179th Annual Crepes and PJ's Weekend

This weekend found us lounging around, playing cards, eating crepes and inviting a prophet and apostles into our home via satellite. Okay, cable actually, but satellite sounded more official.

I LOVE conference weekend although I did miss my Primary kids singing. Mo-tab's got nothing on the K-town primary kids.

I do love going to church in jammies twice a year though. So do my kids, although they call it church on TV.

Poor Alex struggled all weekend to get President Monson's name right. When he first saw him he said, "There's President Hankel", which I think was supposed to be President Hinckley. Then he was calling him President Johnson. We told him it was like Johnson only with an M so he finally progressed to President M-M-Johnson.

Alyssa knows who he is and was even able to tell me what he talked about. I don't make them sit attentively through all 8 hours but they do have to listen to the prophet, even Chloe. After President Monson's talk Alyssa asked me what the word testimony meant. I told her that your testimony is whatever you know is true. I asked her if she had a testimony of anything and she said "God loves us". Her answer was so quick and so sure. Isn't that what it all comes down to? I would like to hear more testimonies like that in sacrament meeting.

Anyhow, I am going on and on already and I swore I would stop posting religious content in every post. I am afraid you will all soon think I am a Jesus freak. Maybe I am, because I just can't resist saying...

Go Elder Holland.

Holy cow, did you see his talk? The first 3 sessions of conference were what they always are. Just laying the foundation, reinforcing gospel principles. Six hours of good solid meat and potatoes. Then Elder Holland burst out of the gate in the last session of conference and just doused the whole thing in gravy.

Seriously, that talk knocked me out.

I couldn't even wait for them to get the text printed up on the church website so that I could read and study his words. I had to listen to it again and take notes. I needed to hear it again.

It wasn't explaining doctrine. It wasn't giving counsel. It was just pure, powerful testimony. There were so many gems in this talk but I will share just this for now.

"I ask that my testimony of the Book of Mormon and all that it implies given today under my oath and my office be recorded by men on earth and angels in heaven. I hope I have a few years left in my last days but whether I do or do not, I want it absolutely clear when I stand before the judgement bar of God that I declared to the world in the most straightforward language I could summon that the Book of Mormon is true, that it came forth the way that Joseph said it came forth and was given to bring happiness and hope." (Elder Jeffrey R. Holland)

Just simple testimony, but it hit me. Maybe because my testimony of the Book of Mormon has always been my rock. When I question everything, deny everything and am left almost empty, there stands the Book of Mormon. The one thing that I can't explain away. The one thing that tells me not just that this church is true, but that Jesus Christ is real. I gained my testimony by reading the Book of Mormon and I retain my testimony by reading the Book of Mormon. For as long as I have known the church is true, the Book of Mormon has anchored me to that knowledge.

Elder Holland said that once you have a testimony of the Book of Mormon you have to crawl over, under or around The Book of Mormon to make your exit from the church. For me, that statement is so true. I have tried to rationalize it all away. The Book of Mormon will not allow it.

So even though I have not seen what Elder Holland has seen, or experienced what he has experienced as an apostle I will add my humble testimony to his that the Book of Mormon is true.

I am so grateful to live right now. Even as troubled and frightening as the world is right now, I needed to live in a time where I could have the Book of Mormon.

I have this quote written in the front of my scriptures from President Ezra Taft Benson, "The Book of Mormon was written for our day. The Nephites never had the book; neither did the Lamanites of ancient times. It was meant for us."

This book was brought forth and preserved at great cost to men who never even had the book to read in their homes and share with their children. It was recorded, preserved, translated and brought forth for our time and it does bring happiness and hope in a time that needs happiness and hope, maybe more than at any other time in history.

I love the Book of Mormon and I am so blessed to have been able to sit right in my own home and feel the Spirit. I knew that Elder Holland knew what he was saying was true. I felt it.