SPEAKER_00 0:01

Okay, we're gonna go ahead and start our lesson. Um, this week's sister Dana Rocher is gonna be leading our discussion using the talk that was given by Sister Emily Del Freeman this last conference in April, um, titled Best Days and Worst Days. Um, and we'll go ahead and turn the time over to her.

SPEAKER_08 0:22

Sounds good. All right. Well, it's funny actually, now that I'm up here, that uh today started out like a best day, and then we're like, I thought it was all organized and everything was going well, and then I realized once we get to church that we forgot the bread, and my husband forgot his iPad because I didn't remind him, and my son forgot the bread because I didn't remind him. Luckily, we were the girls were on top of it, and they brought the things for their two lessons that were all teaching. So I feel like all of her were doing lots and lots of uh crochet teaching today, and um, and it I totally dropped the ball. And so anyway, best day to worst day, there we go. So this is Rochelle, and she's been in Sunbeams since we got here, and every single week she's loved to go to Sunbeams, except for today. So there's the best day worst day. So anyway, but she won't, she's funny, she will, she's very opinionate about all these things. So anyway, she'll probably just relax on the table for a minute. But um, anyway, while I'm just getting settled here, I wanted to just point out a couple things that I put up on the board up here. This is when I saw this at Ezra book, it's by um a young son Kim. And if you see there's the the um foot of Christ, and this is the hand of the woman getting healed. I don't know if many of you can see it, but when I was thinking about the um all the different scriptures that were that I went through as I talked, I read this talk, there were a lot of these situations that people reached out to Christ, or Christ, you know, and he healed them, or he helped them, or he saved them. And so anyway, that was I thought this was applicable today. And then um these are some quotes, and just to some this one's a little bit small, but the just so that you know when I'm talking about it, it's like the map of consciousness, the idea of like here we are, these are these low vibration energy um feelings like guilt and shame, apathy, grief, fear, anger, desire. And what Christ does when he heals us, when he helps us, and when he saves us, then he brings us up to things like reason, love, joy, peace, and enlightenment. And that's where he constantly resides. And the way that I see his healing of the woman who had the sickness is that because she was able to reach out in faith, she was able to receive some of his enlightenment and some of his healing power. So that is one of the things. So that one's kind of hard to read, but I don't know. Maybe some of you can read these other quotes as we go. Um I'm some of you don't know us very well. We just moved in January from California. We lived there for 18 years since we were in Louis. And I don't know, I'm hearing about it already. But um when we moved here in January, it was the beginning of a for me, a best t moment.

SPEAKER_07 3:21

Um, but like more like a best year after quite a few really hard years. And I really felt like this woman who had reached out in faith and received um like um, what's the word? An opportunity to live in an and to receive the experience of living in an area that have a lot of people and that are in this higher vibration energy.

SPEAKER_08 3:52

And not that we didn't have wonderful people around us where we lived in California, but I just felt like there was everything took a lot more effort to surround our family and with people like that.

SPEAKER_07 4:05

And I just feel like when we arrived here, it was um I I don't cry like I cry like once a year, so this is ridiculous.

SPEAKER_08 4:19

Um, what is the matter with my mom? I don't understand. Um, but anyway, so that's where I feel like we we got to a place and there's so much love and peace and joy that radiate from each of you and from the all of the people we've met as we've had this first semester here, and it's just been beautiful to see um the Christ-like love and open-heartedness that has been extended to our family. And so I wanted to thank you all for that. Um I have a lot of thoughts, and getting to the computer is always difficult to me to get it on in there. If I had it there, I'd be more organized. But I was just wanting to start with the um some of the quotes that that I uh came across in this talk. And the first one is not one that I quote I printed, so I'm gonna read it to you. And it's uh Emily Bell Freeman, and she said, no matter how bad things are right now, your best days um arehead. And President Nelson echoed that same idea when he said um that we should be an optimist and uh that we should move forward in faith because the best days are ahead of us. And so despite living in a world that seems to have more and more darkness and difficulty and turmoil, yet the prophet himself said that we should look forward with you know uh like excitement toward the future. Um okay, so I'll just start at the beginning and then we'll work through. I'm a little flustered, obviously. Um when um when Christ was taught uh worked the miracles then and and as he does now, it sort of follows a pattern in my books after I watched um listen, you know, listen to all these different things. And the pattern that I feel like was self-evident in experiences like uh Peter being uh falling under the water after he he was asked to come to Christ. Um it always took effort after the faith that they that they had. Um so the effort was was put forward and then they were able to receive uh healing or guidance, and that's the same with the the woman who reached out to Christ. Prison Nelson also said, you can face your tomorrows with great optimism, knowing that the best days are ahead of you and for your loved ones. And so sometimes when you realize, oh, it's not just for me, it's also for my loved ones, it's like okay, I can apply that idea. Um I don't know if any of you have heard um of MCO or millennial choirs and orchestras, but um we did that in California and then we've continued doing it in here, and it's been such a blessing to be surrounded by sacred music. And one of the songs that um that they that we sing was I'm so blessed by, and it they they don't have a recording of the MCO version of it, but I just wanted to play the first minute of it for you all to hear. Um, and it's not like a traditional just LDS song. Yeah, not today. I would love to, but okay, I don't know if any of you can hear.

