28 August 2011
Stake Conference and a new Stake President 2011- Adult Session Saturday Night
Posted by stephyc under: Uncategorized .
Jason and I have never really had an opportunity to attend the Adult Session of Stake Conference together. We decided this would be a great opportunity and the added bonus was that since our Stake President was being released we would get to listen to a General Authority and an Area Seventy. We gladly went and enjoyed the wonderful talks.
Many people were called upon to bear their testimonies. Thankfully I wasn’t one of them! I thoroughly enjoyed each one. The members of our stake have very powerful testimonies of our Savior Jesus Christ, our living prophet President Thomas S. Monson, the restoration of the gospel in its fullness, and their personal witnesses of how each of these have inspired and lifted them in their lives!
The Area Seventy that came to our Stake Conference is Elder Villarreal. I was impressed as he shared his testimony of the importance of the sisters in helping the work progress. He said, “Never let the thought enter your mind that you sisters don’t matter! You help this work progress.” In some ways it was almost as if he were reading my thoughts, because the day before I thought about how Jason is always doing so much and I’m just sitting at home.
Elder “V” as he was kindly referred to by some reminded us that we must have JOY in our service in the church and that the service shouldn’t be a burden on our families. He also reminded us to “Safeguard our homes and marriages! Don’t waste time being angry!” He quoted Mosiah 3:19
19 For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father. Elder “V” reminded us that the commandments are meant to save! He spoke so much more, but these are where my notes ended. I was so involved in his talk that I forgot to take more notes.
Then we were privileged to hear from Elder Baxter of the First Quorum of the Seventy. He said that Heavenly Father and His Son know us! Elder Baxter said, “If we are open and ready we will receive the blessings we need at the exact moment we need them. If we will pray in faith and ask him for the blessings we need, He will answer. You are known to Christ and He knows our thoughts. Salvation comes through knowing the Savior. He already knows us. We need to take the time to get to know Him!” I know from personal experience that this is true. He answered my prayers in the exact way I needed them answered when I asked in faith!
Elder Baxter reminded us that the showdown between good and evil is coming. Satan is working on our self-worth. He said something to the effect that we all know that other people are important in the eyes of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, but we can’t see that in our own lives. Don’t let Satan succeed in making us feel we are not of worth. Elder Baxter said, “Satan brings darkness and misery. Don’t stay in the dark! Christ is light and love. Move into the light!” Count your many blessings! He then quoted Elder Maxwell: He said, One-Practice your smile….try to look happy. Two-The Lord is concerned with our growth more then our geography.
Elder Baxter told us to Attend the temple. On Saturday last week they dedicated the 135th Temple. With all the announced and under construction temples when completed there will be 158 temples! When he went on his mission there were only 15 temples in the whole world. He reminded us that the temple is a place of service, but it’s also a place of healing. Go to the temple to be healed of our trials and problems. We need to remember that it’s not temple work….It’s temple service! It will bring us closer to heaven. “Go, go, go! As often as you can go!”
Elder Baxter suggested that we use a temple voice in our homes and to share with our families the spiritual experiences we have in the temple. Return home from the temple happy and relaxed, not tired and worn out. Our children will take note of our actions when we do (either good or bad.) He quoted President Hunter: “Hasten to the temple! Share with our children and teach them about the temple. Going to the temple is important and it matters where you are married.” I don’t know if I got the whole quote or not…
Elder Baxter compared our temple attendance to a forcefield….”Maintain the spiritual forcefield that will keep us energized, by attending the temple.”
Finally Elder Baxter reminded us that “Angels are around us to bear us up!”
I was so well fed spiritually that I thought I couldn’t top this night, but Elder Villarreal managed to make the night even better. Jennifer and I were talking and she noticed that Elder “V” was talking with President Taylor so we interrupted and introduced ourselves to him. He asked Jennifer what the most significant part to her was. She was stumped and asked me, to which I responded. “Probably the reminder that If we are open and ready we will receive the blessings we need in the moment that we need them if we will ask in faith.” Elder “V” said, “Stop changing the subject.” We laughed and Jennifer gave her thoughts on the topic of the Atonement (one of the parts I didn’t write down.)
He said, there is so much more to it. He then took a few minutes to talk with us about the sacrament. He told us that he only gets to partake of the sacrament 2-3 months out of each year, because he’s usually at Stake Conferences. Jennifer and I were amazed and realized that we most likely take it for granted that we get to partake of the sacrament almost every week! He said to us, “I truly hope you don’t take it for granted!” I thought about it for a minute and I think that many times I do. He then asked us, “How do you feel when you eat after fasting? How would you feel if you fasted for a whole week? That’s how the sacrament should be for each of us every week!” What a powerful testimony to the importance of partaking of the sacrament with the right attitude! It was during this time that I knew without a doubt that this man has been called of God! Elder “V” took the time to share with us something that we need to remind ourselves and our children (our own and Primary) of the importance of the Sacrament. Another way that I know is because I looked briefly at my lesson for next week and it’s about the sacrament…coincidence? I don’t believe it is!!!
Stephanie Shultz is a wife and mom two little girls in Cottonwood, Arizona. She enjoys photography, hiking, scrapbooking and sight seeing.