April 7, 2014 - Conference Love!

Dear Courtney, 

    Today in conference my favorite Topic was.....   Gratitude By:Elder Uchtdorf.                      

       And while we were sitting and watching conference.   Mom gave us papers with words on them that we had to listen for in all the talks that are given to earn our food!  

            So, we had to earn our spoon, fork, bowl, and more! I got the most though because, no one else listened to second session!  So I got most of the food.

we had Bque chicken salads with beans, corn, ranch, olives, etc and then an ice cream bar earned with more words. snickers, nilla wafers, Reeses, choc, bananas etc etc, we are just eating that right now.  

Gratitude is being grateful for what you have  in the good times and the bad.  I am grateful for, a big sister, a great family, missionary work, food, friends. 

I hope you had a fun conference weekend.

Love you lots, 

Emmi B.

I love you all so much!!!

 Thanks for sharing your conference insights with me! This conference was such a special one. I can´t wait until the talks are online so i can read them all again! 

xoxo. Hermana C

Dear Hermana Cox,  (A.K.A. little sister)

Hi Courtney it's Ben, How are you? Have you been recovering from your parasite?- I hope so.

Well I'll start up with one of the twelve days of Christmas scriptures that you sent me.

2 Nephi 19:6 

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder; and his name shall be called, Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting father,The Prince of Peace.

This is one of my favorite scriptures especially to read at Christmas time. I like how they have all the different names that show how glorious Christ is, I especially like "The Prince of Peace" title because he really was the prince of peace throughout his entire life, showing love toward everyone.

I looked up other scriptures that expand and go with this one/that go with the Christmas scriptures. (Isaiah 7:14, Luke 1:27-32)

So here is the update of what has been happening lately...

I had my first soccer game last Saturday, the final score was zero to zero, and during our game it went from sunshine to rain to hail to rain then back to sunshine by the end of our game, it was crazy. This last season my coach had me play midfield and now for this season he has decided to have me play midfield and forward!!! It's awesome in the three years that I have played soccer I've played almost everywhere, I've played goalie, center defender, sweeper, stopper, midfield and finally made my way up to forward. I think that my favorite position has probably been stopper and midfield, I'm still trying to get used to the forward position not just passing anymore but actually taking shots at the goal. It's fun I wish I would have played earlier in my life.

In my 7th grade/junior high year I've been able to maintain a 4.0 GPA and an overall H in citizenship grade. I am trying out for track mainly discus, long jump and maybe high jump. And I am going to be running for 8th grade vice pres. some of my friends and I are working on making my video, editing it and turning that and all of my paper work in by this week. It's going to be a lot of work but I bet it's going to be a blast.

And finally General conference, I've been thinking about what general conference has been like in the past few years and I cant quite understand why I didn't like it when I was younger. I guess it was just because it was nearly impossible for me to sit still. But now I love it, listening to all the talks, hearing from the latter-day prophet and apostles. I think it is now one of my favorite things that our entire church does. 

I also like going to the priesthood session meeting. I liked all of the talks but one that especially stood out to me were Dieter F. Uchtdorf's talk on gratitude and Randall L. Ridd's talk. Ridd's was on educating and accomplishing desires and guiding your use of technology. I think this one stood out to me because with the ultimate access that kids not just my age but all ages have to the internet.

He gave four principles of educating desires and guiding our use of technology.

these 4 principles are...

1. Knowing who your really are makes life's decisions easier.

2. Plug into the source of spiritual power of prayer and scripture study.

3. Owning a smart phone, doesn't make you smart.

4. The lord provides technology to accomplish HIS purposes.

and it's our responsibility to take his work to the next level.

I'm so glad that I am a part of this church and all of it's teachings.

And I'm also glad that you are my awesome sister that made the choice to serve a mission and set a good example to our entire family.

Love you and I wish you luck,

Love,       Your Big Brother-Ben

THIS is a very impressive letter. I love you little Bro. You are amazing, and I´m so proud of who you are becoming! 

xoxo, Hermana C

Hey Courtney,

I just wanted to tell you about my favorite talk in General Conference. It was Uchtdorf's talk in priesthood session and it was on the world and selfishness. One of the things I remember most is him talking about "selfies". He said that it was the Oxford dictionary word of the year and it reflects much of the world's values and how with social media and stuff it is easier to be more selfish and self absorbed. We want all the attention to ourselves and to show everyone how great we are. He also told a story and that had the saying "Don't even think about it" as his slogan. That one was awesome and stuck with me because the easiest way to avoid temptation when it arises is to "Not even think about it."

