Temple and Family History

General Conference Octobr 2022 Since this blog is about my spiritual life ie my focus on my mission, it seems appropriate that I add my conference notes. I will start with the Sunday morning session since it is the closest to my current memory. I was surprised that this session focused on members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. For years, the Sunday morning session has been a missionary session geared to helping friends understand missionary messages. Today the tender talk about unfairly judging people with hidden wounds and loving and helping everyone belong was for everyone. Elder Joseph W. Sitati was appropriately visible as a powerful black General Authority. But Elder Gong talked to the Saints about the healing power of temple work and shared a powerful life changing for me story about an abusive father who was finally given the opportunity to receive temple ordinances who appeared to his daughter in a dream dressed in white and said to her, "Look at me, I am clean. Thank you. Now go back to the temple and do the work for your brother. He is ready." He did not say I am good or I am perfect. He said, "I am clean". That is what the weekly sacramental covenant can do for me. It can make me clean and able to access the power of the Savior. That is what I want each week, to start again clean. That is what I want from my temple service. I need the Lord's help to be able to do all I need to and want to do. I don't have the energy and focus and strength on my own. I need to be strong enough to put off "little books" of entertainment and excitement and suspense. Several authors I have read recently were compelling, and taught me what is going on in the young adult fiction world. It is not Christ focused. I returned to the library, my pile of books to maybe read when I just wanted to relax. I need the Lord's help to make my non mission service hours productive and a time to fulfill other portions of my earthly mission. Personal family history work is important, and I haven't had the focus and energy to deal with the memories and life sketches and timelines and sources of my own ancestors. I am going to seek the Lord's help to be able to do more, to redouble my efforts. I will study President Nelson's talk. It was for me a powerful encouragement to overcome the world. It brought tears and hope and joy.