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."
When we were serving in the Guayaquil Temple, we enjoyed associating with the young pre-missionaries who served for two weeks prior to their assignments. I did secretly hope I would find some of these special friends on our return trip to Ecuador. Today that prayer was answered. Carla saw me after church and ran up and asked, "Do you remember me?" Of course! I ran to grab my phone for a quick photo. Since those two weeks in January 2020, she has served a mission, lived through the pandemic, and gotten married. The Ibarra Ward is blessed to have her and her husband. I felt a little like Ammon and Alma the Younger, meeting up on the road out of town.
I've seen some disturbing videos from the United States showing mass shoplifting and lotting. It is depressing to see society disintegrate from afar. Eventually, this leads to a low-trust society. Here is how Ecuador sets up its businesses. Most purchases are done through a hole in a gate. You tell the cashier what you would like and they serve you through the gate. I've purchased sodas through the opening on the right, but if you were to purchase a propane bottle, there is a locked gate on the left that swings open. Homes have walls/fences surrounding all sides. Some with high walls have shards of glass cemented into the top of prevent climbing. Construction workers add door gates and window bars even on second stories. This week we accidentally locked ourselves out and in. We left the keys on the table as we shut the door. But we couldn't get out of the gate around the building. So we were stuck. We had to call the landlord who came home from work to let us out.
We were surprised to see lychee here in Coca, but shouldn't have been, since it is a tropical fruit. Before we saw them for sale, we began to see the peels littering the sidewalks. You can peel them open with your fingernail. Inside is a white fruit the size of a green grape and inside that is a large black seed. We have started to see these trees in bloom along the roads. The pink blossoms aren't what you think. This is the form of the "flower." If ever there were pink pine needles, they would qualify. Some parts of the street are covered in pink. English class in Shushufindi has been growing lately. There's Elder Brown who substitutes for me when we are gone. I have never heard him complain about a single thing. Definitely one of my favorite missionaries. Driving home I saw this scene straight out of a movie. I know this is a tough ride because the roads are quite bumpy. This is how I tore my shoulder in Hong Kong while I was riding a packed bus.
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