Secrecy, Deception & Lies

People are hurt by lies, deception, and secrecy. Whether it is in a family or as an individual, secrecy and deception eat away at our very core. When we are not open with other people about those things we should be, it hurts. Sometimes the hurt is only within, but sometimes the hurt is felt more keenly by others.

Recently, I've been dealing with a situation where secrecy was involved. The person kept a secret thinking that it would spare me from unnecessary hurt. But, because the secret was kept for so long, it hurt me worse than if I had known from the get-go. Time and again I've seen over the years that it is better to be open and deal with the consequences, then to wait. When you do, the situation seems to amplify to a much higher level.



This morning, I was reminded of this pain I'm dealing with as I was reading in Helaman chapter 1. Chapter 1 begins with the death of Pahoran, the current chief judge of the land. Because of jealousy, power-seeking, and greed, three of his sons seek after the office of chief judge. Rather than being unified, they cause a rift among the people. The people became angry and one of the brothers was sentenced to death for rebellion against the government. Eventually, the brother elected was murdered by Kishkumen and his followers, who took a secret oath to never tell the secrets. This secret hurt those followers as it did the society they eventually plundered. This deception caused such a problem and temptation and led to even more deception and temptation.

As Sir Walter Scott so aptly wrote, "Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive."

I know that sometimes we get caught in a situation where we have been keeping a secret from someone. If you are in that situation, don't make it worse for yourself. Do your best to be honest and get out of that situation. I know that a burden will be lifted from your shoulders. You'll feel better and the people around you will also be bettered from your honesty. I know it's not always easy to get out of the "tangled web" we create for ourselves. But, I do know that life will be better once you do work to get out of that situation!

"If ye are not one ye are not mine"

Doctrine and Covenants 38:27
"I say unto you, be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine."

After several years of prosperity among the Nephites, the Lamanites come against them again to take away their lands. And this time, the Lamanites start to succeed. You want to know WHY they succeeded? Because the Nephites were not unified.

Shortly before the Lamanites invaded, a group of Nephites (who came to be known as the king-men) decided that they did not agree with the leader of the land on a law and wanted to establish king instead to rule over the land. Having a king had serious consequences throughout the land, most of which had to do with removing the freedoms the people had.


As the Lamanites began marching into the land for war, the king-men said they would teach the Nephites all a lesson and not fight against the Lamanites. At that point, the Captain of the Nephite army, Moroni, had a choice to make. March to fight off the Lamanites or take care of the problems of dissenters within his own land. He opted for the latter. His army defeated and "humbled" those dissenters that did not lose their lives in the process.

Because Moroni was forced to take so much time, resources, and energy to fight this battle with the king-men, the Lamanites had time to take over several of the fortified Nephite cities. If the king-men would have been unified with the rest of the army, this may not have happened.


What can we learn from this in our lives? Well, I'm reminded of a recent conference talk by President Eyring in which we spoke about having our hearts knit as one. (You can read the full talk HERE.)

Although we all live in different circumstances and have different opinions and beliefs, it is very important that we remain unified and forgiving. Satan wants us to be angry. He wants us to hate others for their beliefs and perspectives that differ from our own. God wants us to seek for understanding in others, not hate. He wants us to serve and help others, even (and maybe ESPECIALLY) those whose beliefs differ from our own. As we are seeking to understand each other and find common ground, we WILL become more unified. Our lives will improve as will the lives of those around us.

Weaknesses and Strengths

War. War. War. The Lamanites seem intent upon it in order to conquer land they feel is rightfully theirs. Isn't it interesting what perspective and knowledge can give you as you read about the wars between the Nephites and Lamanites?

One central theme that seems to be reoccuring throughout the war chapters is that of preparation. When the Nephites were prepared for battle - both spiritually and temporally - they were able to win the battle. When they were not, they lost. One such example of this is in Alma chapter 48.


Nephite dissenters had gone over to join the Lamanite army. This meant that those dissenters knew about the Nephite army. They knew their strongholds in the land and their weaknesses as well. The Lamanites planned an attack based on this knowledge: "While Amalickiah had thus been obtaining power by fraud and deceit, Moroni on the other hand, had been preparing the minds of the people to be faithful unto the Lord their God." Moroni strengthened his army spiritually BEFORE he strengthened them physically. Additionally, he was aware of their places of weakness and he strengthened and fortified those places.

