10/7/09 - General Conference Report

Dear Friends, family, and others!,
How´re ya´ll doing! Did you all LOVE conference?!? Wow...I don´t think I´ve EVER wanted so bad to stay, or that 2 hours has ever passed by so quickly in four instances! WOW. Ok...my Dad sent me a bunch of questions to answer for this week about the conference... so, here we go!
1. Who of your investigators were able to show up, what was their favorite talk and what did they think of General Conference?
We had at the conference Inez and Ricardo (he´s a less active member baptized about 10 yrs ago, she´s investigating), Marite (her husband also was baptized about 10 yrs ago, and she is investigating), and Carlos. We found Carlos last Thursday, and he is amazing! He prayed after the first discussion, and recieved his answer immediately! He tried to go to the first session of conference, but got lost and was looking for the church for about 1 hour before he went back home. We had a lesson with him on Monday, and found out that he had shared his testimony with his brother and sister-in-law, and we´re now teaching them also!!! Things are going good! As far as their favorite talks and such, they don´t usually remember much, but they all said that they felt the spirit!
2. How much of conference did you get to hear/see and who was your favorite speaker?
We got to see all four general sessions! Saturday, we had to listen all in Spanish, because the stake pres forgot to set up an English room! But...I understood just about everything. (I hope...Elder Poteet and I were talking about the conference Saturday night, and he quoted something said and I said ´wait....who said that...when´...I just miss some things!) Anyways, Sunday morning we watched all in Spanish also exept for the last talk, President Monson. And the last session we watched all in English! (Thank goodness, because that session was excellent!) I think that Elder Holland´s talk was my favorite!
3. What was the best message, in your opinion? ...or your favorite message, as they were all good!
Through the conference there were a LOT of good messages, but the main topics that were REALLY strong were:
A. Learn to rely on the spirit, recognize promptings, and write down the promptings that you recieve.
B. LOVE! Love is the center of everything that we do in the gospel and out!
And as C., part of this also was the importance of our testimonies. We should share our testimonies even in our families. I would challenge everybody reading this that in their next Family Home Evening, as the lesson, or as an addition to it: Have a testimony meeting, and give everybody a chance to share their testimony!!! I know it´s scary, intimidating at times, but at the same time, it´s the gospel!!!
4. What hit you with the most power?
Elder Holland´s talk!
5. Did you make the priesthood session and hear the talk about the rowdy boys who sing terribly (but now sing better many years later!)?
In Utah, Priesthood session starts at 6pm, so, here...it starts at 9pm. The missionary rules are that if we don´t have a lesson to teach, we have to be in our apt. by 9pm...sad.
6. What did you think about Elder Jeffrey Holland's empassioned talk about the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon?
This really was the highlight of conference for me...but for a reason more than the passion that Elder Holland has when he talks. I started reading The Book of Mormon from the beginning again in the MTC, and finished it Sunday morning. When I finished, I prayed, and asked Heavenly Father to help me to know for a surety that The Book of Mormon is true....and then Elder Holland talked!!!!! WOW the power of his message was a strong answer to my prayer!
7. What did your investigators think about seeing the prophet and his apostles?
Um....I´m not quite sure. As investigators they know that they have these titles, but I don´t know if it really means as much to them as us. Carlos did comment to us that he thought it was interesting that there were prophets and apostles, because he couldn´t remember any other church that he´s investigated before that has had a prophet AND apostles!
Overall, the week has been great, and I´m excited as ever to see what the next week has in store for us!
Love,
Elder Denton
Fact from Argentina - (and I just found this out today)...there are NO vending machines here. CRAZY. They might have those little stands that you put coins into to get little prizes/treats, but I´ve never seen one of those, and Elder Poteet has yet to see (in his 22 months here) a vending machine.