Stay 'in range' with daily prayer
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FORT WORTH, TEXAS
A regional conference attended by more than 1,500 young single adults focused on service.
Participants came to the Fort Worth Texas Stake center Sept. 18-20 primarily from the Dallas-Fort Worth area but also from congregations throughout Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana.
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, second counselor in the First Presidency, and his wife, Sister Harriet Uchtdorf, attended and addressed the conference on Sunday, Sept. 20.
"I like the motto of your conference — 'iServe,' " President Uchtdorf said. "We live in an age of technology. I have an iPhone. It is a wonderful way to communicate and could be compared to prayer. Make sure you are always in range and on 24/7," he said.
Continuing the analogy he said, "Then there is iChat, an easy way to keep in touch. This I would liken to friendship. Take advantage of the opportunity to chat and get to know one another, face to face."
On dating, President Uchtdorf counseled, "I don't subscribe to the idea of soul mates or that there is only one match for you in this world. It's not about finding the right one but being the right one."
He spoke of the process that led to courting his wife. He noticed her family when they moved into his ward, especially the young 13-year-old girl, Harriet. As a deacon he would position himself to be able to pass the sacrament to her. "Young men, you have to be smart and have a plan," he said. He went by her house regularly to offer her a ride to church on his bicycle. She always turned him down but, eventually, he said, "Her mother accepted the offer and I gave her a seat on my bicycle. I can tell you that if you have a good relationship with the mother, it helps."
In conclusion, he counseled the young adults to focus on the weightier matters in life. "At times you will be presented with a choice between Good 1 and Good 2. These are the tough decisions because of their impact now and eternally. The Spirit will let you know how to handle the most important choices," he said. "It is our choices that determine who we are. And if you know who God is, you will know who you are."
Earlier in the day President and Sister Uchtdorf also spoke to the missionaries of the Texas Fort Worth and Texas Dallas missions. Sister Uchtdorf spoke of her own conversion and the joy of having just come from a meeting where they shook hands with 380 missionaries.
"I was struck with how many different churches we passed on our drive to this building. We all share blessings of the plan of salvation, but not the knowledge of this restored truth," she said.
Addressing the theme of service, she recalled a statue of Christ she had seen in England, a statue that had no hands. The inscription at the base of the statue read, 'You are my hands.'
"As you serve others, you act as Christ's hands," she said.
Her love for and sustaining of her husband was evident when she said, "He is a good man; a man of God. He has a Texas heart … big!"
The fireside was broadcast throughout the building via closed-circuit television and included Spanish and American Sign Language translations. Fort Worth Texas Stake President Jon Beesley said in his opening remarks: "It's interesting that we had to get clearance from the fire marshal to have this many people here. It was even harder to explain when we told them the nature of the meeting was a 'fireside' and that the closing hymn would be 'The Spirit of God Like a Fire is Burning.' "
The meat of the conference was on Saturday, with an extensive menu of educational workshops and hands-on service projects. Workshops included a mix of topics such as overcoming selfishness, serving with charity, power in temple attendance and serving while dating.
The service projects were just as varied. Included was service at a Humane Society adoption center, making stationery kits for the Presbyterian Night Shelter, cutting out pillow cases and stuffing dolls for Cook Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth, washing sleeping cots for the Red Cross, and cutting out material for fleece booties, sanding wooden play blocks and making file folder games, craft kits and hair bows for donation to LDS Humanitarian Services and several local Fort Worth charities.
"The service projects were so amazing because there were so many hands," said Karen Richards, attending from Plano, Texas. "The number of YSA participants was inspiring. Even though at times we were packed like sardines in the hallways, it was like swimming in a wonderful ocean of members."
Those who attended were encouraged to bring new and gently used items from a selected list, such as specific clothing items, books, stuffed animals, note pads and pens. Donated items were sorted and packed in boxes for delivery to the Safe Haven and Union Gospel Mission, charitable service organizations in Fort Worth.
After a full day's work, there was still plenty of young adult energy to spare and the cultural hall was filled to overflowing for the dinner and dance that capped off Saturday's busy schedule. "Worldwide Service" was the theme for the evening.
Dinner featured an International Taster's Buffet with foods and desserts from the four world corners. Shawna Riha, a member of the Fort Worth 8th Ward, coordinated much of the food preparations. She was jokingly introduced to President Uchtdorf after the conference as "the sister who fed the masses."
The following morning eager conference-goers attended sacrament meetings in the local area, with many attending the Fort Worth 2nd (YSA) Ward in the host stake center. "This was by far the largest attendance we have ever had in the ward," quipped Bishop Billy Gammons.
President Uchtdorf challenged the young single adults of the conference to go forward in faith and stand up for the values and principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ as they returned to their homes and places of employment.
