Constancy in the Face of Adversity

This past weekend I had the privilege of speaking at the adult session of our Stevensville Stake Conference for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints. As you know, I love speaking and this experience just added to all of my other positive speaking experiences. I was led by the Spirit to know what to say and how to say it. Some of my close friends were not able to be there and have asked that I share some of the scriptures, quotes, and thoughts.

Constancy in the face of adversity
6:30 pm Saturday Adult Session of Stake Conference

Intro to me
Carlie's response after reading all my teenage journals "You are exactly the same"
My reaction, "I'm not who I was" (song by Brandon Heath) My trials made me stronger

Bishop Rogers told us at the beginning of the year-you will face adversity
No trial is too small or silly to take in prayer to the Lord. He knows us by name and knows the yearnings of our heart.

Helaman 5:12
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 his 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 whereon if men build they cannot fall.

Story of Javier from the movie Courageous - We all were on the edge of the couch hoping and praying for Javi to stay true to his integrity, values, and morals
Come on you can do it!

Will's story of Daniel and the Lion's Den: While living in Idaho Will was bullied on a weekly basis. One day as I was dropping him off he said, "Mom, I'm kind of like Daniel. Everyday you drop me off in the lion's den and I just hope and pray to God that I will come out alive!"

Elder Paul V. Johnson
"Earth life includes tests, trials, and tribulations, and some of the trials we face in life can be excruciating. Whether it be illness, betrayal, temptations, loss of a loved one, natural disasters, or some other ordeal, affliction is part of our mortal experience."

"At times it may seem that our trials are focused on areas of our loves and parts of our souls with which we seem least able to cope. Since personal growth is an intended outcome of these challenges, it should come as no surprise that the trials can be very personal-almost laser guided to our particular needs or weakness."

Not one of the trials we face is beyond our limits, because we have access to help from the Lord.
Wen life gets too hard to stand....kneel
If you want the lord to speak to you...read the scriptures

Lonely long Idaho winter recovering from tailbone injury to coming back home to Hamilton.
Sometimes things have to get worse before they get better!

"Just when all seems to be going right, challenges often come in multiple doses applied simultaneously. When those trials are not consequences of your disobedience, they are evidence that the Lord feels you are prepared to grow more (see Prov. 3:11–12). He therefore gives you experiences that stimulate growth, understanding, and compassion which polish you for your everlasting benefit. To get you from where you are to where He wants you to be requires a lot of stretching, and that generally entails discomfort and pain." -Richard G. Scott, October conference 1995

Living at my in-laws for 2 months

Paul v. Johnson "Well, you're done vs Well done thou good and faithful servant"

The story of Javier on the movie Courageous: We are all each other's cheerleaders. The Lord is looking down saying, "Come on you can do this! Just hold on a little longer!"

Stay loyal to the royal within!