There is much that we can learn from this. Ether 12:27 says, "And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness... for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them."

Moroni was aware of his weaknesses. In humility, he desired to improve his weakness in order to save his people. For he was "a man whose heart did swell with thanksgiving to his God, for the many privileges and blessings which he bestowed upon his people; a man who did labor exceedingly for the welfare and safety of his people" (Alma 48:12). Moroni worked hard to serve and he always gave thanks unto God for the blessings he had been given, even in hard times.

We all have weaknesses. Satan is as much aware of our weaknesses as we are. In fact, he is probably MORE aware of them. He seeks on every hand to battle against us and attack our weak parts, knowing how to take us down. If we do not fortify ourselves and prepare ourselves accordingly, then we will not win the battle against him. We need to be aware of our weaknesses and ask Heavenly Father in faith to help us to improve them. Heavenly Father WILL guide us if he humbly ask him and if we truly desire to improve ourselves, always giving thanks for what we have been given.

Hopefully if we do so, we can be described like Moroni in Alma chapter 48 verse 17, which says,

"Yea, verily, verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yeah, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men."

Decisions & Consequences

For the second time this week (the first being last Sunday), I've been confronted with the consequences of some decisions I made earlier this year. When I made the decisions, I knew there would be consequences. I felt bad for the decisions I made and wished I hadn't made them. Several times since then have I been reminded of said decisions and my regrets for having made them. However, it wasn't until this week that the full weight of my decisions hit me smack in the face. And I mean one of those stinging smacks that leaves a red mark and lingers. A smack so hard it hurt and immediately caused tears to well up in my eyes.

It happened so suddenly. I didn't expect in the middle of a conversation with a perfect stranger to be reminded of my negative choices and the fact that these choices are still hindering me now. I was reminded that although we may make a choice, we may NOT choose the consequence. There was a consequence assigned to that choice long before the choice was made. As Newton said, "To every action there is an opposite and equal reaction." Although Newton was talking about the Laws of Motion when he said that, I believe that also applies to our choices. There are consequences for our actions. Some call it karma. Others call it God's laws. No matter what you call it, we all must succumb to the consequences of the choices we make.

I apologize for being so cryptic. I'm purposely being ambiguous because I really don't want to delve into my decisions. I do, however, want to remind you to make sure you think about your decisions before you make them. I know that because of this experience, I will definitely be more careful and deliberate in the choices I make in my life.

If Ye Prepare, Ye Shall Not Fear

As we look at the world around us, we can see that troubled times are happening both in and out of our country. For me, contemplating on these troubled times can cause me much anxiety! I know that many of the current events have been foretold in scripture and by revelation from latter-day prophets. The unknown in any of its forms can be unsettling. However, we can take comfort that if we're doing our best to prepare ourselves, we truly should have nothing to fear for the Lord will guide us and direct us.


I was led tonight to contemplate this as I read about the Nephite vs. Lamanite wars that started in Alma chapter 43. The Nephites were faithful in many ways. They knew who their prophet was and trusted in him and the revelations he received from the Lord. In addition to being faithful, they also TOOK ACTION. They did all they could to ensure that they could protect their families, homes, and religion. These Nephites did not just sit at home praying that everything would turn out okay. Nor did they allow the fear in their hearts to take over and keep them from improving themselves.

I'm sure it was NOT easy for them to know that they were severely outnumbered by Nephite-dissenters and Lamanites alike. It must have been incredibly unsettling to be in their situation! I can't even imagine knowing that people who were once your brothers now had an extreme loathing and hatred for you so much so that they wanted nothing more (and nothing less) than to kill you and your families and take your land and substance.

Rather than giving up in such discouraging circumstances, they prayed and went to work.


