General Conference

What a FANTASTIC week!!!!!

Let me start this entry by saying that yesterday evening, my companion (Sister Johnstone) and I were walking down the sidewalk when we ran into a member we know. As we were talking with him and his neighbor, we noticed that they had a garden hose pointed down into a hole in the yard next to the sidewalk. I asked him what he was trying to water. He laughed and told me to take a look in the bucket next to him. I looked down into the bucket and beheld a vole. What is that?! It turns out that a vole is a lot like a mole. It is a pesky rodent that digs numerous holes in your yard and causes a lot of problems. The man and his neighbor were trying to figure out where the other holes were, and they were trying to flood out any more voles that may be hiding. It was pretty interesting to learn about that little animal and how to chase it out of its holes.

In my last entry, I mentioned that there is a movie coming out called "Meet the Mormons". As a mission, we got to see a special preview of it at our mission office. We didn't get to go to the theatres or anything like that, but we did get to watch it with all the missionaries in this mission. It is a fantastic movie. It is basically a look at the lives of five different members, how they came into the church, what they do for a living, and how they deal with life. If you like human interest pieces, you would love this movie. I would caution you, though, to bring a box of tissues with you. I'm pretty much made of steel, but I still cried at some parts. Some of it is also really funny. It's just a good look at people's lives.

On Friday, my companion and I went on exchanges with the Sister Training Leader in our zone, and her companion. Our STL and her companion are Spanish-speaking, so my entire day on Friday was in Spanish. When we were in lessons, Hermana Russell would do all the talking, and I would just smile and nod, since I know very little Spanish. It was a lot of fun, though, singing hymns in Spanish and reading some of the Book of Mormon in Spanish. I know more now than I did, and I can even understand some when other people talk.

General Conference this weekend was AMAZING. I hope all of you had an opportunity to watch it, but if you didn't, you can still watch/read/listen to it at this link. It was wonderful to hear the prophet, President Thomas S. Monson, speak at the Sunday morning session.

My favorite talk, however, was given by President Henry B. Eyring, who is the First Counselor in the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I also really liked Elder Chi Hong (Sam) Wong's talk given at the Saturday morning session. His talk was delivered in his native language of Cantonese, but was translated into English during the live broadcast. This is the first General Conference where the speakers have delivered their talks in their native language. President Uchtdorf, Second Counselor in the First Presidency, was asked if he would speak in his native language of German, but he decided to give his talk in English instead.

It was great to hear so many inspired speakers this past weekend. I learned something from every talk that was given. There is something in every talk that can help you with things you are currently facing in life, as well as help you feel peace and comfort. For me, there were a few talks that really stood out and helped me to receive personal revelation. This is possible for you as well. If you are seeking for an answer or for guidance, the talk from General Conference can help you gain the revelation you are searching for.

The last thing I want to include is a super short story about a lady we ran into. We heard that a family had recently moved into a neighborhood in our area, so we went to meet them. We had spoken to them briefly while they were in their yard one day decorating for Halloween. So we knocked on the door, the Mom opened the door and said, "Oh good! I was wanting to talk to you guys! My daughter hasn't been baptized yet, and she is 12 years old. My other daughter also hasn't been baptized yet, and she is 11 years old. Let's set up a time that you can come back when they are home and you can teach them!" What a miracle. God really does put you in the right place at the right time.