Stake Conference

Elders Kikuchi and Villarreal came to our stake these past two days for stake conference. What a wonderful time it was to hear these two great men. They have such a love for the church and our Saviour. They both gave incredible talks, the brunt of the talks was geared toward the men and marriage. They said over and over again, "Men love your wife and respect her." Then a funny side note, Elder Kikuchi made the comment, you might think that he, Villarreal, and I are too romantic. This may be, if you want to be too romantic eat more rice. The congregation just laughed and laughed. I love how the Lord knows just what to have his servants say when they come and visit.
Thanks be to God for these wonderful men.

Sustaining President Monson

President Thomas S. Monson
http://www.thomassmonson.org/

In our Priesthood leadership meeting the other night President Schmitt, Stake President, went over the solemn assembly, he also mentioned that about half of the membership of the church currently can not remember any other prophet beside President Hinckley.
To this he had us turn to (Joshua 3:7) "And the LORD said unto Joshua, This day will I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee."

This is where the children of Israel are going into the promised land and Moses doesn't go with them. Just as we sustained President Hinckley, we shall sustain President Monson, he is the Lord's mouth piece here upon the earth.

On a personal note, I have a great respect for President Monson, thanks to one of his magnificent talks in conference back in 1999 on Priesthood Power, I went on a mission and am now converted to the true gospel of Jesus Christ. I wish you could tell how excited I am to have this great man follow after President Hinckley.

Quick Thought

I was sitting in lecture today talking with a friend named Jason, he's a minister of sorts. He is always doing some kind of out reach whether it is at a prison or in the ghetto at 2 in the morning. We had a great little discussion today about the need that we all have to have our own ministry in this world.
I related to him that in our church we have a program that we call every member a missionary. He lit up and loved the idea. We talked about the different ways of accomplishing this, it was amazing to feel of the spirit of truth when we were talking true principles.
Remember you never know what will become of the seeds you sow.

General Priesthood Meeting

This last Sunday, 24 February, we had general priesthood mtg with the stake. We learned many things but the lesson that hit me last night was that we need to call upon Christ for help when we are tempted.

Short sweet and to the point, when you stumble, trip, fall, or have fallen we need to call to out our Saviour, who will succor (see definition below) us and help us immediately, trust in him and he will come to your aid.

From Websters Dictionary we find that the word succor means, "from Latin succurrere to run to the rescue, bring aid." We find this in the scriptures many times.

23 QUESTIONS ANSWERED BY THE BOOK OF MORMON

1. Does the Bible contain all of God's word?
(2 Nephi 29 [pp. 109-111].)
2. Who were the "other sheep" referred to by Jesus as recorded in John 10:16?
(3 Nephi 15:13-24 [pp. 437-38].)
3. How can a person know that the Book of Mormon is true?
(Moroni 10:3-5 [p. 529].)
4. How can a desire to believe develop into strong faith?
(Alma 32 [pp. 288-91].)
5. What is the purpose of man's existence?
(2 Nephi 2:25 [p. 59].)
6. How can God be both just and merciful?
(Alma 42 [pp. 311-13].)
7. What happens to our spirits at death?
(Alma 40:11-14 [p. 308].)
8. How can a person turn his personal weaknesses into strengths?
(Ether 12:27 [p. 510].)
9. What happened in America when Jesus was born in Bethlehem?
(3 Nephi 1:15-21 [p. 408].)
10. What happened in America when Jesus was crucified in Jerusalem?
(3 Nephi 8:5-23 [pp. 422-23].)
11. What do we witness "unto the Father" by being baptized?
(2 Nephi 31:10-14 [pp. 113-114].)
12. Why was Jesus Christ baptized?
(2 Nephi 31:4-9 [p. 113J.)
13. Just what is the gospel of Jesus Christ? How did the Savior explain what it is?
(3 Nephi 27:13-21 [p. 459] -)
14. Why was the atonement of Jesus Christ necessary?
(2 Nephi 9:4-14 [pp. 72-74]; Alma 34:8-17 [pp. 293-941.)
15. To what extent are men accountable for their choices and their actions?
(2 Nephi 9:25-27 [p. 75]; 2 Nephi 2:27 [p. 59]; Helaman 14:30-31 [p. 403].)
16. Do little children need repentance and baptism?
(Moroni 8:1-24 [pp. 525-26].)
17. Does the Lord always* protect the righteous from the unrighteous?
(Alma 60:12-13 [p. 359].)
18. How did a prophet who lived 600 B.c. describe our day?
(2 Nephi 28 [pp. 106-109].)
19. What should we pray about?
(Alma 34:17-28 [pp. 294-95].)
20. Why should we not procrastinate our repentance?
(Alma 34:30-41 [pp. 295-96] .)
21. What will our bodies be like in the resurrection?
(Alma 40:23 [p. 309].)
22. Are we saved by grace, by works, or both?
(2 Nephi 25:23 [pp. 99-100].)
23. In a world with so many conflicting voices, how can a person judge what is good and what is evil?
(Moroni 7:14-19 [p. 522].)

The Sanctity of Womanhood

"Satan has unleashed a seductive campaign
to undermine the sanctity of womanhood, to
deceive the daughters of God and divert
them from their divine destiny. He well
knows women are the compassionate, self-
sacrificing, loving power that binds together
the human family. He would focus their
interests solely on their physical attributes
and rob them of their exalting roles as wives
and mothers.
"...Will you begin a private crusade to
help young women understand how precious
they are to God and attractive to you as they
magnify their feminine traits and divinely
given attributes of womanhood? You might
even help mold the character and devotion
of your own future eternal companion."
{Elder Richard G. Scott, "The Sanctity of Womanhood,"
Ensign, May 2000, pg. 36, 37.}

Bear Your Testimony

Some tips for you when it come to bearing your testimony:
1. Always testify
2. Be simple and direct
3. Use the Savior's name
4. Be humble, dignified,
and powerful in testimony
5. Be sincere