unknown 7:44

I'm gonna win.

SPEAKER_01 7:50

I gotta win.

SPEAKER_08 8:35

So it might be hard because I also plan on spraying the speaker. So you can just tell me this organization is real today. But um some some of you might not be able to hear that as much, but it said um, choose to not let the troubles into our hearts and have worry steal our joy. And I feel like that is um when we, you know, if we realize that um worry is just like a super low vibration thing and faith is you know really high vibration. So anyway, so just to that's a choice to let worries enter our hearts. And then the other part said count the blessings and um and then he you you're distracted counting your blessings all day. And anyway, during the last couple years, well, a few years, um, when it seemed like life was really difficult and um between different things, it was not as enjoyable to be um doing all the things that I usually love doing. I found that um I got in this habit of doing um it's this book called Faith. Um uh no, I can't even remember what it's called. I wrote it down. Uh anyway, fear basically the concept in the book is that you if you write down gratitudes every day, then you do, you know, say three gratitudes and you say thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, for say, um, for example, uh Rochelle, that she's always so loving me and wants to give me a cuddle, right? And um so you do it, thank you because, and so and I found that that was one of the practices of counting my blessings in a very applicable way, that it helped me move from fear, um, fear of the future, fear of what's gonna happen, to a place of of love, which is um again one of those, the one of the top ones right here that I I want I was aiming for. Uh I have a bunch of questions for you, and I keep talking instead, but um let me just find it in my in my book here. Um, and this is the other thing on this chart right here. It says, like here, down here, these things are zero, and then up there's like a thousand. And so moving from faith from fear up to faith, it moves you from like a 200 up to a five, like a 600. So it's like a huge ROI on your experience, right? So it raises our our vibration and competition to love, and I really love that idea. Um, okay. So um my questions for you are, or um this is so weird that I I'm usually quite a confidence speaker. It's just today. So anyway, um, let's just read some of these uh verses that uh this one right here. I'm wondering if somebody could read this one and then we'll get through that and I'll probably get my mind around what I was gonna say next. Um, would would someone be willing to read Elder Boucher's um quote? Okay. Thank you.

SPEAKER_09 11:40

I just need to know that the word enthusiastic, okay. With an enthusiastic welcome, no matter how it looks, the covenant with God to which you are true enables you to become enlightened by him, and nothing is impossible for you.

SPEAKER_08 11:56

Um, does anyone have any thoughts on that quote? It says, embrace this day, and I love that idea of like just grab it, grab it and go and be enthusiastic about it. Even if it's uh, you know, maybe not the best day. Anyone? The reason why it's yeah, okay.

SPEAKER_09 12:14

Yeah, like I love that it says like no matter what it looks like, it doesn't, it doesn't, we don't have to sit there with what it looks like. But if we remember, you know, the covenant we have or the power, like whose power we have access to. And then the exercise of holding on to it and reaching for it is going to strengthen us. So we can choose what we focus on. We can choose the overwhelming heart that seems unbearable, or we can say, but I'm with God and I know He will give me strength, and so just that very thought, like it says it's it's nothing's impossible. Because if we just remember that we actually aren't alone and we actually give us strength and we want it, we just have to do we have to change our thought and and look to God because we get to choose that. And if we sit in the heart and just become completely overwhelmed, then you can't change that for us. But if we just can then yeah, nothing's impossible. We can make it today, and the stuff will come up tomorrow, right?

