Week 64- Shortie and General Conference

 Hello Everyone!

The Version: This last week was pretty long. Elder Morrrissey worked hard and didn't see a lot of results which was a bummer. We did meet a Japanese guy though and we're gonna try some real sushi with him eventually. General Conference was really good but the time zone difference makes it not as iconic. We made sure to eat lots of snacks though so we were fed spiritually and physically, however not all nourished physically. I'd like to humbly brag and say this was probably the least I've fallen asleep of any conference ever. Only at the very end of Saturday evening, I dozed at the very last talk. But hey, improvement. 

I tried something a little different this year while watching as far as note taking goes. Instead of writing down quotes of what they were saying I wrote down the things that I was learning or that I need to change, questions that I wanted to study later, or things that came to mind that I should do later. I thought it was way better of an experience for me and I got a lot more out of it. I got this idea from Elder Bednar who says quotes like this frequently while speaking, "My prayer is that you will not remember a single thing Sister Bednar or I say. My prayer is that you will always remember what you feel as a result of being here today...I hope you will remember what you feel more than what is said." (Character of Christ, David A. Bednar, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTf9jjVJD3Q) There were a lot of things they weren't said that I was reminded of or that came to mind that probably wouldn't have written down or thought about as much if I was so focused on writing down quotes of what they're saying. They'll come out with the talks later anyways so I'll still be able to go back and look at the quote but you can't go back and relive the thoughts and feelings you're having while they're speaking if you don't write those down.

One awesome quote I noted down from a Maxwell Institute Podcast that I like listening to in the mornings while I'm getting ready talked about God's love. Adam Miller, the guest, said,

"We want to prove that we deserve to be loved. We want to demonstrate that because I can do X, Y or Z and I'm better than other people, that I'm more worthy of being loved...What we as human beings want is love. And that's the most natural and powerful and important thing about us as human beings, that we want love. But part of what the gospel is trying to show us is that love is the kind of thing you can only have in the end by giving it away rather than by getting it. It's kind of the classic Christmas cliche, there's really only joy here in the giving, not in the getting. And if you think that love is something you're supposed to get, you'll have missed it from the start. Love is something you can only have to the degree that it's passing through you to someone else on the way to some place else...If you want love, the only way to have it is to give it. You can't use your work or excellence or achievements to try to earn it and exhort it from other people around you, or even from God." 

This hit me and changed my perspective in a lot of ways. The rest of the podcast is here and I highly recommend it:

https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9taS5ieXUuZWR1L3BvZGNhc3Q/episode/aHR0cDovL21pLmJ5dS5lZHUvP3A9MzAxNA?sa=X&ved=0CAUQkfYCahcKEwjYttjJ4vn2AhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQCg

By this shall men know ye are my disciples, if ye have one one to another (John 13:35)

Viso Gero!

Vyresnysis Smitas