Stand Up If You Are Willing

Hello!

I had a great week this week. I hope you all did too! 

Our investigators, Adon and Sarah from New Zealand are reading the Book of Mormon. Lesson by lesson, their questions are getting answered and their concerns resolved by it! I LOVE the Book of Mormon. Have you read it recently? ;) We are just waiting for Adon to get down on one knee and ask the question, "Will you marry me?" They can't get baptized because they are living together. One day...

Elder Cardon from the Pacific Area Presidency came to Perth for a Mission Tour. He presided over our Zone Conference! It was very good. I always feel a feeling of peace and courage when I stand in the presence of a general authority. I know they have a heavy burden to carry, but because they are equally yoked with Christ, they carry it with strength.

At the beginning of the Conference, before we really got started, Elder Cardon asked us to write down some questions that we wanted answered. I thought of three in the time he gave us and one of them was, "What are the most important attributes in a daughter of God?" The conference began and Sister and President Fife spoke. And then it was Sister Cardon's turn, but Elder Cardon stood up and said some things along the lines of, "Sister Cardon and I have 42 grandchildren. We have been married for 46 years. Sister Cardon is the love of my life, she is the sweetest woman I know, and I wouldn't be the man I am without her influence in my life. Sister Cardon abhors contention. She will have none of it. She will not engage. Please give your attention to her now," and he sat down.

He answered my question: an important attribute in a daughter of God is to abhor contention. To have none of it. To not engage. :) She really was the sweetest lady...

Something influenced me strongly during the second half of the conference. He had previously asked President Fife to ask us to study Ch. 4 of Preach My Gospel - Recognize the Spirit. When he came, he asked who studied that section, and who prepared their 3 minute talk on something that stood out to them. No one raised their hand! Hahaha! We were never told to prepare a talk! The look on everyone's face, including President Fife was hilarious. Anyway, Elder Cardon said, "Well I was going to ask you to forget your talks anyway, but I want to ask you to do something different. I would like for some of you to come up to the stand and share how you have come to know how the Spirit works with you. Don't give us a talk on the Holy Ghost, share with us your personal experience on how you recognize and understand the promptings of the Holy Ghost. Stand up if you are willing."

Only a few people hesitantly stood up. Elder Cardon was silent and he just waited. A few more stood up. Then a few more. Then I stood up. Then a few more stood up. Just about everyone was standing up and I looked around me and I felt the Spirit. It was like someone dumped a bucket of cold water over my head. It went from my head to my toes. I felt like I was standing in the middle of God's Army. We were willing to give a little 3 minute testimony about the Holy Ghost, but that symbol of standing up if we were willing made me think of every other major decision I need to make in my life. Am I willing? Am I willing to defend truth? Am I willing to keep my covenants for the rest of my life? Am I willing to serve my neighbor? Am I willing to be rejected? I am willing. Stand up if you are willing.

See you later, alligators. 

Love,

Sister Beardall

New Mormon Message! Spiritual Whirlwinds

Zone Pday Olympics

Robert and Kathy, our investigators came to our ward International Night!! They loved it. (They are in the middle.)

Robert even got up and danced!! 

A YSA I knew from my first area came to Greenmount Ward on Sunday. :)

This is real.

Have you told anyone?

I don't know, I was just eating this rockmelon (cantelope) for dinner and it was the best rockmelon I'd ever eaten so I asked Sister Tuifua to take a picture so I could remember the moment... ;)​