SPEAKER_10 13:12

And I think just remembering the eternal perspective, like today is not forever, and I have to say myself say that to myself, fight for everybody because oftentimes when I get overwhelmed or sad or bogged down by the heart, just the reminder that today is not forever helps me to choose to look at it differently and to just realize like it's right, it's hard right now, but that doesn't mean it's gonna be hard forever, you know. And then being able to look for those things that that maybe aren't as hard, or even just go to bed and realize it's we can just do do a trade again tomorrow, you know. But just remembering that today is not forever also have that perspective that it's hard right now, and that it's not gonna be hard, even though it sometimes feels that way.

SPEAKER_08 13:56

Right, yeah. Especially as women's other forever, that nothing is like anything forever except yes.

SPEAKER_02 14:03

I think one thing that I struggle with is the line between um being optimistic and embracing the day and just going for it, right? And just being positive and uplifting, and then there's this line of like realism where it's like give it life, it's really hard. I don't want I I think walking that line of like the realities of life and the difficulties that come are a reality for all of us. So being optimistic and and and living in that space is so wonderful, and I try really hard to live there. But I also think sometimes it's so comforting to have someone say in there and it's a world, and this is real. The difficulty of life, the challenges that we're facing are so real, and so finding that like line for me is something I'm constantly like trying to balance in my own family, but also with friends and extended family is making sure that we have that line of like easily, you know, trying to find like good balance.

SPEAKER_10 15:16

Yeah, well I also love like the power of and because it gives us permission to fill those things, like it like it can we can like I an experienced last week, like I can know that God knows me and also I can feel or knows my kids, and I can also feel abandoned in the moment. Like those are two totally contradictory things, and it's okay to fill both of those at the same time. And I think giving ourselves permission to fill those two things, even as contradictory as they can be, gives us it just helps to not feel I don't know, it just feels like we're we're being able to kind of live in both sides, being able to live in the like it's all gonna be okay, and it really really sucks right now. Right, you know, and I don't know if that's just that just the power of hand is what I always remind myself.

SPEAKER_08 15:59

Yeah, I like that. I think there was a hand back there as well, maybe I have something.

SPEAKER_04 16:05

Um I know I feel for all this, I'm sure we can have somebody in our lives that you know, even if we're trying to be positive, you know, it's just that negative ear, you know, that's always venting or complaining. And don't get me wrong, we're all in that space sometimes too, but I feel like what really works for me when I'm having a really low heart spot, or I'm like teasing my husband, I'm like, you need to start looking at it things from a different perspective, is um when you just feel like there's nothing that you I don't know, you're just really down, you're just feeling overwhelmed by negativity. I found just reaching out to somebody else and like serving somebody else, it could just be something small, you know, like dropping off a little gift, you know. Like I I brought um Bonnie a little cinnamon roll this morning, one of our friends, it's I don't know, just something little, you know, it could even be like a text message, but when you're in a funk and you feel like there's a lot of negativity, like I feel like just bringing out the positive aspects, even if it's just a little act to somebody else, like to me, that just it it just feels so rewarding. So that kind of helps me kind of shift my mindset on that day that I'm dealing with or that week or whatever it is that I'm dealing with.

