April 2011 General Conference -Saturday Afternoon

Dieter F. Uchtdorf -The Sustaining of Church Officers

Robert W. Cantwell -Church Auditing Department Report 2010

Brook P. Hales -Statistical Report 2010

• Total Membership: 14,131,467
• Full Time Missionaries: 52,225
• Church Service Missionaries: 20,813

Boyd K. Packer -Guided by the Holy Spirit

• Obedient to revelation, we call ourselves The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints rather than the Mormon Church. It is one thing for others to refer to the Church as the Mormon Church or to us as Mormons; it is quite another for us to do so.
• "The use of the revealed name, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is increasingly important in our responsibility to proclaim the name of the Savior throughout all the world. Accordingly, we ask that when we refer to the Church we use its full name wherever possible."
• "When referring to Church members, we suggest 'members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints." As a shortened reference, 'Latter-day Saints' is preferred."
• The world will refer to us as they will, but in our speech, always remember that we belong to the Church of Jesus Christ.
• Everyone is tested. One might think it is unfair to be singled out and subjected to a particular temptation, but this is the purpose of mortal life--to be tested. And the answer is the same for everyone: we must, and we can, resist temptations of any kind.
• "John, leave it alone. Nothing you do about it will bring her back. Anything you do will make it worse. John, leave it alone."
• Around us we see members of the Church who have become offended. Some take offense at incidents in the history of the Church or its leaders and suffer their whole lives, unable to get past the mistakes of others. They do not leave it alone. They fall into inactivity.
• That attitude is somewhat like a man being hit by a club. Offended, he takes up a club and beats himself over the head with it all the days of his life. How foolish! How sad! That kind of revenge is self0inflicting. If you have been offended, forgive, forget it, and leave it alone.
• If someone is looking for a church that requires very little, this is not the one. It is not easy to be a Latter-day Saint, but in the long run it is the only true course.
• If you are carrying some burden forget it, let it alone.
• You will be watched over and blessed--you and yours.

Russell M. Nelson -Face the Future with Faith

• It is true. We live to die, and we die to live again. From an eternal perspective, the only death that is truly premature is the death of one who is not prepared to meet God.
• Our faith now becomes part of our posterity's faith later.
• We have great cause for concern. But we do not need to let our fears displace our faith. We can combat those fears by strengthening our faith.
• Teach of faith to keep all the commandments of God, knowing that they are given to bless His children and bring them joy. Warn them that they will encounter people who pick which commandments they will keep and ignore others that they choose to break. I call this the cafeteria approach to obedience. This practice of picking and choosing will not work. It will lead to misery. To prepare to meet God, one keeps all of His commandments. It takes faith to obey them, and keeping His commandments will strengthen that faith.
• "I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up."
• Rarely in the future will it be easy or popular to be a faithful Latter-day Saint. Each of us will be tested. The Apostle Paul warned that in the latter days , those who diligently follow the Lord "shall suffer persecution."
• That very persecution can either crush you into silent weakness or motivate you to be more exemplary and courageous in your daily lives.
• Fear not. Be of good cheer. The future is as bright as your faith.

Richard J. Maynes -Establishing a Christ-Centered Home

• Our eternal happiness is not one of Satan's objectives.
• Because Satan understands that true happiness in this life and in the eternities is found in the form of family, he does everything in his power to destroy it.
• "The Echo" illustrates the importance and impact parents have as they influence their children: 'Twas a sheep not a lamb That strayed away in the parable Jesus told, A grown-up sheep that strayed away From the ninety and nine in the fold. And why for the sheep should we seek And earnestly hope and pray? Because there is danger when sheep go wrong: They lead the lambs astray. Lambs will follow the sheep, you know, Wherever the sheep may stray. When sheep go wrong, It won't take long till the lambs are as wrong as they. And so with the sheep we earnestly plead For the sake of the lambs today, For when the sheep are lost What a terrible cost The lambs will have to pay.
• A rope has different strands woven together to make it strong. If a rope had only one strand, it wouldn't be able to get the job one. But because there are more strands that work together, we are able to use it in many different ways and it is strong.
• "Families can be like ropes. When only one person is working hard and doing what is right, the family will not be as strong as when everyone is putting forth the effort to help each other.

Cecil O. Samuelson Jr. -Testimony

• "Wherefore the voice of the Lord is unto the ends of the earth, that all that will hear may hear."
• "And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things."
• When you give someone money or food,  you will have less. However, when you share your testimony, it strengthens and increases for both the bearer and the hearer.

Dallin H. Oaks -Desire

• Desires dictate our priorities, priorities shape our choices, and choices determine our actions. The desires we act on determine our changing, our achieving, and our becoming.
• Faith can begin with "no more than [a] desire to believe" if we will "let this desire work in [us.]"
• All of us face potential traps that will prevent progress toward our eternal destiny. If our righteous desires are sufficiently intense, they will motivate us to cut and carve ourselves free from addictions and other sinful pressures and priorities that prevent our eternal progress.
• We should remember that righteous desires cannot be superficial, impulsive, or temporary. They must be heartfelt, unwavering, and permanent.
• "Therefore, what we insistently desire, over time, is what we will eventually become and what we will receive in eternity.

M. Russell Ballard -Finding Joy through Loving Service

• Brothers and sisters, the gospel of Jesus Christ is simple, no matter how much we try to make it complicated. We should strive to keep our lives similarly simple, unencumbered by extraneous influences, focused on those things that matter most.
• "All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them."
• In all of our service, we need to be sensitive to the promptings of the Holy Ghost. The still, small voice will let us know who needs our help and what we can do to help them.
• "It is vital that we serve each other in the kingdom. ... So often, our acts of service consist of simple encouragement or of giving ... help with mundane tasks, but what glorious consequences can flow ... from small but deliberate deeds!

Until you next see these words;

I'll be watching the leaves.

Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

Medal Tally!! :)

19-United States    5 Gold   7 Silver   7 Bronze
13-China                5 Gold   3 Silver   5 Bronze
10-Japan                 3 Gold                  7 Bronze
10-Russia               2 Gold   5 Silver   3 Bronze
9  -Italy                  3 Gold   4 Silver    2 Bronze
7  -Australia           4 Gold                   3 Bronze
5  -Korea               2 Gold   2 Silver    1 Bronze
4  -Thailand           2 Gold   1 Silver    1 Bronze 
4  -Great Britain    1 Gold   1 Silver    2 Bronze
4  -Canada                           1 Silver    3 Bronze
3  -Hungary           3 Gold
3  -Chinese Taipei 1 Gold                   2 Bronze
3  -Kazakhstan                    1 Silver    2 Bronze
2  -Brazil               1 Gold   1 Silver
2  -Sweden            1 Gold   1 Silver
2  -Belgium           1 Gold                   1 Bronze
2  -Indonesia                       2 Silver
2  -New Zealand                 2 Silver
2  -South Africa                  2 Silver
2  -Uzbekistan                                    2 Bronze
1  -Argentina         1 Gold
1  -Colombia         1 Gold
1  -Croatia             1 Gold
1  -Kosovo            1 Gold
1  -Netherlands     1 Gold
1  -Vietnam           1 Gold
1  -Azerbaijan                     1 Silver
1  -Denmark                        1 Silver
1  -France                            1 Silver
1  -Mongolia                       1 Silver
1  -Philippines                    1 Silver
1  -North Korea                  1 Silver
1  -Spain                                            1 Bronze
1  -Georgia                                         1 Bronze
1  -Greece                                          1 Bronze
1  -Poland                                          1 Bronze
1  -Portugal                                        1 Bronze