April 2005 General Conference -Saturday Afternoon

Thomas S. Monson -The Sustaining of Church Officers
 
Robert W. Cantwell -Church Auditing Department Report, 2004
 
F. Michael Watson -Statistical Report, 2004

• Total Membership -12,275,822
• Full-Time Missionaries -51,067

Joseph B. Wirthlin -The Virtue of Kindness

• Kindness is the essence of greatness and the fundamental characteristic of the noblest men and women I have known. Kindness is a passport that opens doors and fashions friends. It softens hearts and molds relationships that can last lifetimes.
• Kind words not only lift our spirits in the moment they are given, but they can linger with us over the years.
• Kindness should permeate all of our words and actions at work, at school, at church, and especially in our homes.
• The things you say, the tone of your voice, the anger or calm of your words--these things are noticed by your children and by others. They see and learn both the kind and the unkind things we say or do. Nothing exposes our true selves more than how we treat one another in the home.
• The Church is not a place where perfect people gather to say perfect things, or have perfect thoughts, or have perfect feelings. The Church is a place where imperfect people gather to provide encouragement, support, and service to each other as we press on in our journey to return to our Heavenly Father.
• "And of some have compassion, making a difference."
• Who can tell what far-reaching impact we can have if we are only kind?

Richard G. Scott -The Power of Preach My Gospel

• "For many years now we have had a standard set of missionary lessons. Great good has come of this. ... But unfortunately this method, in all too many cases, has resulted in a memorized presentation, lacking in Spirit and in personal conviction. ...
• "[Missionaries] should master the concepts of the lessons. But they should ... teach the concepts in their own words under the guiding influence of the Holy Spirit."

Harold G. Hillam -The Worth of Souls

• "I plead with you, my brothers and sisters, that if you have any doubt concerning any doctrine of this Church, that you put it to the test. Try it. Live the principle. Get on your knees and pray about it, and God will bless you with a knowledge of the truth of this work."
• If you feel you have been wronged, be ready to forgive. If there is, for some reason, an unpleasant memory, let it go.
• To all, but especially to those who some day will be great-grandfathers and great-grandmothers, your eternal blessings and those of your posterity are far more important than any prideful reason which would deny you and so many others of such important blessings.
• You can be the solution, and not the cause, of problems.
• So many times it is the righteous children who are able to steady the boat while sailing in turbulent waters.

Lynn G. Robbins -Tithing--a Commandment Even for the Destitute

• The natural man has a tendency to think only of himself--not only to place himself first, but rarely, if ever, to place anyone else second, including God. For the natural man, sacrifice does not come naturally. He has an insatiable appetite for more.
• Faith isn't tested so much when the cupboard is full as when it is bare. In these defining moments, the crisis doesn't create one's character--it reveals it. The crisis is the test.
• One reason the Lord illustrates doctrines with the most extreme circumstances is to eliminate excuses. If the Lord expects even the poorest widow to pay her mite, where does that leave all others who find that it is not convenient or easy to sacrifice?

Dieter F. Uchtdorf -The Fruits of the First Vision

• "All have not every gift given unto them; for there are many gifts, and to every man is given a gift by the Spirit of God.
• "To some is given one, and to some is given another, that all may be profited thereby."

Robert D. Hales -Couple Missionaries: Blessings from Sacrifice and Service

• Your Heavenly Father needs you. His work, under the direction of our Savior Jesus Christ, needs what you are uniquely prepared to give.
• The Four Fs: fear, family concerns, finding the right mission opportunity, and financial challenges. May I yet add another more important and powerful F--faith.
• "And if they will do this in all lowliness of heart, ... I, the Lord, give unto them a promise that I will provide for their families.
• My advice to you: look forward, not back.

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