Today we went to our previously postponed Sunday session of the Stake conference. It was originally scheduled in March, but a severe ice storm caused it to be postponed until today. The light rain we had today didn’t deter anyone as the stake center was packed and some had to stand or sit on the stage in the back. We had several friends that our missionaries are teaching who came. One of them was a young woman who just got back from London after a study abroad in theatre. She saw the “Book of Mormon” play while there and had never heard of the book before. She was sure there was more to the story than portrayed in the play, so she contacted the missionaries when she got back home. I had the pleasure of getting acquainted with her last Sunday and we introduced her to a member who lives near her. She doesn’t drive, so this was a perfect set up. Our member friend is teaching with the missionaries and brought her to Stake conference today.
The other little miracle was that our sister missionaries found a young family who just arrived two weeks ago from Cameroon. They don’t have a car yet and they have two small children. The sisters worked feverishly to find a couple of car seats for them so a member of our branch could drive them to the stake center. They prayed and were directed to find these two car seats that were just the right size for the two children. The father was previously a minister in his country and was quite interested in the Book of Mormon. He and his wife really enjoyed the meeting. They have been planning to emigrate here for some time and already have permanent residency status, and he speaks French. They really have a good leg up on most of the people who immigrate here.
I have to say the messages shared were really beautiful and meaningful. They seemed to center on our identity as children of God. Much love was expressed. Both the opening prayer and the closing prayer were given by children. We also heard from a children’s choir and a youth choir, each from one of our wards in the stake. It was also fun to see so many of our old friends from Greenfield Park as we are still in the same stake. Our dear friend Nacha was there on the second row with all of her children. She and her children were baptized the week we left Greenfield Park and we were privileged to teach her with the elders a couple of times. She told us how happy she is in the gospel and how she goes to church every week. She was truly glowing! Our good friend Mark came too in spite of a last-minute hick-up in his morning schedule and sat with us. He loved the messages and said they really resonated for him. We still teach him about once a week after our temple shift. It has been amazing to see him grow in confidence as he deals with his long-held anxieties.
I don’t have many pictures this time as we have been mostly teaching with the missionaries and ministering in our new branch assignments. But I did want to include this caption from our recent zone conference. It is a favorite picture of mine that I have hanging in my home in Heber as well. I love the urgency in their faces, and I feel it as we serve in our mission. It depicts Peter and John on hearing that Jesus was risen running to see for themselves.
Elder Glenn is the new executive secretary, and I am the 2nd counselor in the RS. There are many needs in this branch and a lot of them are spread out over a wide area. We have had a lot of cancelations and no responses, typical of missionary work. That is why people like Nacha and Mark are so precious to us. It is such a joy to see lives transformed for good and to see the spirit so strong in their presence. We love the people here. It feels like finding long lost friends that we never want to forget or lose track of again.
Au revoir,
The Glenns
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