President Bahme talked about The Book of Mormon, and he addressed several scriptures from it:
1st Nephi 3:7–He said to never, ever quit. The Lord will help you succeed. Heavenly Father doesn't give us commandments that we can't keep without His help or the help of others.
Mosiah 3:19–The natural man is an enemy to God. Don't be deceived by those who follow the natural man.
Ether 12:27–If we humble ourselves, God will show us our weaknesses and make them strengths.
Brother Maximo Acevedo:
He talked about a couple of different things that we can do to help hasten the work of salvation:
1. Principle of understanding. President Boyd K. Packer said, "True doctrine understood changes attitudes and behavior." If they don't understand how it applies to them, it has no meaning for them. Maximo said that we have to be simple and clear. We have to help others see how the gospel can help and apply to them.
2. Reaching out to family. The Lord uses families to share the gospel. Through our families He can help us live and share the gospel. Maximo said that we have to reach out to our family. "Never can I repay thee Lord. But I can love thee." (My words here –>) We show our love for Him by sharing His gospel and loving our family and friends.
Sister Cienna Herlihy:
She talked about her conversion story, and she said that Heavenly Father will always answer your prayers. Maybe not in the way that you expected or wanted, but it will always be in the way that you needed.
Brother Sam Clough:
He talked about his conversion story, too. He had a friend who was a really good example to him. He said that they (meaning the Mormons) had happiness. Not like watching Netflix happiness, but they had joy. He said when he was taking the discussions and going to church, they treated him like a friend. They made the decision up to him and didn't push it. What makes us happy is living with Christlike attributes. "You've got all of the gear, but none of the game." We have what we need; what are you going to do with it?
Sister Emma Rose Phipps:
She talked about the Sabbath Day. She said that the Sabbath isn't about limiting what you do; it's more about doing right.
Elder Russell M. Nelson, in the April 2015 conference, said, "I studied the work of others who had compiled lists of things to do and things not to do on the Sabbath. It wasn’t until later that I learned from the scriptures that my conduct and my attitude on the Sabbath constituted a sign between me and my Heavenly Father. With that understanding, I no longer needed lists of dos and don’ts." He asked the question, "What sign do I want to give to God?"She said that the Sabbath Day is so important to help us draw nearer to God.
Sister T.K. Plant:
She is the Relief Society advisor for one of the other wards. She talked about the Sacrament. The sacrament helps us mend, renew, and restore our baptismal covenants. Without His Atonement, there would be no power in the Sacrament. She said we need to understand three things:
1. History. The passover is the sacrifice of a spotless lamb. The week of the passover, Christ (who was perfect and spotless of sin) was sacrificed and crucified.
2. Covenant. The sacrament prayers remind us of our covenants. We are witnessing to God that we are taking on His name. Since we take on His name, our actions reflect on Him.
3. Promise. "Bless and sanctify this bread to the souls of all those who partake of it that they may always have His spirit to be with them." It is this that changes us little by little.
Covenants allow us to transcend the natural man. As we progress in our diligence, we will be prepared for eternal life. Christ had nothing to gain in His sacrifice. (My words –>) He just loved us so much that He would do anything for us–even die.
President James Rasband:
He is the stake president. I absolutely LOVED his talk!!!!
If things haven't gone right, it's okay. Everything we do is harder at first. It's always harder the first time. If you stay at it, things will come–you'll improve. No matter how much you grow, though, there is always room to improve. "Trust the Savior and His love." No matter how many times you've fallen, Christ's hand remains outstretched. He used an example of parallel parking. It's always embarrassing when you fail the first time, and there are people all around you, watching you not do so hot in parallel parking. You're embarrassed and you drive away to find an easier parking spot. This is like our life. Our perspective is very different from the Lord's. He only cares that we're trying. He knows as long as we keep trying, we'll get the car parked. You'll get there–just keep at it. No one else is there on that whole street–it's just you. Just keep trying. The Lord will be there. It's okay if things take a little bit of time. It takes time to develop ourselves into who the Lord wants us to be. [I especially loved that he mentioned Physical Science 100 and American Heritage because I am taking both of those classes and they're sometimes a struggle. But that's okay. I just have to keep trying. :)]
I know that Heavenly Father will always help us. I know that life is sometimes really hard, but I know that He will not leave you alone; He will help you, and He will send you angels from beyond the veil and on this earth to help you in your times of need. I know that He answers your prayers in His own time. I know that by making the Sabbath a delight, you are showing Him that you love Him and respect Him and want to draw nearer to Him. I know that the sacrament is the most important part of sacrament meeting, and that it is a reminder to us of our covenants to the Lord, and of His promise to us as we keep our covenants. I know that it's okay if things don't work out. I know that the Lord will be there to help, and I know that if you keep trying, it'll get better. You'll get better and it will work out. :)
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