Elder Oaks

So, we had an amazing opportunity to hear Elder Oaks yesterday in a special session of Stake Conference. He came to do some Priesthood leadership training, and our Stake President scheduled a special stake conference so we could hear an Apostle. Carol and I were planning on going to a satellite building but at the last minute decided to go to the stake center anyway, and surprisingly the building wasn't full. So we actually got non horrible seats. His first message was on repentance, then he spoke about the first vision and the significance of the evolution of the accounts of the first vision. Hopefully it is something I will realize as I get older but he said that he had had spiritual experiences that initially he analyzed and believed meant one thing but as time went on he realized that there were other things that were as important or more important than the initial impression. He believes that is the case with Joseph Smith's different accounts of the first vision, initially all he paid attention to was the fact that he was forgiven of his sins, then his focus slowly turned outwards on things that pertained more to the restoration and the Saints. He also spoke on the mantle of apostleship. I found it interesting because a lot of the earlier messages were focused on what a great opportunity it was to shoulders with an apostle, and it felt as if his response was, I am just a man trying to do what the lord has asked me to do, and often not fulfilling the responsibility as well as I ought. He spoke a little on being better at proclaiming our belief in Christ. He said that he went through his christmas cards this last year and out of more than a hundred fewer than a third had an image and message centered around christ, conversely more than half didn't even mention christmas, but said seasons greetings, or happy holidays. He even said his wife had to go to three different stores to find cards that had both an image and a message focused on the birth of our savior. He also shared a few funny stories, one about a ten year old little girl who gave him a letter that explained she knew he was an apostle because he was clean and his head was shiny. Cora and Jess busted up at that. Overall it was an awesome opportunity. I found it interesting how casual it felt, he hadn't prepared any message and they had left him over an hour to fill, so he kept saying, lets see what else did I have to tell you. I also could see him taking notes during other speakers which he then used to reiterate some of the messages that had already been shared. It was also interesting to feel the power of the spirit that he carried. He went through the congregation shaking hands, and from 20 feet away you could feel the spirit just permeating the area. I was walking around with Emmett, but Carol said you could feel the spirit simply when he entered the chapel. It was also amazing to have the spirit give such a powerful witness to his calling as he spoke and interacting with our stake, he is truly an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Beyond that it has been spring break, and though I had high hopes, I got much less work done than I had intended, so I better get my butt in gear before this semester swamps me.

~Josh