General Conference & a Baptism! 4/4/2016

This past week has just flown by! In fact, these past almost 6 months have flown by, but anyway such is life. Last week was full of great sunshine during this conference week. For those who don't know or aren't familiar, General Conference is held two times a year in April and then again in October. It is a conference where the Prophet of the Church, also known as President Thomas S. Monson, and the twelve apostles speak to us. This conference is broadcast worldwide online and over television. The reason so many members and non-members all over the world tune in is to listen and receive guidance in their lives. As I watched each session this past weekend, I was able to hear the words speak not only to me but also to all those who I was with. I know that each of the speakers that spoke over the weekend were inspired by God and had spoken to the exact needs in our lives today.

After the last session of Conference on Sunday, Elder Dale and I had to rush to the chapel for the baptism of R. R is a great guy who we have been teaching. He is a single dad who loves to play the drums in a rock band and works each day driving a shuttle for work. He had recently moved into an apartment that was later knocked on by missionaries. He let them in and allowed them to share the message. At the end he invited them back and told them he wanted to learn more. That week R came to church, and Elder Dale and I were able to meet him. We then set up a time to come back and share more with him. Each lesson went great and he kept each of his commitments to read and pray to know for himself. A member from the ward volunteered to come with us when we would teach him. This was great because they were able to form a friendship and whenever R had a question he could go to us or even him for an answer. Not only did R have a member from the ward helping him, but he also had many friends from work who were members of the church that helped him along this new path. Well, at the baptism each of these friends from work came out to support him; and the ward member, Brother Beagley, was able to baptize him. R had previously told us that he wanted change in his life. He wanted to have stability as a single father trying to do the daily chores of life. R had seen the stability in the families that came to church each week. He was able to see the joy in the hearts of the members. And yesterday I think that he was able to get a taste of this joy that is found through being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

I have not always had my eyes open to the joy that comes from this Gospel, but as I have made mistakes and grown from them I have seen that living within God's plan does offer joy. One thought that I would like to share that has stuck out to me this week-- being a Mormon is fun, don't let the adversary tell you otherwise.

Hope that you all enjoyed General Conference this past week! Love you all.

Elder Bullough

In a letter to his parents, Elder Bullough said the following about the baptisms he has been able to be a part of:

"So I think a key to all of the baptisms that we have had, definitely is due to the retention in this ward. 1- the ward is very diverse and the most unified ward I have ever served in. Just as Alma had taught his people to be unified, this is a key to new members staying active. 2- member missionary work, this means that members are there to welcome and answer any of the questions that the investigator may have, and above all, someone to be a friend. This is the purpose of the ward—is to be a family. One thing that helps is by having members go to the lessons with the missionaries or hosting lessons in their homes. It takes the auxiliary leaders and also just every member reaching out. Yes Aunt Sheryl is very right, wards outside and even in Utah become your family."

AND:

"I never understood what you [Dad] meant when you told me that I would have prepared people on my mission. I kid you not this has been precise! Most of my baptisms have been the Lord's doing, he has prepared them and I have simply just been in the right place at the right time."

D&C 84:88 "And whoso receiveth you, there I will be also, for I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up."