For the past little while my mom has really wanted to take her girls to a Time Out For Women. Well, none of us has really had the funds to blow readily available for the conferences held in the months since she discovered TOFW. For whatever reason, though, she decided enough was enough and in January she asked if us girls were interested. It would have to be our birthday presents for the year, but my Mom could make it work if we wanted it.
I was 100% in. I talked to Eric right away so that he could get the Friday off. The venue we chose was only about an hours drive from my mom's house, but we decided it'd be fun to stay in a hotel since the conference is a Friday night, Saturday day thing. So, it ended up that all I needed to pay for was to chip in for the hotel room and food for the time I was gone. So very inexpensive, all things considered and Eric knew that it would be good for me and was willing to do whatever was necessary to make sure I could get there.
Then came the Strep. I was so sick and so worried I wouldn't feel well enough to go after all was said and done. Thankfully, with modern medicine and lots of prayers I felt just fine when it was time to go. I left around 2:00 on Friday the 21st and headed to my Mom's. We waited for just a little bit for my older sister to get back from a meeting she had to go to and then we were on our way.
We got to the hotel around 4:00, got all checked in and then tried to decide what to do about dinner. The conference started at 6:30, so we wanted to make sure we had time to eat and time to get to the event center.
Due to modern day technology, my little sister grabbed her phone and found places to eat nearby. We finally decided on Outback Steakhouse. I decided to take a picture of my food and send it to Eric to make him just a little bit jealous.
I was kind of dissapointed with my meal. It just wasn't as yummy as I had hoped. We left dinner quickly and headed to the event center. Because the place was packed and there wasn't really anywhere left to park, we dropped my mom and little sister off at the front to go stand in line for us. Meanwhile, my older sister and I found a place to park and went to meet my mom and sister in line.
While we weren't in the front of the place, we had a pretty nice place with a walkway in front of us and a big screen just a few feet in front of us, so it was perfect.
The following are my notes from the speakers and I'm writing them down mostly for my benefit, so that I have a place where I know they're at. These are the things that jumped out at me. They are the things I felt I really needed to hear.
MARIAMA KALLON - Grew up in worn-torn Sierra Leone and witnessed the horrific murders of her family.
- PROVERBS 3: 5-6
"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."
- Heavenly Father knows our wants and desires. He knows us better than we know ourselves!
- ALMA 37:37
"Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day."
- We're NOT alone.
-
HOW FIRM A FOUNDATION - Thomas S. Monson, October 2006
- HELAMAN 5:12 (Her Favorite Scripture)
"And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall."
HEIDI SWINSON - Author and screenwriter with lots of PBS documentaries. Also wrote President Monson's biography.
- Instead of
Lead, Kindly Light look at it as
Lead! Kindly Light.
- Do you follow that light?
- Parable of the 10 Virgins
- MATTHEW 25:4
"But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps."
- We are light, our heart is our vessel.
- Spend time with those you feel light from.
- Our personal interests help fill our vessel.
- How do you share your time in the temple, sacrament meeting and scripture reading? It's not a relay race.
- DOCTRINE AND COVENANTS 45
- They Received Truth
- Alma the Younger speaking of his father's conversion
- Abinadi kept speaking, even when he was in a fire
-
THE MORAL FORCE OF WOMEN - D. Todd Christofferson, October 2013
-
NO OTHER GODS - Dallin H. Oaks, October 2013
- Do I have other Gods? What are they?
- Stop with the "If I Just Had....", what the Lord's given us is all we need.
- Taken Holy Spirit as Guide
- President Monson took to visiting the widows in his home ward. One such widow was one of his Primary teachers. He'd take the time to visit with her and feed her. One other person in the nursing home told him to stop wasting his time because she never spoke to anyone. He continued talking to her and patting her hand. At one moment she said, "I know you. You're Tommy Monson. My Primary boy."
- "Difficulities allow us to change for the better." Thomas S. Monson
- Heidi faced the difficulty of the death of her newborn
- JOHN 14:27
"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."
- No worldly accolades are worth more than the knowledge of an Eternal Family.