SPEAKER_08 17:08

Right. Yeah, that's good. Like the the idea of um service and how that can help you out of um you know, self-absorption or whatever. Yeah, very good. I want to clarify like nobody here except for Christ is like way up here all the time, but like we're always bouncing back and forth with this idea. So it's and they aren't like good or bad, but some of them are more miserable and like low, it doesn't feel good to be there. And somebody I I uh a wise woman that I know, she said that um the only time that people suffer, and I think it was um uh Bronte that actually uh said this first, but anyway, the concept is like we will the only time that we're as tough that we will be in suffering is for when we're in either God's business or somebody else's business. And when we're in our business, when we when we're doing actionable, you know, items, for example, like giving service to someone else and seeing their face glow up, that is something that's in our business that we can that we and then boom, you've got like a you're you're out of like your own suffering, but often like for example, but in the song, it talks about worrying and how like worrying is you you don't really worry about well most moms don't worry about themselves as much as like you know, somebody else, or you know, my my mom's a good example of of how worry can really um suck life out of you, and so uh it's one of those things that in my life I'm like okay, yeah. If I if I can do it take action on it, then I will, and then if I can't, and it's nothing that I can do, I my husband always is like, give it to Jesus, and I'm like, okay, so yeah, I just got but really the idea is like you know, Christ has already gone, He's paid the the price for all of our suffering, all of our sins, so why are we suffering for other people unnecessarily and uh and in this state of suffering? Um shall that would help a lot coming over today from holding her so long um okay, um yeah, he was teaching today with me, so I was like, oh well, we'll just screw this. Okay, um so I just wanted to share an example of that. Um I started talking a little bit at the beginning, this um the reason why we moved here and everything. It's sort of interesting, and I feel like it's applicable because um I had to be in my business a lot during that time of the last few years because um we did this amazing road trip and it was like across the whole country. We spent like two months and we traveled to all these church history sites, national history sites, and we um did the MCO tour out in the uh Palmyra at the Sacred Grove, and it was this like amazing spiritual high for me, and I felt so accomplished as a mom. Like we got this huge RB like set up and all the things, you know, and we homeschooled, so we wanted to like have this be part of the education, and um and anyway, what I just felt like it was the beginning of um like moving out of a spiritual drought for me. And it was um like I've I've served a mission and and we'd um been active in the church and I love the gospel and everything, but I just felt like with young children and the stresses of life, it was like hard to keep my vibrations up, like keep my life, you know, moving forward in a in a really positive way, and I'd be like, of course, you know, getting to the end of the day, exhausted. So this trip was so cool for me because um we did it at our own pace and we slept in as long as we needed, and I sort of caught up on a a lot of sleep. We had a one-year-old and a three-year-old, and then the other ones were like a little bit older, up to 14. But anyway, so what was um miraculous about this trip for me is that I kept running into people that would say, um, I'd be like, Why why did you move from like I'm always curious about people's lives, why do you move from like St. George to Nauvoo? And he'd be like, Oh, because we drove past this house, and then we just felt like that was where we were supposed to move, and then he's made a big impact in Nauvoo. And then there's this other family, and they're like, I just got a prompting to move to this, um, you know, this other place, and oh, I walked past this house uh after the open, you know, a temple open house, and this the Lord said, buy that house, and our life has been like beautiful afterward. And and I just kept running into it, and I was like, this is a very, you know, when you see patterns and the Lord's like, okay, get it already. Like, why do I keep having to send people with these messages for you? But during the summer I really experienced that that I was like, oh, like people still have faith, like Nephi's, you know, like Lehi did in Jerusalem, and he like heard the Lord's voice and left. And um And anyway, by the end of the summer, after like 10 or more people telling me this, I was like, okay. I think I I have enough, I've seen enough evidence that their lives are better because of it. So I'm just gonna like take their experience and take, you know, I saw their pattern, the pattern in their lives, and I was like, okay, well, it's obviously working for them. So I had faith that it worked for them and maybe it would work for me, right? So the next step in my pattern that I'm talking about is um action. So what I did is um unbeknownst to my husband, which unfortunately later he was like, What? Why did you pray without me? But anyway, I prayed about it and asked where we should live because we'd always planned on living in Utah when Emmy was in high school, so she could have a beautiful high school experience. Where we lived, it isn't really that case. And uh anyway, so what happened instead of saying like, oh, holiday Utah or Alpine, Utah, all of a sudden out of the blue, it was Gilbert, Arizona. And uh at the time we knew nobody in Gilbert, and we knew four people in total in Arizona. So um it was, but I was like, oh well, you know, when you're receiving revelation, it feels you're like, I'm in the flow, like I'm in the flow of life, like Heavenly Father speaking to me, this is amazing. So I called my sister and I uh tell her, like, oh my goodness, I got the answer. Where are we gonna move? It's Gilbert, Arizona, and she starts crying, and she's like, Oh no, I thought we were gonna live right next to each other. And it was one of those best days to worst days. And I'm still trying to get her to move here, but um anyway, it's uh anyway, I the action uh I get put forth my action in faith, and the Lord you know, responded. And then um and then I waited on you know, waiting on the Lord, and luckily I didn't have to wait too long with that prayer. I just got it right away, which is super awesome. And then um I moved forward in faith in in the move. And um meanwhile, Glenn and the kids, well, especially the older kids, they they were born and raised in California.

SPEAKER_07 24:12

Sorry, I'm like so ridiculous. Okay, pull it together. Um so anyway, they were totally uh against the idea. They're like, you're crazy, I hate you, all the bad things, you know, for like you're not straight. And I'm like, oh no, it tells you something, you have to do it because your life is gonna be so much better.