In a conference talk given by President Thomas S. Monson in April of 1989, he shared a story that gives us insight into this topic:

A mammoth 747 jetliner, while flying over the Pacific, sustained a gigantic tear in its side, ejecting nine passengers to their deaths and threatening the lives of all. When the pilot, Captain David Cronin, was interviewed, having brought the craft back safely to Honolulu, he was asked, “What did you do when the plane ripped open? How did you cope?”

Captain Cronin replied, “I prayed, then went to work.”

My brethren, this is an inspired plan for each of us to follow: Pray, and then go to work.

That is exactly what the Nephites did. They prayed and went to work. They prepared themselves as much as they could with breastplates and shields, armor and weapons of diffent kinds. And you know what? Their preparation frightened the enemy and helped them to win the battle. (Of course it also helped that they turned to their prophet, Alma, for guidance who was able to give them revelation from the Lord of how to win the war. Granted, if they hadn't been spiritually prepared, Alma wouldn't have been able to receive that revelation for the people.)

All of this reminds me of the scripture in Doctrine and Covenants 38:30, which says "If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear." (President Hinckley addressed the men in a priesthood conference talk so titled which you can find here.) I know that if we are doing our best to uphold God's laws and to keep His commandments, we will be both guided and blessed. Yes, we do live in troubled times as the Nephites did. Let us remain faithful in word and deed. Let us do our best to keep ourselves spiritually and temporally prepared for whatever the future holds.

Parenting & Father's Blessing

As I'm reading through the chapters in Alma where Alma (the younger who is now old) is talking to each of his sons individually, I have realized something for maybe the first time. Alma may be giving father's blessings to his sons before they go on their missions.

After 20-something times of reading the Book of Mormon, it all of a sudden seemed clear to me that he may be blessing his sons before they part ways again. I don't know if I'm right/wrong or just plain making it up. What do you think?

If he IS giving his children father's blessings, he is a wonderful example to us of how to parent adult children. He is trying to be a support to his children through giving a father's blessing. He also wants to provide guidance and remind his children of the principles they've been taught since they were young. He provides examples of his personal experiences to help encourage his sons on the path of righteousness.

Sure, he is a little harsher and more long-winded with Corianton because of Corianton's life choices. You have to admire the fact that he is trying to understand Corianton, "And now, my son, I perceive there is somewhat more which doth worry your mind, which ye cannot understand..." (Alma 42:1). He is seeking to help a wayward son. It is evident that Alma is taking much more time with the wayward son who does not understand than he did with the other children. He loves all of his sons, but he sees the need to help this one who has fallen off the path. Maybe Alma understands Corianton so well because of Alma's own sinful history.

This suggests something to me: There are many ways to relate to our children. Not all children can or should be raised the same way. We should take time to follow the spirit to guide us how to raise each and every child.

No Time to Waste

Life is short. And there is much to do during our mortal sojourn in order to better ourselves so we can feel prepared to see our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, again. I was just reading this morning in Teaching of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith manual, the one that we’re studying this year in Relief Society and Priesthood. Chapter 21’s teaching focus on the second coming of the Lord and millennial reign of the Lord. After first when I was reading through it, I started feeling anxiety. Terrible things are going to happen to the earth and its inhabitants before the Lord comes again. That frightens me! It even mentions how even the righteous won’t be exempt from this. We are subject to the flesh just as any man, meaning we can get all manner or diseases or have any manner of afflictions happen to us. It’s scary!

However, as I continued reading, I felt a little more peace, but it still is scary to think about all that is going to happen to usher in the second coming of the Lord. We need to use our time wisely NOW for we don’t know when we will be called to action. Life is short. It could be over tomorrow or in 3,000 tomorrows. We don’t know when. But one thing is sure, it will be over at some point. And we don’t want to look back feeling as if we could have done more or should have done more to better ourselves and those around us. We don’t want to feel as if we weren’t prepared.

As I continued reading through the Joseph Smith manual, I prayed for peace about the frightening aspects of the second coming. Shortly afterwards, chapter 21 discussed wearing the Armor of God. I gained a lot of peace reading that section, because I know that I can and SHOULD be doing all I can now to be righteous and prepare for the future. That includes knowing what the signs of the times are. If I am not prepared, I won’t know what is coming. If I am prepared, I will have all tools necessary to do my best as a Latter-Day Saint of God to deal with what is thrown at me. I want to be able to stand without shame in front of Christ, knowing that I did all I could do to better myself and His kingdom. I need to be living that way now, starting this minute. There is no time to waste.

