The blessing of The Book of Mormon

WHAT AN INCREDIBLE GENERAL CONFERENCE!!!! It seems that it Conference can only get better each time, but of course that's true since the Church is still growing....and always will be! I would give anything to sit at the feet of the Lord's anointed and be instructed like that EVERY day! Then again, that's why I like listening to and reading their words so much, because I never seem to run out of things to apply. I was especially excited on the talks that were given regarding the Spirit and in particular, personal revelation. This is something I've been studying quite frequently this past week. The Spirit confirmed to me during those talks that this was something I needed to focus on. I suppose all of us have had experiences when the Spirit prompted us and we didn't follow it immediately! The Spirit is absolutely necessary to be able to do this work, and I don't want to EVER get to the point of not being able to follow a prompting. As always, each of the talks given had something for me, and therefore I have many things to work on. Elder Holland's testimony of the Book of Mormon was exceptionally powerful, wasn't it?! You could've heard somebody breathe in the Conference Center, it was dead silent. It caused me to reflect on how much I've used the Book of Mormon thus far and what I need to do differently. Preach My Gospel states it best: "The Book of Mormon, combined with the Spirit, is the most powerful resource in conversion. Use it in EVERY aspect of your work." I haven't forgotten the challenge that was issued by Bro. Farmer, but to be honest I haven't followed through on it yet. Praying about it should help solve it, don't ya think?

Anyway, back to my "speech" about the Book of Mormon. The fact that people reject it is perhaps due to two things: First, we as missionaries aren't clearly explaining it's purpose and what the person must do to know it is true. And second, we as missionaries aren't giving them something to read, ponder, and pray about after each meeting. There are, of course, other outside influences that cause people to set the Book of Mormon aside as something not of worth, but in essence we have a divine mandate to bear testimony of the truthfulness of that book! And if people don't accept it, well, Elder Holland made that pretty clear. :) Truly, those men are prophets, seers, and revelators! I know that this is true and am thankful each day that God has blessed me with that knowledge. There are many people in this area that are seeking that, but they don't know where to find it. Luckily, we are here to bring it to them, or God can also bring these people to us.

I have to say, Mom, I'm slightly jealous about all the time you've been able to spend at the temple lately. I wish I'd taken better advantage of having one so close when I was still home. You don't appreciate something that great until you don't have it anymore....well, at least for a little while. It was also exciting to hear about the new temples announced by Pres. Monson. Hard to believe that ANOTHER temple will be built in Utah. If anything, it shows that the Church continues to grow there. It's kind of comical to me about the all the fun members will poke at Utah, but who wouldn't want to have a couple million members and countless temples in their state? Regardless of where you live and how many people are members, the Church is still true no matter what. I pray that we may never take for granted our membership in the Lord's Church, and with that knowledge may we be an example and share it with others. I can scarcely believe how quickly this year has passed by, I almost want it to slow down. My mission may be slowly winding down, but I plan to lengthen my stride and enlarge my vision.

Neat to hear how successful the garden was this year, quite the harvest! I kind of caught the garden bug in Wilmington seeing the members plant their own stuff. I may try planting something when I get home. Mom and Dad, hope your anniversary was a good one! Hope the kids are all still enjoying school and life in general. The days are so short, I hope we continue to make the most of them. May heaven's blessings continue to attend you all! Have another great week!