My Testimony

We have just finished a marvelous General Conference.  As a Church, we are celebrating the 200th anniversary of the First Vision and the beginning of the Restoration of Christ's church.  Over the past six months, Kent and I read the Doctrine and Covenants together, and we've studied Joseph's accounts of the First Vision.  Covid-19 prevented the conference from being held as normal, with only the sessions' speakers in attendance in a small meeting room in the Conference Center.  But the messages were tremendous and focused on increasing our faith, personal preparation, and ability to receive personal revelation.  It was just what we needed in the face of trials individual, as a couple, and globally with the pandemic.  I was reassured that the Lord is with us, that He will guide us, and that we can Hear Him.  The First Presidency and Twelve Apostles issued a new Declaration to the world about the Restoration.  When The Family: A Proclamation to the World was issued in 1995, I thought to myself, 'I'm not sure why they felt they needed to say any of this. This is all obvious stuff.'  Kent and I both agreed that we will need to read this new declaration again and again because it doesn't really seem necessary.  But in 1995, The Family didn't seem necessary either, and within the last decade, it has become increasingly obvious why it was needed.  I sustain the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve as prophets, seers, and revelators, and I imagine there might come a time when all that is in this new declaration will be clearly needed.  We will study that next.

President Nelson has made it a thing to announce new temples at the end of General Conference.  President Monson always did it first thing in his opening welcome to conference.  But President Nelson holds off, almost saving the best for last.  Today he announced eight new temples, one to built in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and another to be built in Shanghai, China.  When President Nelson said, "Dubai," Kent and I both began to weep, but then he said, "Shanghai, China" and we both burst into real tears.  We were stunned!  President Nelson said that the Church's legal status in China will not change, and we won't be sending in proselyting missionaries.  But with the renovations happening to the Hong Kong Temple, the temple in Shanghai will be "a modest multipurpose meeting place [that] will provide a way for Chinese members to continue to participate in ordinances of the temple — in the People’s Republic of China — for them and their ancestors."  It's astounding.  Wonderful and astounding.  

I know that the Lord lives and loves us.  I know Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer.  I know that his atonement allows me to repent, provides comfort and assurance, and can succor my fears, disappointments, and the unfairness of life experience.  I know Joseph Smith is a prophet.  I know Russell Nelson is a prophet.  I know The Book of Mormon is true.  I know we can hear the voice of the Lord through the words of prophets ancient and modern.  I know the priesthood is the authority needed to perform saving ordinances in the temples of God.  I know the gospel of Jesus Christ is the way back to our Father in Heaven.  I want to stay firmly on the covenant path that will lead me back to God.

Blythe Speaks About Prophets

Today Blythe had a talk in Primary.  The theme was "Jesus Christ Restored His Church in the Latter Days."  She gave a talk about prophets and the protection we can enjoy in our day when we listen to living prophets.  She did a fine job, standing confidently and reading clearly.  Here's her talk:

Elder Soares is our newest apostle/prophet.  He is from Brazil.  He said in April conference, "Isn’t it a blessing to have prophets, seers, and revelators on earth in these days in which we live, who seek to know the will of the Lord and follow it? It is comforting to know that we are not alone in the world, despite the challenges we face in life. Having prophets is a sign of God’s love for His children. They make known the promises and the true nature of God and of Jesus Christ to Their people."

He continued, "Brothers and sisters, from the bottom of my heart, I testify that the prophets speak by the power of the Holy Spirit. They testify of Christ and His divine mission on earth. They represent the mind and heart of the Lord and are called to represent Him and teach us what we must do to return to live in the presence of God and His Son, Jesus Christ. We are blessed as we exercise our faith and follow their teachings. By following them, our lives are happier and less complicated, our difficulties and problems are easier to bear, and we create a spiritual armor around us that will protect us from the attacks of the enemy in our day."  In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Conference Weekend and Easter

It's General Conference weekend, and it was been the most exciting conference in recent history.  So many changes, so much new revelation, it all feels very fresh and vibrant.  Conference started off  with a solemn assembly where President Russell M. Nelson was sustained as the 17th President of the Church.  It was a solemn occasion, with members of each quorum and auxiliary of the Church having the opportunity to raise their hand and acknowledge their support and sustaining of President Nelson.  I felt a rush of the Spirit as I stood and raised my hand, a real confirmation to me that President Nelson is the Lord's prophet on the earth today.  I hope the children felt that, too, when everyone was asked to stand and sustain the prophet.

