Its that time of year again and I can't wait!  General Conference is by far my favorite time of year.  This upcoming even has been on my mind as I've studied Christ's life the past week.  I love how clear Matthew 10:1 is "...He called unto Him 12 disciples and gave unto them power..."  Christ called 12 men to be his disciples and gave them power, the holy priesthood, which is the same power and authority that our Prophet Thomas S. Monson and his 12 apostles have in this day and age.  Thomas S. Monson has been called of God, and we have the opportunity this week to listen to him and his apostles.  I know that they have the authority of God to lead and guide this church, and as we hearken unto their words, we are following what our loving Heavenly Father would have us do.   To those of you who have never heard of General Conference I hope that you will listen to or watch it.  It truly is a marvelous experience and a way to find a bright path of hope in your lives.
To watch it just go to lds.org

¨If ye have not charity, ye are nothing¨ - Moroni 7:46   This verse always strikes me to the core, and more so now that I am studying the life of Christ.  Repeatedly we find in the scriptures the importance of charity.  As I studied the many miracles that Christ performed it hit me how He truly is the perfect example of charity.  Jesus walked the streets performing miracles daily.  He dedicated His life to helping those around Him.  He too taught the importance of charity, but not only did He preach about it, He showed us how to live a charitable life.  He loved us enough to die for us and told us to love our fellow men.  We owe Him everything and we can give back a small portion of that by serving those around us.  There are so many opportunities available if we just look.  There are so many people in need.  So let´s follow Christ´s example and find ways to serve as we go about day to day.

“His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.”   St John 2:5

 As we discussed this verse in my New Testament class I became amazing at all that we could see from one verse of scripture.  At this point Jesus had still not yet begun his ministry.  At a wedding feast, Jesus’s mother, Mary, comes to Him telling Him that there is no wine.  It is amazing to analyze this fact.  Mary indeed knew that Jesus could help solve her problem and she had enough faith in Him to tell her servants “whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.”  I love this line.  Mary had seen miracles before; she had been raising the Son of God, I’m sure we have no idea what kind of things Mary had seen.  She had seen and she knew that all things are possible if we just listen to Jesus’s words and act on His instructions.  That is a testimony to me.  Mary was a witness and she is talking to us. “Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.”  We must be willing to act on Jesus’s words with precision.  His words will lead to the truth, will lead to miracles and to happiness.

Luke1:10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

These I believe are the most powerful lines in the scriptures.  It marks the beginning of the mortal life of the greatest person who every lived.  The angel clearly states that this “shall be to all people”.  Christ lived and died for every one of us.

I just want to bear my testimony to all who read this of my Savior, our Lord and Redeemer, Jesus Christ.  He was chosen before the world was so that He might atone for our sins.  We are not left alone in this world.  We are not left to live with a constant guilt for all our sins.  He takes that burden away if we are but willing to come to Him with a broken heart and a contrite spirit.  I can´t even begin to imagine how much He loves us.  He loves us so much He was willing to come to earth to suffer, bleed and die for us.  But the most important part of the Atonement that I fear many people don´t comprehend is the fact that He rose from the dead; and therefore, He lives.  Jesus Christ our Savior lives and He is with us, He has already suffered everything that we have, or will suffer on this earth and because He lives He can and will be there by our side; our comforter, our strength, our constant help.  We can and will be forgiven if we just turn to Him.  I love my Savior Jesus Christ, He is my Savior, my friend and my brother.

Just look at the world around us.  We are surrounded by ever increasing evil and temptations.  So many things in the media, politics and everyday norms that have been twisted into corruption that try and drag us down with them.  We know that Satan is loose, free to tempt anyone and everyone in the world.  Yet we know that there is opposition in all things.  It is only after experiencing the darkest night that we can feel the true joy of sunny day.  After being tempted and perhaps even falling into temptation is when we can experience the full joy that comes in choosing the right and repenting of our mistakes.  But perhaps the greatest opposition in this world is the difference between the devil and the Almighty God who will never leave our side.  Truly we have a Father in Heaven who cares for us, who watches over us and will lift us up when we fall.  Yes the devil is present but he is one who will abandon us, who wants to see us fall and will only lead to misery.   Moses is but one example of the billions of people who have been tempted by Satan, yet his example is powerful:
 ¨And again Moses said: I will not cease to call upon God, I have other things to inquire of him: for his glory has been upon me, wherefore I can judge between him and thee. Depart hence, Satan.¨ -Moses 1:18

Are we willing to stand up to the devil as did Moses?  Surely we have that same power, the same power to say ¨Depart hence, Satan¨!  We can tell when he has hold of us, when he tells us we´re not good enough, when he tells us to worship the things of the world.  But we must be strong.  We must have the faith to know that God and his gospel is happiness, despite what the world may say.  I know that God is our loving heavenly father who is concerned for His children, He wants our happiness as much as we do and He will help us find it.  So have courage, have the courage to call upon God and follow Moses, who didn´t cease to pray despite the temptations of Satan.  Stand up and say ¨Depart hence, Satan, I will not cease to call upon God¨.