General Conference, Part 2

The Assistants to the President brought the "new" vehicle  to us, and they so conveniently left in the CD player a disc with five of the most recent General Conference talks on it!  That was pure gold for us!  It was fantastic because every single one of the talks on there were talks that we had really wanted to hear but we had missed due to technical difficulties in the Spanish session or car troubles that made us arrive late to Conference.  It was perfect!  And we've been enjoying listening to those talks over and over.

I really like the talks by Elder Jeffery R. Holland and President Dieter F. Uchtdorf.  They both talked about the effort and sacrifices we will have to make to be true disciples of Jesus Christ.  There are many who do not like the message we bring simply because it requires them to work, and I think we all may be guilty of having the same feelings toward something a prophet or apostle has said that may sound too hard or unreasonable.  We may have a list of excuses justifying why we don't have time to do things the prophet asks us, but its important to realize that the progress that comes from taking the challenge is truly what makes us happy.  Without it, we can never become the people God wants us to become.

General Conference Thoughts!

Conference was fantastic!  We had a blast watching it at church.  I really liked Elder M Russell Ballard's talk about missionary work.  I think we can apply a lot of the techniques he shared in our area.  I also really liked Elder D. Todd Christofferson's talk. I love conference!  This was my third and last conference in the mission field, and like always, it was much needed!

I hope you all take the time to read over the talks often.  Y'all are lucky because you can access them at any time during the week on the internet.  We as missionaries have to wait awhile :( 

I Hope You Speak Spanish!

Yesterday, we stopped by to visit a family we have been working with for quite some time.  I spent a little too much time telling this story in the letter to the President, so I don't have very much time to write about it.  I could send you what I wrote to him.  The only problem is that it's in Spanish.  Either way, here it is:

También, hemos trabajado con una familia parte miembro. Ya están asistiendo a la iglesia regularmente. Sin embargo, el hermano todavía no ha aceptado una fecha bautismal. Pero, ayer, pasamos por su casa. Estaban arreglando una televisión grande y nueva. Lo primero que nos dijeron cuando entramos por la puerta fue, "Ahorita estamos listos para la próxima conferencia!" Nos dijeron que vieron a la conferencia general en la casa de unos amigos y habían asistido a un servicio bautismal de los élderes en nuestra zona. Le preguntamos si había pensado más en el bautismo. Estaba en camino fuera de la casa para comprar algo para la TV, pero empezó a sonreir y dijo, "Pos, ya me voy, pero quiero fijar una fecha!" Nos quedamos un poquito más en su casa hablando con su esposa. Nos dijo que él ya sabe quien quiere que lo bautice. Nos hizo re, re, re feliz! No hemos tenido que hacer mucho. Todo este milagro ha sido a causa de los miembros. Pero, estoy emocionada que podemos verlo!

I thought for sure I was being transferred, so the entire time, I was thinking, "This is fantastic, but I'm leaving." 

Decisions Determine Destiny!

General Conference was fantastic!  I loved the last session. I really loved Elder Andersen's talk and Kevin S. Hamilton's.  I absolutely loved the emphasis on missionary work.  As strong members of the church, we have the responsibility of helping others - nonmembers and members alike. 

I liked Russell M. Nelson's talk when he said that decisions determine destiny.  Every little decision we make is so important.  We're never too young to learn and never too old to change.  We need to be consistently striving for self-mastery everyday.  Satan will try to cheat our souls by filling our time with things of little importance.  We need to beware of those fillers and try to develop our talents and spiritual attributes.

My Favorite Conference Talks!

• I really liked Elaine S. Dalton's talk...a lot.
• I liked Stanley G. Ellis.
• Neil L. Andersen's talk about miracles was great, too!
• I liked Russell M. Nelson's talk about member missionaries!
• I think we all could learn from L. Tom Perry's talk about obedience and his huge emphasis on how the Church is growing more and more away from the world. That is an important lesson we can all learn now: the Church will face opposition for staying true to it's guidelines. Know that people will disagree with us and stand firm, but be loving.
• I loved Holland's and Bednar's talks. 
• Then, I also got to watch the priesthood session on Monday morning at the Branch President's house. I really liked Uchtdorf's talk.

Which conference talks did you like most?

General Conference outside of Utah...

I think the biggest news this week was there was General Conference. We went to the church to watch it broadcast. It was interesting because I knew that outside of Utah, stakes always broadcast it, so I guess I was expecting the building to be packed. But, most people get it through cable so our group of 16 missionaries made up about half of the congregation, and it was really fun! In between Saturday sessions, we went out to eat, then in between Sunday sessions, the members fed us.