Thank goodness we are back in an appropriate time zone to enjoy General Conference! Asia was rough. Usually I'm busy making a Jeopardy game or a seminary quiz, but none of that was needed this year. Here are my favorite moments.
Elder Tai Opening Prayer. Oh my goodness, I love this man. He was in charge of senior missionaries in the Asia Area office and he was always interested in our welfare. When our son was having serious difficulties, he called us into his office to see if he could help. I miss him and his family. I was able to teach his daughter piano lessons each week and his wife is an incredible cook and teacher.
Bonnie Cordon, "Never Give Up an Opportunity to Testify of Christ." With that powerful talk she is released as General Young Women President. I am really working on this admonition in Spanish.
Elder Peter F. Meurs, "He Could Heal Me!" We were so sad when Elder and Sister Meurs left the Asia Area Presidency in July of 2022 for the Pacific Area. His home is in Perth, so it was a great opportunity to serve closer to home. I remember him telling the story of his car crash. What an amazing example he is. And goodness, he can play anything on the piano.
Mark A. Bragg, "Christlike Poise." Be a calm man in a storm. This talk on poise was unique to me and something I need to work on. What a great opportunity he had to be tutored by Coach Wooden.
Elder Neil L. Anderson, "My Mind Caught Hold upon This Thought of Jesus Christ." The story Elder Anderson told of a dying mother and her three children was heart-breaking. Later the next day, Elder Anderson posted on Facebook that Maddy (who is in the MTC) had heart surgery at the age of 13. The Harpers, who served with us in Hong Kong, are serving as her MTC leaders and posted their love for her and admiration of her strong testimony.
President Russell M. Nelson, "Peacemakers Needed." How much do we need this message today? I know when I scroll through social media, I become changed by the language and criticism displayed. I remembered some friends who do nothing but speak encouraging words; that is an example I can follow.
President Dallin H. Oaks, "The Teachings of Jesus Christ." Knowing the kind of scholar President Oaks is, I bet he slaved over his talk. And because he spoke only the words of Jesus Christ, his talk was incredibly powerful.
Elder Ahmad S. Corbitt, "Do You Know Why I as a Christian Believe in Christ?" When I taught seminary, I would encourage students to try to explain doctrine in the most simple way possible. How would you explain this to a 5-year-old, a 20-year-old, or a 60-year-old? The simple doctrinal principles are the most important.
If you haven't seen Elder Corbitt's talk on Activism, check out this powerful message:
Finally, the temple announcements. There were a few temples we had been waiting on: Iquitos, Peru--where you can only enter by plane; San Jose and Bakersfield, California--which have long distances to travel. But the remaining were such a surprise. Jakarta was the one that made me gasp. We have only 2 dozen missionaries in the majority Muslim country of 273 million people. My brother was thrilled about the Charlotte, North Carolina temple announcement since he served there from 1984-1986.
What an uplifting weekend. I hope you enjoyed General Conference and that you make time to rewatch and study the words of these inpired servants of God. If you use Alexa, ask her to download Gospel Voice. Then tell her, "Alexa, ask Gospel voice to play General Conference."
President Román asked us to move to Coca, about 90 minutes south of Lago Agrio, for the last half of our mission. It is very similar in size, but everyone in Coca says it is much safer than Lago. I've seen some videos of crime in Lago, but never saw it up close, and feel that we have been protected in many ways. I was not prepared for how heavy everything is and I've not been lifting weights. I should have called the elders to help us. The weather was its regular oppressive heat, so we were just dripping sweat continually. We had a box truck to be loaded, but the driver was uninterested in helping us load. When I realized we couldn't carry the fridge and washing machine down the stairs, I walked down the road and asked some men to help us. They saved us. Our clothes were soaked through. The power went out at its regular 7-9am shift. The truck arrived at 10am and we arrived in Coca at 12:30pm. Opening the gate for the last time. The power went out from 1-3pm, so as soon as ...
We started early on Friday to drive the 7 hours east to Lago Agrio. It is a twisty, turning road out of 13,000' high elevation. There were many times I could not look over the edge of the road because it was so steep. The temperature went from 6 degrees C to 34 C when we arrived. We hugged the mountains and saw plenty of waterfalls. Trucks, bikes, cars, and cows. Plus, there were goats and chickens in the road. We had to move slowly due to water washing out bridge areas. Some were pretending to fix the road as you drove by and asked for money. We finally arrived in Lago Agrio and to this enormous bridge that crosses the Aguarico River. The apartment had been set up with the newly arrived furniture by our wonderful branch president, President Osorio, plus young elders who volunteered to help.
Every time we go for a walk we discover more amazing sights. Since the trail is over 25 kilometers, we have a lot of opportunities to see new spots. The smells of eucalyptus and oleander remind me of my childhood. An old train used to pass overhead above the trail. It has a date marker of 1918 and has been tagged by recent pedestrians. There's Elder Willard up there. It's a cool 70 degrees and this will be a 10K hike. We were being watched from a safe distance.
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