Elder David A. Bednar came to our Stake for a visit! I got to shake his hand and he wished Austin a Happy 4th Birthday! How cool is that!?!?!?!?!
Hear him speak Here
and hear a message from him Here
and another Here
Before I forget about it, I wanted to blog about the visit we had from Elder Bednar. He was in NJ for some business he had with the Bishops and regional representatives in the area. So we were lucky to have him come and speak for an hour to us on Sunday. We were given some directions to help us to prepare for his coming. We were asked to go to the temple, invite one of the friends or family members we hold closest to our hearts, and to pray and read the scriptures daily to help our hearts hear the message he had to offer. Dustin and I didn't make it to the temple. We are SLACKERS! I did try hard to pray and read daily. And we did invite a really neat family, which is always such a scary thing for me. Elder Bednar said though, that we were just persistant, not pushy when we invite! I hope that's how it is in my case.... The family wasn't able to attend, but I think being obedient to these things helped me to prepare my own heart for his message. It helped my own testimony of prayer to grow, even if we couldn't share his message with people we love. Some of the things he explained; Explained with the power and Mantle that only comes from an Apostle of God, were explained exactly how I would like them to be said. I get nervous and botch it when I try to explain it. But he said exactly what I would say from my heart, if my mouth was not hinged in the middle. So regardless of the fact that none of our friends or family could come, my prayers were answered and I am so greatfull.
Elder Bednar told a story about a friend of his from his time in Rexburg, ID. This friend wanted a 4WD truck and tried to justify it to his wife by telling her that it was important for him to be able to get to the store in the snow and ice safely to get milk and bread for his family. His wife asked him what the point was in buying the truck was if they couldn't afford milk and bread cause they spent the money on a truck. So, the smart man came up with a solution. He told her he would use the truck to go into the mountains and cut down wood, haul it back, and burn it to save on heat. That way they could afford both.
Does this sound like anyone you know? Noooo...not Dustin!...Not at all!
Dustin always follows the council of his wife, and would never purchase something we could not afford...HA!
So the man gets his truck and sets off up the mountains. It's foggy as he gets into the mountainous terrain, and realizes that this fog is really a snow storm. He continues on because this is exactly what he bought his truck for. He gets to his desired destination and leaves the snow covered dirt road and begins to bog down in the snow as it's deeper in this area. He's not worried because this is the purpose of this truck. He puts it into 4WD and gives it gas, but the wheels just spin. He bogs down more, but he tries again only digging the tires deeper and deeper into the snow. He sits there and says a prayer for a minute cause now he realizes he's in trouble. He probably should have listened to his wife,lol. The thought comes to him, however, that maybe he just needs to go to work. He can't just sit there and freeze and if he's not going anywhere, he might as well make good use of his time. So he goes out and starts cutting this wood and loading his truck. He loads and loads till he can load no more into the bed of the truck. Then, having nothing left to do, he decides to give it another try. This time, he presses on the gas, slowly and gingerly, and miraculously this time the truck moves... It was the load that gave him the traction to get out of the bog.
He read with us the scripture in Mosiah 24:13-15-- And it came o pass that the voice of the Lord came to them in their afflictions saying: Lift up your heads and be of good comfort, for I know of the covenant which ye have made unto me; and I will covenant with my people and deliver them out of bondage. And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God , do visit my people in their afflictions. And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with pateince to all the will of the Lord.
He said making covenants or two way promises with the Lord is key to this blessing!
He spoke to those with disease and with sickness and told them that they should pray for healing, but more to have the strength to endure the process and to learn the lessons that needed to be learned from it. And still more to also pray: Father, thy will be done.
I was deeply touched by this opportunity. As we walked through the line to shake his hand I wished I could tell him how his words answered my prayers and I was so very greatfull, but instead I just said "Thank You." He did ask Austin his name and Austin said, "It's my birfday." He was very kind and asked him how old he was. Austin said 4. That in itself is a miracle as Austin has been very bashfull and rude to adults of late. His usual behavior is to stick his tongue out and spit. That would have been just awful. It was a very touching day, and I just wanted to share before my heart forgets.