Prom is coming up this weekend so I will write you a good letter next week with how it went. I'm going with Ashlee Lawson and we had a way fun day activity on Friday, we got massages, had a huge bon fire in the mountain and (tried) to let go floating lanterns. I'll tell you more about it next week. 

Love you , Davis

I love you. We missed that talk because of some technical glitches. I´ll definitely have to re read it! 

I can´t wait to see pictures and hear all about prom! 

i love you lots! 

xoxox, CWords such as courageous and distinguished, Christlike attributes. Honor the call to lift the human family to a better way.  They who stop the mouths of lions and wax valiant in fight, escape the edge from the sword saw their dead raise to live dealt with trial of cruel mocking, a world that is hostile to the commandments of God.  These were all talked of in describing the attributes and strengths of a missionary and of course, you were close to my heart and constantly on my mind this weekend as we experienced General Conference.  I am eager to hear of your experience and what touched you heart this week.  I have such a strong testimony of the work that you are sacrificing to do at this time in your life and know that it is not all easy and glory.  I though of you as I heard this talk by Elder Holland.  You are so amazing and I hope you will find the strength in these words to continue forward with you mission with a renewed sense of strength and Christlike love for those around you that may not be accepting of your message.  I was so lifted at every message this conference and cannot wait to read them and feel of that again.  I just didn't want conference to end.  I love you and wish for you the peace, growth and happiness that your mission can bring to you and the people of Argentina. Love mom

Jeffrey R Holland:  To the young people: You may wonder if it is worth it to take a courageous moral stand in high school or go on a mission only to have your most cherished beliefs reviled. Or to strive against much in society that sometimes ridicules a life of religious devotion. YES it is worth it because the alternative is have our houses left unto us desolate. desolate individuals, desolate families desolate neighborhoods, and desolate nations. So here we have the burden of those called to bare the Messianic message. In addition to teaching, encouraging and cheering people on, that's the pleasant part of discipleship, from time to time these same messengers are called upon to worry and to warn and sometimes just to weep, that's the painful part of discipleship. They know full well that the road leading to the promised land flowing with milk and honey, of necessity runs by the way of MT Sinai flowing of thou shalts and that shalt nots. Unfortunately messengers of divinely mandated commandments are no more popular today than they were anciently...Hate is an ugly word....Abinadi ," Because I have told you the truth, you are angry with me. Because I have spoken the word of God, you have judged me that I am mad."  

It is as the Lord lamented to the prophet Isiah these children will not hear the law of the Lord they say to the seers see not and to the prophets prophesy unto us not right things speak unto us smooth things prophecy deceits get you out of the was cause the holy one of Isreal to cease before us. Sadly enough my friends it is a characteristic of our age that if people want any gods at all they want them to be gods who do not demand much comfortable gods smooth gods,  not only don't rock the boat but don't even row it.  God who pat us on the head, make us giggle and then tell us to run along and pick marigolds. talk about man creating God in his own image. Sometimes and this seems the greatest irony of all, these folks invoke the name of Jesus as one who was this kind of comfortable GOD.  REALLY, he who said not only should we not break commandments but we should not even think about breaking them. And if we do think about breaking them, we've already broken them in our hearts. Does that sound like comfortable doctrine? easy on the ear?

What would Jesus do, will not always bring about a popular response. 

Love one another as I have loved you.

If ye love me keep my commandments.

Christ like love is the greatest need we have on this planet.  In part because righteousness was always supposed to accompany it. so if love is supposed to be our watch word and it must be,  then by the word of Him who is love personified we must forsake transgression and any hint of advocacy for it in others. Jesus understood that there is a crucial difference between the commandment to forgive sin which He had an infinite capacity to do, and the warning against condoning it, which he never ever did even once.

Elder Holland:

"Take heart, pure Christlike love flowing from true righteousness can change the world.  I testify that the true and living gospel of Jesus Christ is on the earth and you are members of His true and living church trying to share that gospel... Now , be strong and live the gospel faithfully, even if others around you don't live it all.  Defend your beliefs with courtesy and compassion, but defend then....It is a straight path and a narrow path...but it can be thrillingly and successfully traveled with steadfastness in Christ, a perfect brightness of hope and a love of God and of all men. when you courageously pursue such a course you will forge unshakable faith you will find safety  against ill winds that blow...and you will feel the rock like strength of our Redeemer, upon whom if you build your unflagging discipleship, you cannot fall."