General Conference

 

So its a little late, but reviewing all the talks of the 183rd Annual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints  for this post was great. I was reminded of the all the uplifting words I heard last weekend. 

 

General Conference has grown in meaning to me the last couple of times I have watched it. However, before this session, I was seeing a lot of Facebook memes of people begging for Conference to occur more often, even once a month. I was a little confused; like I said the last few times had been held more meaning, but I was not so sure I was ready for a once a month General Conference. Every six months seemed like enough for "church in pajamas" since it does dwindle away a Saturday and Sunday pretty quickly. Every month? Seemed liked a lot of time in front of a TV.

 

I just didn't get it.

 

That was until I heard this:

 

And this:

And this:

 

And this

 

and this too:

 

 

 Finally it started making sense why people would want to watch conference once a month. Have you ever heard to a song, and it just fits perfectly with how your doing and feeling and it says just what you need to hear? Conference is that (eight hour) song.

But don't take my word, watch it yourself here

Thought I Was Done??

So maybe you thought I was done talking about Nicaragua. Guess you were wrong.

 

This past Friday, I was able to participate in NAU's International Festival. I, of course, represented Nicaragua and created a little table display for hundreds of elementary school students. Most of the youngsters had no idea where or what Nicaragua is, and I even had some adults and NAU students ask me how to pronounce Nicaragua (that was shocking)!

 

 After locating Nicaragua on a map, I tried to teach a little bit of Spanish, but the real entertainment came from the stories about food. The children were so interested in the photos and loved shaking the coconut to hear the water inside.

 

 

 

This is a little coloring activity I made. Note to self: do not spend so much time cutting out paper flags!

Overall, I think the students had a good time. I just enjoyed someone being interested in my crazy stories and was grateful to talk on and on, always captivating the attention of anxious students. Who knows maybe one of them will feel more encourage to go abroad!

 

The Easter Pageant

I wish I had taken the opportunity to post about this earlier, but nonetheless here it is.

Every Easter season, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints puts on Jesus the Christ, the largest outdoor Easter pageant in the world.  It is performed on the grounds of the Mesa, Arizona temple (the same place that does the Christmas lights here) and displays the life of Christ. This year there were over 900 volunteer staff and cast members who spent hours of their live perfecting the play for the public to view at no cost. Every night thousands of people (normally 11,000-15,000)  gather on the grounds to watch whether sitting in the chairs provided or having a picnic with a blanket on the grass.

Two years ago, I had the opportunity to be a cast member in the pageant. It was a great experience; although I took it for granted at the time. This year, however, my whole immediate family was it. That includes my mom, dad, and five sisters. Because I am studying in Flagstaff, I was not able to audition, but I did get to support them from the audience. Although my family had to sacrifice a lot of time at the expense of a lot of nerves, I know they helped bring thousands of individuals closer to Christ including myself. I am so grateful for their sacrifice and the sacrifices of the other hundreds of people that make the pageant possible. It is truly beautiful and uplifting. Thank you all so much.

My favorite scene was the same that it has been for years. It is one of the final scenes where Mary Magdalene goes to the tomb and finds that Christ's body is not there. When she turns around and realizes that the supposed gardener is her 'Master' so much joy crosses her face. In the pageant she then begins to sing a jubilant tune as she tells her friends and other apostles that she has seen the risen Christ.  She is so happy and full of joy, and her emotions radiate to the audience, and I feel it.

I will try to be on top of things next year and let everyone know when the pageant starts. It is an amazing experience for everyone.