Stake Conference in England, 1 Jun 2014

     The morning was bright with sunshine and pleasant temperature.  We met the minibus at 9:30 a.m. and headed off to Crawley Stake Center for stake conference.  We entered the building and checked out the chapel for soft seats and, just like home, they were all taken or saved.  We did luck out with finding soft chairs in the cultural hall.  Sister Renowden and Sister Smith sat with us on the center isle.

Dad is standing against the wall - see the white hair?

     The Young Women choir was lovely and a very nice way to begin the meeting.  The business consisted of releasing and calling high councilmen, stake clerk, Young Men president, and counselors here and there in the auxiliaries.

     Across the isle from us was a young boy about three, who looked like Gabe and Caleb together.  He was busy playing and his mother was busy keeping him entertained.  At one point he made his way to the floor, crawling under his mother’s chair and then pushing his chair out into the isle.  Dad watched his activity and then got up and sat in the chair in the isle.  It surprised the little guy and he didn’t quite know what to do.  Dad smiled and tried to be friendly with a pat and a tickle here and there.  He wasn’t sure what to make of Dad’s attention, so he crawled back under his mother’s chair.  Dad moved the chair back by the mother and came back to his chair.  It wasn’t long before the little guy pushed his chair back into the isle.  He pulled it back and then pushed it out again.  The second time he pulled it back, Dad got up and sat in it next to the mother.  That really caught the boy of guard, so he crawled back under his mother’s chair and even to the chair on the other side.  He stayed there for some time and Dad came back to his chair.  It wasn’t long before the meeting was over and Dad went over to introduce himself and talk with the mother and the little boy.  Dad found out that he is the great grandson of the security guy here at the temple.

     We were impressed with the talks given and have included the highlights of some of them.

     (This one is for Kendal)  Sister Driscoll told the story of her experience with the Blarney Stone:  “We were in Ireland on holiday in March, and made our way to Blarney Castle so I could kiss the Blarney stone.  The legend says that if you kiss it you will be eloquent in speech.  We will find out in ten minutes if it is true!”

     "We got to the castle and there was a winding tower of stairs to climb and then once up, I would have to lean out on my back, over the edge and then kiss the stone.  I thought of the climb, the possibility of wrenching my back and having to be carried down, and all the many others that had kissed the stone.   I had come this far, so I needed to finish what I had started out to do; I kissed the Blarney Stone.”

     “A young man was approaching an intersection in Salt Lake City, when the light turned yellow.  He judged the traffic, his speed, and determined it would be best to stop, even though there may have been time to pass through the intersection.  Just as he stopped, the woman in the car behind him blared her horn, gave hand jesters, and was doing a bit of ranting.  She obviously was upset that not only did he not make it through the intersection, but she did not as well.”

     “She was interrupted from her ranting with a knocking on her window from a policeman.  She rolled down her window and he asked her to get out of the car.  He handcuffed her and hauled her off to jail where she was booked and moved to a cell.”

     “Several hours later, she was taken from the cell and brought back out to the desk where the arresting officer stood.  He apologized for any inconvenience he had caused her.”

     He explained:  “When I  saw the ‘Choose The Right’ sticker on your bumper, along with the ‘Families are Forever’ sticker and the ‘Follow Me To Church’ sticker, I knew for sure you had stolen the car by your actions!”

     “Do my actions show that I am a follower of Jesus Christ?  When we do as the Savior would do if He were here, our actions will declare our discipleship."

Brother Boynton is a recently returned missionary:  “Earlier this year while serving in Australia, I discovered a lump in my throat.  After many doctor visits and tests, it was determined I had thyroid cancer.  It was decided I should come home for treatment.”

     “It was a very scary time as I waited through doctor visits, tests, and phone calls.  I felt I had failed as a missionary, I had let the Savior down, and I was afraid of what the future would hold.  I received an email from my father during this time.  It is a talk by David A Bednar.”

