General Conference and Finals

Last weekend was General Conference. It was so nice to be able to relax (besides the fact that I needed to study for finals since they are this week) and listen to the leaders of the church talk and give us giudance and counsel. It was really good. I started taking notes, but only got through the first couple talks in the first session. But here are some of my thoughts...

Opening- Although it was sad to when Elder Wirthlin died, it was nice to see a new apostle called. I can’t believe how much the church has grown! Wow! 53,000 missionaries! That’s awesome! And my hubby once was one…
Elder Robert D. Hales- We must learn to control our wants and impulses. We must turn to the Lord and
follow his commandments. We must change our lives so that we can break the cycle of debt. Through this conference we can feel our Savior’s love and more hope in him. My situation is not beyond the reach of my Savior. Through him, I can learn through each trial. Our success is never measured by how much we are tempted, but by how we reacted/ overcame it. We must not try to keep up with our neighbors, this will only lead us into debt and then become so overwhelmed that we do not remember to seek spiritual things. We should be seeking the lord’s love and all the things that he can provide. Only through the Lord’s atonement can we receive a change of heart, and a change in addictive behaviors. The Lord said “Fear not, for you are mine, and I have overcome the world.”

Sister Margaret S. Lifferth-Parents, teachers, and leaders must work together to encourage respect and
reverence in the home. Parents must be examples, because children not only watch the media, they watch their parents. As a Parent, we must have patience with our children as we teach them to be reverent, fold their arms, and prepare for prayer or the sacrament.

Brother Michael A. Neider-I didn’t listen to much to this one, it seemed more about priesthood stuff that
is irrelevant to me.

Elder D. Todd Christofferson –For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that
whosever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. We must repent so that we can stand spotless before him in the last day. Covenants enable us to have strength and persevere. As we honor our covenants, our faith will expand.

President Henry B. Eyring- Heavenly Father and the Savior live, and love all of us. God gave us the gift of
living in mortality so that we can prepare ourselves to receive the greatest gift of God, eternal life. We will be able to walk where God walks, and think as he thinks. We will be blessed with an endless posterity. We progress as we are subject to trials. We experience misery, happiness, the sadness from sin, and the joy of forgiveness. This joy can only come from the Savior and his atonement. He knows how to heal and to help us. Faith in the atonement will give us patience as we pray and wait for his help. The Lord took upon himself our sins, our infirmities, and our sorrows. He did this, so that he could blot out our transgression according to his power of deliverance. The Prophet Joseph Smith cried out while in prison, “Oh Lord, where art thou?” The Lord’s reply can encourage us all “My son, peace be unto thy soul, thine adversity shall be but a small moment. And if thou endures well… thou shall stand on high… Thy friends stand by thee. Thou are not yet as Job...” We must give unto others, even when we are need, or are prayers are in vain. We are even called “hypocrites” in the scripture. We find blessings when we serve those who are more in need then us.
I just have to say that every time I hear President Henry B. Eyring speak, I feel the power of the Holy Ghost testifying it is true. I know that he KNOWS the Savior and that one day, if I am true and faithful, I can KNOW him too.


Anyway, it's Wednesday now and I only have one final left!! And it should be an easy one so I'm WAY excited! The semester is practically over! I'm really excited because I think (hopefully I'm not speaking too soon) I got all A's. And I think in my two nursing classes this block I got like 98's. The only class I am nervous about was my nursing class last block with she-who-must-not-be-named. And the good news is Derek thinks he will pass all his classes (he's taking 17 1/2 credits)...so this semester has been VERY successful! I'm so grateful for all those that have supported Derek and I and for your prayers that TOTALLY helped us through this...it's been quite a challenge but we are grateful for it!!