General Conference Saturday - April 6, 2013

While Walt is at the General Priesthood Meeting, I am catching up on our blog.  I have posted a blog about Easter.  Now I will post about today....Saturday, April 6.

General Conference is a special time.
    We arrived in San Salvador July 20, 2011.
     Our first full-time Sr. Couple Temple Missionaries arrived on
     August 17, 2011. For our first General Conference together,
     Elder David y Hna. Marilyn Gibbons started the tradition of
     having breakfast together before the first session.  They hosted it and served homemade
     biscuits and strawberries/whipped cream.
Today we carried on this tradition, but with waffles, strawberries, and whipped cream.

Here President Eduardo Alas is taking a plate home for Hna. Consuelo Alas, who was not able to come.

We served 16 this morning.  We didn't get a complete group photo, but here are some of us:
Back row: Frank Wall, Dale Wegkamp, Lon Thompson, Joe Clark.
In front: Diane Wall, Gladis López, Lisa Wegkamp, Aida Majano, Marilee Clark, Walt Petersen, Jaime López (our stake president and also the temple recorder).

     Hna. Clark took the photo below with me by Walt.

I have a photo of President Alas at the start, and here are President Rafael y Hna. Aida Majano.  They had to leave a little early.

Since Elder Gibbons always wore an apron, because he cooked the biscuits...Walt came in with an apron on just before the guests arrived.  He is always the ones that help pull everything together for me when we have guests come for a meal in our home.
      And he did cook today.....he cooked the bacon over in the Gibbons oven.

 And I couldn't have pulled it together this morning without the great help of Diane, Nancy, Marilee, and Lisa. They helped with the before and after.  By the time we needed to leave for the morning session, they had the kitchen cleaned up and dishwasher going to be ready for lunch here for 17 others.

Walt said: "These sisters really come through every time, don't they!"   We are so appreciative of these "doers!"

We are so happy to have Dale and Lisa Wegkamp back from Utah. They finished their contract last July, but are now back for a year or year and a half working to make El Salvador a better and safer country.

Then between the sessions today, we had invited--with President Glazier's consent--the 15 young missionaries in this zone to come for a potato bar for lunch.
     Here are 8 of the Elders and 2 of the Hermanas.

This shows the other two Hermanas:

And here is President Petersen at the side card table with the other three Elders. The Elders on each side of Walt are the Assistants to the President.

We were tickled that most of them went back for seconds:

And our dear Sr. Couple Temple Missionary Hermanas came thru again by insisting on baking cookies for dessert.
Hna. Wall baked chocolate chip and chocolate-peanut butter cookies, Hna. Thompson oatmeal-raisin cookies, and Hna. Clark baked brownies.  They were all very yummy!

Along with some Pops ice cream, it made a delicious dessert!

Here they are on our outside patio terrace for a photo in front of this beautiful temple.

We love missionaries.  They are teaching the truths of the Restored Gospel throughout El Salvador.  They are among the 65,634 missionaries who are taking these truths throughout the world!

What Walt and I did in feeding friends and missionaries today was nothing compared to the SPIRITUAL FOOD we received from our Prophet, Apostles and the Quorums of the Seventy at General Conference.

         Some of the highlights for me are:
President Thomas S. Monson announced two new temples:
Cedar City, Utah
Rio de Janerio

Elder Boyd K. Packer....
Liked his poem about turning 68, then 78, and now 88.
The Adversary is out to destroy the home.
Teach our family about the Gift of the Holy Ghost.

Sister Dalton:
What’er thou art, act well thy part.

Mothers and mentors. 

And I was in awe that Hna. Dalton could say immediately to her husband to use Mosiah 18:9 to write on the underside of the last piece of carpet that went under the pulpit of the new Conference Center back in 2000:

“Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life.”

Elder Cardon:

Forgiveness

Allow for improvement over time, not immediate perfection.

The Savior wants to forgive.

It was tender when Elder M. Russell Ballard said as he started:

“Elder Packer, we look forward to the next edition when you turn 98.” (Regarding the poem Elder Packer started when he turned 68, then added some at age 78, and recently at age 88.)

Our galaxy is one of 200 billion other galaxies.

Earth was created by the Power of the Priesthood.

President Henry B. Eyring

Light of a brilliant morning...

7 words launched the restoration of this Gospel:

THIS IS MY BELOVED SON.  HEAR HIM.

Elder Stanley G. Ellis

Grew up near Burley Idaho so
"I'm an Idaho farm boy."

Speak direct or with sugar

Direct today

Basics if want to reap harvest must plant seeds

We are not spiritual orphans.

Elder John B. Dickson

Restoration or Restitution of all things

34 years ago Priesthood able to be given to all men

June 1978

Elder David A. Bednar

Why the eternal law of chastity is so important.

Guilt is to spirit what pain is to the body.

"The eternal importance of chastity can only be understood within the overarching context of our Heavenly Father's plan of happiness for His children."

Elder Russell M. Nelson

Missionary work CATCH THE WAVE

Power to Propel…

I don't have the speakers' names for these: 

"The Apostles and Prophets have often taught that what happens inside the home is far more important than what they encounter outside."

"The power to create mortal life is the most exalted power God has given His children."

"Stay on the Lord's side and you will win every time."

Looking foward to Walt returning from the General Priesthood Meeting with its highlights.

Now looking forward to the Sunday sessions tomorrow.

COME

  LISTEN

      TO  A

      PROPHET'S

               VOICE

                    AND

                     HEAR

                          THE

                             WORD

                                   OF

                                    GOD.