BYU Women's Conference Notes

I just sent this note to the missionary and I thought it good enough to keep forever in my blog.

More letters about the BYU Women's Conference. Sister Susan Tingey spoke about D&C 101. I have to tell you a little about her. Prior to the class, the lady next to her hugged her and I got to see her close up, and I thought, "Wow, high maintenance." You know, the outfit and hair and face, tanned, gorgeous. So now you know where I'm coming from.

She began, "When everything is not okay, it's not the end--just so you know." Somewhere in Alaska, a disturbance in the ground caused a wave to begin and when it hit the northern California beach and swept her five year old granddaughter out to sea, who could predict or prevent that?

While playing the piano at her funeral, she kept wiping a weird bump under her nose. Ended up in the doc's dental chair to carve that cancer bump out. Nine hours and a hundred shots later she emerged without a nose, and most of the flesh around it. Calmed by III Nephi, 17, faith heals, #7, believe in healing, #13, endure all, she was six weeks waiting to begin nine months of reconstruction. Son leaving on a mission in 6 weeks, second lump discovered on chin, had to eat a radiation tablet $12 Thou pill, totally irradiated had to survive the mental combat of a retreat out on Bear Lake, alone and radioactive, John 14, I will comfort you, D&C 66, be patient, D&C 122.

Asked by a friend, "Do you ever wonder why God hates you?" She prayed often for her non-member surgeon, one day during reconstruction he had just finished drawing a detailed blueprint on her face, she was prepped and ready for surgery-iv in, and he didn't like the little red bump on her forehead. Wouldn't proceed. It was MRSA and she would have had the flesh-eating bacteria all over her face.

She introduced the words to a song, something like He was First Born, to be the first bourne of our pain. Good lyrics. Her quote was, "God may calm the storm, but other times he calms the child and lets the storm rage."

She continued by saying that if there were 100 billion born on earth, (she estimated and averaged) and 226,000 are now YW, they have .000226 percent to be born in the church--essentially a zero chance. Does that increase our infinite worth and make us more responsible for it? We must develop self-worth alone--all by ourselves. No one can give it to us, She sends her kids to hard countries to see how blessed they are. She went to Kenya and did one day of hard work, then knew that the woman she shadowed got up and did it daily. She went home and rested.

Good talk. For me, again with the "Got to work to gain self-worth."

Oh, Sis Easton Black spoke on Joseph Smith in the Smith Field house. I didn't make it there, but I thought of you, Dia. You loved your class with her.

Sis Leavitt spoke on time traps of technology and virtual or virtuous woman? Mom's spend 1.5 mins online, 35 min engaged one-on-one with child. Less with each succeeding child. 50 min with spouse. Most underestimate their virtual time by 50%. Wow! Bednar's apostolic warning in his CES talk about cyber sites. He plead with us to be more aware. The adversary beguiles us to disconnect with reality. He wants us to become accustomed to a disembodied state--it's his ultimate goal all along.

Technology was not created beyond the Lord's purview. It is His tool in the latter days--it is up to us to prevent Satan from beguiling us to misuse it.

Sister Leigh Wilkes same topic, Internet

D&C 60:13, Do not idle away thy time or talent, again with Bednar, technology is one more thing in mortality we must control.

It's a doorway to learn - but we overwhelm ourselves with info, as much good as bad.

It's great communication with families, but we must let others govern themselves, not take over their lives.

Lift and Brighten lives, but blog life, don't live to blog.

Build the church - 10 years ago 80% negative when one googled the church--now, 80% positive, but the eyes of the world are upon you, perceptions of the world are influenced in communication, Elder Bednar assures us no need to argue or be beligerant. OUR POSITION IS SOLID--THE CHURCH IS TRUE.

Traps: Easy to judge as we read, easy to feel inadequate. Instead think: What can I learn, how can they inspire my life. Time Trap: There is more to life than increasing it's speed.

Disconnect one day--a technology fast once a week. You can either invite or impeded the Holy Ghost in your life, and no one can do two things at once competently. Enlarge or restrict, love and serve.