A Gospel of Positive Change

Life is about change, both positive and negative. However, it is how we deal with the changes that come our way that defines us as a human being. Some changes are in our control and some changes are not. In times when he cannot control something that happens to us, is when our actions are the most telling of our character. After surviving years in a concentration camp, Viktor E. Frankl said in his book Man's Search for Meaning, "When we cannot change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves."

I often refer to this quote and remind myself that the ONLY thing I have control over is myself. I am the only person I can change. I cannot change ANYONE else, no matter how hard I try. That is the power of the gospel plan: We are all given agency and cannot take agency away from those around us. They must choose and act for themselves as we choose and act for ourselves. We can and should, however, be a good example to those around us. The way we act can help influence others to change.



Alma chapters 24-25 is a prime example of this. It was not easy for these Lamanites to CHANGE their ways and accept the gospel. But once they did, they were converted. They knew that they'd do anything to keep themselves from committing those same sins again. In fact, they were so adamant about this, they buried their weapons so that they would never commit their sin (murder) again. They removed the temptation from their lives and buried it, signifying to themselves and to Heavenly Father of their positive change of heart. What would you and I bury to show Heavenly Father we want to turn our hearts to Him and away from our sinful natures? Here these people were, murderers and the vilest of sinners, but Heavenly Father forgave them and allowed them to repent. We would do good to learn from their examples.

Shortly after their conversion, their brethren, the Lamanites, came to fight against them. These converted Lamanites (now called Ant-Nephi-Lehis) did not take up arms to fight back, for they would rather DIE than to commit sin. (I wish I could do be at that point!) Because of their example of peace, of true repentance, and conversion, many of those fighting against them also decided to put down their weapons and be converted to the gospel.

This is why I love the gospel of Jesus Christ. Heavenly Father loves every single one of us so much. He wants us to return to Him. He has prepared a way for us to turn to Him through His son, Jesus Christ. We can choose to progress and change ourselves for the better. No matter what we've done, we CAN change, we can progress. And, through the process of our own repentance and conversion, we can be examples to those around of us strength.

I'm eternally grateful for this gospel of positive change. Thank goodness I have the power to take control of my life to improve. I know that only I can make the changes needed to progress towards my eternal goals.

A Change of Heart = True Conversion

Whether you have been a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints your entire life, or whether you just became a member yesterday, each of us must go through a process of conversion in order to obtain a testimony.

While reading in Alma chapter 23 today about the conversion of the Lamanites by Alma and the sons of Mosiah, a verse stuck out to me that I'd like to share. Verse 5 says, "as many as the Lamanites as believed in their preaching, and were converted unto the Lord, never did fall away." The statement that the NEVER did fall away is a bold one. Many people in and out of our church have been converted to Christ. How many of those people have now fallen away from various Christian religions? How is it that some people can fall away from the teachings of Christ so easily while others persevere?

After considering this topic this morning, I know that there are a plethora of reasons why people fall away: family, disinterest in organized religion, the actions and choices of church members and leaders, disagreement on doctrine, to name a few. The list is seemingly endless. It's easy to give up one something rather than to try and understand it and to work through our faith. I think that we can all learn something from the Lamanites turned Christian. They had a true conversion, which I'm sure included prayer, searching, and seeking the confirmation of the Spirit to know that the teachings were true. I KNOW that their conversion included faith and withstanding trials. Do you think it was easy for them to make a choice to be put to death rather than to sin again? I don't think it was easy at all. But, they would rather DIE than to make their same mistakes again.

I want to learn from their example. I want to make sure that when I ask Heavenly Father for forgiveness that I also ask to have a true change of heart and courage to remain faithful even during times when it may not be easy so to do.

Seeking for Understanding Breaks Down Walls

Alma, the younger did not live a perfect life. In fact, he was one of the vilest of sinners before he found God. In his younger years, he and his friends purposefully tried to lead people away from the Church of Christ. It took an angel to wake him up to God's reality and to how Alma had been wasting away his life.

