Conference weekend = Christmas morning

I hope everyone had a great weekend! I feel so blessed as a missionary to be able to go to the conference center, and be in the midst of it all!   Hearing from our beloved prophet in person is just the best ever!

 

OK, so this picture is really blurry but I wanted you to see how close I got to sit to the prophet on Sunday...

 

 And this is Saturday-

I was able to run into a few old friends too!

Let me first take you back to a couple weeks ago when this girl who has a less active ex-boyfriend called us. This girls ex lived in our area and she wanted us to go and visit him.  She was hoping to see if he would let us teach him the lessons, have home teachers, basically anything.  We stopped by, and the dude wasn't interested.  It may or may not have been because he was under the influence when we talked to him, but he seemed pretty set in his ways.

We get another call from her, asking if we would go back and see if he wanted to go to conference because we had two tickets.  In hopes that he would say yes, and take her... "Pepper it with destiny" she said.  What does that even mean?! haha  Anyway, we go back and all nonchalant like we mention that we have tickets.  Again, a no. (this has all been done without the boyfriend knowing we have been in contact with his ex girlfriend)

Saturday morning we get a call from this girl "Hi, is this Sister Efnor and Curtis?" (acting like she doesn't know us because she was obviously not wanting to blow our cover) SO NOW- she is with her ex, who had decided he would go to conference, and he had remembered the two sisters that offered him tickets a couple days previous.

We met them at the institute building to give them the tickets.  The once "rough around the edges" guy that we had contacted was in slacks, white shirt, tie, coupled with the biggest smile.                  We pretended not to know the girl as they both expressed deep appreciation for giving them the tickets.  As they were driving away the guy turned around, waved at us and gave us a big smile.

We saw them later at conference, he looked so stinkin happy.

We were able to attend the afternoon session with an investigator,  Kayla.   Her boyfriend use to be less active, but because of her decision to take the lessons he has started coming back to church, and because of his decision to come back to church.  His friend has now decided that he wants to hang out with a different crowd and come back to church too. We will never know the sphere of our influence.

The talks during that session were perfect for Kayla. Which was perfect since she is deciding on when she feels would be the right time for her to be baptized.

After that session I ran into Grant Boyd LOL

Since its Sister Curtis's last conference on the mish, the office gave us Sunday afternoon tickets. Then we gave those tickets away to an investigator that could only go Sunday.  So we had no tickets. I then remembered a brother Larson from my very first area, I had helped teach his son in law, and the family loved having us over.

So i gave him a ring a ding ding, he just so happened to have two extra tickets to the Sunday morning session.  BOOYAH!  Being a 2 star Major General these weren't just any tickers, these were Plaza 2 tickets. Up close and personal with the prophet and the apostles if ya catch my drift.

At one point before conference started Elder Oaks, his wife, and Holland were in a little team huddle. Talking about who knows what, but i imagine it was something like "1, 2, 3, GODS ARMY!" haha

When sister McConkie walked down the stairs to make her way to the podium Elder Oaks leaned forward and gave her a thumbs up with a big ol' grin.  I love seeing the prophet and apostles in this light.  In a fireside that I was able to attend with Elder Cook he said that Elder Perry once said "I don't know how i ever became an apostle."

To which the rest of the members then let out a sigh of relief and said "Oh good, im not the only one."

Just seeing that they ARE people too, testifies to me that it, all of this, could only work and continue on through direct inspiration from our Heavenly Father.

I don't have my conference notes with me, gosh dang it, but it seemed that in all the talks they touched on prophets, and sustaining our leaders.

I was thinking about why this would be a reoccurring topic and the only obvious point i could come up with is because we aren't doing it, sustaining our leaders, the prophet.  In general conference they always address what we as a church, as a whole- need. 

The point of the ways of God never meshing into the ways of the world was something i thought really echoed what the world needed to hear.  I came in contact recently with quite a few people that believed changes were made in the church because they need to 'get with the times', or in order to survive the church is going to have to yield to change.  Through this conference I was only able to more assuredly know that a prophet of God leads this church, and that He is no respecter of persons.

In a talk given at the Provo MTC by Holland he said "He came from God as a God to bind up the broken hearted, to dry the tears from every eye, to proclaim liberty to the captive and open doors to them that are bound.  I promise that because of the faithful response to the call to spread the gospel, He will bind your broken hearts, dry your tears, and set you and your families free.  This is my missionary promise to you and your missionary message to the world."  With conference still fresh in our minds, with words of apostles and the prophet at our finger tips, seek out those opportunities to share your testimony.  Elder Holland also said (can you tell i like him?) "A missionaries testimony invokes a great legacy of testimony dating back to the councils in heaven before the world was.."  It doesn't matter if you where a badge, we all wear Christ's name on our hearts.  We are all called to spread the gospel, will you respond?

I am so grateful for conference and for the momentum it brings to my testimony, now to run with it and fan the flame.  I love you all so much, the letters/packages are much appreciated!  Im sorry if i didn't get to email you this week (uncle Ron), but you can take that one up with your sister because i spend most of my emailing time talking to mom lol have a great day/week!

Seester Efnor