- Heidi shared the following story: One day in church someone fairly new in the ward, casually asked her how she was. For whatever reason she responded by saying, "I'm going to stop buying socks, they just get lost and you can never find the match." She felt bad for responding in such a way, especially to someone who barely knew her and being the Stake President's wife she didn't want to appear that she couldn't handle what life was giving her at the time.
The next day there was a phone call. Her husband answered it and it was the same lady that had asked how things were the day before. She asked if she could bring dinner every night for the next two weeks. Heidi said her husband immediately said, 'Yes.' But had she answered the phone the answer would've been a direct 'No, I'm okay....'
This lady came every day for the next 2 weeks with a meal. It was a little thing, but it was her way of saying, "I can light your way."
- Here's What I Can Do To Help (really think about it)
- Pray!!!
In between the speakers Friday night,
Jenny Oaks Baker performed for us. She is a classical violinist and played a few songs for us. In between the song she said a few a words. The things that stood out for me were these:
- We should focus on making sure our own family is running smoothly before we concentrate on the world running smoothly.
- There is the saying that the most important thing a father can do for his kids is to love their mother. She feels its also important that a mother love her children's father and honors his priesthood.
- Happy Father's = Happy Families
When Friday night had concluded we headed back to the hotel. We got up to the room and started to discuss some of us wanting ice cream and if we were going to go back out to get some. Once again, my little sister gets on her phone and finds a frozen yogurt place closeby. We head back down the elevator and see this on the main floor:
The fire alarm was covered with a rubber glove. I don't know how we missed it when we first got back, but we found it hilarious when we did see it. We couldn't figure out why in the world someone would cover it up or why the hotel hadn't taken it down. It was late at night and so that just made it even more hilarious.
After our trip to the frozen yogurt place, we came back and for whatever reason my mom just could not figure out how in the world the glove was attached the the fire alarm. My older sister tried explaining it to her and finally said something like, "It works like a condom." My little sister and I cracked up (we also don't think my mom heard what my older sister said) and I said, "I don't think she even knows how a condom works." Kind of mean, but she didn't hear me and she probably would've laughed if she had.
We get back up to our room and after thinking for it a bit, my older sister says, "You know they probably covered the alarm because of the construction going on." She's smart like that. The alarm probably kept going off because of dust in the air or something, so they covered it up. We went to bed later than we should've, but we had fun.
Saturday started earlier than I would've liked, but I'm not a morning person. We had a quick breakfast in the hotel lobby and then headed out to the conference for the day. I was excited because
Jericho Road would be performing. More on that later, though.
So we take seats in the same row we were in the night before and got set for a new day of inspirational words.
- Saved By A Sunbeam
- She shared this story about leaving an ice cream shop as a small family was coming in. There were a couple of kids and the older brother she guessed was about 5 or 6 would not leave the little 3 year old sister alone. The parents gave him a few warnings and one of them was that he wouldn't get any ice cream if he didn't stop. Well, he didn't stop and the parents were going to follow through with their punishment when the sister stepped in saying, "He'll be nice, he won't do it again. I promise."
- Jesus STILL wants us for a Sunbeam
- When someone asks how are you, respond with HAPPY
- What is our uniform? Armor of Light
- It's better to light a candle, than curse the darkness
- Heavenly Father knows every star - I am known. I'm unlike any other sunbeam - "You're Not a Clone."
- He died for me, but he came back.
- Let Us All Speak Kind Words
WHAT IS YOUR DREAM?
- Rely on personal revelation to know what God wants us to achieve
DARE TO DREAM
- Make meaning of your life
- Truly grow up
- Harbor and a Ship
- Children can dream
DREAM
- What did you love doing as a child?
- Rely on Feminine Strengths
- What was your favorite church calling?
- Where do you feel strong?
DO
- Date A Dream
- Start with what you have
- Show Up!!!
JOHN HILTON III - Assistant Professor of Ancient Scripture at BYU and Author
- Book of Isaiah
Do as Nephi instructed: Liken Scriptures to Self
- "CEASE TO DO EVIL, LEARN TO DO WELL."
- Gossip?!?!?
