Since I am not able to rewind the playback to my heart’s content today, I won’t be taking the copious notes I was taking yesterday. I have to leave immediately after the first session to go to my friend’s house for lunch and then watch the second session with her family, so I’ll just watch it again tomorrow and do all my note-taking then. Today, I will just listen and write about the general topics and things in each talk. Please pardon the typos and grammatical errors. I’m trying to type quickly while they are talking.
President Henry B. Eyering – Message of encouragement. Spoke about charity, being a witness of God and enduring to the end. Book of Mormon is best guide to know how we are doing and learn to become better. King Benjamin said “Learn that when you are in the service of your fellow beings, ye are only in the service of your God.” Mormon said “Charity is the pure love of Christ and endureth forever. Whoso found posses with at last day, it will be well with him.” Just as you promise God to be charitable, you promise to be His witness, wherever you are. Jesus Christ is the source of the blessings in the life of those we serve.
Elder Robert D. Hales – Spoke about trials, afflictions and enduring to the end. Prayers are answered according to what we are ready for and what we are prepared to do. Blessings of God are eternal. God is aware of our sacrifices and sorrows and He hears our prayers. Be patient in our afflictions. Jesus went through all our afflictions in Gethsemane and understands our pains.
Elder Tad. R Callister – The Book of Mormon is either the work of God or a total fraud, there is no middle ground. The Savior’s divinity is the same, it’s either holy and true or it is a hoax. There is no middle ground with Christ, you cannot think He is just a wise teacher, but not a God, because you will also think he is a madman for claiming to be the Son of God. He cannot be a wise teacher and a madman. “Come unto Christ and be perfected in Him.” The scriptures teach us to love and serve, so they cannot be from the devil. “The devil could not have written it, it must be from God.” There will always be two or three witnesses of God, the Bible is one, the BOM is another. The BOM works as a confirming witness of the doctrines taught in the Bible. The BOM eliminates all doubt in regards to the doctrine of baptism. Jesus Christ could not have come out of the water unless he had first come into the water. One incorrect principle causes the fall of all doctrine. God is the same yesterday, today and forever. Latter-day revelation. There is no sin outside the merciful reach of the atonement. The atonement is infinite. Ye shall have hope through the atonement of Christ. Together with the Bible, the BOM teaches all men that they must do good. Reading the BOM will teach that it is true.
Sister Elaine S. Dalton – Fatherhood. Father’s raising daughters. The most important thing a father can do for a daughter is love her mother. That will teach about love, compassion, tenderness and devotion. Fathers loving and honoring their wives will show their daughters that they deserve no less. The manner of happiness is found in the temple. Don’t let anything into your house and home that will compromise your covenants and your commitment to your wives and daughters. The example of the father is much greater than the important words spoken. Fathers are the guardians of their daughters, wives and children. A priesthood holder is virtuous. A virtuous man has clean thoughts and actions. Fathers need to lead the world in a return to virtue. a man’s personal virtue will show to his children what true virtue is. Your personal purity will give you power. Be present in your daughter’s life. the right’s of the priesthood are inseparable from the powers of heaven. Your testimony has a powerful influence on your daughters. A father will influence his daughter for years to come if he will look for ways to spend time with her. Be loyal to the royal within you. Magnify your priesthood.
Elder M. Russell Ballard – The importance of a name. Christ gave careful thought before naming His church. We are to take up us the name of Christ. We should act in a way that does not remove the name of Christ from our hearts. The Savior’s name is the only name under heaven by which we can be saved. The name of our church is a descriptive overview of what we believe.
The – unique position among the other churches of the world
Church of Jesus Christ – this is the church of Jesus Christ, he has said that His church is to be named after Him.
of Latter-Day – of the present day. We are present-day followers and disciples of Christ.
Saints – we are people who follow His commandments. Those who seek to keep their lives holy by covenanting to follow the commandments of Christ.
We must be willing to let others know who we follow and to which church we belong. We must be examples and teachers of Christ and with love and compassion. Nicknames do not have the same status as the full name. The term ‘Christian’ was once used as a derogatory term by the detractor’s of Christ’s time, but it is now a term of honor and love. we are honored to be called Christians. Mormon is a slang term used for a person who believe in the Book of Mormon and is sometimes used to describe all those who are members of our church and other who have left our church to form offshoots. We are not affiliated with any church that is not The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. We need to use the full name so that others do not confuse us with other churches, such as the Fundamentalist Mormons or the Reorganized Mormons. We need to use the full name of the church so that people will come to understand that we believe and follow the teachings of Jesus Christ. Let our testimonies be heard and our love for Him be always in our hearts.
President Thomas S. Monson – We love ya, Bob (Robert D. Hales). 84 years old! Born the year Charles Lindbergh flew the first trans-continental flight. Science fiction of that time has become reality. Technology is changing and improving so fast. The moral compass of society has also been changing, yet degrading, just as fast. Actions that used to be abhorred by society have now become acceptable, commonplace and applauded. There is a lack of restraint in morality. The Ten Commandments have now become the Ten Creative Suggestions. We have been spending our morality just as recklessly as our financial capital. The message the world projects is that morality is passe. We have the Gospel of Jesus Christ to teach us that morality is not passe. The morals of the church and Jesus Christ will not change. The Ten Commandments have not changed and they are not suggestions. Our code of conduct is definitive, it is not negotiable. Our Father in Heaven is the same yesterday, today and forever. The constancy of God is something on which we can rely, an anchor we can hold onto to keep from being swept away. There is nothing that will bring more joy into our lives and more peace into our souls than the spirit of comfort that will come into our lives as we keep and adhere to the commandments. We must be vigilant in a world that has moved far from that which is spiritual. We will be better able to withstand the storms of the world if we follow the Savior and have love for Him in our hearts. Heavenly Father wants us to pray and he wants to answer our prayers. If you do not have a prayerful relationship with your Heavenly Father, you need to work towards that goal. If we follow the promptings of the Spirit, even though we do not understand, all will be well. Listening to the promptings of the Spirit is essential to weather the storms of life. The promises and blessings of God are great unto those who follow His Commandments.