SPEAKER_08 24:34

And anyway, finally, not finally, as we took one step at a time, and then they they each got their answers in different ways. Um we watched the miracles unfold, and one thing after another, miracles unfolded so easily and and well for our family to move to Gilbert, and um with whenever a problem would come up, we'd be like, well, you know, we just the Lord told us told us to do it, and he kept reaffirming it to me through the year, and um anyway, by the end of it, my belief turned into a knowledge that Gilbert is the place for our family right now, and um I'm so grateful for that pattern that I saw in my life, and um that in the end we just the kids, I was like, watch watch how it's gonna be, and then it did, it worked out for each of the kids, and they're so much happier. And they're like the other day, my father said, Mom, now you have to schedule around our social calendar, and uh, and it's really such the experience that we we were all hoping for her. Um so the result is basically that we're living our best life here, and now they're all on board, and they had we had this spiritual growth experience that they they saw that the Lord can answer your prayers, and when the Lord speaks to you, you need to listen, and then when you do, your life is blessed. So um when it comes to that pattern, it also was the same pattern happened with Rahab, you know, in the in the Bible. She saw proof of God's work, she heard about all of the people around doing this, um, you know, all these the Israel going across the water and everything. So she had heard of God's work, so she saw the work, and then she saw the proof of uh then she had faith. She when the when the spies came, she had faith that look their God was the Lord God, and she took action by threading her, the putting the scarlet thread across her window. And then um Emily Bell Freeman also said that um with that uh action, it's like putting the blood of Christ across our our our window, I mean across our door. And um anyway, and then she had to wait on the Lord to see whether she would actually be um receiving you know redemption from the enemy, and and then she watched for the miracle to unfold that her family was the only one in all of Jericho that didn't get destroyed, and um and then in the end, of course, she was saved, which is a sure knowledge, right? So, anyway, I found that this um this idea is applicable in other ways, like um Bel Emily Belfan talked about um uh the apostle that was walking on water and how his you know he went through all of these best days and worst days. And it's a bit where I feel like I've seen in my life, it's mostly like worst days turn into best days when you reach for the Lord and when you know apply his power in your life and don't try and do it all yourself. Um so the next one I'd like you to read, um, if someone would, is this one in Joshua. Can someone read this one out loud, please? Yeah, thank you.

SPEAKER_01 28:05

Joshua 3 by 10.

SPEAKER_08 28:06

Awesome. Has anybody seen that happen in their life that they have seen like the wonders of Lord of the Lord just flow into their life?

SPEAKER_09 28:16

Something that you're looking forward to in tomorrow, but you know, you know, life is when you look back, I mean it doesn't seem like that this would connect to this, but it is when you look back at like the hardest moments of your life and the way it shaped your create and your understanding of the father who loves you, it's a wonder. I didn't think you would come out of it. Personally, if you would come out of it, right? Like you wouldn't know the change that it made, and it's almost to the point that you wouldn't want that experience to be removed from your life because the next shows like the Little Martin and the Will Martin handcart company. You know, and everyone would complain about it, and there was that man who stood up and said, not one person on this trail would say this because it was a prize paid to know God. And so I think that's sometimes the wonder is you know think by yourselves to just stay the course because tomorrow you're gonna understand that this is actually a tender prize paid to know God. And it's amazing to that connection. Not that I want to relive those experiences by the way, but I don't know that I can say I could be the same without a yeah.

SPEAKER_08 29:33

Somebody said that when something like that happens, then you often look back and be like, oh, well, that's who I am today, and without that lesson learned, then I wouldn't um be able to show up the same in the book as I am today. Yeah. So yeah, I like that a lot. Will someone read this um quote? It's Emily Bell Freeman, obviously. The one you were reading from. Anyone, anyone? I can read it, I think. Thank you.

SPEAKER_04 30:03

Erin's testing you on your life.

SPEAKER_08 30:08

Oh, wait, look.

SPEAKER_11 30:12

Jesus Christ will read us where we are where we are. This is the way of the why of the way or why this is the why of the garden, the cross, and the tomb.

SPEAKER_02 30:26

He saved no.

SPEAKER_11 30:29

Oh, the same. I knew the savior hope said you help us overcome. Sorry.

SPEAKER_07 30:35

I didn't think of the sign that we like.

