Sound Advice

This weekend we had a special conference with one of our church leaders. For those of you not a member of my church (see lds.org), we have restored the same organization that Jesus Christ had while he was here during His ministry, including 12 apostles. Anyway, one of those 12 apostles came into town. To accommodate the huge amount of members here in NYC we met in the Hammerstein Ballroom, on the same street as the Empire State Building. That in and of itself was remarkable to see the church members in one spot. Rarely happens in our stake since no chapel can hold us all.
The name of this church leader was Jeffrey R. Holland. He said many things that touched my heart, including his testimony that whatever we have or are currently suffering, Jesus Christ suffered too. We can have faith in the Atonement that He knows what we're going through and can let Him take our burdens for us. Elder Holland also referred to when the original apostles, as recorded in the New Testament, were on a fishing boat and there was a violent storm that overtook them. He referred to the apostle Marks' account and reminded us that the Savior quieted the storm. But then Elder Holland gave some really sound advice: In the midst of all the storms surrounding us now, both globally and personally, now is not the time to jump out of the boat. "Stay in the boat," he said. "Stay closer to the Lord (cling tight to the boat) than ever- Now is not the time to do your own version of a 'doggy-paddle' amidst all the storms in this life. Stay in the Boat."
I have to admit, that counsel touched Jason and I very deeply. As we're living through our own challenges right now we were reminded of where we need to put our efforts and our faith.

We took the subway home- here are some pictures: