Wow...yet another amazing conference! We just got to watch the Sunday afternoon session this morning, and it was just beautiful. I can´t even begin to say how grateful I am for Conference. No other time do I feel so uplifted and peaceful than during Conference, but thanks to the wise counsel of our dear Elder Holland, I know that this is to uplift us at all times whether today or tomorrow!
During the past couple weeks, Syster Stetler and I have really been trying to prepare for Conference. Coming up with questions and studying them beforehand to try and get the most out of Conference as we could. I have never tried nor prepared as much as I did this year, and I have seen that the Lord really does fulfill his promise--that if you come ready to Conference with questions, He will answer them.
I was pleasantly surprised as each talk went on--one speaker after another--each adding on a little part of the answer I was looking for, for each and every one of my questions. It sadly is quite impossible for me to pick one or two talks as my favorites, because so many of them just helped me so much!
President Eyring--right from the start he just amazed me with his straightforwardness to ever be aware, prepared and ready to act. He immediately addressed a subject I have been thinking a lot about lately. It was that of those that feel as though we may be slowly falling away.
I have thought about this a lot, because I feel like in life we all go through times where we feel like we are being uplifted and edified constantly and consistently...and then, all of a sudden, we feel as though we have lost that connection. We begin to feel as though something is being taken away from us.
I have thought about this a lot, because I feel like in life we all go through times where we feel like we are being uplifted and edified constantly and consistently...and then, all of a sudden, we feel as though we have lost that connection. We begin to feel as though something is being taken away from us.
Our dear President Eyring and Elder Redlund both strongly reminded us that although we may feel as though it is the Lord distancing himself--it is most definitely not Him. It is always us distancing ourselves from Him. The Father is always there and will always be there for us. We are the ones that fall out of the habit of daily scripture study or sincere daily prayers. If we do not see these things as being of great importance in our lives, we will slowly start to feel ourselves falling away--losing sight of the thing that we truly need the most.
A few other things that I especially loved though were; "We can forgive and we can be free", from ElderKevin R. Duncan's talk; and "Be thou Humble," the talk given by Elder Steven E. Snow. These talks really hit me, as I have been studying humility a lot lately. I feel like one of the simplest things we can all try to work on is our pride.
And I absolutely loved President Uchtdorf's talk! "If man can create a new life out of ashes, how much more can God do?" And, "There is no life so shattered that it can not be restored." There is just so much hope in the fact that God can make so much more out of us than we can ourselves! That no matter how broken we may feel, we can at all times look to the future with a perfect hope that God will make more of us than we ever could have imagined. That is truly beautiful.
I also have to talk a little about Elder Patrick Kearon. This talk really touched my heart.
I am out here on a mission in the beautiful country of Sweden. Probably more than half of the lessons I have taught have been to humble and loving refugees. This talk touched my heart, as he addressed the very circumstances and lives of the individuals we encounter everyday. Everyday leading me to think, "What if their story was my story?"
There have been so many talks on what to do and how to help. I wish I could do more. But out here, there really only is so much that a missionary can do to help the temporal welfare of another. But one thing we can all do is to everyday pray for an opportunity to see one in need, and pray for the strength to actually serve them.
I feel like so much of the time many of us pray for opportunities to help and to serve, but when the opportunity comes, we somehow ignore it, or move on, thinking something much greater must be up ahead. NO!
The only way to help in a big way is to help in all of the little steps along the way. If we want to publish a book, we don´t go straight to the publisher with a book full of blank pages! We have to fill the pages, everyday, "Here a little and there a little." In order to do something big, we must start with the seemingly small. So, after receiving all of this counsel to help the refugees, begin right where our leaders are telling us to begin: "On our knees".
I loved the third point that Elder Kearon mentioned as well--to "Listen with your own ears." To find out for yourself, and not from the news.
Before coming on my mission, I knew very little about the refugees on the other side of the world. Now, I am in it. I see it everyday. I get to meet these beautiful people and hear about their much of the time tragic and long journeys here. It really is humbling to find out for myself. And just as he said--we must remember-- "This does not define them but it does define us." We must all reach out in love and service because we were once strangers, too, that have now found refuge.
And lastly, one of my very favorites--Elder Holland. "Hold fast to the feelings you have felt." Remember today, and the good you have felt. Carry with you all of the joyful moments, all of the moments where you have felt such redeeming love from the Lord, and let that carry you through tomorrow.
And on that lovely spiritual note, I feel that I must share some of the funny things of this week!
Tuesday--went to our ny ömvänds (new members) house, and she told us this sadly hysterical story of how after our Relief Society party last week, she was still in the bathroom when the last of us had left and locked and alarmed the building! She came out, and the alarm went off--and she just dashed to the back door and ran home! Haha! She was slightly laughing when she told us, and we were having a really hard time holding it in!
Then, she said that she left her phone there because of it. So, we told her we would go try to find it--and thankfully we did!
Wednesday--we went to a members house for dinner. But, the only thing is that this member is in India right now, and had asked one of our favorite girls to come and stay at her house. She told her that while she was staying there, she should have the Systers over for dinner and make stuff with whatever food she had, and then they could do an hour of service raking the lawn! Haha--so we did! Went to the house, had a lovely dinner of stuff that was in her fridge and freezer, and then raked piles and piles of sticks in the rain. Yes sticks. Not leaves...it was an interesting experience!
Thursday--we went to an older lady's house, and as we were leaving, she handed us a bag full of pills to take to the pharmacy to get rid of. Instead of the pharmacy being 2 minutes away like we thought, we ended up lugging a bag full of pills for 30 minutes, both walking and on public transportation until we got to the lovely little Apotek to get rid of them. Let's just hope no members saw...!
The mission is full of surprises!
With all of the interesting, funny and spiritually uplifting things this week, the overall message I have collected from everything was that we can always see the Hand of the Lord in our lives. He is in it all and He has something for us to learn from it all!
I love you all and I hope all is well!
Syster Campbell
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