I had the opportunity to attend Women's Conference this year with these lovely ladies that are in my ward and who are very dear friends. We had such a good time. We all pitched in and got a king suite in a hotel and did some swimming, lots of talking, played some games, ate a lot, (mostly candy), stayed up WAY too late, got scalp treatments (if you haven't ever done this, do it! You will not be disappointed!!), and were spiritually fed. I left feeling rejuvenated and ready to make some wonderful changes in my life.
I meant to take a lot more pictures of us all, but I guess we were having too much fun because I kept forgetting to pull out the camera. All I got were these two group pictures of us. Oh well. It was a wonderful couple of days and much needed on this end! Can't wait for next year girls! Thank goodness for girlfriends and wonderful women who inspire me to be better. If your interested in coming with us next time, let me know. We would love to have you!
Just for my own memory I wanted to record some of the things that touched me the most that were shared in some of the classes I took.
During the opening session on the first day there was a woman who really inspired me, some of her message was: "When you woke up this morning did you realize that your existence can make a difference."
"A person who knows who they are makes Satan's powers weak."
"Remember how powerful YOU are."
The first class I took was on the Atonement and it was amazing. The woman who spoke at it, was a single woman who teaches institute at UVU in Orem. She is a cancer survivor and her perspective on life and everything was inspiring. Here's some of what she said that touched me.
"When you walk into a room you either add to the room or take away from the room."
"Drawing nearer to the Lord takes effort."
When she was talking about her battle against cancer she said that she realized the importance of trials and the need we have to go through them. She said that as she started to really understand this more her view on trials changed and she almost felt honored to have cancer. Her exact words were "He trusts me with cancer!"
She also shared a couple quotes that I thought were worth writing down. The first one from Elder Maxwell, "Because God loves us there will be particularized challenges for each of us. He will set before us what we need, not always what we want."
And the second one she shared that I wrote down is from President Brigham Young, "Every trial/experience you pass through is necessary for your salvation."
There was so much she said that I loved, but to sum up at the end of her talk she encouraged us to embrace our trials and experiences. Don't compare them to others. They are ours! We need to own them. We need to love them.
The second class we went to was on leaving Babylon or the world behind.
The main focus of this class was how to live in this world, but not be of it. They taught that we need to be aware of our choices. "Is my total allegiance to God or only part of it? What do we allow in our homes? Where do we draw the line? What do we spend our time doing? What is our focus? It needs to be an eternal focus." If we are not building up Zion, God's kingdom we are supporting Babylon. It's one or the other. Satan wants to keep us distracted and desensitized. We need to choose the best, not just the good, as Elder Oaks counseled us in conference awhile back and not become too busy, or too rushed, to choose those things that help us and our families to grow closer to our Savior. We need to do what's best for our families and not gauge our decisions on what others do. We need to fill our spiritual reservoirs, and be spiritually fed daily. I loved this last part, "Babylon will fall." "Zion is things that exalt the mind and sanctify the heart."
Another class that we took was on being a mother and the strong influence we have on our children and the pull we have in our homes. Some of the things that I got out of this class, was the importance of mothers to stand for what is right and to teach our children that we try and obey all the commandments and not just pick and choose which ones we will follow and which ones we will justify away. They talked about how we need to start early and nourish our children's souls early in life. Here are some of the ways they said we could do this 1. Seek the spirit, 2. Set HIGH expectations, 3. Create a desire to live worthy of the temple, 4. Teach them the importance of dressing modestly at a young age.
One of my favorite things said in this class was "No influence can be better at shaping the character of a child then his/her mother."
"Mothers lead the way. We need to step up, stand a little taller, and lead the way."
The first class we took on Friday was entitled "The Promised Children of the Lord." (I think.) Anyways, they talked about taking the time to be a friend to your children and how to help them built strong testimonies of their own. Some of the thought provoking points for me that were brought up were "What emphasis do we put in our homes on the word of God? Do our children see us reading the scriptures daily? Or do they see us spending our time doing things that aren't of an eternal natural? Do they see us studying the scriptures and searching them for answers to our questions and problems? It was taught that we should not be so quick to answer our children's questions. But instead to ask them such things as "have you inquired of the Lord, " or "what do you think?" that allow us time to ponder our answers and to take the time to sit down with them, pull out the scriptures and use them together to find the answers that our children seek.
They talked about complimenting our children. Sometimes I feel like our house can get so bogged down focusing on negative things. As a result, I really loved this next, yet simple part of her talk. Tell them when they answer a question in Family Home Evening, "I like it when you answer questions in FHE because it shows me you love learning the gospel, or I like it when you pray because it shows me you love Heavenly Father."
The last class we went to was on overcoming weaknesses. This was a highlight of the conference for me for sure! They talked about why we have been given specific weaknesses, the reason being because they keep us humble. They mentioned Paul who is one of my favorites from the New Testament, and how he talks about the "Thorn on his flesh." These thorns or weaknesses are what help remind us of our complete dependence on the Lord. We can do NOTHING without Him. A quote from CS Lewis that was used "God gives us weaknesses cause He is forcing us up to a higher level."
Brad Wilcox was the last speaker in this class and I could go on and on about the things he said. One thing he said though concerning the Atonement and the Savior Jesus Christ, was that "He didn't make up the difference for us. He IS the difference. He paid justice and He paid it in full." "Our practice (repentance, growth) doesn't pay the debt. The debt has been paid cause He wants us to live at a higher level." He isn't at the top of the mountain cheering us on, trying to get us to reach Him, He is at our side carrying us and pushing us along.
Like I said before these past couple of days were so wonderful for me. I am so grateful I was able to go and learn ways that I can become a better me. The gospel of Jesus Christ is awesome! I love how it teaches us, encourages us, and motivates us to grow, and be better so that we CAN become like Him and be happy forever. What a wonderful thing!