SPEAKER_08 30:38

It's like he likes to go in the crowd like this. Okay, not such a good idea. I should have just zoomed right in here next time. Um okay, so uh this is when it's talking about the cross and the tomb and everything that the Savior went through. Um there was a a quote that I uh the idea of the stormy sea that he calmed, the dead people that he raised back to life, the leopards that were lepers, not leopards, ha, lepers that were healed, the hungry people who were miraculously fed with loaves and fishes, and Peter walking on the water and then and then drowning. Um Christ met each of these people where they were, whether they were physically sick or dead, or um, or uh in sin or uh starving or you know, doing something of faith and failing at it. And so I do love that idea of like that Jesus Christ will meet us where we are, and I've seen that really apply in my life. Anyone else have a comment that they'd like to share about that concept? And it's fine if not. Also, Sarah will be well.

SPEAKER_10 31:49

I think it's so beautiful that he does meet us where we are, and that and also like meets those we love where they are, and recognizing that that doesn't mean they're gonna immediately or we are going to be immediately moved to where we should be or want to be or where we want our loved ones to be. But the fact that he meets us there and he stays us where stays with us there as long as needed, and I think that that is the beautiful part of this we see is we hear these miracles who are that are so wonderful and amazing, but they have immediate results. And I think just recognizing that the miracle of my own life is that he stays, you know, that he meets me and meets my kids where they are, and he stays, right? Even if choices aren't being made to move forward on the path, that he stays with us there, right?

SPEAKER_02 32:46

I was just gonna say that I think this is particularly important for the youth to understand because um that the savior needs us where we are as we are, because um I think that sometimes our generation as adults we get so frustrated when our own kids are with you that they aren't doing good, or they're not doing that, or they're behaving this way, or they're not behaving that way. And the reality of it is they're just on this journey and they're trying to grow and progress, and when we don't see them for their potential, I think it like kind of limits their progression or stops their progression a little bit. Or we can see them for what they can become, what they will become. I think they grow and progress and blossom more beautifully. Um I think this is a reminder that that's how Christ does it. He doesn't see people and think, oh, they're always gonna be this way. He sees that potential. I think we can do that better.

