Stake Conference
We love stake conference which was held here in the Sunderland Stake this weekend. The theme was on the "Doctrine of Belonging."
"Although we rarely think about it, much of our belonging comes from our service and the sacrifices we make for others and for the Lord. Excessive focus on our personal needs or our own comfort can frustrate that sense of belonging. We strive to follow the Savior’s doctrine: “Whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister... For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. Belonging comes not as we wait for it but as we reach out to help one another." Elder Christofferson, Oct 2022.
The Saturday Evening session was completely presented by the rising generation. It was conducted by a Priest on the Stake Youth Council; all the talks were by youth and young single adults-- the final speaker was a young single adult, the stake young women's president, an amazing sister, Faustina, a returned missionary who served a mission in Italy and is originally from Spain and now lives in England (picture). It was truly an amazing experience to see the strength of the stake through these youth and young adults.
The Sunday General session featured speakers outside the cultural norms of the church. First, we were invited to share our testimonies 😳, we spoke of the wonderful welcome we had received from the members of the stake. The second speaker was a brother in a wheelchair with a chronic illness, who often felt overlooked (literally) while other standers spoke amongst themselves above his head, often feeling left out of conversations. The third speaker was a sister, who suffers from autism, and who was recently married and serves a church service mission and spoke of her desire to be more a part of the mainstream as she often felt forgotten. The fourth speaker was a deaf brother who signed his talk (voiced by a signing interpreter). He spoke of his challenges and feelings of isolation with his handicap- he invited hugs and simple signs as ways to help him feel a sense of belonging. The fourth speaker was a widower who had been married for over 30 years and how he had lost his way after the death of his wife but was miraculously led to the temple where he met a sister he had known many many years before and is now planning to marry on April 8th in the temple.
Their talks were inspiring and focused on how they overcame the barriers they encountered to 'belonging' and we were reminded how important it is to look around and make sure no one ever sits alone or comes and goes without a warm welcome. We were blown away at the faith and testimony of these brothers and sisters and the importance of including and recognizing all who worship with us.
More to COME
In a letter to the American Fork East Stake, the stake presidency invited the stake to attend a devotional with Bruce Hafen (father of David Hafen, our home stake president). The invitation letter included the following meaningful quote:
"As we COME unto the Savior Jesus Christ, He will help us to strengthen our faith, overCOME our shortcomings and trials, and beCOME more like Him through the gifts of His atonement... and we will be inspired to welCOME those around us into His love and His grace."
Institute
The institute lesson this week was "Embracing the Savior's Great Atoning Sacrifice." This was a such wonderful lesson to teach and yet a challenge to present it in such a way that it would be inspiring to the students. We were moved by a review of Elder Holland's pivotal talk entitled, "None Were with Him", May 2009. Here is an excerpt we shared:
"That the supreme sacrifice of His Son might be as complete as it was voluntary and solitary, the Father briefly withdrew from Jesus the comfort of His Spirit, the support of His personal presence. ...For His Atonement to be infinite and eternal, [Jesus Christ] had to feel what it was like to die not only physically but spiritually, to sense what it was like to have the divine Spirit withdraw, leaving one feeling totally, abjectly, hopelessly alone. ... Because Jesus walked such a long, lonely path utterly alone, we do not have to do so."
As we were preparing the lesson we came across this wonderful insight to go along with John 10:11-15. "I lay down my life for my sheep (verse 15)." In these verses there is a wolf coming to harm the sheep; we often think of this wolf as the adversary. However, Hank Smith likens the wolf to Justice-- "I have done something wrong, I have sinned. Therefore, the law of Justice says I must pay. So here comes the law of Justice... come to devour me. And who stands between me and the law of Justice? The Savior. The Good Shepherd."
On our trip to Leeds the following day, Friday, we saw many fields of sheep which reminded us of this message.
Senior Missionary Roundup Dinner
We had a wonderful dinner with all the senior missionaries in the mission. There are 7 couples in the mission, and two senior sister missionaries; one couple serves in the mission office, one serves as service mission leaders for most of England, the sisters serve as MLS sisters (member and leader support) along with two other couples, and then three couples serve as Young Adult specialists, which includes us. The two-hour drive to the mission home in Leeds was definitely worth the effort.
Flat Inspections
We inspected 8 flats this last week and met with some amazing young Sisters and Elders. We brought them treats and inspected their flats and had a wonderful time talking to them about the young adults in the wards where they serve. One flat was right on the bay at South Shields, near the Tyne river mouth to the North Sea. A little pond outside their flat was full of 6' ornamental metal boats. Many of the missionaries had taped on the back of the entrance door to their flats encouragement from President Hinckley, who served in the British mission years ago.
Student Cribs
There are 4 universities in the Newcastle area (often referred to as going to 'UNI'), as we have been driving in the area, we noticed several signs that said, "Student Cribs", and we thought to ourselves, wow, the older we get the younger the students look, but really, cribs? -- we assume it means student dorms.
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