Félix Leclerc Arboretum

We knew the Île d'Orléans would be beautiful in Fall, and it was. There's basically only the one road around the island, with many intriguing glimpses of little wooded areas that would be so pretty to go off and explore (probably all private property)—but luckily there was a small public trail that looked promising. I'd been hoping we'd find somewhere to walk down through all the trees you can see growing on the hills (banks?) that slope down to the river. It was nice because we got to walk through the forest and also through a sort of marshland.

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Maze games, island pumpkins, and non-festive holidays

Ah, Fall just got lovelier and lovelier in Quebec City! Even just the view from our balcony was breathtaking. Those distant mountains looked so colorful when the air was clear! I took enough pictures for a lifetime but still don't feel like I got enough. How sad to be talking about Fall in past tense now…though I have to admit we've had a very nice November, I certainly can't complain…but I do wish October and the beautiful trees could last forever!

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The transforming power of charity

This post is part of the General Conference Odyssey. This week covers the Saturday Afternoon Session of the October 2007 Conference.

Elder Wirthlin gave such a good talk on Christlike love! He helped me realize something new about it. He said:

The gospel of Jesus Christ is a gospel of transformation. It takes us as men and women of the earth and refines us into men and women for the eternities.

I have been aware of and appreciated this function of the gospel already—it's one of the things I most hope for, that I can keep progressing long enough to have this great transformation. But then Elder Wirthlin says this:

The means of this refinement is our Christlike love. There is no pain it cannot soften, no bitterness it cannot remove, no hatred it cannot alter. …

The most cherished and sacred moments of our lives are those filled with the spirit of love. The greater the measure of our love, the greater is our joy. In the end, the development of such love is the true measure of success in life.

When we love the Lord, obedience ceases to be a burden. Obedience becomes a delight. When we love the Lord, we seek less for things that benefit us and turn our hearts toward things that will bless and uplift others.

As our love for the Lord deepens, our minds and hearts become purified. We experience a “mighty change in … our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually.”

I never really thought about what it is that effects the transformation from Natural Man into Saint. But it makes so much sense that it's charity or pure love! It makes sense because everything starts with God's love—the Plan of Happiness, our existence here on earth, the gospel of Jesus Christ. "We love Him because He first loved us." Feeling God's love is the start of everything good. And once we feel it, like I wrote about here, it sets off a positive chain reaction of wanting to share love with others—feeling it more ourselves as we do—and seeking to share it even more!

Elder Wirthlin continues:

Because the Savior laid down His life for us, we have a brightness of hope, a confidence and security that when we pass from this worldly existence, we will live again with Him. Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we can be cleansed of sin and stand as partakers of the gift of our Almighty Father. Then we will know the glory that God “hath prepared for them that love him.”

This is the transforming power of charity.

Knowing that charity has such transformative power—when felt, when sought, when shared—makes me want to seek it even more. I want to feel and benefit from its transforming power!

Other posts in this series:

Payments and Dividends—by Rozy

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Aurora in Quebec City!

 

I never imagined I would get to see the Aurora Borealis at all…let alone in Utah! However, Quebec City does seem like a somewhat more likely place to see them, so when we came here it did cross my mind that they might be visible at some point. But who has time to keep abreast of such things? There are aurora trackers you can check, but…you have to check them! I never think of it!

Luckily there are those in my circle who DO think of it. Sam is one of them. Seb is another. My brother Karl is another. So in October I was made aware that there had been a large coronal mass ejection which might cause aurora. Sam kept an eye on the predictions throughout the next day or two, though, and when it looked like it was going to be disappointing, we forgot about it.

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Ordinary lives among ordinary families

This post is part of the General Conference Odyssey. This week covers the Saturday Morning Session of the October 2007 Conference.

I have no memory of ever hearing President Packer's talk in this session, but I loved it! It was a very personal talk, and I always like hearing people's stories, but I also just liked the reminder of how the power of the church really does come from so many ordinary individuals all just trying their best! Of course it doesn't always work perfectly because we don't work perfectly, but just imagine how amazing it would be if you could duplicate this in any other organization:

Once the gospel is preached and the Church is organized, there is an inexhaustible supply of faithful brothers and sisters who have that testimony and are willing to answer the call to serve. They commit themselves to the work of the Lord and live the standards required of them.

Members have had the Holy Ghost conferred upon them after their baptism. The Holy Ghost will teach and comfort them. They are then prepared to receive guidance, direction, and correction, whatever their position or needs require.

