Adult Session - Summary
President Hamilton spoke about waxing bold in mighty prayer (2 Nephi 4:24). From Acts 13:46 he said that we need to be frank in utterance, confident in spirit, speak freely, and know that God hears and will help. He shared the following scriptures that help us understand how to grow more confident, powerful, and faithful in prayer.
President Hamilton shared a touching, personal story about a time when he and Sister Hamilton were struggling with the health of their son Griffen. Exhausted, and not knowing what to do, he turned to our Heavenly Father in prayer and received a very specific answer to stop one of Griffen's medications. He then asked what we are missing out on, and what prayer we need to pray that will change the direction of our lives.
He extended an invitation to change the very nature of our personal prayers.
Priesthood Leadership Session - Summary
President Hamilton led a discussion on "Creating Christlike communities of unity and belonging devoid of contention and discrimination. He showed a training video about this. Points that came from discussion included:
General Session - Summary
President Hamilton started by speaking of the fountain of youth the people sought and searched for. He said that we all want something, and that Jesus Christ is the destination, the treasure, and the living water we seek. He then spoke of counterfeits giving the following three examples.
Naaman the Leper sought to be healed. His wife's servant, the "little maid" taken captive from Israel told them that the prophet could heal him. When Naaman sought Elisha's help, Elisha told him through his servant “Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean”. Naaman was looking for something big or fancy and went away angry. His servants convinced him to follow the prophet and he was healed. Sometimes we get the idea that we need to do something big , but what we need is Jesus.
President Hamilton then told the story of a company called Black Oxygen Organics (BOO) with a product of the same name. During COVID people sought this cure-all which claimed to treat any ail and aid in health. The product cost $110 for a small bag. The FDA investigated and found out that the product was actually dirt. People were looking for something to fix them when what they needed was Jesus. Jesus is the miracle cure. He is the answer.
President Hamilton finished with the story of a man named Hastings who wanted more people to move to California, so that it could become a state. Up to that point, the route to California was long and went through Oregon. Mr. Hastings published a small book that presented a much faster way to get to California. Mr. Hastings had never taken a wagon on this route. The route went through the high Sierra Nevada. The route was rugged, not suited to wagons, and not always open. The most famous group to take this "quicker route" was the Donner party.
President Hamilton warned us not to be distracted by fancy people who claim to have answers. The answer is always Jesus.
Sister Hamilton talked about light. She shared a story about traveling by car to Disneyland. Near Primm Nevada, traffic backed up for no apparent reason. They sat on the freeway for hours. Finally a state trooper acted as a pilot car and led them to California through an incredible snow storm. Visibility was very limited, but following the lights of the trooper's car kept them safe.
She spoke of the plight of Lehi's family and the Lord and the Liahona was their pilot car as they traveled to the promised land. She said that as we travel to our heavenly promised land, our pilot car is the light of Jesus Christ.
Sister Hamilton then told of their son Cameron who served his mission in the arctic circle in Sweden. With no sunlight in the winter, he had to use a sun lamp, take vitamin D, and exercise more to avoid depression. Just as we need the light of the sun, she said we also need the light of the Son.
She shared simple things that will bring light into our lives, and those that can dim our light.
O, My Father...
This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent' (John 17:3)
Brothers and Sisters I am humbled and grateful for the opportunity to share a few thoughts
with you this evening. These past few weeks I have been inspired as I have read and re-read
the timely conference talks assigned to us as preparation for stake conference. As the most
recent addition to the stake high council, I have been blessed to observe the varied talents and
Christlike attributes of the men and women who have been called to lead our stake. Their love
for our Heavenly Father and His Son are manifest in the way that they serve. I bare witness that
President Hamilton is a man of God and has been called to lead our stake in this extraordinary
time and season. His counselors and clerks are likewise accomplished and inspired men who
have dedicated themselves to fulfilling the Lord’s will for the Syracuse Fremont Park stake in
Zion. What a blessing it is to live in a time when the heavens are open and priesthood keys and
blessings are accessible to the faithful. All that and a temple being built in our backyard. I’d
have to ask President Richardson for confirmation but I think our youth might agree that these
are pretty “dope” days.
Since at least the 4th century AD, clerics, priests, intellectuals and religious scholars have
worked especially hard to minimize the All-powerful, All-knowing, Author of the Plan of
Salvation, Master Creator, Ruler and Preserver of all things, the Grand Architect of the
Universe, even the Father of our spirits and Beloved Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Attempts
throughout history to merge the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost into One with intent to
elevate the Son, diminish the Father and eliminate the Holy Spirit altogether have contributed
to the apostasy from faith and general confusion found so abundantly in the world today. The
prophet Joseph Smith identified false religious creeds or beliefs as a source of confusion to the
world and oppression against church members in Doctrine and Covenants 123 verse 7 where
the Lord revealed that “There are many who are only kept from the truth because they know
not where to find it.”
Nowhere on earth is the Father’s divine role more clarified than in His Holy Temple. It is He to
whom all glory and honor is given. We pray to Him. We worship Him. We covenant with Him.
