Saturday, February 28, 2009

Sister Nelson ~ Notes (Long)

So, today I had the opportunity to hear Wendy Watson Nelson speak! She was IN. Credible! I enjoyed it so much that I am going to post my notes in hopes that you too might glean something from her words and thoughts.

"Spiritual Preparation for Times of Tribulation"

I am not the teacher today, the Holy Ghost is, so I invite you to have the Spirit with you regardless of what I say. She then told a story about when she was 24 and engaged. She said she has made it a goal and challenged us to also make it a goal to not "waste General Conference" to go with a question in our hearts. She was wondering if it was the right thing to do to marry this man she was engaged to. She said that EVERY talk was on marriage and that when Conference was over she knew she was NOT to marry this man. She went straight to the phone and broke the engagement. She said that years later she was asked to speak on marriage and she KNEW exactly where to go to get direction ~ the Conference talks of April 1974! So, she looked it up and NOT ONE talk was on marriage. Again, she reiterated the fact that if you decide to listen to conference this way.... "What is the one question I need most to have answered at General Conference" HE will answer you. Again, the Spirit is what teaches... like she said at the beginning of her talk, the Spirit is what teaches regardless of what she says.

She went on to say that the Lord's time is not our time.... it wasn't until 32 years later (to the month) that she got married ~ To Elder Nelson!!!

She said if you can't think of a specific question to watch for at Conference, to Pray to know what to pray for! THEN (loved this) she said you must do it... You don't say, "Lead me, guide me", and then say "Just kidding"!

She told a story of a lady that was called to be the Stake Camp Director. The lady that WAS the camp director was moving and they called someone else to replace her and she had to bow out (can't remember why) and so she was then called. She went to this stake meeting with all the stake YW leaders and ward YW leaders and she sat in the back thinking, "I shouldn't even be here, I was really 3rd choice" (etc, etc) and the Stake Pres. was speaking... he stopped, walked 1/2 way down the isle, called her by name and said you are right where the Lord wants you, He wants YOU and needs you where you are serving. He then turned, went back to the pulpit and continued his talk as if nothing had happened. She said, the Lord was speaking to ME ~ he let every body else listen in ~ but he was speaking to me!

Sister Nelson continued to tell us that the Lord hears our prayers and He WILL answer us!

She told us to search Alma 5 ~ the 40 questions there and see which of the questions stirs our soul...

Quote: "As the forces around us increase in intensity, whatever spiritual strength was once sufficient will not be enough."

Thought question: "How can I increase my ability to hear the voice of the Lord?"

1 Peter 5:8 "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour"

Be Sober = take it seriously! YIKES!!! BEWARE!

Sister Nelson went on to tell us of a recent trip to South Africa. They were in an open hummer going through the wild. She told of what an awesome experience it was but they were warned to make sure they did not stand up or put their arms outside the vehicle. She said that the guide had told them that they animals are used to the shape of the vehicles but if they put their arms out or stood up they would surely attack. She said a leopard walked right by the hummer and she got a picture. She put the picture up on Power Point. (None of these pictures are hers, sorry) She said he was so close she could reach out and touch it! She told us that the very next day it was reported that a tour guide was attacked by a leopard and killed!

Sometimes we don't even realize how dangerous of a situation we are in!

She said, "The Power of a Question... Do they INVITE the Spirit or do they OFFEND the Spirit?"
Then she showed a picture of a locked gate.

When we are faced with a problem do we ask, "Why me?", "Why do I always have to_____", or "Why does she always get to _____?"

This only leads to Doubt, Discouragement, Depression, and/or Despair.

She said that Jeffery Holland, in a CES Broadcast, said that when we have self pity (a pity party) the Holy Ghost cannot come...
She said, "If the Lord could of made it more difficult for Abraham, He would have."

Sister Nelson said that some questions open up our minds.

"What can I do to learn from this trial?" "What can I do so that I will be MORE of my true self through this trial?"

She said she wishes there was some way that we could watch just 10 minutes of our Premortal DVD so we could remember who we were, who we stood by, and what we did!

What IS on my (or your) DVD?

What is on my "Things to do while on earth" list?

She challenged us to pray, fast and go to the temple over these questions! (LOVE that idea!)

MAKE TIME to get to your "Things to do on earth list"!!!!

Look at 1 Nephi 15:27 "And I said unto them that the water which my father saw as filthiness: and so much was his mind swallowed up in other things that he beheld not the filthiness of the water"!!!!

Did you read that??? His mind was on OTHER things... NOT the filth of the water...

Are our minds on OTHER things... are we consuming the filth of the world?

(One cute thing... she said we as women have a GREAT influence on our husband... on our children... and NO it is NOT nagging! It is "repetitive encouragement"!!!)

Things that we do on a daily basis.... Whose agenda is "THIS" supporting? (video, dress, music)

She said to pray to have the Holy Ghost as our constant companion and THEN picture Him right by your side all day long! "When I pray for and picture the Holy Ghost, the third member of the Godhead, being right by my side, what am I naturally drawn to say or do, or NOT say and do?"

(Do not have one conversations with ANYONE without the Holy Ghost)

She challenged some women to do this for a time (I can't remember how long, I want to say 21 days???) and they said the 1st thing they wanted to do was to clean their homes...)

She told of a conversation she once had with a Patriarch. She asked him, "How do you prepare to give a blessing?" He told her that he starts by vacuuming the room.

