Conference Rocks!

Hello!

So I know you guys already watched conference, but here in Thailand we just got to watch it this past weekend.  It was so good!!  I can't even begin to explain all the talks that I liked or all the things that I learned.  I trust that you all relied on the Spirit to take out of conference the things that Heavenly Father had prepared for you to learn.

As for me, I learned about a couple things in particular.  The overall message, in my eyes, is this: 

As members of the Lord's church, or even just people privileged enough to know about His restored church if not yet members, now is the time that we are called to take a stand for what we believe in.  The time is past where we can learn casually or just half-heartedly live what we believe.  It is no longer acceptable for us to stand on the sidelines and pray that when the buzzer sounds we hope we will be found worthy to be accepted on the winning team.  Today is the day that we need to accept the truth and proclaim it and live it with every fiber of our being.  Now is the time to become true advocates of the truth - true and current disciples of Jesus Christ.  Now is the time that we must be readily prepared with testimonies of the Restoration of the Everlasting Gospel. 

A testimony is the most important thing we have to develop in this life. Knowledge is not enough anymore.  We shouldn't be trusting secular sources for confirmation of the truth.  Why would you even consider the though when you can ask the Creator of all things through prayer?  Learn to receive personal revelation and then trust it, even when things seem to get hard and you are forced to make a stand.  Don't forgo things that bring you true happiness when all you will get in return is the praise of man.  It simply isn't worth the switch.

 Applying the Atonement of Jesus Christ is the only way we will find peace in this life.  God's plan includes us facing trials in this mortal life, and we all knew in choosing His plan that this must needs be for our benefit.  We should embrace the opportunities that God has given us to grow.  He knows what we need and will give it to us in doses that we can handle.  We shouldn't ask for these situations to be removed - after all this is why we are here!  Rather we should plead to have the strength to overcome them and learn the things that God wants us to learn.  If you feel like it is too hard, or that God asks too much, we should take a step back and recognize all the things that God has given us.  Don't let your weaknesses debilitate or immobilize you.  This is a test - don't forget to be thankful for the answers you do know instead of always beating yourself up for the ones that you don’t know.   

Strive to improve the basics before you want to go on to scaling the full mountain.  There are some things that are so important in keeping us spiritually safe.  We should always be wearing our lifejackets, even in times of calm.  If we take them off, we may not be able to put them back on time before we are called to face the big challenges ahead of us.  Family relationships - strengthened through prayer, family home evening, etc. - are the most important things and we should never sacrifice doing them, no matter the cause.  These things will fortify our homes and protect us from danger that is lurking outside the walls of our homes.  Don't let the adversary in - even a little bit!  And it all starts with our own personal worship - in and out of our homes, and every day, not just Sunday.  Being a disciple of Jesus Christ is something we are all called to do, and it requires so much more than we as normal people can do on our own.  Never underestimate the value of your own personal contribution!  Your testimony is essential.

"The fundamental question facing all of us is not whether we will live but with whom we will live after we die. " - James J Hamula

"As we strive to place Christ at the center of our lives by learning His words, by following His teachings, and by walking in His path, He has promised to share with us the eternal life that He died to gain. There is no higher end than this, that we should choose to accept His discipline and become His disciples and do His work throughout our lives. Nothing else, no other choice we make, can make of us what He can." - President Thomas S Monson

"But no matter how large the organization of the Church becomes or how many millions of members join our ranks, no matter how many continents and countries our missionaries enter or how many different languages we speak, the true success of the gospel of Jesus Christ will be measured by the spiritual strength of its individual members. We need the strength of conviction that is found in the heart of every loyal disciple of Christ." - President Boyd K Packer

"Misunderstanding God’s justice and mercy is one thing; denying God’s existence or supremacy is another, but either will result in our achieving less—sometimes far less—than our full, divine potential. A God who makes no demands is the functional equivalent of a God who does not exist. A world without God, the living God who establishes moral laws to govern and perfect His children, is also a world without ultimate truth or justice. It is a world where moral relativism reigns supreme."  - Elder D Todd Christofferson

How thankful I am that I can add my testimony to theirs, and also to the words of the prophets of old recorded in our holy scriptures.  How thankful I am that we have a Heavenly Father to whom we can reach through the channels of prayer and personal revelation.  I know that He lives and that He loves His children.  He desires each of us to return home again, and has thus prepared the way for us.  I know that Joseph Smith restored this Gospel and that the Book or Mormon is true.  I have read it for myself, and I love it with all my heart.  I know that Jesus Christ is my Redeemer.  I know that He suffered and died for us, so that all that repent will be found guiltless before Him at the judgment day.  How great is our privilege to be alive in this day and age when we can hear the inspired words of the prophets via internet and to see the progressing of these latter days.  He will come again in all His majesty and power and glory.  The way has been prepared, and now the charge is ours as to how we will treat it and what we will do with it. 

15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. (Joshua 24:15)

I love you all.  Keep your testimonies burning bright.

Sister Norrell