This tells me a few things about God and a few things about Alma. First of all, it shows to me the power of God's love. Heavenly Father loves us so much. Even when we are making foul choices, He still wants to help us. He still cares for us and wants to provide us with His spirit. He knows it's not too late for us to change and improve ourselves. It's lake Elder Uchtdorf's talk "The Point of Safe Return." There is no point of no return. God anxiously awaits the day He can have us in His arms. He longs to comfort us and to be there for us, but we must open the door and turn to Him. We can repent, we can change, we can improve. We have to make the choice so to do. Alma is proof of these statements.

I truly feel that Alma is a better missionary and friend because of his harried past. He is a good missionary because he has experienced sin. He understands what it takes to repent and change, and because of that, he is not judgmental. Because of his experience, he didn't judge Zeezrom. Instead, he saw Zeerom's potential of gospel growth and taught him the gospel. Zeezrom then became a missionary himself. We can all learn a lesson from this story.

Now, I am by no means encouraging sinning in order to understand those around us. We will sin whether or not we try. I am, however, encouraging all of us to be better at understanding those around us. It feels good to be understood and loved. It feels good to know that you are not being judged by those around you. As we strive to truly understand our family, friends, spouses, neighbors, coworkers, we will know better how to serve and love them. Our lives will be happier and less contentious as will the lives of those around us. Seeking for TRUE understanding can break down walls and build bridges.

Trusting in Church Leaders

As I was reading in Alma 14 a few days ago, I had a thought come to me that I'd like to share. Sometimes it can be difficult to trust in church leadership. You may not agree with a bishop on the way things are run or don't think he is qualified enough. There are many reasons why it can be hard to trust in God's choice for the callings chosen in a ward, stake, or even in general callings. But, Heavenly Father puts people into those callings for a reason. It may be for those people to grow, and it may be for those around them to grow (or hopefully both!). When we raise our hand in church on Sunday to sustain someone, we are agreeing that we will support this person and trust in his/her leadership role in our ward.



Now on to Alma and my thought: Alma and Amulek had been preaching in Ammonihah like they had been inspired to do. It didn't seem like they were making a dent in the people there. After much effort and preaching, they were thrown into prison by many unbelievers. Additionally, those who actually had believed on Alma and Amulek's words, were being martyred for their faith. Alma and Amulek were forced to watch those they had taught be burned at the stake. They were taunted and goaded about their beliefs. As they stood there witnessing this horrorific death of men, women, and children, Amulek asked Alma if they could stretch forth their hands and exercise the power of God to save the people from the flames. But, Alma replied that the spirit kept him from doing that and he went on to explain why. Don't you think it was hard for Amulek to continue standing by his church leader as he watched those people calling out gut-wrenching, agonizing screams? I do. I think it definitely would have been hard to continue listening to Alma, even if he said he was doing it because of the spirit. But, Amulek listened nonetheless and he did so in faith knowing that Alma was a leader of Christ's church.



If Amulek could listen in such a troubling situation, don't you think that you and I can learn from his example? Sometimes we may not always understand why church leaders do certain things, but the beautiful thing is that we ALL have access to personal revelation. We can ask Heavenly Father to allow us His peace of mind, if it be His will. We can ask Heavenly Father to know that these leaders have been called of Him and take comfort knowing they are guided by our Father in Heaven.

(Of course, there may be exceptions to this, but in general, we should trust and sustain our church leaders in their callings.)

Listening to Spiritual Impressions

The Lord speaks to those who are prepared to hear Him. He does it through His Holy Spirit. Generally, His voice is quiet and peaceful, and if we don't turn down the noise of everyday life, we might miss out on beautiful guidance and blessings in our lives.

How many times have you or I missed inspiration from the Spirit? How many times have we heard and not obeyed? I have an example of just such an experience.



