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."
Today is the day for the High 5's International 5K Run. John Hansen has been organizing this run for years. We joined in when he and Diane came to work in OGC in Hong Kong and showed us how fun it is. While Paul and I walk 5K everyday, running is different. So we've been working up to it. Unfortunately, Paul's back is still injured from the flat tire incident. He still ran about 3K of the race and walked the rest. We hit it at 7am because it gets hot so early here. The humidity is about 90% and right now a thunderstorm is blowing threw with a vengeance. I finished with a time of 36:01 which is better than Hong Kong. I am excited to get a Garmin watch so I can track my HR and splits better. Last night we went to our favorite place and ordered parilladas. The amount of food always surprises me. This is $12 for beef, chicken, and sausages, patacones, shrimp, yucca fries, salad, rice and beans. Earlier in the week, we fixed the sisters toilet in Coca. I don't know how lo...
I love walking around the city and taking pictures of the culture. I caught sight of new sewing machine shops every time I walk down a different street. Men are hand making suits, just like in Hong Kong. Their shops are full of bolts of beautiful fabric. Although I saw lots of suit fabric, no cottons are available. I may have to wait to get to Otavalo for some fabric. Maybe I can find some wool. When I finally settle down, I'll buy a Juki just like this one. Although there are no fancy stitches, it sews straight 90 mph and look at the size of that throat. Some birds are for raising and some for quick eating. Snack wagon.
Our inspections are done and we are back at the temple for some rest and relaxation. It's seems like forever since we've been able to stay in familiar surroundings. Our regular schedule in Cumbayá is attending the temple in the morning, walking 5K, eating lunch at a familiar restaurant, and returning to the temple for another session in the evening. I'll never get used to the beautiful green weather in Quito. It feels and smells like San Diego. We found a little trail down to the river during our walk. The river was running quite forcefully and carving out little places in the rock. We had to fix the two tires that were damaged by the incident in Esmeraldas, so we had extra time to adventure around. We found a curious address. This is the best way to figure out locations in Ecuador since they live without addresses. Here is what the latitude and longitude coordinates point to: While the tire was being fixed, we found a cute little shop called Mrs. Dalloway Workshop. It...
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