Highlights from my stake conference

The theme our stake presidency has chosen for us this year is D&C 88:125. "And above all things, clothe yourselves with the bond of charity, as with a mantle, which is the bond of perfectness and peace."

A member of our stake presidency shared this story.

In the mid-70s, a college professor sent his students to the slums of Baltimore. They found 200 boys and learned a bit about them. The professor asked his students to estimate how many of the boys would be successful in their life. The students guessed that none would ever make it out of the slums.

25 years later, a different professor did a follow-up study. He tracked down 180 of those 200 boys. Of them, 176 were successful lawyers, doctors, or business men. They were asked what made the difference for them. They all said it was a teacher. One, specific teacher, that touched all these boys.



The professor tracked her down, as well. He asked what she did that changed the lives of these boys. "It was simple," she said. "I loved them."

The greatest thing I can do as a teacher (part of being a mother) is to love my children.

Some other highlights:

--- Alright, I've tried to find this on LDS.org and am not coming up with anything. So I'll just copy my notes. ---

Elder Bednar was at a conference one time where he heard Elder Maxwell say, "There would have been no atonement except for the character of Christ."

So Elder Bednar, being Elder Bednar, went in search of a question and answer*. What was it specifically about Christ's character that made the Atonement possible.

He found that Christ's character was such that He was able to discern the suffering of others and DO something about it when He Himself was suffering.

For example, right after Christ had been tempted by Satan in the wilderness. He had been fasting for 40 days and endured severe temptations by the devil, and was probably in need of a little comfort. Angels came to administer to Him. But He, knowing that John the Baptist was suffering in prison at that same moment, sent the angels to administer to John.

Part of having a Christ-like character is being able to discern the suffering of others when we ourselves are suffering. It is looking and reaching outward when our first response is to turn inward.

*Elder Bednar is famous for seeking the right question to ask to get the answer you want. I was at BYU-I just before he was called as an Apostle, and have heard him preach more than once about this. Also acting vs. re-acting is a major point for him.