a few notes from Stake Conference

We were truly fed at our Stake Conference meetings. Each talk at each session was filled with the Spirit and inspiration from our leaders, including Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Elder Nelson's relaxed guidance in the Saturday evening session was a pleasure. His comments on Sunday morning were from the heart and guided by the Spirit. Elder Nelson said that he'd left his notes and his scriptures, intentionally, behind to speak to the members of our stake, being led by the Holy Ghost, specifically for the needs and concerns of the members of the Smithfield Stake. From my notes, he counseled us to "Remember the things of eternal consequence" and then reiterated the fact that Elder Choi (pronounced Ki, as in Why), our other visiting authority, had been a student here in Cache Valley at USU over twenty years ago. Who would have expected that a generation later, he would return as a visiting member of the Quorum of Seventies on his first speaking assignment as a General Authority of the church. We never know, which is why we need to remember to teach our children and those around us. He then listed "what we should be teaching now" in our stake...

• That we are, literally, children of God, with divine nature and divine potential. That we should see beyond the here and now.


• that we should make prayer a meaningful part of every day.


• The reality of and divinity of Christ.


• About the Sacrament... that the emblems are more than bread and water, but that they are symbols of our covenant to "remember Him always".


• That this is His Church, set up before the foundation of the world...which is why we have temples.


• That we should prepare our missionaries to be faithful and worthy and ready to share the gospel throughout the earth.


• That we help them understand about Prophets of God. That this dispensation differs from every previous dispensation. That every previous dispensation was limited in time because they ended in apostasy and that this one will not because it will be followed by Christ. This dispensation is also not limited in location because this time, the gospel will fill the entire earth.


• Joseph Smith prophesied that the gospel would fill the world. We need to help understand the prophetic mission of Joseph Smith. Elder Nelson shared that, today, the translating committee works on the translation of scriptures with the miracle of modern technology an at a rate of one page per day on a good day. He referred to Joseph Smith as "amazing" as he translated, with no education or technology at a rate of 8-10 pages per day. Elder Nelson's comment was that we are so proud of ourselves if we read 8-10 pages a day and Joseph was translating it at that rate. He bore witness that Joseph was a true prophet of God.


• That Thomas S. Monson is a living prophet at the head of the church, that he is real and normal, that he gets hungry and tired, but that he responds to the Lord because he is His prophet on the earth today.


• Teach about the Restoration of the Melchizedek and Aaronic Priesthood and the blessings of the temple.


• Elder Nelson recommended that every child should have a picture of the temple in their room and that our homes should have photos of the temple.


• We should help our sons and grandsons and neighbors to be worthy of mission calls, being men of faith, stamina and worthiness.


• We should help honor mothers and fathers. Big plugs for Mother's Day to the husbands and children!


• As parents, we should make it easy for our children to love us by making happy homes and happy memories in the home. We should never "whip" our children. We should reprimand and discipline them in private and praise them loudly in public.


• We should pay tithes and offerings and set the example for our children. We should allow them to go into tithing settlements too to claim the honor of obedience.


• We should teach the Word of Wisdom. "It's wonderful to be free from the addiction of substances!"


• In reference to the fact that we are so very aware of the H1N1 Flu, he said that we are also being plagued by another type of plague... the plague of pornography. "It is highly addictive and contagious and destructive." Do not let it enter into the sanctuary of our homes."


• We should encourage our children to get an education in anything that interest them... from piano to dance to becoming a medical doctor, we should do all that we can to encourage them to be all that they can!


• Teach them to be good citizens of country and of the kingdom of God!

Elder Nelson then gave an apostolic blessing to those in our stake. He encouraged us to be devout disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, to feast upon His gospel and apply it in our lives. With love and peace in our lives, our homes will be a happy place. We should remember our prayers to be missionaries and good examples so that others will be attracted to also be worthy of all the temple blessings. He also promised a blessing of healing to those in need and counseled us once again to follow the faithful leaders in our stake.

Other talks were given by Elder Yoon Hwan Choi, our incredible stake presidency, two youth speakers ~ a missionary who had just received his call to South Africa and a young Single girl. Great and impressive talks. President and Sister Kerr, the Logan Temple President and Matron, spoke of attending the temple. The entire experience was remarkable!! Enough said!