keep on walking!" It startled me a bit inside. I didn't turn towards our stairs, I didn't tell Sister King that we needed to keep going, I only kept walking, hoping that she would keep walking too. And she did! We walked around the corner together. We both got the same prompting and we both did not hesitate to follow it. We walked around the building back to our car and sat in it, staking out our apartment. When the hoodlums were finally gone, we reparked and quickly booked it inside.
I know that Heavenly Father was protecting us, and I am so grateful for the Holy Ghost. I don't know what would have happened if we hadn't listened, but I'm glad that we didn't have to find out. Just another testimony to me that Heavenly Father protects his missionaries. I know that we were escorted by angels as we walked past our apartment.
Sunday: GENERAL CONFERENCE!!! Here's how it went. We went to the church building and were waiting for Frank. He told us he was going to "dress up" but I wasn't really sure what that meant for Frank. And then, lo and behold. Here comes Frank in a nice suit, walking into the chapel! Sister King and I almost started crying. He looked like a Priesthood holder. He just needs to be baptized!
Dieter F. Uchtdorf reminded me that I need to develop an attitude of gratitude more, and praise the Lord all the day long. "Something inside us resists endings because we are made of the stuff of eternity... Endings now are simply interruptions... [we have] everlasting beginnings!"
M. Russell Ballard was so cute about his follow up story! It really applies for us missionaries, let me tell you. The follow up part.
Jean A. Stevens talked about how the gospel is not a weight, but it is wings. "The strong hand of the Lord is reached out to all of His vulnerable children."
"I pray because I can't help myself." -CS Lewis
"I am so much grateful to God!"
I loved the 4 minute performance analogy by Gary A. Stevenson. This life is our four minutes, and the clock is already ticking! Don't wait!! We will have eternity to think about what we did during this life.
David A. Bednar pointed out something that we all need to be reminded of at times- our best efforts are not equal to and cannot be compared to His (the Savior's). We need to act instead of being acted upon.
Thomas S. Monson is a true prophet of God. I loved that at the end, he said, "Heavenly Father, I am glad that you are always here and there."
*break for picnic lunch with Frank, where we talked about what he was learning at Conference and walked around the park*
William R. Walker reminded me that I do what i do because I know that I am led by a prophet of God!
I learned that I need to be willing to completely alter my course and walk by faith from L. Tom Perry.
Why did they not leave Him (the Savior) along? Because He is the truth and the truth will always be opposed! Why did they not leave Joseph Smith alone? Because he told the truth! The gospel will roll forth! Opposition and criticism is always a companion to truth. As Lawrence E. Corbridge promised in one of the talks that hit me the hardest in conference, if we ask God will answer!! If you are questioning whether or not Joseph Smith saw what he said he saw, and if you are questioning whether or not all of this is true, watch this. And ask God if Joseph really saw what he said he saw- God will answer.
Michael John U. Teh reminded us of what is necessary, and what we can live without. Are my priorities straight?
Marcos A. Aidukaitis made me laugh at the truth and hilariousness of this statement; "One should not roam through garbage." How often do I let myself roam through garbage? And, I loved at the end how he said, "Thus I know it is true!!"
I loved D. Todd Christofferson's talk as well. I sort of just had to sit and listen, and didn't take too many notes. That is one I will definitely have to read a lot later. I love that he pointed out that Christ is justice just as He is love. All will know (the truth and reality of Christ) and it is MY DUTY to tell them about Him! Faith is more than imagination. IT IS REAL.
Thomas S. Monson is a true prophet of God. Let us resolve to do a little better than we have in the past.
Man. Long email. Hope some of that made sense.
The church is true.
We heard the word of God this past weekend.
Do we fully appreciate the fact that we have prophets and apostles who speak to us the words of Christ? Do we accept their words as scripture? Do we apply them to ourselves? I have been motivated by this General Conference and will try my best to use it to better myself. I challenge all of you to do the same. "Come, let us anew."
These are the days, my friends. These are THE days.
com amor,
Sister Shell
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