As today was conference for the Weymouth Branch,
Poole England Stake, we had more than the usual amount of suited gentlemen up on
the stand. (Had a chance to speak with each of the members of the Stake
Presidency individually – Presidents Crew, Fairbanks, and Winkworth; they were just
as upstanding and stalwart as you would imagine them to be.) Kind of nice to
see all that priesthood authority – plus one lone sister: Sister Moira Head, stake Relief Society
president. (I told Brother Head, stake executive sec, and his wife, when I
finally caught up with them, that I had had an eye out for them for over two
months now. My friend Amanda back in Birmingham had told me to be on the lookout.
Serving a mission in Birmingham, the Heads had been there when Martin got
baptized, as well as in on the beginning of the Farley’s courtship. Brother
Head had, in fact, stood in as Amanda’s ‘father’ at her and Nathaniel’s
sealing, so they go WAY back. I was glad I finally had a chance to meet the
couple she had spoken of so fondly.)
Our first speaker was our branch president,
President Levi – hailing all the way from far off Long Island. (I just realized
that the way residents of Long Island say their ‘long’ is the way ‘long’ is
pronounced here. Hhm, interesting.) He
said that recently he had been feeling kind of sorry for himself – that he’d
really been wondering if it was right thing that he’d been the one called upon
to carry the load? He said he is signed up for a-scripture-a-day app, and at
the time he was especially down, the scripture that had been delivered on that
particular day was John 15:16, “ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you .
. .’ He said he took this as a sign that the Lord really was mindful of him. He
added that Heavenly Father has a work for each of us to do.
The talks from the stake presidency, as well as from
Sister Moira Head, were excellent – very spiritually uplifting. (In light of the
proceedings of the day, it is obvious that our leaders have been admonished to
instruct and encourage members of their local congregations in the areas they
need the most.) One spoke of the rock that came from Portland, just next door –
that the majority of London is built from Portland stone. ‘Similarly,’ he said,
‘through the years Weymouth has constituted the bedrock of the Poole Stake.’ Between
speakers, the choir formed for this occasion – of which I was a member –
performed the musical item. (I love how it is said that way instead of ‘musical
number.’) We sang the hymn, Jesus, Lover
of my Soul, to an older version of the melody. Kind of a cool idea – the early
members of the church would have used very different tunes than we employ
today.
Another member of the presidency stated that we
are often the architects of our own downfall – that life will stretch us. He
said further that we must put in the work – stick out the trial - if we expect
to gain from it. President Crew, the stake president, remarked that as we make
a greater effort, we grow. He spoke of the challenge that had been given at a
recent regional leadership meeting, for units in England to double the
attendance of active members – admittedly a goal that will require miracles to
accomplish. He suggested, when considering the parable of the ten virgins, to
think of the lamps as ‘the lamps of testimony’ and the oil as the ‘oil of
conversion.’ In this illustration, it can be clearly seen that, rather than
being selfish by not sharing, conversion is something that only we can do for
ourselves – that it can be neither shared nor borrowed. Each individual must
‘buy’ for themselves, each person must be responsible to keep an ample supply
of conversion on hand to replenish their testimony. That if we do not allow our
supply to run dry, we will be in a much better position to strengthen and bless
the lives of others.
The second session of the conference was a joint
meeting for everyone, with the exclusion of the Primary, for the purpose of
strengthening and uplifting the members of the branch. What followed was a
discussion, led by President Fairbanks, of the goals recently set by our local
and stake leaders, drawn from the leadership meeting mentioned above. The five specific
areas included missionary service, Priesthood and Relief Society, temple,
self-reliance (personal and family preparedness), as well as the well-being of
the young men and young women, the future leaders of the church.
In Relief Society, after the usual opening
exercises, Sister Head and her counselor led the discussion. They were
gratified to find that the stake brethren in sacrament meeting had ‘given’ the
very messages they had prepared – meaning that it was confirmed to them that
the communication they were prompted to
prepare REALLY was what the Lord had intended.
Our discussion centered on the difference between the terms, testimony
and conversion. As Elder Bednar said, besides testimony we need our Saviour,
revelation from God, repentance, ordinances and covenants, obedience,
diligence, steadfastness, and endurance in faith to the end.
Following the three hour block I was able to enjoy
my second ‘Munch and Mingle.’ Similar to the open house on Wednesday night to
honor Joe, the environment of these get-togethers reminds me very much of how
it is at a wedding reception – eating and chatting with people you enjoy
visiting with. What a great opportunity for bonding – too bad the size of the
usual ward back home would no doubt make an activity like this prohibitive.
For me, the conference had acted to renew my commitment,
as well as enlarge my testimony. I really felt the spirit that had been
brought by our priesthood and auxiliary leaders.
Peaceful grey sky and walls out my bedroom window, with red accents (a
sure sign you're in England – exterior plumbing)
