Spiritually Uplifted

(This post is for my journaling purposes so if it's boring to you then skip it!!)

This past weekend we had our Stake Conference. We were privileged enough to have Elder L. Tom Perry of the Quorom of the Twelve Apostles come and speak to us. It was so neat to be in the presence of one of the Apostles. I have always heard how tall he is and it is true, he is really tall! Saturday, Bryan had priesthood leadership meetings and he said that Elder Perry was very approachable and personable. He got to shake his hand a couple of times. Then that night was the Adult session of Stake Conference. Bryan was there early and I met him there after getting the baby-sitter settled with the kids. Bryan and our friend Cody saved us the front row!! Elder Perry's talk was wonderful. He spoke a lot about being one as a married couple. He said (I'm paraphrasing!) it's important to make every decision together. If the husband wants a new car, and the wife wants a new refrigerator, they should discuss it and figure out what fits their needs best. They will probably end up with the refirgerator but at least they were able to talk about it together!! He was really funny and told some great stories. After that meeting, he worked his way down the stairs and I was able to shake his hand. He asked us who all these young people were and where we were from and we told him that we were all in medical school. He said he figured it must have been something like that because we all looked the same!! He was very friendly. I feel so blessed to have had the chance to meet him. Sunday his talk was on being prepared. He mentioned several ways to be prepared in regards to our social, mental, and spiritual strength. He talked to the young people about having a plan and direction in life. He emphasized getting an education, serving missions, figuring out what career/degree you want, and things like that. He said that it drives him crazy when he asks freshman what their degree is and they say, "I haven't decided yet!"

It was great being able to listen to an apostle speak in such close proximity. The girls were very well behaved and Niah thought it was so cool to have an apostle there. She drew a picture of him and wanted to give it to him after the meeting, but there was a long line of people so we didn't hang around. I kind of wish now that I would have just waited with her so she could meet him. Oh well, hopefully there will be another time. I'll always remember this experience. It is a great memory to have.