This week has been pretty intense, with Easter, conference, and missionary work all making it to be a pretty wild week! We had a pretty fun time this week with the He Lives video that the church put out for Easter, plus we had some awesome weather! So, I'm going to get right into it, because this might be a pretty long email by the end of it!
So, last Monday we had a pretty sweet p-day and evening, with a bit of time spent playing tennis in the afternoon and then an awesome dinner and a sweet lesson! We also had the help of a member to make a DVD with some videos we like to share on it so that the people we see that don't have the technological capabilities to pull it from the internet and watch it can still be uplifted by the awesomeness. One of the videos on there is pretty sweet, so y'all should check it out here: VIDEO! It's a pretty sweet one that talks about full-time missions and how awesome they are, and I agree that they're awesome, so I like it. Anyway, on Tuesday we had a pretty sweet day with a bit of tracting, and an awesome scripture study class that focused on the organization of the church in preparation for conference. We read some good scriptures, but also read part of a pretty good talk from last conference found here: TALK! One passage we spent quite a bit of time discussing was Ephesians 4:11-14, and the emphasis we made was focused on realizing that we will need prophets, apostles, pastors, teachers, and the like for quite some time! On Wednesday we got to do some service at the hope center and with an awesome family in the ward, but aside from that not a whole lot noteworthy happened, so I'm going to move on for the sake of time. Thursday wasn't super noteworthy either, we helped out a different member family (we're working to serve the members however we can), and also did weekly planning and had a solid dinner appointment with a great family. We ended up having to go back and remake the DVD as well since we learned that it cut off the videos that were longer than 5 minutes, so we got that fixed as well.
Finally we arrived to the weekend! It was a great weekend, starting with a fantastic day on Friday! I got to go on an exchange to Guthrie where we got to help a recent convert family chop down some trees old school style - with axes and rope (to make sure it didn't hit their trailer) so that was a blast! There were some pictures taken somewhere, but they weren't on my camera so I can't show you guys yet. Eventually Saturday came, and it was time for conference!!!! Conference was fantastic, and I loved all the talks - well most of them. I took detailed enough notes to make my conference summary, so here it is!
April 2015 Conference Summary Elder Nielson style!
President Monson
-Priesthood: Do all you can to the very best of your ability to follow the Savior and do your duty
- Sunday Morning: Peace comes as we enter the temple and leave behind the cares of the world!
President Eyring
- Saturday Morning: The law of the Fast gives us rich blessings and helps us care for the poor and needy.
- Priesthood: With the Prayer of Faith God will grant you guidance, and when you receive it, DO IT!
President Uchtdorf
- Priesthood: We must be Genuine in our quest to serve Christ, reach our goals, and do our duty!
-Sunday Morning: Grace unlocks the gate of Heaven and opens the windows, but we have to walk through the gate and receive the blessings promised
President Packer –Families that began in mortality, through the power of the atonement, can be Eternal
Elder Perry – Our focus on eternity and forever families through the restored gospel allows us to stand out even among the people who similarly recognize the importance and sanctity of marriage
Elder Nelson – What sign do I want to give God on the Sabbath day as I strive to keep it holy?
Elder Oaks – The parable of the Sower is one of few parables the Savior gave an interpretation for, so we must strive to be the Good ground for the word of God to fall on and not let it be choked by cares of the world or the deceitfulness of riches as we work to have root in ourselves through His word.
Elder Ballard – We must raise the bar and keep our focus on living the gospel and serving others! RM doesn’t stand for “Retired Mormon”!
Elder Hales – Freedom of religion is key to being able to use our agency to make correct choices.
Elder Holland – There is no way to fully celebrate Christmas or Easter without knowing the Adam and Eve did exist, and did fall, making the atonement a required event and the most important in history
Elder Bednar – Fear is overcome with faith as we Look to Christ, Build upon Christ, and Press Forward with Faith and Godly Fear and constantly remember Christ’s atonement
Elder Cook – So much of life is extraneous, but family is the core and most important thing and must be strengthened through Family Prayer, Scripture study, Family Home evening, and family councils.
Elder Christofferson – Matrimony is not a human invention, and as we strive to recognize “marriage is more than your love for each other” we can, by our choices, demonstrate our willingness to live a celestial law
Elder Andersen – Seeing the Lord’s hand in our daily life is essential to being ready for His kingdom to come!
Sister Linda Burton – “Thee lift me, and I lift thee and we’ll ascent together” as we strive to help one another and show love through sincere praise, respect, and choosing to be happy!
Elder Clayton- The decision to believe is the most important decision we will ever make and we must align our actions with that decision!
Elder Wilford Andersen – I can teach you to dance, but you have to hear the music and then perform it
Elder Renlund – A Saint is a sinner who keeps on trying and we need to keep trying persevere and help others
Elder Ringwood – Be as Shiblon – Truly good and without Guile!
Elder Soares – The war against Satan is a war we can and will win through the spirit and power of a testimony
Larry Gibson – Focus on others and develop a clear vision of your Eternal Destiny and make choices accordingly
Sister Wixom – “Is your ward a place to put on a perfect face or a place to nurture?” and the Lord can only teach an inquiring mind, so Humility, Faith and the influence of the Holy Ghost are essential in a search for truth!
Elder Teixeira – A Deeper understanding of Jesus Christ is necessary and increases as we make choices to keep our time online in check and productive through visiting the Church’s official website frequently, subscribing to church social networks and making time to routinely set aside your electronics!
Bishop Caussé – We must constantly realize how “wonder”ful the gospel is and make sure we: (1) Never tire of discovering or rediscovering the truths of the gospel (2) Anchor your faith in the plain and simple truths of the gospel and (3) seek for and cherish the companionship of the Holy Ghost!
Elder Brent H. Nielson – We must Love, watch, and wait for the prodigal to return and strive to help how we can
Elder Pearson – Nobody is immune to Satan’s influence and Distraction and deception are two of his favorite tools, study 1 Nephi 8 and then make sure that you do these 6 things: (1) Don’t forget to pray (2) Come unto Christ and be perfected in him (3) Press forward with Faith (4) Study the Book of Mormon – The key to spiritual survival (5) Don’t’ be distracted or deceived (6) Stay by the tree and stay awake!
Elder Pino – Perspective is key in life and Eternal Perspective allows us to understand the commandments and realize the dealings of the Lord
Elder Zeballos – We must Learn our duty, make the decision to do, act accordingly, and willingly accept the Father’s will as we strive to fulfill our responsibilities to seek our salvation and fulfill our duty to others
Elder Sitati – Developing Charity is a joy as we strive to be fruitful, multiply, and subdue the Earth
So, that was conference! I think that's all I'm going to throw in here for today, though we did have some excellent meals and time with awesome families throughout the weekend as well as I had some great studies throughout the week! But, conference was the most spiritually uplifting part of the week and obviously the most important! Easter was pretty low-key for us, particularly since we didn't meet as a ward, but it was still very good. I hope y'all have an excellent week! Love y'all!
'Til Next Time,
Elder Jordan Nielson
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