575. St. George East Stake Conference, Jan. 9th and 10th, from my memory and my notes.
We had a wonderful Stake Conference this last weekend, January 9th and 10th, 2016. We didn't have anyone from outside our stake come, but those who did speak gave many inspirational thoughts and ideas. Our last Stake Conference was August 8th and 9th, 2015, and we had Elder David A. Bednar as a visiting authority. You can find notes in blog #474, August 11, 2015.
Our chapel is just across the street, east of this beautiful St. George Temple. We can see the top spire from the window in our front door!
Saturday evening, I didn't take notes, but I do have some memories of special talks by President and Sister Center, who are soon to be released from being the President and wife of the St. George South Mission -- I believe that is the name of it. Sister Center gave some very interesting and thoughtful ideas on how to prepare your son or daughter for missionary work. The first idea she presented was to teach them how to WORK! She encouraged parents to have their children have a paying job and learn to handle money. Also to do service for neighbors, family, and/or friends, such as mowing lawns etc. The experience gained would help them to be good ambitious missionaries, who know how to handle money. She also said if it were at all possible, it would help for them to be able to live away from home for some period of time -- so they wouldn't be overcome by homesickness. She told parents to help them learn to be friendly and talk to people, telling their name, etc. and how to carry on a conversation with people. This helps when a family has a dinner together, and they learn to actually talk to each other. They also should not be dependent on social media, and learn to deal with reality. Also they should be able to get up early: 6:30 a.m., and go to bed at 10 p.m., so missionary hours would not be a problem for them to get used to.
Elder Center, the Mission President, especially encouraged parents and bishops to help young prospective missionaries be able to totally confess and repent of any disobedience to Gospel principles, especially pornography, or any sexually related problems. Also to those who have been known to be depressed or have anxiety, they should be helped and receive counseling before they come out. To be on medication is okay, as long as it is under control.
He said there are many who have committed sins, and then repented privately of them, and think that is enough. Then when they get on their missions, they can't live and teach by the Spirit, if they haven't been honest with their bishop before their mission. He has received phone calls which say "President, I need to talk to you!" and he usually knows that is the problem -- something they should have taken care of before they came out on their missions. So that was a big part of his talk -- as parents, and youth leaders, to first of all teach them what they should, and should not do, and then have very deep and penetrating interviews. Some missionaries can repent in the mission field, but others need to be sent home. That is always very hard! But he said that even if they had to be sent home, and repent of something, that is better than if they hadn't come at all -- as they may never have repented on their own, and carried that burden all their lives.
Sunday morning was a wonderful meeting also. I'll mention several things that Andy Stokes said, who is a high school football coach at our local high school in our stake. His topic was "Teaching youth to be faithful in this time". I'll write some of what I wrote -- when I take notes, I try to write a whole sentence, but at times I may miss something that may make it flow. He said we underestimate our situation. It's better to have a nuclear war than let Satan win the big war! The Gospel is simple, but it is not easy! He really centered on the idea for the youth to gain strength we need to make it hard. He used football strategy. He said his goal is to make his football practice harder than any game. Then the game is easy.
We have no idea what youth see and hear, in the halls at high school. He tries to help develop character, as character makes a great team. Life is what helps you become strong while doing hard things. We cant allow it to be too easy. Let kids learn they can do hard things. Teach them the hard things because life is not easy. We need to know when our kids leave our home they will be strong. These youth are the most amazing yet. You were saved for this time! Do the hard things because you were sent here to do them! Athletes learn to "break the pain barrier!" About life -- Help youth think "I can do hard things", and actually they are much more rewarding! Grit is the ability to work hard. Spiritually, emotionally and mentally the world is rough. Teach them to work hard, sacrifice, and love. -- Those were the main thoughts of his talk!
Brother Porter said -- There's something going on in this world! You can be shocked if you walk down a hall for 3 or 4 minutes at high school. They had moved here from a big city in California where his children went to a Catholic school while he was an LDS bishop! But they couldn't afford private high school, so they moved here, and there are still problems here. He said that youth need to hear from parents and grandparents their experiences and what they have been through. He quoted from Alma 32:33 -- how to keep the seed of faith growing in life, as it can die. He is in the high counsel over missionary work in our stake, and was encouraging us to get new investigators for the missionaries to teach.
Then last was our Stake President, Craig Seegmiller, who is a math teacher at our local Dixie State University. He mentioned how many people have bought lottery tickets in Nevada, (as of that day it was up to 8 million!) and said that a lottery is a tax on people who don't know how to do math! To win the lottery would be harder than being hit by lightning while riding a skateboard, getting hit by a big semi truck, etc.!
Then he talked about how it took the apostles after Jesus died, a while to become strong and figure it out. He quoted Peter, who after being imprisoned, and freed by an angel, and the caught again "We ought to obey God rather than man." He said to gird up our loins and be prepared to bear testimony in challenging times. He mentioned last Stake Conference and how Elder Bednar told of someone who had been inactive for 30 years because of "being offended". We are supposed to forgive and repent. He counseled us to start in our families, if their is anyone we have offended, or who has offended us -- to make peace and forgive and repent. Then think of who else we can forgive. Then he asked us to think of at least one person who we know has been offended, and invite them back.
He mentioned that last conference he had "challenged" us to read 10 pages a day in the Book of Mormon for the next 53 days. Pres. Seegmiller said that after that conference Elder Bednar kindly told him he should not give "challenges", but "invite" people -- So he first of all "invited" us to solve problems without being offended. Then he invited us to go to the Temple at least once a week between now and April General Conference. (And to those who go more than once a week -- continue to do that!) He mentioned our Stake Theme this year is "Come Unto Christ" and that the Power of the Priesthood is in the ordinances. He invited us to encourage someone to finish some ordinance they hadn't yet done.
He said that he quite enjoyed mentioning in a large meeting with many Stake Presidents, that "the road to the Temple is through the St. George East Stake!" (The Temple happens to be in our ward! -- and stake!)
All in all, it was a wonderfully inspiring conference, with several great other speakers also, with various topics they had been assigned.
Saturday evening, I didn't take notes, but I do have some memories of special talks by President and Sister Center, who are soon to be released from being the President and wife of the St. George South Mission -- I believe that is the name of it. Sister Center gave some very interesting and thoughtful ideas on how to prepare your son or daughter for missionary work. The first idea she presented was to teach them how to WORK! She encouraged parents to have their children have a paying job and learn to handle money. Also to do service for neighbors, family, and/or friends, such as mowing lawns etc. The experience gained would help them to be good ambitious missionaries, who know how to handle money. She also said if it were at all possible, it would help for them to be able to live away from home for some period of time -- so they wouldn't be overcome by homesickness. She told parents to help them learn to be friendly and talk to people, telling their name, etc. and how to carry on a conversation with people. This helps when a family has a dinner together, and they learn to actually talk to each other. They also should not be dependent on social media, and learn to deal with reality. Also they should be able to get up early: 6:30 a.m., and go to bed at 10 p.m., so missionary hours would not be a problem for them to get used to.
Elder Center, the Mission President, especially encouraged parents and bishops to help young prospective missionaries be able to totally confess and repent of any disobedience to Gospel principles, especially pornography, or any sexually related problems. Also to those who have been known to be depressed or have anxiety, they should be helped and receive counseling before they come out. To be on medication is okay, as long as it is under control.
He said there are many who have committed sins, and then repented privately of them, and think that is enough. Then when they get on their missions, they can't live and teach by the Spirit, if they haven't been honest with their bishop before their mission. He has received phone calls which say "President, I need to talk to you!" and he usually knows that is the problem -- something they should have taken care of before they came out on their missions. So that was a big part of his talk -- as parents, and youth leaders, to first of all teach them what they should, and should not do, and then have very deep and penetrating interviews. Some missionaries can repent in the mission field, but others need to be sent home. That is always very hard! But he said that even if they had to be sent home, and repent of something, that is better than if they hadn't come at all -- as they may never have repented on their own, and carried that burden all their lives.
