Merlo- Week #41

Welcome to Conference…

Greetings Fellow Members of our Family Unit,

Happy Birthday Yesterday Dad! I would like more short sleeve mom, and my neck size is 16, and you can send like 4 or something...also none of that other stuff, but another towel would be nice, because I only brought one towel and so when it is in the wash...I can’t bathe myself...well I can but then I can’t dry off...and I have that microfiber science towel but I don’t like it...ok that’s all...actually maybe a couple more slacks too...my waist is 32...or something like that. Wow I am not sure if that helped but I hope it did.

Ok...GENERAL CONFERENCE!!!!!!! Is it just me or are the Conference talks just getting better and better. After the last session on Sunday it kind of felt like the day after Christmas. Bitter-sweet...I have to wait another six months to see another. Also, because I have less than one year in the mission, I got to watch in English...or at least was supposed to be able to watch in English, but we showed up to the Stake Center on Saturday and the technical guy was like, “The bishop or Stake President need to be here to open the library to get another TV.” Long story short, neither of them showed up, and we all had to watch the first two sessions in Spanish, but Priesthood and Sunday were all in English for me. I didn’t mind, I understood everything, but I felt bad for some younger Elders who did not understand one thing going on. Also, I kind of felt like I missed out, because you can still hear a little bit of the English talks in the background while the translator pauses to think, and I noticed that the translator doesn’t say everything the speaker is saying. For example, during Elder Ballard’s talk I never heard anything of google or texting...so now I am just waiting for the Conference Ensign. One benefit though was that for the speakers who speak Spanish, they pre-record their talks so it is perfectly translated. For example, Elder Scott’s talk he pre-recorded so it was his voice in his perfect Spanish. He speaks really well, also, Elder Christofferson. But yeah, Elder Scotts was sooooo spiritual because when he started to talk about his wife and children and the blessing of the temples, he was getting really emotional in Spanish, but it was kind of weird too because he was on the screen in English not getting emotional. That is the biggest focus that I saw in the Conference, yes, it talked a lot about the crisis and having faith not fear, and how to deal with our problems, but more than anything, TEMPLES! I loved all the talks on the temples, and I noticed that they were really emphasizing temples. Lacey-get married in the temple, or not at all... It made me think about my interview with my bishop at BYU when I sent in my papers. He told me, “Your mission is going to be one of the best experiences of your life, but the experience that should be even more special is when you enter the temple the first time, and when you enter with your eternal companion.” Also, I remember Bishop Orton telling me a few years ago in an interview that, “A mission isn’t necessary for salvation, but entering the temple is.” Now, I am not saying that missions are bad things, and everyone should go on missions, because they give you the strength and conviction to keep your temple covenants, and prepare for eternal marriage. But, alas, my favorite talk from the Conference was President Uchdorf’s Priesthood session talk. That was POWERFUL! “This is not man’s best guess at ancient scripture; it is the TRUTH OF HEAVEN, revealed by God!” I am doing a great work, and cannot come down! That fired me up sooooo much, I was actually nervous when he finished, because I thought, “Oh my gosh...how is President Eyring going to get up and speak right now...he can’t maintain the power of that talk.” That is where my finite natural mind was wrong...oh so wrong...President Eyring came out with just as much power, and kept the momentum going, only to have President Monson stamp his prophetic seal of approval on it all and leave me almost translated at the end of the session. Needless to say...it was more than just a spiritual experience. Well, I spent all my time writing about conference, but remember too, that Eduardo is getting baptized this weekend! Conference rocked...I loved it...please go fast next six months so we can have another. Also, NEIL L. ANDERSON, love him, received my testimony of his Apostleship, life is good.

Love you all,
apply the teachings of conference in your lives or it will all have been in vain!

Sean