7 October 2018 - Sunday

7 October 2018 - Sunday

What an awesome day of General Conference!  Mom and I were able to see both sessions today.  We had the assignment to open the Visitors' Center at 8:00am and worked until 10:00am.  The snow was already beginning as we prepared to drive to the Homestead at 7:20am this morning.  It was a cold, drizzling, rain with the temperature at Missionary Village hovering at 35 degrees.  By the time we got to the Homestead at 7:40am, the snow was already falling, but not yet sticking to the ground.

I am grateful I had my winter dress coat with me today.  It has a hood on it, and is waterproof, and nice and warm.  Mom always wears her coat so I was finally following her excellent example by wearing mine!  

This is the picture from the drivers seat as I parked the car this morning at the Homestead

I was scrambling to get the Visitors' Center opened and stay warm.  We had all the out-buildings opened and ready for visitors by 7:50am.  Mom and I then huddled together in the Visitors' Center around a portable heater.  They keep the temperature, very constant, at 70 degrees in the Visitors' Center, but the extra heat was nice.  Here are some additional morning pictures;

The snow was starting to collect on the wet lawn

Here comes mom all bundled up toward the front door

A nice winter-wonderland beginning to form

Devil's Gate is obscured by the low clouds at 8:00am

As we were sitting in the Visitors' Center, I went to the Gospel Library, on my phone, and we listened to several Conference talks.  We started with the October 1984, Conference talk by Elder Russell M. Nelson, and listened to the next two conference talks.  I had already listened to the April 1984 talk he gave as his first talk as an apostle.  Then we listened to Bruce R. McConkie's last conference talk before he died, "The Purifying Power of Gethsemane".  All these talks packed such power!

I then got the Music and the Spoken Word broadcast on my phone for today's broadcast.  This was an awesome morning in the Visitors' Center!  We had no visitors because of the snow, and we did not miss the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square's broadcast before the first Sunday session of General Conference!  Our relief missionaries came at a few minutes before 10:00am, and we were seated in the Chapel by the time President Nelson walked into the Conference Center with his counselors at 9:55am.

Here are just a few of the highlights that spoke to me yesterday, last night and today.  Mom and I are so looking forward to our family conference discussion at the cabin in just less than three weeks!

President Nelson - What an inspired announcement on the Home centered, Church supported adjustment to Gospel learning.  The emphasis is the Gospel being taught, and studied, and discussed, in the home where families can "learn doctrine, fortify faith, and foster heartfelt worship".  That will surely open up many opportunities to strengthen the family unit!  I can't wait to participate in that effort with our family!  I love the fact that the meetings at the Church will be reduced by an hour.  And then 12 more temples announced, and the marvelous invitation extended by him in the Women's Meeting, that will help all of us more fully focus on staying on the covenant path.

Elder Cook - I liked the idea of the encouragement of groups to form Gospel study meetings outside the Sunday meeting schedule.  They discussed this in the MTC with Book of Mormon reads, where groups get together and read in the Book of Mormon and discuss what they read.  And I really appreciated his take on the reduced meeting block to allow "joyful" family time to discuss the Gospel and how it affects us as a family.

President Oaks -  Don't you just love President Oaks direct and unfiltered messages!  "Be cautious as we seek truth".  We have seen so much of the fake news to promote an agenda and even to spoil reputations in the name of promoting those hidden agendas.  He said that "expertise in one area does not make one an expert in another area, specifically using high profile sports stars, actors and professionals inserting opinions in areas they are not trained in".  He encouraged us to use "spiritual methods in seeking Gospel truth".  It added even more solid credibility to President Nelson's comments from the April Conference when he said; 'in the coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost".

Elder Holland - He spoke about the personal aspect of ministering that is not by assignment concerning Grant Bowen and his family. His father had that terrible experience with his Bishop and went inactive over tithing payments.  I learned from his cousin, Shayne, that families must stick together.  It made a very strong impression on my mind to the importance of how critical, even life changing, it is to be supportive of our family members.  

We need to be careful of how we talk to each other and how we come across to each other in our conversations.  It brought to my mind one of the Creekside Ward goals of "being less critical and more supportive" of each other.  Being more supportive is finding ways to encourage and compliment rather that suggest something negative about a family member.  I see the Home centered, and Church supported adjustment to Gospel learning that goes beyond just immediate family.  It includes all of us, 31 and a half and counting!  If someone is doing something terribly wrong, it would be better to have a one on one loving discussion to help a family member remain on the covenant path.  

It was just so firmly impressed on my mind that we all need to be less critical and more supportive of each other, that I wanted to post it here tonight.  Let's face it, if we can all stay on the covenant path together, we will have that "joyful" feeling that so many speakers mentioned in their messages.  How very important it is to find ways to compliment each other,  We all need that kind of family support!  Perhaps we can adjust that goal of being less critical and more supportive, to not being critical at all.  But perhaps we can be as Jesus taught, that we live together in love with no disputations!  Fully supporting each other in our struggles and challenges!  

Mom and I love our precious family!  We are excited for our reunion at the cabin and for the discussions we will be able to have over that four day celebration!  We are also excited to begin our last full week in the mission field here in Wyoming.  It will be an awesome and productive week for these two senior missionaries!