The End of the World Is Coming!

Yesterday was the scheduled end of the world.

Well, unless something happened that I don't know about, it didn't happen.

I have had quite a few chuckles about it, but it has been a time for reflection, too.

1.) I don't believe at all that the guys in the vans with the nifty t-shirts were the ones who would come and tell us to prepare, and

2.) All joking aside, I wonder if the some of the attitudes were similar to those in Noah's time, or when Samuel stood on the wall.

We know it is coming. We have been heading in that direction for thousands of years. We are blessed to have a living prophet to look to. We have been taught and we all understand how it will end. We just don't know when. So...should we be like a high school student who knows that the senior project is due and work on it the whole semester, or should we be like the one who procrastinates the project until the end, and then can't finish it. I need to work on procrastinating a little less.

Stake Conference

Today was stake conference. I was so touched by what every single one of the speakers said.
When President Taylor spoke on heritage, I thought of how blessed I am. Since I was born, my parents made it a point for us to know and associate with our extended family. This is one of the greatest blessings of my life. I have such fond memories of family reunions with the 'old' Clarks and Fackrells. I loved staying at Grandma Jolley's house and picking cherries in the summer. I remember the antique dentistry things my Grandpa Clark had, and the waterfall lamp that looked like real water when you spun it. I remember him singing, "I'll Take You to Your Home, Kathleen" to me, right up until he died in the late 70's. It isn't the memories of these people that I cling most tight to, though. It is the legacy and the heritage they have left me of knowing what I should be doing, how to do it, and what the reward can be if I do it all my life.

The next two speakers related their own conversion stories. One was our stake's Young Men president, and the other one was the stake Primary president. I have known both of them for more than 30 years. It was odd to me that I didn't remember that they had ever been less active. As they talked about the people who helped them back into activity, and the hard things they had to go through to get there, I was touched. Sister Larson said that sometimes you have to give up hard things to get better things. She was speaking specifically of friends and associates. I know that has been true in my own life. Brother Fairchild gave a brief overview of the plan of salvation and reminded us that when we were born, our memories of that better place were erased. I had my own testimony strengthened when the Spirit spoke to me and said, "But, you have been given and taught all you need to remember. You just have to remember."

As a member of the temple presidency and the mission president spoke, each related the blessings of the temple. I felt blessed as I though about the prospect of having an eternal family, and that Mark and I have made covenants to that end. I thought of my precious niece and what a blessing it is to her family to know they can have her again someday.

I also LOVED how the temple and mission president's wives stood with them.

Then, Elder Chambers spoke. He related the last days of Joseph Smith's life. One thing that stood out to me was a part of the story I don't think I had ever heard. He told that Joseph realized at one point that the mobs were only after him and Hyrum. He told the saints he would leave and they would be safe. Well, the mobs did come, and in a threatening way, told the saints that they wouldn't stop until they had Joseph Smith in their custody. They all left, but one--who reiterated the threat. This is the part that struck me: "The Saints were so overwhelmed with fear that they gave up their faith." In my mind, these early saints have been the standard to look to when life gets overwhelming. I have felt that the things they had to go through were harder than anything I personally have had to endure. To think that in that moment, that they called the Prophet back because they were afraid. Wow. We can't blame them, when life gets overwhelming, it is easy to let fear guide our actions. I have done it too many times to count. But, I was struck by the lesson: We shouldn't EVER let our fears overcome our faith. Easier said than done....but something I can and should work on. I have just decided to try harder to make my decisions based on faith.

The music was AMAZING! After Elder Chambers talk, the men's choir sang, "Come, Come Ye Saints." It went perfectly with his talk. They also sang, "I Need Thee Every Hour."

I am grateful that I was able to go today, feel the Spirit and sit with my daughters and their kids. My pitcher feels more full today than it has in a while.