SPEAKER_08 33:54

Yeah, totally. I love that. Um, there's a c an idea that I think is pretty uh pretty applicable that like everybody's doing the best they can. And um and when we and what how do people how do people thrive thrive it's with love. I don't know if you guys have ever studied that. He's a Japanese doctor that studied water molecules, and when people spoke loving words to to the water, it showed up in this beautiful crystalline, you know, structure. And when it was like given really intense, you know, bad you know, words and things, it turned like all jaggedy. Anyway, if you think about like what we're made of, and we're we're a lot of water, and it ends up being that we are when we are spoken loving words, are like literally, especially kids, like their brains can work better, you know. And I think about all the times that I've yelled at my kids and and things, and I'm like, oh my gosh, I was totally like you know, stopping them where they work because they're gonna fight, fight and flight or freeze or you know, flop or whatever it is, and then they can't even they can't even do anything, you know, they're just like my mom's mad at me, and so the whole day is a waste. Versus if I would have like stayed in my in like um the loving Christ conscious energy, then I would they would have been more confident in themselves and been able to make more wise choices, I'm sure. So, anyway, the idea. I love that idea of just loving on kids as much as possible and on each other, of course. Um the Emily Belfryman, you know, she's the young woman's general president, and so and she spoke of the strength of youth pamphlet. And I'm not sure if any of you have read it. I read it when Emmy was new in Young Women's Years Ago, and but there were a few points that she pointed out that I wanted to read to you that she read right after she found out that her husband had cancer again, and so it was like a traumatic day, and yet she turned to the tool that she is promoting with the youth. So I thought that was very applicable. Like she's really living living what she teaches. So what it is is from the strength of youth it says, God's plan is for you, God wants to communicate with you, Jesus Christ will help you, walk in God's light, um, temple ordinance and covers covenants give you greater access to God's blessings, and Jesus Christ brings joy. I thought this was really great today when I walked in. This was um here, and uh Elder Kieran is the one who gave us that quote in general conference, and I just think that's so applicable. Like this is the church of joy. Christ is the giver of joy, and we can look to him and and find joy and receive joy from him, even if we're having a hard time reaching it ourselves. Um I don't know if any of you have had this experience of um another experience uh that I wanted to share was one time my husband and I were having a disagreement about things and having a hard time seeing eye to eye, and um we barely got to the temple together. It was like really rough. And when we were there, I felt um I felt so much peace doing the initiatories, and I looked up at the picture of Christ on the wall, and I was just like, what am I supposed to do with this? How do I how do I show up in this marriage and have it be the joyful, wonderful experience I want to experience, and I also want my kids to see that so that they reach for a happy marriage. And um, and so anyway, while I was there, I uh I opened up the scriptures, and I don't know if any of you ever do this, but it's happened to me quite a few times in my life that um I feel like okay, it's time to read some scriptures, and I open, I just flip it open and it opens up to a page that um that is applicable to my day. And one day one experience is like that on my before my mission. I was dating with my husband, and um I was trying to decide whether I was still gonna serve a mission, and then I opened the scriptures that night, and I was like, I really have to figure this out. And it said, Behold, the hour of your mission is come, and your tongue shall be loose, and you shall declare glad tidings of great joy unto this generation. And I was like, Okay, well that's clear. I called Glenn and I'm like, sorry, I'm going on a mission. And uh anyway, I used to joke that he'd have to wait for me when I was like 16. I used to say that to like people, oh my god, what if you don't you're gonna go on? I'm gonna go on a mission, and they're like, What if you find Mr. Right first? I'm like, he's gonna have to wait. Anyway, Glenn had to wait till he was 32. So I did feel a little bad that I used to you know say that. But um, anyway, in the temple it was so cool because I opened it up and there was uh there was this scripture that said, like, behold, I am Jesus Christ. As I was just looking at the picture of Jesus Christ and seeing him and feeling his power in my life, and um, and he said, uh, what confirmation can you have than that of the spirit? And it's in Doctrine Covenants, and I just felt like wow, that is um super applicable to what I'm learning about. And then I turned to the you know, later on that day in the temple, I opened the scriptures and it talked about like anger and fear and pride and contention, and then what was the res what was the way that they resolved it in the scriptures? And in that scripture, it the answer was humility, and then I had the song come to my mind, be thou humble in thy calling. And so, um, anyway, once I applied that in our marriage, it has been like light and uh night and day difference. And um, anyway, so my testimony is that Christ is there, he's willing to reach you in whatever way you're willing to hear him, um, whether it's through scriptures or prayer or someone else's words or someone's loving action, um, you can receive his guidance in so many different ways, and he's always there for you. He always wants to meet us. And if someone would read this last one and then we're almost done, that would be super great. Anybody, anybody?

SPEAKER_05 39:50

I can read it. Thank you. Um it says, become a possibilitarian, and no matter how dark things seem to be or actually are. Raise your sights and see possibilities. Always see them, for they're always there.

SPEAKER_08 40:03

Right. Just like Christ is always there. The possibilities are always there, and we always know that. We know that because of Christ. And so um I can't exactly remember what this verse is, but when I was preparing for this verse at the temple, it came up. So for some reason, somebody needs this verse today. It's Doctrine and Covenants 127, and it's verse 3, and right this minute I can't remember what it says, but if someone would pull up their library app or something, or if you have a paper version of it and read it, that'd be super great. Doctrine and Covenants 127, verse 3. And just a basis on this scripture, it was that Joseph Smith was in prison, um, and he was explaining that his enemies and falsehoods and perils and envy and tribulation and persecution and wrath of man was there. So he was having the worst day in prison. But then, right afterward, after this verse, he goes on and teaches about the baptisms of the dead. And he just continued in his ministry despite being having one of the worst days. Anybody want to read that? Yeah, just behind you. Did you have oh yeah, hi? I don't know. Someone read it. Yeah, okay.

SPEAKER_06 41:09

Um, let all the saints rejoice therefore and be exceedingly glad, for Israel's God is their God, and he will meet out a just recompense of reward upon the heads of all their oppressors.

SPEAKER_08 41:22

Well, the um the false that's with the it just trust, trust the Lord, trust that whatever's happening, even if it is actually people like hurting you and do and being an enemy, you can still have the um the the Christ's blessings through that. Anyway, um I just wanted to bear my testimony, and I'm grateful that you stood by me through this horrible lesson. And um with just like your patience and your communication and your um participation. It was really great, and I'm grateful to be here and in this ward and just have you all as part of our lives and my life. And I wanted to say these things in the name of Jesus Christ now.

SPEAKER_00 42:10

Thank you, Dana.

SPEAKER_08 42:11

Oh, and just a little side note this is my friend, she and I'm