A few year ago, one of my close friends (and boyfriend at the time) had been praying and fasting about a particular topic. He was seeking an answer that he wasn't willing to listen to. After fasting on one Sunday in July, he felt received a VERY distinct answer to his searching. However, rather than heed the answer he KNEW he had received, instead he disobeyed and went down a path of his own choosing. The Spirit was trying to lead him out of temptations' way. Because he didn't listen, he ended up in some very bad situations which took him some time to recover from spirtually and otherwise. Additionally, he told me during this time that he knew the Spirit was not speaking to him, not only because he rejected a clear answer he got, but also because of choices he made due to the rejected answer. His choice affected not only his life, but my life and others' lives as well.



Thank goodness there are also many positive situations in which the reverse is true. Reading in Alma this morning, just such a situation was brought to my attention. In Alma chapter 8 Alma, the younger, goes to Ammonihah to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the people. He is rejected and leaves the city. On his way out, an angel of the Lord came to him (the same one who had come to him when he was leading people away from the church)to tell him to go back to Ammonihah and to preach there. Now, this was a much more OBVIOUS way of Jesus Christ to speak with him. We most likely won't have an angel come to us and tell us what we are to do. But, Alma listened, even though he didn't know what the outcome would be. He listened to what he was told and, more importantly, did it. He took action. Because of his faith and action, Heavenly Father blessed Alma with everything he would need in order to convert many people to the gospel of Jesus Christ. He affected many lives positively and converted and baptized many people as well.

Are we listening? Are we willing to be an instrument in the Lord's hand, no matter the cost? The many things we are called to do may not be easy, but, through faith, Heavenly Father will always provide a way for us to accomplish His commandments. Our Father in Heaven loves and is aware of you and of me. I know that as we act in faith to follow His Spirit, we will be guided and blessed beyond anything we can imagine. I have seen this power many times in my life. I'm grateful for it.

Kingly Selflessness

King Mosiah was a righteous king. He worked the land with his own hands to provide sustenance for himself and for his family. Through his position as king, he did not seek power or gain. He was not puffed up in pride. He had a firm testimony of Jesus Christ and his faithful prayers (coupled with Alma's) enabled an angel to appear to his sons. He was a good man.

As King Mosiah neared the end of his life, he realized it was time to prepare and choose a new king. Because of his sons' conversion to the gospel, they all would rather serve missions than to be king. King Mosiah is left with a dilemma. I am awed with how he handles this dilemma.

Mosiah recognizes the potential problems in this situation: If he chooses someone outside of his family, his sons could potentially come back someday to steal the kingdom from the other king, trying to rightly claim the throne. Additionally, he sees that maybe having a king isn't such a good idea after all. One person ruling the entire nation means that the nation could fall prey to a wicked king, like they did in the past. Mosiah decides to stop potential sin before it even starts. He decides to implement a system of judges after having the people vote on it. He truly was a wise, selfless king who thought only for the good of the people and not for himself. He was going to die anyway and wouldn't see what would happen during the reign of the next king, but he loved his people enough to set up a system that would hopefully work for, not against, them.

I see the need to learn from Mosiah's wise counsel. Mosiah stopped sin before it even started. He learned from his own and others' past mistakes and chose a different path. He recognized a potential problem and sought to keep a way from it ever happening.

I know that there have been times in my life where I knew a problem was likely to arise if I put myself in a situation. Yet, I went into that situation anyway. And the problems did arise. And I had to deal with them! How much better would our lives be if we listen to the spirit, if we kept ourselves out of potentially sinful situations. It is better to avoid temptation and sin altogether than to put ourselves in a situation where we know we might sin.

Writing Blesses Others

As I was reading in Mosiah last night about how Alma and his followers make it back to Zarahemla. Mosiah shared with the people the records that Alma had kept from the time he left Zarahemla until the time he returned (this record included many hardships, including being in bondage to the Lamanites and then miraculously escaping from the Lamanites). As Mosiah read these records to the people, this was their response:

"And now, when Mosiah had made an end of reading the records, his peole were struck with wonder and amazement. For they knew not what to think... when they thought of the immediate goodness of God, and his power in delivering Alma and his brethren out of the hands of the Lamanites and of bondage, they did raise their voices and give thanks to God." Mosiah 25: 7-10

Keeping those records and sharing them at an appropriate time increased everyone's faith and testimony. It is important to remember that those records weren't perfect and Alma did not only share positive experiences, but especially negative ones. Those hardships provided faith-building experiences that Alma couldn't have received otherwise.

