October Conference

Dear Family and Loved Ones,

     We had a great week and of course the highlight was General Conference.

     Tuesday we welcomed our three visa waiters (Elders waiting for visas so they can travel to their missions in Brazil) and a beautiful sister who will be finishing her mission here in Long Beach.  This is such a special group of missionaries. Ted says he is trying to not be jealous of their mission presidents in Brazil.  We were especially excited to welcome Elder Folland to our mission I think Ted did slip and call him Karl once :).  We never know how long the visa waiters will be with us but we are happy they are here and know there are things for them to accomplish even during their short stay.

     Wednesday we gathered the Zone Leaders and District Leaders for leadership training.  We served lunch to fifty missionaries, the menu was pulled pork sandwiches, cowboy beans, chips and a veggie tray.  There weren’t any leftovers, which means I should have prepared more food.

We enjoyed General Conference Saturday and Sunday.  The conference sessions are broadcast at the stake centers but most members have cable and watch at home. All of the Stake Centers have translation into Spanish and our Stake also has Cambodian translation.  One of the Stake Centers had their satellite stolen Saturday night, the Stake President wasn’t sure what to do but the missionaries said, “we can use a computer to show it”.  The computer worked well and the members and missionaries still got to see conference. Right before the closing prayer of the last session they lost their internet connection.  Miraculously the connection was good until the last few minutes of the last session of conference. One of the brothers from the Stake went to the front of the chapel and said a closing prayer.  We traveled to as many of the different stake centers as we could to watch the sessions so we could see a lot of our missionaries.  We always look forward to that!

It’s hard to narrow down which talks I liked most – they were all great but here are a few of my favorite thoughts from conference.

     Elder Scott:  “Scriptures are like packets of light that illuminate one's mind and give place to guidance and inspiration from on high. They are the key to opening the channel of communication with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ”.

"The scriptures provide the strength of authority to our declarations when they are cited correctly.  They can become stalwart friends that are not limited by geography or calendar. They are always available when needed. Their use provides a foundation of truth that can be awakened by the Holy Ghost. Learning, pondering, searching and memorizing scriptures is like filling a filing cabinet with friends, values and truths that can be called upon anytime, anywhere in the world."

“Individuals can find great power through memorizing scriptures.”

"To memorize a scripture is to forge a new friendship.  It is like discovering a new individual who can help in time of need, give inspiration and comfort and be a source of motivation for needed change."

     President Uchtdorf:  "Brothers and sisters, the most powerful Being in the universe is the Father of your spirit. He knows you. He loves you with a perfect love.  God sees you not only as a mortal being on a small planet who lives for a brief season. He sees you as His child. He sees you as the being you are capable and designed to become. He wants you to know that you matter to Him."

     Elder Bednar:  “It is no coincidence that FamilySearch and other tools have come forth at a time when young people are so familiar with a wide range of information and communication technologies. Your fingers have been trained to text and tweet to accelerate and advance the work of the Lord — not just to communicate quickly with your friends. The skills and aptitude evident among many young people today are a preparation to contribute to the work of salvation.”

     Elder Andersen spoke of the faith the prophets had in the scriptures in regards to starting a family. He spoke of Adam and Eve bearing their first child after leaving the Garden of Eden, of Lehi and Sariah acting in faith as they bore sons Jacob and Joseph while their family was travelling in the wilderness, and of the Savior of the world being born in a stable.

     Elder Carl Cook:  “President Monson's encouragement to look up is a metaphor for remembering Christ.  As we remember Him and trust in His power, we receive strength through His Atonement. It is the means whereby we can be relieved of our anxieties, our burdens and our suffering. It is the means whereby we can be forgiven and healed from the pain of our sins. It is the means whereby we can receive the faith and strength to endure all things."

     Sister Dalton: "How do you raise a girl? Love her mother, lead your family to the temple, be guardians of virtue and magnify your priesthood. Fathers, you have been entrusted with our Heavenly Father's royal daughters. They are virtuous and elect. It is my prayer that you will watch over them, strengthen them, model virtuous behavior and teach them to follow in the Savior's every footstep — for He lives."

     Then, addressing future missionaries, Elder Yamashita shared three things every missionary should bring into service:

  A desire to preach the gospel. "The Lord wants you to search for His sheep, and seek them out. People all over the world are waiting for you."
  Develop your testimony. "The Lord requires your heart and a willing mind."
  Love others. Love them "just like Elder Swan, who brought his father's coat and his father's love for Japan and its people with him on his mission."
One of the other great messages of the conference was that we need not fear living in a day when there is great wickedness on the earth.  As long as we obey the commandments and stay true to our covenants we will be alright.
     I can’t wait to read all of the messages when they are printed in the Ensign and to listen to them on CD.  It’s amazing all that I learn and relearn each time I hear the inspired messages of our living prophets.      
     We receive two sisters from the Temple Square Mission tomorrow.  They will spend a couple of transfers with us here in Long Beach. One is from Pakistan, the other is from Brazil but her Mom is Japanese!  Between the two of them they speak at least five languages. 
     Elder and Sister Choi (Chey) arrive Wednesday for our mission tour – it will be a great week!

We love and appreciate you all!

The Long Beach Buberts