How Firm a Foundation!

Today we had regional conference at the Marriot center with Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, President Boyd K. Packer, Julie B. Beck, and Steven E. Snow of the Seventy. The talks were FANTASTIC. It was almost like general conference, but 10 times more intimate. Both Sister Beck and President Packer didn't use the teleprompter at all, and just were kinda wingin' it, which was great. The night before we had the adult session of stake conference, where our Stake President, President Todd, spoke as well as Elder Rudd, a 93-year old who worked for the church distribution center, and did like a gazillion other things for the church. Here are my favorite quotes from all the talks:

• Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a mighty battle. -Plato
• You only live once, but if you live it right, once is enough. -Elder Rudd
• To be perfected in Christ means to have faith to rid their self the desire to do wrong. -President Todd
• Parable of the Windshield & Rearview mirror: In life we are driving along and have our windshield and our rearview mirror. The rearview mirror is only to be looked in when we need to learn from the past. We should always look ahead in life through our windshield, having faith in the savior. Looking through the rearview mirror leads to regression in life. -President Todd
• (15 min before the meeting was supposed to start) The meeting really began when President Packer entered. Let's try to keep it a little quieter, and reverent. - Jeffrey R. Holland
• Testimonies must be continuously renewed with spiritual experience. We can't just rely on past experiences. -Steven E. Snow
• In order for faith to be powerful, we must have obedience & righteousness. -Julie B. Beck
• We fought in heaven the opportunity to have a difficult experience on Earth. - Julie B. Beck
• Faith is longer lasting and more nourished when there is a family together calling upon it. - Jeffrey R. Holland
• I didn't serve well because I was experienced, I served well because I was called. -Boyd K Packer

(these are not actually quotes that I heard in the conference, but quotes that I just really like :)

• "I know God will not give me anything I can't handle. I just wish that He didn't trust me so much." (Mother Theresa)
• "If you judge people, you have no time to love them." (Mother Theresa)
• "The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others."(Ghandi)
• "People are unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered. Love them anyway. If you do good, people may accuse you of selfish motives. Do good anyway. If you are successful, you may win false friends and true enemies. Succeed anyway. The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway. Honesty and transparency make you vulnerable. Be honest and transparent anyway. What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight. Build anyway. People who really want help may attack you if you help them. Help them anyway. Give the world the best you have and you may get hurt. Give the world your best anyway" (Mother Theresa)
• "Don’t spend another minute being angry about yesterday. Free him and you free yourself." (Forever Strong)
• "If its just you alone, you’re not as much of a threat" (Luna Lovegood)
• "You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich. You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down. You cannot build character and courage by taking away people's initiative and independence. You cannot help people permanently by doing for them, what they could and should do for themselves." -Abraham Lincoln
• "I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented." (Elie Wiesel)
• "There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest." (Elie Wiesel)
• "Even the largest ocean cannot sink the smallest ship- unless water gets inside"
• "Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the Ark. Professionals built the Titanic."
• We come to love not by finding a perfect person, but by learning to see an imperfect person perfectly.
• “I always think that the best booster to self-esteem is not reciting a bunch of aphorisms about self-worth, but actually going out in the world and doing something that makes you feel valued, whether that is putting more into your work, deciding to get that master's degree, becoming involved in a volunteer organization, pursuing your love of painting, etc.” –Dear Prudie
• "Come what may, and love it" (Joseph B Wirthlin)