Sunday morning was a wonderful meeting also. I'll mention several things that Andy Stokes said, who is a high school football coach at our local high school in our stake. His topic was "Teaching youth to be faithful in this time". I'll write some of what I wrote -- when I take notes, I try to write a whole sentence, but at times I may miss something that may make it flow. He said we underestimate our situation. It's better to have a nuclear war than let Satan win the big war! The Gospel is simple, but it is not easy! He really centered on the idea for the youth to gain strength we need to make it hard. He used football strategy. He said his goal is to make his football practice harder than any game. Then the game is easy.
This is on the east side of the St. George Temple
We have no idea what youth see and hear, in the halls at high school. He tries to help develop character, as character makes a great team. Life is what helps you become strong while doing hard things. We cant allow it to be too easy. Let kids learn they can do hard things. Teach them the hard things because life is not easy. We need to know when our kids leave our home they will be strong. These youth are the most amazing yet. You were saved for this time! Do the hard things because you were sent here to do them! Athletes learn to "break the pain barrier!" About life -- Help youth think "I can do hard things", and actually they are much more rewarding! Grit is the ability to work hard. Spiritually, emotionally and mentally the world is rough. Teach them to work hard, sacrifice, and love. -- Those were the main thoughts of his talk!
Brother Porter said -- There's something going on in this world! You can be shocked if you walk down a hall for 3 or 4 minutes at high school. They had moved here from a big city in California where his children went to a Catholic school while he was an LDS bishop! But they couldn't afford private high school, so they moved here, and there are still problems here. He said that youth need to hear from parents and grandparents their experiences and what they have been through. He quoted from Alma 32:33 -- how to keep the seed of faith growing in life, as it can die. He is in the high counsel over missionary work in our stake, and was encouraging us to get new investigators for the missionaries to teach.
This is a picture of my grandmother, who was a Temple Ordinance worker in the St. George Temple for 17 years.
Then last was our Stake President, Craig Seegmiller, who is a math teacher at our local Dixie State University. He mentioned how many people have bought lottery tickets in Nevada, (as of that day it was up to 8 million!) and said that a lottery is a tax on people who don't know how to do math! To win the lottery would be harder than being hit by lightning while riding a skateboard, getting hit by a big semi truck, etc.!
Then he talked about how it took the apostles after Jesus died, a while to become strong and figure it out. He quoted Peter, who after being imprisoned, and freed by an angel, and the caught again "We ought to obey God rather than man." He said to gird up our loins and be prepared to bear testimony in challenging times. He mentioned last Stake Conference and how Elder Bednar told of someone who had been inactive for 30 years because of "being offended". We are supposed to forgive and repent. He counseled us to start in our families, if their is anyone we have offended, or who has offended us -- to make peace and forgive and repent. Then think of who else we can forgive. Then he asked us to think of at least one person who we know has been offended, and invite them back.
He mentioned that last conference he had "challenged" us to read 10 pages a day in the Book of Mormon for the next 53 days. Pres. Seegmiller said that after that conference Elder Bednar kindly told him he should not give "challenges", but "invite" people -- So he first of all "invited" us to solve problems without being offended. Then he invited us to go to the Temple at least once a week between now and April General Conference. (And to those who go more than once a week -- continue to do that!) He mentioned our Stake Theme this year is "Come Unto Christ" and that the Power of the Priesthood is in the ordinances. He invited us to encourage someone to finish some ordinance they hadn't yet done.
He said that he quite enjoyed mentioning in a large meeting with many Stake Presidents, that "the road to the Temple is through the St. George East Stake!" (The Temple happens to be in our ward! -- and stake!)
All in all, it was a wonderfully inspiring conference, with several great other speakers also, with various topics they had been assigned.
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