- Negative speaking
- 5 examples of small changes
- No phone or devices when kids are around
- Listen to the Mormon channel when doing laundry
- Think of 1 thing you're thankful for before saying prayers (family prayers too)
- Stop complaining about spouse in public
- Wearing church clothes all day on Sunday
- Steadiness & Inspiration
- "THEY THAT MURMURED SHALL LEARN DOCTRINE"
- Never complain about problems
- Turn complaint into something I am committed to
- What can I do to make it happen?
- “For every worry under the sun there is a remedy or there is none; if there is a remedy hurry and find it. If there is none never mind it.” - LeGrand Richards
- If it can't be changed - let it be
- Complaining is Not A Strategy
- Serving
- Problems pale in comparison
- Others have it worse
- Isaiah 61 - Give praise for heaviness
- "I WILL BE WITH THEE, WHEN THOU WALKED THROUGH THE FIRE"
- "Can a woman forget her sucking child"
- Isaiah 49: 14-16
"But Zion said, The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me.
Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.
Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me."
- Isaiah 43: 1-3
"But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.
When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.
For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee."
- At some point, God will intervene
- "Some blessings come soon, some come late, and some don’t come until heaven; but for those who embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, they come." - Jeffrey R. Holland
- THE WORK OF RIGHTEOUSNESS...BRINGS QUIETNESS.
- Isaiah 32:17
"And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever."
- What you have is unique & ENOUGH!!!
- Search For The Lord
- Matthew 7:7
"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:"
- SASS takes action
-Act on His Atonement
-Bled from every pore for MY pain and suffering
- Alma 5:14
"And now behold, I ask of you, my brethren of the church, have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts?"
- The things that are different about me are the things that make me like those I'm missing.
- Make myself what he created me to be.
- Doctrine & Covenants 82:10
"I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise."
- Share Your Gifts
- You share what you have to give.
- What you have is unique and enough - AND exactly what the world needs.
Search, Act, Savor & Share - SASS
- Children of Israel loathed the gifts they were given, died after being bit by serpents, could be healed if they would look at snakes on the staff.
- Why will you not look?
- Not always delivered out of our problems
- Hear Me Mom!
- Knowing that his mother couldn't see what he was doing, he started saying - "Hear Me, Mom!" Applicable in my life?
- Wait Upon The Lord
- What makes a good waiter?
- Wait on the Lord by waiting on the Lord
- LOOK UP
- Turn complaints into prayer
- Hope is never lost.
- "Wait for me, I don't want you to get hurt."
- Kris told the story of how her and her husband went to some sort of show and after he parked the car, she wanted to show him how independent she could be. She got out of the car and started walking and walked right into a cement pillar. After explaining herself to her husband, he said to her - "Next time, please wait for me. I dont' want you to get hurt."
- LOOK IN
- Know difference between limits and limitations
- What can I control?
- Act INSTEAD of react
- What do you have to give? You have something to give.
- Kris discovered she can give laughter.
- It's okay to laugh.
- LOOK OUT
- Things you have are the things people around you need.
Saturday's speakers were full of fun things to say. I don't think I've laughed so hard, so continuously for a long time. And while that would have been enough, the day wasn't complete without hearing from Jericho Road.
Jericho Road came together as a band in 2001. At the time I was 21, just a few years past being a 'teenager', so I was still in that silly frame of mind when I first saw them. They were fun to watch and sounded great and they sung church music. I was hooked.
I don't think my mom realized they were performing when she got the tickets for us. Nor do I think she realizes just how much I enjoy their sound. So I was super excited that they performed. While they performed their own songs, they also favored us with a medley of boy band favorites starting with The Jackson 5. Definitely entertaining.
...This guy reminds me of one of Eric's friends...
In between songs members of Jericho Road said a few things here and there. The one note I wrote down was to refer to President Monson's talk,
WE NEVER WALK ALONE from October 2013 General Relief Society Meeting.
These were the two songs they performed that stuck with me.
TESTIFY TO LOVE
DON'T HIDE YOUR FACE
I couldn't find a video already made for this song, so I put one together using images found with Google, LDS.org and GregOlsen.com.
This was definitely something I needed. I was glad to have gotten to spend this time with my sisters and my mom. I'm also thankful for a loving, supportive husband who knows my needs. Time Out For Women is something I think I'm going to try to go to more often, it really inspired me and lifted me up.
