Brightening My Light

A talk from stake conference today reminded me of the testimony I gave in September and meant to post here. Here's the gist of it . Sometimes I wonder if teaching the gospel to my children is really making a difference, especially because I don't see the results right away. Scripture study and family home evening require a lot of effort, and most of the time is spent getting them to sit and pay attention and not fight with each other. It reminds me of when Elder Bednar shared similar thoughts  in a past conference: Sometimes Sister Bednar and I wondered if our efforts to do these spiritually essential things were worthwhile. Now and then verses of scripture were read amid outbursts such as “He’s touching me!” “Make him stop looking at me!” “Mom, he’s breathing my air!” Sincere prayers occasionally were interrupted with giggling and poking. And with active, rambunctious boys, family home evening lessons did not always produce high levels of edification. At times Sister Bed...

Part 3 of my talk from August 21. Read Part 1 and Part 2 . The other talk I chose is Elder Neil L. Andersen's, " Whoso Receiveth Them, Receiveth Me ." In our rescue efforts, we mustn't forget the children. At the stake auxiliary in May, one of the general auxiliary leaders said if Jesus were at church, Primary is where he'd be. That statement made me consider how much effort I was putting into making Primary an inviting place where children want to go because they feel welcomed and loved. Primary, usually nursery, is the first interaction children have with church. It's an important time to lay that foundation for them so they want to return. There are plenty of children in our branch, in all types of circumstances, that we can reach out to. Elder Andersen stated, [M]y plea today is for the hundreds of thousands of children, youth, and young adults who do not come from these, for lack of a better term, “picture-perfect” families. I speak not only of...

Part 2 of my talk from August 21. Read Part 1  and Part 3 . Principle 2 : We Must Never Give Up “President Thomas S. Monson, who has sounded the clarion call to go to the rescue, noted, 'Our members need to be reminded that it is never too late when it comes to our … less-active members … who could have been considered a hopeless cause.'” As I was working on this talk, Sister X called me to tell me she wants to come back to church. [Sister X got baptized in December and then wanted nothing to do with us by spring due to the negative influence of some "friends."] Even though she stopped coming, I stayed in contact with her, and now I'm picking her up for church next week! I took that as a sign that I had chosen the right topic for this talk! Principle 3: How Great Shall Be Your Joy If You Bring Save It Be One Soul Unto Christ Elder Arnold then shared a story about a priests quorum adviser who hunted down a missing priest one Sunday. He found him surfi...

Part 1 of my talk from August 21. Read Part 2  and Part 3 . I was asked to speak on my favorite conference talk. My favorite was Elder Holland's , but it didn't feel like the right one. Every day I read a different talk, and each one was wonderful. I couldn't choose! It wasn't until Friday that it all came together. I picked two that went together perfectly. In fact, they were given one right after the other in conference. The first one I'd like to share is "To the Rescue: We Can Do It" by Elder Mervyn B. Arnold . He began, The Savior clearly understood His mission to rescue our Heavenly Father’s children, for He declared: “The Son of man is come to save that which was lost. … “ [For] it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.” . . . Let me share four principles that will help in our rescue efforts. Principle 1: We Must Not Delay Going to the Rescue Elder Arnold shared a sad st...

photo by Jean Scheijen Based on the testimony I gave Sunday. Because I only wear my glasses shortly in the morning and before bed, I don't put effort into taking care of them properly. I wipe them clean with just my shirt and only use water if they're really dirty. I've never had any issues with this method. When we first moved here, I went to a community event showcasing local businesses and received eyeglass cleaner and a cleaning cloth from an optometrist. They sat in a drawer for the last two years. A couple weeks ago, out of nowhere, I finally decided to use them. The difference was unbelievable! I was astonished by the enhanced clarity. I couldn't believe not only that I had been missing out all these years on even better vision, but also that I didn't even know I was missing out! I thought my glasses had been perfectly clean, when in fact they had the potential to be even clearer had I used the proper materials specifically made for the job. I ...

The talk I gave at a baptism last night. The gift of the Holy Ghost is often underappreciated. Once we come to understand why his constant companionship is a gift, we value it more and do whatever we can to be worthy of keeping his presence in our lives. Elder Bednar said, “Everything the Savior’s gospel teaches us to do and become is intended to bless us with the companionship of the Holy Ghost" ( Increase in Learning , p. 49). Why? Elder Gerald N. Lund stated, “When one is given the gift . . . of the Holy Ghost, he has overcome spiritual death to a degree, for he has come into the presence of one member of the Godhead” ( Ensign , " Salvation: By Grace or by Works? ", Apr. 1981). With the perspective of having a member of the Godhead — one who counsels with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ — as a constant presence in our lives, it's easier to see how he is a gift and brings so many blessings to us through the many roles he plays. He gives us gui...

lds.org This was the part I wrote for my role in the pageant for our stake women's conference on women from the scriptures and Church history.  I am Hannah, mother of the prophet Samuel, from the Old Testament. I was in a polygamous marriage, and as if that wasn’t hard enough, my husband’s other wife, Peninnah, could have children, but I could not. Peninnah would tease me for being infertile because she was jealous that our husband loved me more than he loved her. Every year we went to the temple. One year, Peninnah was so cruel, I wept bitterly and couldn't eat. My husband tried consoling me by asking, “Am I not better to thee than ten sons?” Of course he was a good husband to me, but the love a woman has for her husband and the love she has for her children are not quite the same, and I wanted to experience that motherly love more than anything. I finally couldn’t take it anymore. I went to the temple alone and poured out my soul in prayer and tears. I vowed ...