April 1995 General Conference Saturday Afternoon

Ted E. Davis -The Church Audit Committee Report

F. Michael Watson -Statistical Report 1994

• Total membership: 9,024,569
• Prominent Members Who Have Passed Away since Last April
• President Ezra Taft Benson, thirteenth President of the Church, at age 94, on 30 May 1994
• President Howard W. Hunter, fourteenth President of the Church, at age 87, on 3 March 1995

M. Russell Ballard -Answers to Life's Questions

• "We cannot keep all the commandments without first knowing them, and we cannot expect to know all, or more than we now know unless we comply with or keep those we have already received.
• God has designed our happiness ... he never has--He never will institute an ordinance or give a commandment to His people that is not calculated in its nature to promote that happiness which He has designed.
• A person does not have to spend much time in the schoolroom of mortality to realize that Heavenly Father's plan does not provide for blissful happiness at every step along our mortal journey. Life is filled with harsh realities that tug at the heart and tear away at the soul.
• Much adversity is man-made. Men's hearts turn cold, and the spirit of Satan controls their actions.
• Much adversity has its origin in the principle of agency.
• Often overlooked is the fact that choices have consequences; we forget also that agency offers the same privilege of choice to others.
• Our faith in our Heavenly Father and his beloved Son, Jesus Christ, is the source of inner strength. Through faith we can find peace, comfort, and the courage to endure. As we trust in God and his plan for our happiness with all our hearts and lean not unto our own understanding, hope is born. Hope grows out of faith and gives meaning and purpose to all we do. It can give us comfort in the face of adversity, strength in times of trial, and peace when we have reason for doubt or anguish.
• "There is nothing sad or gloomy about a person who accepts the truths of the gospel and incorporates these principles in his daily living."
• Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Henry B. Eyring -"Always Remember Him"

• "And inasmuch as they sought wisdom they might be instructed;"

Aileen H. Clyde -Covenant of Love

• We may be turned by fear to looking for protection from one another rather than keeping our promise to be a light and a protection for one another.
• "Forsake the world, and save your souls."
• He knows us, he would not have required anything we cannot do.
• Anyone who has had experience with the Lord's love knows o the sure courage that comes when we keep our part of that trust and honor him by seeking his Spirit and by living the best we can.

Eduardo Ayala -We Have Kept the Faith

• First: They never stopped trusting in the Lord, and they placed all of their faith in him.
• Second: They remained faithful in prayer.
• Third: They never stopped studying the scriptures.
• "We have never been as close to the Lord as when we were reading the scriptures."
• Fourth: They implemented priesthood programs.
• Fifth: They humbled themselves before the Lord.
• "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith."

O. Samuelson, Jr. -As Jesus Sees Us

• "Oh, what ... a gift to give us, to see ourselves as others see us."
• "As his followers, we cannot do a mean or shoddy or ungracious thing without tarnishing his image. Nor can we do a good and gracious and generous act without burnishing more brightly the symbol of him whose name we have taken upon ourselves."
• The Lord has called you and me to represent him in various important ways and duties whether they seem large or small to us.

Russell M. Nelson -Children of the Covenant

• Endure with loving faith.
• "I feel better when you are near me."
• Delete from our personal vocabularies names that segregate and hyphens that separate.

David B. Haight -Sustaining a New Prophet

• "It is invariably the case, that when an individual is ordained and appointed to lead the people, he has passed through tribulations and trials, and has proven himself before God, and before His people, that he is worthy of the [position[ which he holds."

Until you next see these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

The Dream

I was helping out a girl who wanted to buy a hamster, only she didn't have a cage or anything for it. She just wanted to have a hamster. I asked her if she was going to get a cage, and she said no. I got the impression that she wanted the hamster to live in a hamster ball...which wouldn't be good for the hamster at all. They need more room then that. I wasn't going to let her get a hamster as I didn't want any harm to come to him from the girl not taking care of him right....

When the unholy tones of daylight pulled me away....
and I became myself again. :)

-S.N.D