Though still had the most of the exciting experiences in every activity provided, I'd give the specific point to the devotional day.
The presence of the Holy Spirit I felt was so strong that I uncontrollably shed tears as I attentively listened to Elder Ian and his wife Sister Paula Ardern's talks (E. Ardern was sustained a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and has been serving as a member of the Eighth Quorum of the Seventy in the Pacific Area. Source is from lds.org). Plus accompanied by a special song presentation rendered by one of the wards, it totally gave a bursting shimmer of distinct spiritual identity. They both spoke about matters concerning the common dilemmas and their curatives, wonderful advice and thoughts of wisdom -- the youth of the church should know, understand and be aware of.
We weren't the perfect machines that could stick up piles of data in mind one at a time for so long, so I brought with me a pen and paper and took down some notes I knew will really be helpful, hoping to remember them all the time. Mainly one of the reasons why I did that is to leave something of what I have been learning in life and put them in this blog. I want to be always reminded of the things that are dear more important. This is more like of recording life thoughts and events we should be doing that prophets and other church leaders are counseling the members. They will be very useful. Here they are.
We weren't the perfect machines that could stick up piles of data in mind one at a time for so long, so I brought with me a pen and paper and took down some notes I knew will really be helpful, hoping to remember them all the time. Mainly one of the reasons why I did that is to leave something of what I have been learning in life and put them in this blog. I want to be always reminded of the things that are dear more important. This is more like of recording life thoughts and events we should be doing that prophets and other church leaders are counseling the members. They will be very useful. Here they are.
THINGS THAT I HAVE PONDERED:
1. The 6 Be's: Be Thankful. Be Smart. Be Clean. Be True. Be Humble. Be Prayerful. -- Pres. Gordon B. Hinckley
2. Those who honor God, God will honor.
3. If you do your best in school, Heavenly Father will send you the Holy Ghost to be smart.
4. Work hard.
5. To be clean, you make sure you are morally clean.
6. Being immoral will only bring you misery.
7. Cleanliness is Happiness.
8. Keep the Commandments so you can be blessed.
9. To be true, remain in your covenants.
10. Being humble means you're willing to learn.
11. Being humble means you're willing to serve others.
12. Say to yourself, "I will be that someone who listens to what my Father in Heaven says."
13. When you are humble, you are teachable.
14. We are most humble when we are in bended knees.
15. What we have to do first in the morning is to take time to pray.
16. Prayer is an opportunity to show God we are thankful.
17. A prayer doesn't necessarily need to be long, it must be sincere and comes from a humble heart.
18. Our Heavenly Father wants you to be successful so that he has given you opportunities to learn.
19. Don't settle for anything less than eternal.
20. If you don't have the vision in mind, you won't be there.
21. Poverty is not a barrier to opportunity.
22. Think of what you want to become and put it in a vision. Then act upon it.
23. Be thankful to your Mom and Dad. Show them a "Thumbs-up."
24. Don't expose yourself to the world of rubbish things such as spending a lot of time watching TV and forgetting your responsibilities etc.
26. There are so many things to be grateful for! Your life, family, good friends and the blessing of knowing the true gospel.
27. Part of your ability to overcome adversities is by doing the 6 Be's. ;)
And for some additional lines: The following were the three questions Elder Ardern asked a young man who wished to marry his daughter. Oh well this thing is kind of applicable to every father and future son-in-law conversation.
1. Did you serve a mission?
2. Do you honor your priesthood?
3. Will you treat my daughter like a queen? (Aww, that was sooooo sweet!) :")
(So girls, now we too can know what are the qualifications we should look upon when choosing the right man to marry for time and eternity. Many thanks to E. Ardern! :D)
Everything was just all we needed to know. Through a pronouncing church leader comes the voice of the Lord declaring unto us timely revelations and we should obey them. Act well in thy part. Heavenly Father will surely make way for the people who are striving and doing the things that He commissioned them to do. Every individual has his own drought and bounty to face. Blessings and trials are equally divided for every person. You might be slipping off along the road due to unexpected tragedies. One could be taking steps up in the ladder because of his consistent determination. Part of our mortal journey, right? Such ups and downs where everyone is meant to get along with. Yet each thing doesn't end in just one turn. Certainly, life is a long way to run!
"Give yourself a pat on the shoulder!" from Elder Ardern's remarks. "What you chose above, already determined that you were a winning Son/Daughter of God even in the pre-existence. And the battle is just continuing here."
"Give yourself a pat on the shoulder!" from Elder Ardern's remarks. "What you chose above, already determined that you were a winning Son/Daughter of God even in the pre-existence. And the battle is just continuing here."
