The Voice of God

     What would it be like to sit and listen to the voice of our Father in Heaven or our brother Jesus Christ? What would we want to ask them? What would they want to tell us? The amazing thing is that they love us so much that they want to send us messages and tell us what we can do to be happy. They speak to us through very special people called prophets and apostles. One of the general authorities this weekend quoted the scriptures by saying, "God said..." We can quote the words of God through the scriptures and conference talks because the Lord has declared, "What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all befulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same." I have found that to be the truth. The morning before conference I had a special study session where I searched my own thoughts and feelings for questions I had that needed answering, and I found a few. The first talk given spoke to a need that I didn't even realize that I had. I've become really casual about my fasting and often have skipped the duty to pay fast offerings. What a great reminder this was to show my love to the Lord through sacrifice. The next talk was a beautiful sermon from the senior apostle on his experience with marriage and counsel on righteous dating, I guess that is something I need to start thinking about soon! Then there was Elder Bednar's talk on facing fear with faith. I think that when facing uncertain events in the future it is always best to put all your trust in the Lord and expect his blessings as you decide to make Him your highest priority. That's my plan! I don't know what I will be doing next month or next  year, but I know that serving the Lord will be my next priority.
     On Sunday morning I heard one of the most touching talks I've ever listened to. The story of the brothers in Elder Holland's talk struck a special chord with me. An older brother was willing to give his life for the younger, and didn't want the younger brother to feel any blame for his fall. Miraculously, the younger brother stuck around to save his life. I think this story is so powerful because we can see ourselves on both sides of the situation. We, because of our mortal state, are fallen and in absolute need of saving. Like the younger brother, we were helpless to save Jesus Christ from the price he paid for our salvation. The tender feelings that I have for my brothers teaches me of the love that Jesus Christ has for me. It is the only reason that he underwent the agony that He did, because He loves who I am. I wish to offer my life to him, not because of an obligation or because anyone told me that is the right thing to do, but because I love Him and I love my brothers and sisters. He asks so little of us, and at the same time he asks for our all. President Monson said that the best decision that he made was to give something he loved to the God that he loved more, I want to make those kinds of decisions. I hope that we can all remember and honor Jesus Christ through our lives by hearkening to the words of the prophets and seeking to do God's will.
     This past week was a blur! I feel like time is going by so quickly. I got to work with Ivan again and explain some of the principles that he hasn't learned clearly yet. I guess he was interviewed for the priesthood without knowing what was going on, but he passed! He showed us around George Washington University where we plan to advertise an English class to service the Chinese students.  I also have gotten to know another graduate student that has been investigating for some time now. He is concerned that if he joins the church it might affect his chances of getting a job if he ends up in China. I shared with him the stories of faith from my family and my personal decision to put gymnastics aside to serve the Lord. It helped me to recognize that this is something that I believe is true. My affirmation of the truthfulness of the gospel grows ever stronger. I love the Lord and I'm grateful for the opportunity I have to serve every day. Here we go last week! In the words of Dersely, "Let's finish strong!"