     “He described a faithful young couple, married only three weeks when the husband was diagnosed with bone cancer. They expressed the “eternally important lessons” learned through the difficult and challenging experiences associated with the cancer. 
Elder Bednar told of visiting this couple in the hospital, being asked to give a priesthood blessing, and asking the husband an unplanned but inspired question. “If it is the will of our Heavenly Father, do you have the faith not to be healed?”  

As Elder Bednar counseled with this faithful couple, they “increasingly understood” that a blessing of healing could only be received if they had the faith not to be healed and were “willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon [them]” (Mosiah 3:19).

     “In other words, they needed to overcome, through the Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ, the ‘natural man’ tendency in all of us to demand impatiently and insist incessantly on the blessings we want and believe we deserve.  We recognized a principle that applies to every devoted disciple: strong faith in the Savior is submissively accepting of His will and timing in our lives—even if the outcome is not what we hoped for or wanted.”

     A journal entry of this young husband reads: “Having faith is not necessarily knowing that God would heal me, but that He could heal me. I had to believe that He could, and then whether it happened was up to Him. As I allowed those two ideas to coexist in my life, focused faith in Jesus Christ and complete submission to His will, I found greater comfort and peace.”

Sister Millar spoke briefly about missionary work:  “Missionary work isn’t easy because salvation isn’t cheap, (Jeffery R Holland).  Be consistent and persistent.  Are we praying to find someone?”

     “She went off to nursing school at the age of 18, having been raised in a strict Church of England home.   She was one of 600 nursing students housed in several dorms.  At orientation, she met a young lady and the two of them became instant friends.  When Sister Millar went to her assigned room, this student’s room was right across the hall.”

     “Every time I went into her room I saw church literature all over the place and Mormonad posters displayed on the walls.  You can only imagine that I began to ask questions and she gave answers.  It wasn’t long before I met with the missionaries and my testimony grew until I was ready for baptism.”

     “My parents were opposed to the notion and at that period of time, one had to wait until age 21 to be baptized without parent permission.  I continued to attend church and learn all that I could, while working on my parents.  Eventually they gave permission and I was baptized.”

     “Was it a coincidence my room was across the hall from my friend’s?  No, it was not.  The Lord knew the larger plan.”

President Johnson shared a story from when he served as a general authority and was over the Australia/ New Zealand area:  He had been called by the brethren and given the assignment to go to Papa New Guinea, and search for a mission president for that area.

Brother Johnson asked:  “Can I take Pamela, my wife, with me?”

Brethern:  “No, it is too dangerous.”

Brother Johnson:  “What about me, then?”

Brethern:  “Oh, you can go!”

     Brother Johnson did go and met with the brothers in the church there and upon his return to Australia, he called the brethren with the name of Brother Terrafeette. 

     About two weeks later, Brother Johnson got a phone call from Brother Terrafeette, saying he had a problem.  He had been having chest pains and went to the doctor who then sent him to the hospital.  Many tests were run and then he met back with the doctor for the results.

     Doctor:  “Well, what do you plan to do for the next six months?”

     Brother Terrafeette told him and the doctor said he might want to make the best of them since they may be his last.

     Brother Terrafeette was calling to say he didn’t think he could take the assignment.  Brother Johnson said he would call the brethren.  He did and the brethren said that leaders in the church always have health issues or other limitations.  It is Brother Terrafeete’s decision if he wants to serve or not.

     Brother Johnson relayed the message to Brother Terrafeette, and suggested he discuss it with his wife and then get back to him.

     Brother Terrafeete told his wife what Brother Johnson said and she suggested he read his patriarchal blessing.  He did and in it he read a line he had passed over many times before.  It said something to the effect that he would be blessed with health to fulfill the callings extended to him in furthering the work.  With that knowledge, he called Brother Johnson back and said he would serve.

     He did serve and then later served in a welfare capacity in the country and continues to serve since this experience in 2002.

     The afternoon was spent with making dinner and taking naps.  We attended a fireside at the Visitors’ Centre, by Brother Beer.  He had quite a conversion story to tell and his life in the military and as a London City Policeman.  He began his own security business at one time and from there has worked for the church in handling security.