“For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of
man.” I testify that our Heavenly Father loves us beyond comprehension. Nothing is more
important to Him than our completing the second leg of our round-trip ticket. Tried, tested,
battle-scarred, and spiritually refined, having overcome the world through the Savior’s
Atonement, we are welcomed home into His loving embrace, “to be received into the kingdom
of the Father to go no more out, but to dwell with God eternally in the heavens,” as Mormon so
beautifully described the promised reunion to the three Nephites.
Building Christlike communities of faith requires that we understand our true lineage. My
ministering desire to satiate the thirst of a weary fellow traveler is noble. But if my canteen is
empty, what’s the use? As ordinance workers in the Ogden Temple this past year, Liesa and I
have drunk deeply from the fountain of God’s love for all His children. I have come to know
that Heavenly Father knows me and loves me despite my mistakes and shortcomings. I bare
humble testimony that you will feel the great worth of your soul as you attend the temple with
real intent. God will pour out rich and timely blessings of love, mercy, and understanding as
you seek His help and guidance in your life. Knowledge of God’s infinite love stirs within us the
desire to bind ourselves to Him. Through sacred covenants made in the presence of God and
His servants, we discover the importance and necessity of placing the Savior at the center of
our lives. His perfect life, infinite Atonement and subsequent Resurrection satisfied the
demands of justice and burst the bands of mortality. Thus accomplished, Jesus Christ stands
alone as our worthy Advocate with the Father. After washing the feet of His apostles, Jesus
reminded them: “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by
me.” (John 14:6). Only by Him and through Him can we enter into our Father’s presence as
glorified and resurrected beings.
Through the scriptures and living prophets the way home is illuminated. Mercifully, the narrow
path that leads through the mist of darkness includes an iron rod. But we must reach out, grab
it, and hold on. Apostles and prophets inspire and direct us through exemplary lives and
inspiring messages; but we must be willing to act on the spiritual promptings we receive to
move forward with faith.
Most recently, President Nelson has counseled us to Think Celestial! As we carefully ponder
President Nelson’s prophetic plea, I encourage us all to reflect on the accompanying promises.
For example, “As you think celestial, your heart will gradually change. You will want to pray
more often and more sincerely.” (Think Celestial!, Nelson, Oct 2023, Gen.Conf.) Though my
progress has been turtle-slow, I can testify that President Nelson’s promise is real. These days
my prayers are less like “shopping lists” and more like gratitude lists. More importantly,
following the prophet’s counsel has helped me to understand our divine Creators in higher and
holier ways. “Follow the prophet, follow the prophet, follow the prophet he knows the way.”
(Follow the Prophet, Duane Hiatt)
Coming to know our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ is not possible without the Holy
Spirit. As the third member of the Godhead, the Holy Ghost is a man with a spirit body. He is
the Spirit of Truth, the Comforter, Witness, Testator, Sanctifier, Revelator, Sealer, and the Holy
Spirit of Promise. Like a mighty mirror, the Holy Ghost reflects the truth, light, and love of God,
our Father, and Jesus Christ throughout the universe without limitations of time and space.
This special gift is unlike any other given to Heavenly Father’s children. Through baptism and
confirmation by those in authority, the gift of the Holy Ghost is given to us. As we Stand in Holy
Places, Stand with Holy People, Testify of Holy Truths, and Listen to the Holy Spirit as Elder
Stevenson has counseled, we will not be left alone. “But the Comforter, which is the Holy
Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things
to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” (John 14:26)
Brother and sisters, the Holy Spirit touches our hearts and minds more frequently than we
realize. As we partake of the sacrament and renew our covenant with the Father to always
remember Him and to keep His commandments, ever mindful of the sacrifice of His only-
begotten Son Jesus Christ, the Holy Ghost will abide in us. Though at times we sail through Seas
of Despair and Discouragement, the Holy Spirit can lift us to a recognition of who we really are
and what really matters. In such a moment, CS Lewis grasped the hopeful light of the Father’s
love as he witnessed: “So God is, then, something like a divine physician. A cruel man might be
bribed—might grow tired of his vile sport—might have a temporary fit of mercy, as alcoholics
have temporary fits of sobriety. But suppose that what you are up against is a wonderfully
skilled surgeon whose intentions are solely and absolutely good. Then, the kinder and more
conscientious he is, the more he cares about you, the more inexorably he will go on cutting in
spite of the suffering it may cause. And, if he yielded to your entreaties, if he stopped before
the operation was complete, all the pain up to that point would have been useless... So I am,
you see, one of God’s patients not yet cured. I know there are not only tears yet to be dried
but stains yet to be scoured. My sword will be made even brighter.” (CS Lewis, A Grief
Observed).
Brothers and sisters, experiencing joy in the journey through mortality and eventual exaltation
in the world to come is what our Father desires most for each of us. As we come to know the
Master Surgeon and put our hearts, souls, sweat and trust into his plan for us, we will return to
Him refined and pure.
Adult Session - Summary
Summary goes here
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