Que conferência maravilhosa!!!!!


Hello family!!!!!!!!

Everything is going very well here! We've had a couple new problems with
missionaries here in the mission and this time I was more deeply involved
because I knew the situation, but I think (and hope) that it is all
resolved now. Other than that, the time is flying by and I can't believe
that it's October already! It's so awesome that everyone is doing well and
that mom and dad get to be in Hawaii! I got a picture from their hotel room
looking at all the fancy pools and the ocean and I only got a tiny bit
jealous........ hahah :). But I'm doing well and I can honestly say that
I'm the happiest I've ever been in my life right now. Everything seems to
be going wonderful and I am loving the time I have in the service of the
Lord.

This past weekend I hope you all had the opportunity to watch all of the
sessions of General Conference! With each session I watch during my life, I
feel more and more certain that these great men really are servants of God
here to tell us about His will. Everyone spoke very well and I loved all of
the talks, but I did choose a few to write about!

First of all.... I CAN'T BELIEVE THE AGE CHANGED FOR WHEN MISSIONARIES ARE
ALLOWED TO GO ON MISSIONS!!!!!!! I'm sure that this will change many
peoples lives, but I hope that those who are able will start to go at the
new age instead of waiting until they are older. I've heard the mission be
described as "the MTC for life" which it really is. On the mission (if you
keep the rules and try to be your best) you will become who the Lord wants
you to be. I think about my life before the mission and see how childish I
really was. Here, I am trying to let myself be shaped by the hands of the
Grand Master. The hands of He who knows all and knows what is best for us.
If we can have the opportunity at a younger age, it really is a blessing in
the lives of many. I spend many a days as a 17 and 18 year old just wanting
to leave then and not wait until I was 19, and now I am happy that others
will have the chance to do exactly what I wanted.
I hope that the number of Sister missionaries will explode too! I know a
few young women who would always say, "sure, I would go on a mission if I'm
not married by the time I'm 21". But that isn't the case anymore!!! I would
advise anyone who is questioning to go on a mission just to go. Go talk to
the Bishop, start the process, and don't look back! It will be the best
decision you ever choose in your life, and if you doubt it, talk to any RM
and I'm positive that if they "returned with honor" not just on paper, but
really with no regrets and gave everything they could, they will echo my
words.

*The first talk:*
*
*
A talk that really touched me was in the first session on Saturday by on of
our wonderful leaders, Elder Russell M. Nelson. He spoke about preparation
for a mission and how it's not just something you jump into! I believe that
it is for this purpose, as for other purposes of course, that we have the
Seminary program for high school aged students. We need to study the
scriptures and have a testimony BEFORE we venture out on a mission. You
WILL encounter people who only want to dispute a passage in the Bible with
you, or tell you that the Book of Mormon isn't true, or tell you that you
are wasting your time and you should leave this church and go home, and
without a firm testimony....some will be shaken and fall away from the path
that leads to eternal life.

He then explained, very well I might add, a TON of the questions that we
missionaries get asked every single day. Let's face it... people usually
recognize us by the missionaries and they have questions! Usually about the
Book of Mormon, what we believe, and then once they see we are normal
people and not devil worshipers they usually feel comfortable enough with
us to ask us about some absurd rumor they heard. I heard all of the
questions that Elder Nelson answered and realized that those questions and
the ones I've gotten the most on my mission!

Then he said something that I think left all the missionaries in the world
a little pensive. He said something to the point of "Ask the missionaries
because they can help you!" (I watched this session in Portuguese so I'm
not sure exactly what he said....sorry!). These simple words made me think
for a minute... I don't know everything by any means, but from the time
I've spend on the mission, I really do know a lot more than I did before
the mission in all aspects of life! My job right now is to help people with
everything and anything they need, so, yes, I warmly welcome any cry for
help, any words asking for me to help someone who is in need. This is the
job of over 50,000 missionaries all over the world, and I would like to
think that any and every single one of them is able and willing to answer
that cry when it comes.


*The second talk:*
The talk by Elder Neil L. Andersen reminded me a LOT of the talk giving and
quoted endlessly of "The Refiners Fire". To me the talk was very brief and
could have been much longer, but I think that is just because I enjoyed it
so much. He spoke about all the trials that we will encounter in life, but
at the same time made me understand that trails really are a good thing.
The most righteous of the Church get tried the most because Satan wants
them as his own. So, when we see trails in our lives we need to recognize
that we must be doing something right! We are given the blessings of trails
so that we can learn and grow through them. Without trials, we are nothing.
We have no growth. No learning. That is a lesson that we all need to learn
so that instead of complaining and asking God why this is happening to us,
we will thank Him for this chance that we have received to grow and
strengthen ourselves and our testimonies.

This is a great lesson that everyone needs to be taught before we will
really progress in this life.


*Number three:*
The whole Priesthood session. It was absolutely amazing. I got kind of a
more missionary theme this year. It makes me proud to be a missionary and
servant of Jesus Christ when His spokespeople openly thank the missionaries
for all that they do. It really isn't a easy thing to do, but it is the
most worthwhile.

I especially liked President Monson's talk about seeing people as how they
could be and not necessarily how they are right now. This is a great lesson
not just to those who are preparing to serve missions, but to everyone
everywhere. We are all sons and daughters of a Heavenly Father and no
matter what you think, He *does* love us all equally. He doesn't see rich
or poor, smart or dumb, outgoing or shy. He sees us for who we are and what
we can become. He knows we will sin and He loves us so much and wants us
back with Him so bad that He let His only begotten Son die for us.... our
Brother Jesus Christ. The least we can do is love Him who gave us
everything and also be civilized to one another and help someone out any
chance we get... and what a coincidence because that right there is the
only thing that He asks of us. We all have room to become a little more
Christlike and see others as how they could be if they had more
opportunities in live. You could be that opportunity. You could be that
blessing.



*Last but certainly not least:*
The last talk that I want to comment on is by my favorite speaker, Elder
Jeffery R. Holland. He made me think a lot this past weekend..... I never
really thought how the feelings of the 11 apostles would be after the death
of their best friend and master Jesus. He points out the story about Peter
and what could be the reasoning behind the same question spoken 3 times by
the Son of men. I never thought about it in that way before, but it
curiously does make a lot of sense when you think about all that happened
and how Peter had denied even *knowing *the Savior three times a few short
days earlier...

I know that not everything that Jesus told the disciples to do applies to
us, but for me I believe that I need to apply what He said when He told
them to leave what they had and to follow Him doing good to all mankind. We
do this during a mission, but think is also a life lesson. We need to
always love the Lord our God and keep the covenants that we make, but also
respect Him by doing to simple things He asks us to do.

Within the question, "Do/did you love Me", lies much more than just love.
It requires us to follow Him with this love and to honor and cherish His
name and the things that He did. We must strive to be perfect even as He
is. We must love one another as He did. So that in the last day if we hear
those 4 short words, "did you love Me", we will be able to respond in the
affirmative.

Elder Holland said something that is so very true at the end of his talk.
He said that, "...the crowning characteristic of love is loyalty." I had
never thought about it like that before. But i agree with him 100%.




Well, that's that! Those were some of my favorites that really stuck in my
head. My prayer after this conference is that by the next conference we
have a looottttt more missionaries that we did this past April. I challenge
all of you to further study these talks that were given in more detail and
you will learn more than you thought possible. I love all of you and wish
you all the best in the many endeavors and trials we face every day.

Love,

Elder Moore