General Conference

Wasn't General Conference wonderful today? The speakers were amazing....saying just what I needed to hear....all about the love of the Savior and the connection between love and obedience. Everyday here at the MTC has been so enlightening and inspiring. It is hard to imagine that we are part of this great work. We want so much to be able to share the gospel with those people we are going to serve.

The MTC experience has been very exciting. Mike and I were forced....way out of our comfort zone....to teach several lessons together. The people we taught were member volunteers who came to our room, playing the roles of nonmembers. It was a very good learning experience, but also discomforting. The first experience was probably the hardest. The man who played the part was actually the most realistic. He professed to have some real issues with the church and many questions that we could not answer. When he left, I thought Mike and I should quit. The next three lessons taught were to very kind people who all made us feel like we could teach. We learned the most from the first...... I wish we could spend more time here...but that is only selfish. They gave us big challenges.

Tuesday night was the big missionary devotional. They say that every devotional is amazing and this one did not disappoint us. There are no cameras allowed in the auditorium, but I wish I could have taken my movie camera and captured the 2000 missionaries singing. I know that even then I could not have captured the spirit in that room. Stephen Nadauld (used to be part of the Seventies and also a mission president in Italy) spoke to us. He taught us the “Preach-by-the-way” doctrine. It is found in the D&C in sections 52, and again in 58. He told us that the Lord puts people around us so that we can influence them. He has prepared them and all we have to do is open our mouths. He told several stories of where missionaries had great experiences by talking to every one they met. I hope we can use this principle on our mission.

We went to dinner with Rich and Kathy Lund Thursday night. It was good to catch up with old friends. We got to go to Sizzler. That was one of the things we wanted to do when we came to Utah.

We went to the temple last night. Everyone kept saying that it would be so crowded. We went over after class and got right into a 6 o'clock session. I think there were fewer people at the temple because there was a BYU football game at the stadium which was at the same time. I wish I could keep that feeling with us for the 18 months we will be gone. I have never felt so much joy. I know there will be problems, but for today, I am thrilled to wear the name tag and be called a missionary. I doubt we will convert thousands like Ammon in the Book of Mormon, or like Dan Jones in Wales from early church history, but I do hope we will be able to influence some to come to Christ.

There was a couple who spoke to us in the MTC yesterday. Brother and Sister Tree have served 4 senior missions: Tahiti, Indian service mission, New Zealand , and Tahiti again. They told amazing stories of success. I don’t want to be prideful and hope for myself.....but to think of the families, children, grandchildren, and generations that will be saved because of their service is too amazing to describe.

Right before we left Alaska the mountains were turning colors and the trees were losing their leaves, and we knew Fall was right around the corner. When we came to Utah we loved the 80 degree weather, walking each day in our shorts. Just the last few days the air has turned nippy and we look up and see the red colors in the mountains here. I guess it is time for us to move on towards the warmer days, the blue Atlantic, and the white beaches. We could get used to leaving the snow behind and enjoying warmer winters.

As Erin said in her cute email.... Hoorah for Israel
See the red up the mountain.

This is one of our teachers at the MTC. We loved him because of his huge smile every day. Does he not remind you of Scotty Clayton.....always smiling.