General Conference

What’s Gucci?

This week was seriously the best week ever!! I had horchata and good mexican food for the first time in 10 months. :) I went on exchanges with a spanish Elder in Hoover, Alabama and he taught some Hispanic investigators while I sat there. I learned how to bear my testimony in spanish, I committed a lady to baptism (she spoke english so I had to actually do something) then we ate good food!! It was a fun little exchange and Elder Rollins was pretty fun to be around. But yes, good mexican food does exist in Alabama. I doubted it until this Friday when I experienced it.

Also we had our fair share of miracles this week. I got a cool story for you. There is this college girl who started coming to the institute and other meetings because she is doing a report in her religion class on Mormonism. We started meeting with her last Monday and she came to the fireside where President Holzapfel spoke, she came to General Conference yesterday, and she has read up to Jacob in the Book of Mormon already. In just a week! We talked to her yesterday and committed her to baptism, she called us last night at like 10:40, said "I know it’s true, I called my parents and told them I’m getting baptized, and they’re excited for me! When can I get baptized??" It was a little more than that but that’s the general gist of it haha. It was awesome! So she'll be getting baptized on the 21st and her report is due on the 25th! Hahaha It’s going to be a bomb report :) The Church is true!!

Also on Friday night we swung by an investigators house and she was outside on her porch with a friend from Huntsville. We started talking about her coming to General Conference to hear the Prophet and her friend was like "Prophet??!!" So we taught her about Prophets, and the restoration of the Church. We gave her a Book of Mormon, and she started reading it right there. She went back to Huntsville that night so we committed her to watch conference and she did, and she has read the first 4 chapters in the Book of Mormon so far. And she lives in Elder Lofthouse's area so I got to call him and tell him to go and teach her haha. It’s just been a great week and the Lord has been blessing us all over the place. Missionary work is so fun it’s crazy.

Plus I have been praying for Elder Konold to have good experiences since he's coming to the end of his mission and president told me to make him happy haha. Needless to say he is way happy, and so am I! We had 4 investigators come to conference and I loved conference!! Shoot, the choir did an amazing job and did you see David Archuletta in the missionary choir?? I did :) and Rachel (in our ward) was freaking out!! That’s sweet that he is serving a mission. I’m proud of him. But yes, I loved conference and I took a bunch of notes so I wont forget all the stuff I learned. And yeah I’m way ahead of President Uchtdorf with “Stop it”. I’ve been saying “Top dat” since like 1994.

I can’t believe Mom had the flu all weekend? How do you get sick doing nothing all day?? Haha. Did one of your piano students give it to you or something?? Messed up. Trevon Thompson and Michael Stevens got their mission calls!! Shoot doesn’t seem like they are old enough yet haha. And Michael is going to Provo, UT???!! I laughed when I thought of him walking around Provo. He’s going to be perfect for that place. :) Sounds like Zac and Chris are doing well too. I can’t believe I have almost been out for a year too. I’ve been here in T-town for 5 months! What the hey? The time be flying by.

Jackie wasn’t able to get into conference???? What a bummer! Man I thought for sure she was going to be loving it. I’m sad for her and Lauren but it’s all good they watched it I’m sure. But that has to be a heartbreaker. I can’t believe I’m the only one in the family who hasn’t been to a conference in the Salt Lake Conference Center. Where was I when y’all went without me?? I can’t remember. And it sounds like you’re busy with the Easter presentation. Good luck getting all that organized. Are you ever going to get released from having to do that?

I had some 7^th Day Adventists try to throw down on me lately too. Going after all of our investigators saying "Would you be willing to go to hell just because you go to church on the wrong day?" and I’m all are you serious haha. What about what Jesus said "Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath" haha. As long as you devote one of 7 days to the Lord it doesn’t matter what day it is. But we have to actually keep it holy. Just rest...the Sabbath is a day of rest haha. I kinda blew it growing up with the resting part but I’ll have no problem with that after 2 years of no rest ;)

I saw the talk by Elder Holland to the Harvard Law School! We watched it in institute but I want to hear the question and answer part. Send me the talk anyways! I loved it. I liked what he said about how we don’t follow the post-New Testament creeds of Christianity. Good stuff especially when I see exactly what he’s talking about everyday here in the south. Like the trinity....not even a biblical term. The Nicene Creed and Athanasian Creed just threw it together because the Catholic Church said they can’t have 3 gods. So they have to be one. If you get a chance read about the Athanasian Creed in "Jesus the Christ". The creed says stuff like, "God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost are three distinct beings, but are one. They cannot be distinct and one. But they are." It doesn’t make sense to me haha. Obviously I paraphrased that, but I did a decent job paraphrasing it haha. But yeah I’m happy we have the restored gospel and aren’t confused about the simplest things such as the godhead.

I love being a missionary. It’s the best. I learn a lot and I get to see first hand why we need the Gospel. General Conference was a big boost of the spirit this weekend and it was well needed. Hopefully I can help some more people out this week with the stuff I was able to learn. Pretty much what I learned for myself was to love everyone, focus on my family and everything else will fall into place, and do my part as a missionary to give others the opportunity to feel like I do. Easy peasy lemon squeezy! Just gotta go and do it now. And I’m going to upload some picturess right quick. :)

Love y’all and I hope you are feeling better and living it up in California!!

Peace, love, chicken grease....Elder Oppenlander