General Conference

Well, Patti has been asking me for two weeks to blog about General Conference this year. We enjoyed a special treat inasmuch as Guillermo, my former missionary companion and friend from Chile, was able to obtain tickets to all of the sessions except Sat PM. First however, we did enjoy a wonderful evening with them at Dinner up at a really cool restaurant in Millcreek Canyon (the same canyon where I proposed to Patti) called Log Haven. Guillermo and Mary brought their daughter, Andrea, with them who is standing next to Patti in the photo. Mary is taking the picture. And yes, that is snow in the background. In fact, this canyon is where my friends and I used to hike up and "snurf" down the ravines on the snow on our "snurfboards" These were wooden snowboards, about 60 inches long and 7 inches wide with no bindings and just a rope that you would hold onto while you whizzed down the canyon ravine. I give you "the Snurfer"

Not quite as nice as the snowboards that we currently use.

Please pause the music for the rest of this blog.

OK, this is blog about conference so I'll get to it. Conference was wonderful! We sat in the very front section with the general authority families. Guillermo and Mary, and sometimes Andrea were with us at all sessions. Anyway, the very first session, the solemn assembly was highly inspirational, an understatement. Guillermo and I, as High Priests, were able to stand and sustain President Monson as a prophet, seer, and revelator, and President of the Church. Then, Patti and Mary as members of the Relief Society were able to sustain him, then we all did as members. I felt the overwhelming confirmation AGAIN that President Monson is the Lord's prophet on the earth today. You see, I have already received that witness so many times. I know how the Lord directs His Church and how He preserves the apostle that He wants to direct the Church at any particular time.

Thank you Sister Pearson for taking the photo of the flowers.

As we were listening to the remaining General Authorities to be called, President Uchtdorf announces the calling of new members of the First Quorum of the Seventy. He announces Kevin Pearson. Kevin Pearson is the current mission president here in Tacoma. He is great man and he and his family have been down to our house to give a fireside on missionary work, so we have come to know him well. I've also chatted with him on several occasions about missionary work as well as medical problems with the missionaries. President Pearson was also one of my classmates at Olympus High School. Anyway, after President Pearson was called, I sat in my seat, thinking about all the former missionary companions and acquaintances I've had who have been called to be Stake Presidents (Bryan Larsen, Dave Golden) and mission Presidents (Tom Cavanaugh, Guillermo Antivilo) and now General Authorities (Craig Christensen, (former missionary in Chile during my tenure there), Kevin Pearson) and wondered if I will ever be able to be serviceable in the future to Jesus and His Church. Have I committed too many or too serious sins to be able to help like I ought to in the Lord's kingdom? I sat pondering this as I sustained and admired the General Authorities only yards away from me on the pulpit. Suddenly, the sweet music and words of the tabernacle choir slowly drifted through the air and broke through my consciousness--

"It may not be on a mountain high, or over the stormy sea, It may not be on the battle front [church headquarters] My Lord will have need of me...

"Perhaps today there are loving words Which Jesus would have me speak; There may be now in the paths of sin Some wand'rer whom I should seek. O Savior, if thou wilt be my guide, Tho dark and rugged the way, My voice shall echo the message sweet: 'I'll say what You want me to say.'

"There's surely somewhere a lowly place[Olympia] In earth's harvest fields so wide Where I may labor through life's short day For Jesus the Crucified. So trusting my all to thy tender care, and knowing thou lovest me, I'll answer, dear Lord, with a heart sincere: 'I'll be what you want me to be.' I'll go where you want me to go, dear Lord, Over mountain or plain or sea; I'll say what you want me to say, dear Lord; I'll be what you want me to be."

The Spirit struck me with great force to understand that through Jesus' empowering grace I have been forgiven. The Spirit helped me to understand that He can use me to help my family and friends: that I may actually have more influence to help Tim stay active in the church than President Monson; that Patti and I can have more influence on our friends to stay eternally married and work out their problems than our Bishop, that I may influence my grandsons and possibly granddaughters to serve a mission more than President Pearson; that I can help Patti heal from her wounds more than our Stake President. The healing grace of our Savior applies to all of us, whereever we are called to serve. I thank Him eternally for that.

I'm sorry if this blog has been a little "heavy," but this was the most important lesson that I received at General Conference. I love you all, my family,

Dad