That self-teaching, self-building, self-correcting function that the Holy Ghost serves for each calling is so amazing! I can learn how to teach a bunch of teenagers about Jesus, or how to help a group of children learn songs about the gospel, or how to inspire a group of ladies to dive deeper into the scriptures—even when I have no experience, no real aptitude, no leadership skill—I can learn all of that anyway, step by step, from the Holy Ghost! It's a miracle, and one I've actually experienced multiple times.

President Packer then tells this story:

Forty-six years ago I was a 37-year-old seminary supervisor. My Church calling was as an assistant teacher in a class in the Lindon Ward.

To my great surprise, I was called to meet with President David O. McKay. He took both of my hands in his and called me to be one of the General Authorities, an Assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

A few days later, I came to Salt Lake City to meet with the First Presidency to be set apart as one of the General Authorities of the Church. This was the first time I had met with the First Presidency—President David O. McKay and his counselors, President Hugh B. Brown and President Henry D. Moyle.

President McKay explained that one of the responsibilities of an Assistant to the Twelve was to stand with the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles as a special witness and to bear testimony that Jesus is the Christ. What he said next overwhelmed me: “Before we proceed to set you apart, I ask you to bear your testimony to us. We want to know if you have that witness.”

I did the best I could. I bore my testimony the same as I might have in a fast and testimony meeting in my ward. To my surprise, the Brethren of the Presidency seemed pleased and proceeded to confer the office upon me.

That puzzled me greatly, for I had supposed that someone called to such an office would have an unusual, different, and greatly enlarged testimony and spiritual power.

It puzzled me for a long time until finally I could see that I already had what was required: an abiding testimony in my heart of the Restoration of the fulness of the gospel through the Prophet Joseph Smith, that we have a Heavenly Father, and that Jesus Christ is our Redeemer. I may not have known all about it, but I did have a testimony, and I was willing to learn.

I just like that so much. Even though I know objectively speaking that "church leaders" aren't some special class of people (and obviously I have seen church leaders be all-too-human in certain situations, and have been an all-too-human leader myself)—I still find myself thinking, "Well, the Seventies, though! And the Twelve Apostles! They really are a special sort of person with a special sort of testimony." And of course in one sense that's true. They are experienced and wise. They have special keys. But for some reason it just seems so powerful to me what President Packer says here, that anyone might have what is required to be a special witness of Christ: "an abiding testimony…of the Restoration of the fulness of the gospel through the Prophet Joseph Smith, that we have a Heavenly Father, and that Jesus Christ is our Redeemer." I guess it's powerful to me because I DO have that! And just like Elder Packer was, I am willing to learn! And that is really enough to serve in any position God requires!

President Packer continues:

As General Authorities of the Church, we are just the same as you are, and you are just the same as we are. You have the same access to the powers of revelation for your families and for your work and for your callings as we do.

It is also true that there is an order to things in the Church. When you are called to an office, you then receive revelation that belongs to that office that would not be given to others.

No member of the Church is esteemed by the Lord as more or less than any other. It just does not work that way! Remember, He is a father—our Father. The Lord is “no respecter of persons.”

We are not worth more to the onrolling of the Lord’s work than were Brother and Sister Toutai Paletu‘a in Nuku‘alofa, Tonga; or Brother and Sister Carlos Cifuentes in Santiago, Chile; or Brother and Sister Peter Dalebout in the Netherlands; or Brother and Sister Tatsui Sato of Japan; or hundreds of others I have met while traveling about the world. It just does not work that way.

And so the Church moves on. It is carried upon the shoulders of worthy members living ordinary lives among ordinary families, guided by the Holy Ghost and the Light of Christ, which is in them.

I love that, and it inspires me to do a little better in my little part of the church, wherever I am and whatever my calling is!

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Stretch themselves again and again

This post is part of the General Conference Odyssey. This week covers the Young Women's Session of the April 2007 Conference.

In Sister Julie B. Beck's talk this session, there were two thoughts about repentance I really liked. First, I liked the way she applied this scripture (originally given to Joseph Smith) to all of us:

It is Satan who puts hopeless thoughts into the hearts of those who have made mistakes. The Lord Jesus Christ always gives us hope. He says:

"Thou wast chosen to do the work of the Lord, but because of transgression, if thou art not aware thou wilt fall. 

"But remember, God is merciful; therefore, repent of that which thou hast done which is contrary to the commandment which I gave you, and thou art still chosen, and art again called to the work."

And I really liked this quote she shared from President Kimball too:

The cultivation of Christlike qualities is a demanding and relentless task—it is not for the seasonal worker or for those who will not stretch themselves, again and again.

