Truly Amazing‏

Well this week has been really good for me as a missionary and as an individual I guess I can say. Whodathunk(I'm submitting this to be a word recognized in the dictionary and all of you have to deal with that). But we saw some miracles despite a slower week for people being outside; we still managed to get quite a few lessons in. We currently have 5 dates for the 24th, 2 for June, and 2 are pending on what their mother says. So we wait, watch, and pray that all goes the way it is meant to.

Conference weekend seems to be almost a holiday for the LDS people; if that is not a true statement then it is at least for the missionaries. As the missionaries are out longer and longer the TV becomes more foreign. When it is on it becomes almost hypnotic as you tell the person you are with to turn it off before your mind stupors off and you are suddenly stuck in a couch watching the tube with a complete disregard for the rules of a missionary. Conference is different, it’s strange the TV is on, you're usually in someone's home and it’s live. And you're not breaking any rules. Truly a golden time for the Elders.

But here’s what makes it truly special. The people who are speaking and have been selected to speak have been truly ordained of God. The things that they talk about they have prayed about. They have sought inspiration and they have prepared for months on what they will say to us. It is when we can know what our Father in Heaven wants us to do.

The past 2 conferences I have noticed 2 things. One of those things was I did not watch them very carefully. Last year conference weekend was my first weekend in the MTC and honestly the overwhelming thoughts in my mind were “I am so tired" and "I have no idea what is going on". So to be honest I wasn't prepared nor was I last October. I got the big things but not all of it I didn't take notes. But I did notice the message, how to remain faithful in perilous times. This year's was different, it talked all about strengthen the youth and the families. It was incredible. I gained so much insight from that and I hope everyone who watched did too.

Three talks stuck out to me (though I loved almost all of them). Elder Holland absolutely shut down the world we live in today and the slime it seems to be filled with. He stated the difference between lust and love. It was so plain and bold. I hope that brings change. I also enjoyed Elder Anderson's talk on applying the life of Christ to our children "When they look for a miracle do they think of the miracles Christ did" "When they pray do they think of the Lord's Prayer?" "Tell me the stories of Jesus". It was incredibly moving. But my favorite and what stuck out to me the most was our Prophet President Monson. I know he would speak on the resurrection I knew that he would talk of Christ and we can all obtain this, in fact it is given to us. He then talked about a young man who had a serious disease. The man's father came into his son's room and thinking he was asleep said something along the lines of "I hope you never lose your faith in Jesus Christ" The man's son rose and said the plainest and one of the most powerful testimonies of the Lord I have ever been privileged to hear "Never!" That young man passed away but his family knows that they will have him again someday. This story was powerful to me and I prayed that our investigators who watched had the same feelings.

The Lord loves us so much, I have felt that this week and I hope I can spread the love I feel to the ones around me, stranger or not. We can remember to place our "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding, In all thy way acknowledge Him and He shall directly paths" I'm trying to apply this, this is not my work or the church's work but His, it's the Lord and he will guide us and comfort us if we allow Him to.

Love, Elder Caywood