The Things I Gleam From Stake Conference

This morning our church had Stake Conference.  For those of you whom are unfamiliar.  The ward we meet with every Sunday is made up of a congregation of members in the area.  The stake is made up of wards in the area, so a stake covers a larger area.  In any case, members from the whole stake are invited to Stake Conference, and today was an extremely special Stake Conference.  Why?  Because, we had the opportunity to hear from an apostle of the Lord.  Elder Robert D. Hales spoke at our meeting.

Every speaker today was excellent, and the whole room was filled with a warm spirit.  Elder Worthen of the Quorum of the Seventy instructed the congregation to listen to the Lord with the intent to repent, then go and do.  He also said that sometimes when we commit sin, we are afraid to turn to God, which is ironic because He is the very being who will help us.  I thought those were good thoughts.

Elder Hales touched upon some really great points.  One of my favorite things he said was, "I am who I am because of who the Lord gave me."  He was speaking about his wife.  I really liked this, and I know both of my parents would say the same thing about each other.  It just really helps me realized how blessed I am, and how much I want the same thing.  He also said of marriage, that we need to say to our spouse, "Thee lift me, and I will lift thee, and we will ascend together."  This means, "We will grow together."  He also instructed the congregation to not compare yourself with others, and to give thanks and gratitude for all that you have.  He closed his talk by stating that the Prophet, President Thomas S. Monson, woke up in the middle of the night this past Wednesday, October 27th.  He said that he laid in bed and thought about the singles of the church.  Elder Hales stated that he has never heard President Monson say this before, even though he knows he loves us.  It makes me feel good that my church, and the people in my church love me.  It was a very successful and fantastic Stake Conference.

And, now that we are getting into the holiday season, it is very important give thanks and recognize our blessings.  I have the intention of posting every day something I am grateful for, even though I know I will get wrapped up with "life," so I will post something I am thankful for in each post.

Today: We will start with...I am thankful for my religion.  Being a Mormon has had the greatest influence on my life.  I would most definitely not have the standards or be the person I am today without the influence my faith has on me.  I am incredibly imperfect, but being a Mormon gives me the desire to do and be better.


Oh...And Happy Halloween!  Here are pictures of friends and I from the "Thriller" performance last night.

Love,
Sean