For those of you who missed the Women’s conference Saturday morning, here are a few notes. They are not complete by any means so if you attended, please leave a comment or two.
With 8 stakes invited throughout the Denver area, we filled the whole building including the Primary, Relief Society, and Young Women’s rooms. There was a whole orchestra ready for the musical numbers including our own Reed Jentzsch on the Bass and Joni Bowler on the Harp. The day was cold with snow still covering the ground, but the sun was gloriously bright.
President Robert Simmons from the Longmont Stake Presidency spoke first. He is also some sort of seminary guru (I missed the details).
• Br. Simmons has been blessed by great women in his life and was in awe of our presence. He was also aware that he is the “warm-up man” (since Barbara Thompson was probably the draw for the day’s attendance).
• He asked if we had the book Daughters of My Kingdom and encouraged us to read it.
• He then told a story of Yens and Elsie Nelson who were part of the tragic handcart company stranded in Wyoming in the early days of the church. These struggling saints were literally starving to death with only 4 oz of flour each day for about 2 weeks time. Their feet were frozen with the arrival of early winter, and they had already lost a son and a girl who they were assisting on the trip. As Yens faced Rocky Ridge, he collapsed and told Elsie to go on alone. Elsie replied that he could ride in their hand cart. She said, “I can’t leave you, but I can pull the cart.” Yens was 6 foot 2 inches weighing 220 lbs while Elsie was only 4 feet 11 inches and 98 pounds. She managed to pull her husband over Rocky Ridge.
• Br. Simmons asked two questions that would be answered in his talk. 1. What Elsie knows that gave her the strength to do such a fete? And 2. How can we come to have such knowledge?
• D&C 84:88 sums up the answer to question one. There is nothing the Savior cannot or will not do for us. Elsie knew that the Savior wants to change us more than He wants to change our circumstances. After we are changed then we can change our own circumstances.
• Alma 34:17 answers question number two. The Zoramites needed to plant the "seed" or the word of God in their heart.
• Prayer is one of the most important things we can do. Two times a day is not sufficient, but we must pray “always”. We should ask for mercy and help. We should pray for our children each time we feel an inkling of concern for one of them. It does not always have to be a formal prayer.
• Besides having our hearts drawn out in prayer always, we must also remember the Savior. Br. Simmon’s definition of “remember” is to put something back together. The opposite of remember is not forget but to dismember which is defined as “pulled in every direction”. Atonement means to bring back to one. The Savior should be the focus and center of our lives.
• Lastly, we must open up the scriptures every day with the intent of finding the Savior. We should ask ourselves, “What are these verses teaching me?” or “What does the Savior want me to learn?”
• Praying and scripture reading should not be cloistered from the rest of our life, but it should also be while we are cleaning, or cooking, or carpooling, or working.
• Sometimes Br. Simmons writes a scripture on a 3 x 5 card and carries it around with him. He writes on the back any thoughts or feelings he has about the scripture throughout the day.
• Scripture reading doesn’t need to be long. Perhaps, 5-10 minutes here a little and there a little. Other times, it may be a feast for an hour or longer.
• Br. Simmons gave an analogy of Christ coming to our home and sitting in the one clean, untouched room of the house. . . alone. It is better to have Him join you in your life. Take Him with you no matter what you are doing or where you are. Truly, He doesn't care if our house is messy.
• Use your agency to reach out through prayer and scripture study every day and all the time.
Notes from Barbara Thompson's talk to follow ~Amy Johnson
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