In addition to sustaining President Nelson, there were also two new apostles called, Elder Gerrit Gong and Elder Ulisses Soares.  Elder Gong is American, but of Asian descent, and Elder Soares is from Brazil.  They fill the vacancies left by President Monson and Elder Hales.

The Saturday sessions were great, and after the afternoon session, we drove up to David and Sharon's house for dinner.  Lee, Cammie, and Aaron came, as did Cammie's sister and her husband, plus Matt and Cindy and their kids, Katie and Drew and their kids, and David and Sharon's unmarried children. We had a very nice dinner and then sent the men off to the priesthood session.  Sharon said she'd heard there was going to be a big announcement during priesthood, so we had the TV on and sort of watched while we talked.  Then President Nelson came on and announced that there would no longer be two separate priesthood quorums, but that the high priests and elders would be combined into a single elders quorum.  We were amazed, and interested in the whys of the change.  We talked about that after the men returned, and thought about all the restructuring there was going to be in the priesthood quorums throughout the church.  We joked that the men were finally catching up with the women who have all been meeting together since the beginning.  It's obviously the higher way.

The kids quietly playing with Legos while we watched conference.

Sunday was Easter, a wonderful day to be listening to Conference.  Many of the talks were about the resurrection of Christ and the hope and peace that come through the atonement.  Grandma Sue came over to watch, listen, and eat treats with us.  We were once again amazed as President Nelson announced the end of home and visiting teaching, and the institution of ministering with the inclusion of young women to help in the work, just as the young men have been doing with home teaching.  Sister Bingham and Elder Holland followed up President Nelson's announcement with a more thorough explanation of what ministering should look like, and I loved the things they said.  They were inspiring and encouraging.  Elder Holland began his talk by saying, "To paraphrase Ralph Waldo Emerson, the most memorable moments in life are those in which we feel the rush of revelation.  President Nelson, I don’t know how many more 'rushes' we can handle this weekend. Some of us have weak hearts. But as I think about it, you can take care of that too. What a prophet!"  We have certainly felt the prophetic calling of President Nelson.  It's like nothing has been happening since President Monson was got so bad, and now that we've got a new, vibrant, energetic prophet, things are happening!  He finished up conference by announcing seven new temples, including one in Bangalore, India and a major city in Russia.  SHAZAM! and WOW!! What a prophet, indeed!

I had invited my mom and Mikayla to come to Easter dinner today.  Guy wasn't feeling well, but Mikayla came with the littles.  They are always a bit wild, but Brandt and Blythe are always good to help.  Blythe read to Kal while we prepped food.  Mikayla and Guy had been with his family yesterday and their egg hunt hadn't been brilliant for at least one of her children, so we had an impromptu egg hunt in the backyard.  Everyone found a sufficient number of eggs to satisfy the need, and Brandt was good about sharing when he didn't get all that he was supposed to.  He had plenty of candy.  I sent Mikayla home with Kal, in the car, but the rest of us walked back to Mikayla's burning off a bit more energy before bed.  

Apparently, no basket needed.

It was a lovely day.  Conference was inspiring and uplifting and encouraging and revelating, and I came away with a greater appreciation for living prophets.  It's always a joy to think about and  celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ which makes our own resurrection possible.  In life, we face so much that is difficult and heartbreaking and gut wrenching, but we have a savior, a friend, an ally, an advocate in Jesus Christ who will bear us up and see us through.  I know he lives and I love him.  And I'm grateful on this Easter day to know I am his disciple.