General Conference . . . a time of learning and going forth with renewed horizons.

General Conference comes twice a year.
    It is anticipated with eagerness and ends with our going forth being renewed.
  Here we are today--Sunday, October 6, 2013--leaving the stake center here in San Salvador as the 183rd Semi-Annual Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ended.

Our Prophet, President Thomas S. Monson, talked with tenderness about his wife, Francis, who passed away a month after the General Conference last April.  Tomorrow, Oct. 7, would have been their 65th wedding anniversary.

We sustain President Thomas S. Monson as a Prophet, Seer, and Revelator.   Here are his remarks to us today as he closed the Conference:

"May Heaven’s blessings be with you. May your homes be filled with love and courtesy and with the Spirit of the Lord. May you constantly nourish your testimonies of the gospel, that they will be a protection to you against the buffetings of the adversary.

"Conference is now over. As we return to our homes, may we do so safely. May the spirit we have felt here be and abide with us as we go about those things which occupy us each day. May we show increased kindness toward one another, and may we ever be found doing the work of the Lord.

"My brothers and sisters, may God bless you. May His promised peace be with you now and always. I bid you farewell until we meet again in six months’ time. In the name of our Savior, even Jesus Christ the Lord, amen."

Here are a few quotes from members of The First Presidency and Apostles...

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Second Counselor in The First Presidency:

Elder Dallin H. Oaks, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said this about our "ultimate treasures>"

Elder D. Todd Christofferson, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said this about "marriage, fatherhood and motherhood:"

I will share more later of what we heard and felt in this General Conference.

...........We invited our Sr. Couple Temple Missionaries, and a new couple here who are full-time temple workers to join us for Sunday dinner today between the sessions of General Conference.

President Petersen is sitting by Kari and John Kerr from Provo, Utah, who arrived Oct. 1. President Petersen set them apart on Oct. 3 as full-time temple workers.

Here are our Sr. Couple Temple Missionaries...

Here's Marilee Clark, who is always helping us with the miriad of things that go along with our dinners and gatherings.  Elder Clark said: "For one month and one day out of each year we are the same age. Tomorrow--Oct 7--I will again be one year older."

And here we are for a group photo...

Front: Walt and Eileen, Dora Winter; Second row: Keri Karr, Marilee Clark, Irma Caballero, Sharon Haroldsen, Jerry Winter; Third row: Joseph Clark, Roberto Caballero, and DeVar Haroldsen.

Here we are with John Kerr, left side of second row.

We are always thankful for everyone bringing food and helping with these dinners.

Yesterday....Saturday, October 5, 2013.

We carried on the tradition that Elder David & Hna. Marilyn Gibbons started of having breakfast together before the Saturday morning session of General Conference.

    I can't make biscuits like Elder Gibbons does, so we have waffles with strawberries and whipped cream.

We invite the Temple Presidency and wives, the Sr. Couple Temple Missionaries, the Temple Recorder and his wife, and the Wegkamps, who help us all in many ways. We also welcomed the new full-time temple workers, the Kerrs.

Below: President Rafael Majano, First Counselor in the Temple Presidency, his wife Aida, my Assistant with us.

Here are President Jaime y Hna. Gladis López, our stake president and also the temple recorder.

Dale and Lisa Wegkamp have become great friends. Dale has been the teacher for our Sunday School class in English for several months. Just last Sunday he was put on the High Council.  Lisa began the Gringa Brunch and helps keep them going. 

 Lisa and Marilee always go the extra mile in helping us.  Lisa brought her Panini maker to help bake more waffles.

We got a photo of most of the group...

Walt, me, Consuelo Alas, Eduardo Alas, the First Counselor in the Temple Presidency. Second row: Keri Karr, Marilee Clark, Sharon Haroldsen, Lisa Wegkamp, Irma Caballero.

Third row: Jaime López, Joseph Clark, DeVar Haroldsen, Dale Wegkamp, Roberto Caballero, and Gladis López.

John Kerr was there somewhere....

Here's some photos after the Conference sessions...

President Petersen greeting Juan José, the grandson of Pres. y Hna. Majano.

More friends...

Then we had the Zone of the young Elders and Hermanas come to our apartment for a potato bar for lunch between the sessions on Saturday...

But we also put out the left-over waffles from breakfast, which many of the missionaries had along with their baked potatoes and toppings.

We love these young Elders y Hermanas who have come from all over to "Preach the Gospel" here in El Salvador...

Missionaries are always so thankful for "home-cooked" food...

After dinner and watching our "50th Wedding Anniversary" 10-minute video about our family, we had them gather on the terrace patio for a group photo.

      We are thankful to our Sr. Couple Missionary Sisters who brought home-made cookies for the dessert for this dinner for the young missionaries.  And the Clarks also furnished the jello salad with whipped cream, butter, and fun treat cups filled with goodies for them.
     The cookies are in the foreground in photo below.

Then we all went back to the stake center for the Saturday afternoon session of General Conference.

More scenes from greeting members after the sessions today...Karina Artiga, our Relief Society president.

Elder y Hna. Haroldsen...

Walt with Elder Haroldsen...

We are thankful for the blessings of being a part of the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ and for a Prophet and Apostles who guide us in these last days filled with turmoil and storms of deceit from the Adversary.
   We hope you have had a peaceful and restful Sabbath Day.