What does this tell us about our own lives and experiences? We have been asked many times to keep journals in one form or another. Journaling doesn't necessarily mean for us to detail our entire day or to share only positive experiences. It means that we share faith-building experiences that may lift up ourselves as well as others.



Elder Eyring shared a talk about finding ways to remember God's kindness in our lives in the October 2007 general conference. He said that he writes in a journal everyday. A few years ago, he gave copies of that book to his children. It has helped them to come closer to the Lord and to know of Elder Eyrings testimony. May we also be able to do this for ourselves and our posterity. I know that as we recognize the Lord's hand in our lives, we will be more grateful and will be more positive. Others will see and benefit from this positive action in our lives.

Enjoying General Conference

As I was listening to the General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints today, I was overwhelmed with the love I feel towards the God who has provided us with His wonderful church. I know that this church is true. I know that those prophets, apostles, and general authority that bore testimony today did so out of love and gratitude for the same gift I have. They are God's leaders He has chosen for His church during this time.

I've waited for weeks to hear their words. I'm so glad for the uplifting messages I've been able to hear. I'm grateful for the answers to prayers that God has provided for me. I know that I will live a better, happier life if I abide by the principles set out in today's conference session. If you didn't get to hear conference today, you can do so here.

I enjoyed all of the talks today. Here are a few that stood out to me. First, President Monson. I know that he is a prophet. I loved the fact that he introduced conference today by speaking first in the morning session. He loves us, he wants the best for us, he is praying for us. He is God's prophet on the earth today. I'm so thankful for that knowledge.



Secondly, I appreciated the openness and candor of the real-life experiences from Elder Joseph Wirthlin's life shared during his talk. I truly want to abide by the principles of when the going gets tough, just laugh! I've been thinking about that concept lately and it was something I really needed to hear.



The next talk that comes to mind is Lawrence Coburn (can't quite remember the last name) whose knowledge and use of the scriptures in his talk astounded me. He obviously studies the scriptures and used them to support his testimony througout his entire talk. I loved his fervor and ZEAL for the gospel and for the redeeming power of our Savior, Jesus Christ. His passion for Jesus Christ was evident in every word he spoke. I only hope that I can live my life closer to Jesus Christ as a result of his talk.

And last, but certainly not least, I loved Elder Bednar's talk.



Elder Bednar has meant so much to me over the past eight and a half years. He is the reason I went to BYU-Idaho (long story that involves meeting him and me telling him I was going to BYU not RICKS COLLEGE). I have spoken and met with him in various capacities over the years through leadership at BYU-Idaho, because of my exceptional academic standing, as well as during MANY FHE meetings throughout my time there. I love his testimony. I love when he speaks. I have learned so much from him during devotional talks and meetings over the years. Before he was called to be an apostle, I had a spiritual prompting that he was going to be called and I was fortunate enough to actually be 20 feet away in the conference center when he was announced as an apostle. I feel very fortunate to have had these experiences and this witness that he is an apostle chosen by God to serve us during this time.

His talk today about prayer was presented in a unique way. God prepared the world spiritually before he created it physically. Elder Bednar likened this idea to us, saying that we, too, need to prepare ourselves spiritually before we can go out and create our day. I loved that principle. It shows us that even God prepared and took time to research and think every aspect out! (Boy, am I grateful! If he didn't work out the kinks spiritually before he created us physicaly, some of us could have 3 eyes and 4 noses.) It is important for us to remember this principle and that even God did his homework. How much more must we take time to prepare spiritually for what lies ahead of us!

Additionally, Elder Bednar talked about connecting our prayers from morning to night. Make them meaningful and show our gratitude. These are basic principles, but presented in a new light brought this epiphany to my soul. I know that when I am close to my Heavenly Father through prayer and love, I am happier and kinder towards those around me. I'm so grateful for this knowledge and opportunity I have to improve myself and my life!