Last Zone Conference

Sept. 15, 2014

Zone Conference was incredible! It was President and Sister Clayton's first and my last, and it was wonderful. They showed President Uchtdorf's talk from the latest Mission President's Seminar (the one they showed in MLC that I LOVED) so it was great to see it again. They also handed out a copy of the talk so we can study it! Oh happy day! At the beginning of Zone Conference there is always a talk on our purpose and then we say our purpose together:


"Our purpose is to invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, Repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end."


As one of the talks was being given, a question came to me, "How do I come unto Christ?" And it's something I've thought about and studied a lot, but I received new light on the subject in that moment. I come closer to Christ when I take upon His name (which I covenanted to do when I was baptized) by taking upon His attributes. One of the most prominent being to TURN OUTWARD. That is the character of Christ. That has been a focus for me lately to turn outward and I'm not perfect at it yet, but the seed has been planted and it's growing as I nourish it by turning outward. Some other insights from Zone Conference:

Christ is the CORE of my calling. As I dedicate my work and will to Him, He will magnify my efforts.
Faith and Love-neither can coexist with fear. Faith and love are both part of the character of Christ, they are both focused outward. Fear is focused inward and the constant pressure of that inward focus causes us to shrink.
"We do not serve our Savior well if we fear men more than God...We are called to establish the Lord's standards, not to follow the world's." -Dallin H. Oaks
For the last part of Zone Conference, President Clayton did a Q&A session and it was incredible! One of the questions was how he balanced all he did in his life, and his response was, "I married well." He talked about how he married a lovely woman and how they were a team. He encouraged all of us sisters to be lovely and to be a participant in the Kingdom of Heaven. I loved that! So a lovely participant is what I will strive to become!
We had a conversation last week with a woman about prophets and she was very adamant in her belief that we don't need a prophet and that after Christ there hasn't been a need for prophets. We bore our testimonies to her, but still she wasn't willing to find out for herself. It's a conversation I've had with many people. Many people have the same belief as this woman. With General Conference coming up, Sister Hawryluk and I have made invitations and we're inviting all to come listen to a prophet's voice! So I've been studying a lot this week about prophets and the priesthood authority. It's one of my favorite things to study! We also taught Racquel and Paul this week about the organization of the Priesthood, so these two topics have been on my mind. As I have studied and pondered my testimony has been fortified and strengthened on the subject. I know there is a prophet of God on the earth and I know it is President Monson. I know that "the teachings of living prophets provide an anchor of eternal truth in a world of shifting values and help us avoid misery and sorrow." (PMG 75) I know that we can receive personal revelation for our own lives through the scriptures and the Holy Ghost, but truths necessary for our salvation will be reveled through prophets and apostles. I am eternally grateful that I live in the dispensation of the fullness of times when there is a living prophet and the keys of the priesthood on the earth. What a joy and what a blessing!


The rest of this transfer is going to fly. We have Elder Craig A. Cardon from the seventy coming for a mission tour on Saturday, then the next Saturday is the temple trip!! and the general women's broadcast, and the next weekend is General Conference! It's a wonderful life... So wonderful. I felt so strongly this week a sense of peace and a sweet assurance from the blessings of living the gospel. I think it's comforting that we can experience the blessings of the gospel in the worst of times and in the best of times. Because the blessings of the gospel are dependent upon and determined by our agency. I know God lives and Christ is our Savior. They love us and want us to come home. May we live our lives in a way that will let virtue garnish our thoughts so that we will not only long to be with our Father, but so we will also feel at home in His presence. Have a wonderful week!


Love and Prayers, Sister Felix
"To become children of light means to reject the power of the adversary and to choose daily to follow the Light of Christ...Children of Light do not sit passively in darkness they have the courage to stand up and stand out." -Elder Craig C. Christensen


After Zone Conference, a sister from the Philippines made us adobo!! So good!
And the second one is the four Brantford sisters!