The stretching process isn't easy, but it results in growth, and I do want growth!

Other posts in this series:

Modesty is more than just not showing skin—by Rozy

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You will come to know Him better

This post is part of the General Conference Odyssey. This week covers the Sunday Afternoon Session of the April 2007 Conference.

I loved Elder Eyring's talk in this session! I want to quote all of it, but I'll confine myself to a few favorite parts. He starts out by citing a bunch of scriptures that talk about the importance of "this day" and warn against delaying our choice to commit to God. Then he talks about how easy it is to forget the urgency of "this day":

All of us will need His help to avoid the tragedy of procrastinating what we must do here and now to have eternal life. For most of us the temptation to delay will come from one or both of two feelings. They are polar opposites: one is to be complacent about what we have already done, and the other is to feel overwhelmed by the need to do more.…

Complacency can affect even the seasoned adult. The better and the longer you serve, the more likely that the tempter can place this lie in your mind: “You have earned a rest.” You may have been the Primary president in your little branch twice. Or you may have worked long and hard on your mission and sacrificed so much to serve. Or perhaps you were the pioneer in the Church where you live. The thought may come: “Why not leave the service to the new people. I have done my part.” The temptation will be to believe that you will return to serve again, someday.…

This rings so true because I have felt it to some degree myself, and I've seen the results of it in other places. Abe served in a little branch on his mission where there were a number of members who just…got tired of doing everything. Of always being the one with a calling. Of always have to help others. Of never really being appreciated or having a rest. And it totally makes sense! I suppose in a Zion society no one would have to bear those lopsided burdens! But…the trouble is (and this is what Elder Eyring points out), if we start thinking that way, we actually are depriving ourselves of blessings, actually limiting our own ability to have joy in God's service. Elder Eyring says:

It is hard to know when we have done enough for the Atonement to change our natures and so qualify us for eternal life. And we don’t know how many days we will have to give the service necessary for that mighty change to come. But we know that we will have days enough if only we don’t waste them.…

In the hardest trials, as long as you have the power to pray, you can ask a loving God: “Please let me serve, this day. It doesn’t matter to me how few things I may be able to do. Just let me know what I can do. I will obey this day. I know that I can, with Thy help.”

Then he continues:

For those who are discouraged by their circumstances and are therefore tempted to feel they cannot serve the Lord this day, I make you two promises. Hard as things seem today, they will be better in the next day if you choose to serve the Lord this day with your whole heart. Your circumstances may not be improved in all the ways which you desire. But you will have been given new strength to carry your burdens and new confidence that when your burdens become too heavy, the Lord, whom you have served, will carry what you cannot. He knows how. He prepared long ago. He suffered your infirmities and your sorrows when He was in the flesh so that He would know how to succor you.

The other promise I make to you is that by choosing to serve Him this day, you will feel His love and grow to love Him more.…

By serving Him this day, you will come to know Him better. You will feel His love and appreciation. You would not want to delay receiving that blessing. And feeling His love will draw you back to His service, wiping away both complacency and discouragement.

It's so fitting that God's love—which we feel more and more as we serve Him and His children—is the cure for both extremes, for the complacency and for the discouragement. It's exactly what every person needs. And it's available to us at all times! We just have to begin somewhere (this day!), reaching for that love by making some effort to serve the people around us.

Other posts in this series:

"Mom, are we Christians?"—by Rozy

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Quebec City mornings

I love the early mornings here in the city, and when I manage to get outside for a walk I love them even more. I don't ever get tired of seeing all the landmarks in different weather and different light. Someone said to me the other day (when we were in Montreal), "I think Quebec City is the most beautiful city in North America." I think so too! Every one of these little vignettes could be its own postcard, especially when no people are out and the light is just right (and with Fall in full swing!), but taken together in real life they are breathtaking. I feel so lucky to live here and get to know these places for myself!

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Festival de Magie, Conference, Cruise Ships, etc.

In September, the "Festival de Magie de Québec" came to Quebec City. For several days, there were free magic shows all afternoon in Place d'Youville up the street, and there were magic classes and bigger magic shows in the evening in a couple different venues. It was also our neighborhood's annual street fair, so there was lots to go see and do! Rue Saint-Jean was closed to cars, and the stores moved their merchandise outside onto tables or under tents. Very festive. As we walked along the street, we also saw lots of little crowds gathering around various wandering magicians (from the festival, no doubt) out demonstrating their tricks. I told Malachi he should come out and do card tricks (you wouldn't believe the amazing things he can do, I am in awe) but I don't think he ever did.

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