What A Friend We Have In Jesus

I love that we got to listen to the Prophet of the Lord speak this last weekend.
What a miracle!
So much of it felt absolutely directed to me and I am still grateful.

The first weekends of April and October make me very very happy.
In fact, I can always hardly wait!
I was so happy that Seth and Katie came to share the last session with me and they were perfectly obedient to my no talking rules! Love them!
Then we headed to Temple Square to document the loveliness that is that block.
I can't believe it's going to be all lit up so soon for Christmastime!


So, wasn't General Conference thrilling?

And A NEW TEMPLE IN ARGENTINA!!!!!!!!!!!
I was so thrilled. I cried and cried in my car.

And Rome! How fun was it to hear everyone's reaction to that!?!

My favorite talk was Elder Cook, President Uchtdorf, Elder Wirthlin, Elder Holland, Elder Bednar, Sister Dalton, President Monson, President Packer, Elder Andersen,
and President Eyring.

I'll have to look at my notes to see if I had other favorites too.
Ok - Elder Ballard, Elder Nelson, Elder Hales, and Elder Oaks.

I love that for 8 hours (really 10 counting RS Conference) we get to listen to wonderfully inspired leaders tell us what Heavenly Father wants us to hear.
And what beautiful, beautiful messages He sent us.

Some of my favorite quotes...
"Hope you know, we had a hard time." Elder Cook

"Faith is not a feeling, it's a decision." Elder Andersen

"No room in the inn was not a singular expression of rejection,
just the first." President Monson

"If only we could glimpse what our Heavenly Father has in store for us in the next life and in this life as well, our hope would become unshakable." Elder Uchtdorf

"I leave you the Lord's promise that you will have the righteous desires of your heart." President Eyring

"Those who refuse to read the Book of Mormon are like spoiled children who refuse to eat a meal lovingly prepared for them." Elder Aidukaitis

"Prelude is not a time for conversation." Elder Oaks

"Hope is one leg of a three legged stool which stabilizes our life regardless of rough or unstable circumstances." Elder Uchtdorf

"We have enormous spiritual reservoirs available to us. Be not afraid -- only believe." Elder Andersen

"The scriptures are written to bring us hope!" Elder Uchtdorf

"Come what may and love it!" Elder Wirthlin

"Darkness, afraid, river, alone." Elder Holland

"The brighter our hope, the greater our faith. The stronger our hope, the purer our charity." Elder Uchtdorf

"Almighty God being my Helper they cannot come here!"
President Packer (quoting Brigham Young)


"Remember the Lord has said He would fight our battles."
Elder Holland

"Meaningful morning prayer proceeds the temporal creation of every day." Elder Bednar

"The next time you're tempted to groan you might laugh instead." Elder Wirthlin

"Let us once and for all establish our residence in Zion and give up our summer residence in Babylon." Elder Christofferson (quoting Elder Maxwell)

"Heavenly Father hears and answers every sincere prayer."
Lots of People

"We would all do well not to speak of [the Savior] as though He were the friend next door. He is the Firstborn of the Father." Bishop McMullin

"Jesus will make everything alright. When Jesus comes I will be able to hear and you will get your legs." Elder Andersen

"Angels are sent as emissaries to convey love. The scriptures are filled with accounts of angels. Seen or unseen they are always near." Elder Holland

"The Holy Ghost is the witness of and the messenger for the Father and the Son." Elder Bednar

"Don't be consumers of vice but guardians of virtue." Sister Dalton

"The Lord will let you feel His appreciation from stepping away from the possibility of sowing the seeds of disunity."
President Eyring

"You be the one to make a stand for right, even if you stand alone." Sister Dalton (quoting President Monson)

"We may hope and be assured that the ending of the book of our lives will be grander than we could have imagined." Elder Uchtdorf

"The dial on the wheel of sorrow eventually points to all of us. Learning to endure is part of our on the job training." Elder Wirthlin

"God never leaves us alone, never leaves us unaided in the challenges we face, Nor Will He Ever." Elder Holland

"In the midst of winter we find within us an invincible summer." Elder Uchtdorf

"There must be opposition in all things." Almost Everyone.

"The will to win means almost nothing without the will to prepare." Sister Dalton

"Understand the principle of compensation. While it may not come at a time we desire, the faithful today know that every tear will be returned a hundredfold." Elder Wirthlin

"We must carry on the devoted, committed tradition of the people who built this church." Elder Ballard

"You pile up enough tomorrows and you'll find you've got a lot of empty yesterdays." President Monson

"Each marriage starts with two built in handicaps - two imperfect mortals." Elder Nelson

(Seth was not going over to tell that couple that it was a little inappropriate to snuggle on Temple Square. Although, come on. Inappropriate? He actually had found some edible plants on Temple Square! Don't tell anyone he tested to make sure they were really edible! They were! So many fun plants on Temple Square!)

"In troubled times the Lord has always prepared a safe way ahead." President Packer

"Heavenly Father's great Plan of Happiness allows family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave." Elder Nelson

(Aren't Seth and Katie so cute?!?)

"Let us relish life as we live it... Do human beings ever realize life as they live it -- every, every minute?" President Monson

"Make pleasant memories for the future." President Monson

"Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved." President Monson

"Harmony in marriage only comes when one esteems the welfare of the spouse as the highest priority." Elder Nelson

"Then, with emotions in my heart, I closed the door and faced an unknown future." Elder Cook (quoting Bathsheba Smith)

"Sometimes the things that are best for us which bring eternal rewards are most bitter."
Elder Cook (quoting President Harold B. Lee)

"Heaven never seems closer than when we see the love of God manifested in people so good and so pure that angelic is the only word that fits appropriately." Elder Holland

"The Savior, resurrected and glorious, lives and reaches out to us." President Eyring

My take home messages?
Heavenly Father loves His children. He does know we're having a hard time. He wants us to be happy. We must invite Him into our lives so He can be involved in all the details. He has already provided the way for us to have hope. Let's be united, kind and courageous and find our training programs from the scriptures. Let's be reverent when we should be and never forget how much Heavenly Father loves us - especially when things are hard.

I really love Him.

General Conference, New Temples, The Gospel and being with family make me SO HAPPY!