She said that a stake pres. once told her that when they have a disciplinary council they make sure there is not one extra chair in the room, not one extra piece of paper... they CLEAN the room first!
She then showed us a picture of a barn...She drove by a barn once that had THREE words on the side of it... She asked us to think, what would these 3 words be for US?

The barn had in large letters across the roof.... NOT EVEN ONCE.

She has ONE nephew. She asked herself what she could do to make sure that he had a good life. She decided (he was 6) that she would promise him 100 silver dollars if he would keep the Word of Wisdom. She told him that she would check with him every year and if he did NOT partake ~ NOT EVEN ONCE by the time he was 18 years old she would pay him. Every year on his Birthday she would ask him, "Brad, have you ever smoked a cigarette?" (he was 7) He said no. The following year she asked him, "Brad, have you drank a cup of coffee?" He said no. And on it went... When he turned 18, she once again asked him and he said, "No. Not even once." So, she wrote "Word of Wisdom" with the silver dollars and took his picture with it and gave him the picture and the money. (I loved this!!!)

What am I willing to commit to the Lord ~ NOT EVEN ONCE?

She challenged us to take ONE question to the scriptures DAILY every 30 days.

Kneel down, thank our Father for the scriptures, ask your question, and then open them and READ. Journal your question and the date and when you get your question write down where you found it. Do this every 30 days. She did warn, that it might be interesting... when you go back and look, the scripture angels might change the scripture you found it in, they always do! (like her conference when she was told not to marry ~ remember... ALL of the talks were on marriage ~ NOT.)

The scriptures are an answer book! Wear your scripture lenses.Sister Nelson then put up a picture of her niece (I THINK it was her niece, I didn't write down what relative, sorry!!! This is NOT her niece, just a pic I found on Flickr!)

She told of this sweet little girl that is 3 year and 10 month old. She can NOT read. BUT, she always gets her scriptures out and "reads" them. And she marks them. And she writes about them. Sister Nelson asked her what she wrote and this is what she "read" to her that she "wrote" (I copied this from her power point)

"And he spoke unto me, and he talked to me
And his apostles returned and he died.
And he listens to me and he loves me
And he was the truth of God
And he gave me everything I needed
And he was done."
When we gaze into Heaven...
When we ask...
When we truly want to know...
We will be answered.

21 comments:

Nancy said...

IT was a pretty amazing talk, you certainly captured the spirit that she was relaying to us! A morning well spent, with many things to ponder and think about. I am working on my question for conference. Smile.

rad6 said...

Wow Shaila this was amazing. Your note taking skills are a blessing. Thank you for sharing this. Made my evening. I think my favorite part was the lead me, guide me... just kidding comment. Such a thought provoking thought about what each of us are DOING in our lives and whether we are prepared to listen.
(I left a comment on your pre-existance post... if you don't recognize me.) :)
Thanks again!
Ruth

Unknown said...

I'm so glad you posted this. I got chills just reading it! I love Wendy Watson! I have heard her speak before and it's changed my life! These were such important points that you shared. We are all going to need the Spirit to get through these days I think.
You did a great job sharing your notes with us!

tammy said...

Love this Shaila! Especially the part about how to watch General Conference. I think I may have to keep a copy of this post to refer to often. And the woman who was called as stake camp director was Nikki from Blah, Blah, Blog right? She just talked about that experience on Jan's blog. Funny how Sister Nelson talked about it.

Letti said...

What a great talk. I am so glad that you took the time to write it down for us.

Jan said...

Oh my gosh. Nikki just talked about the experience with the Stake President on my blog the other day. How ironic is that. I think this story is meant to be retold.

What a wonderful talk. I love that you shared so much valuable inspiration. We all need to be reminded over and over again how to be prepared for conference time too. I know I need the prod.

Lisa Loo said...

Oh I am sooo glad Jan left that comment! I thought I was losing my mind--I KNEW I had just read or heard this story!!!! Thanx for sharing--I love Wendy Watson Nelson!

Pancake said...

I love the notes you took (repetitive encouragement!!!) The locked gate and not even once!! Great talk Shaila! Thanks for taking the time to type them!

HOW was your first break the fats meeting?

lance n sarah said...

Thank you so much. I was unable to go yesterday and I have been so sad about it. Especially at church today when everyone was talking about how amazing it was. I haven't read your notes yet but i have copied it all and will read it when the kids go to bed.

The Kooky Queen--Rachel said...

WOW!!! Isn't it so rejuvenating to hear talks like that?! Thanks for sharing!! And her stories and examples were so awesome!

Pedaling said...

i finally had a few moments to sit down and read the entire post.
it was inspiring.
loved the motto for the barn.
"not even once"
words to live by.
thank you for sharing all these thoughts and words.
thank you.

CB said...

I have heard Wendy Watson Nelson before and she is amazing. Her story is amazing.
I love all your notes on this talk.
I love the part about seeing your pre-mortal DVD for 10 minutes. I have often thought what my post mortal DVD might look like but not the pre-mortal.
The story about the woman being called 3rd as a Stake Camp director...Wow - It makes you realize that the Lord really knows our hearts.
Great stuff - Thanks for sharing so much!

chelle said...

Wonderful and uplifting as usual! Youarethebest. m

The Bains said...

Thanks so much for posting your notes! My plans to go fell through, I made several other plans and those and fell through too! I was really bummed about it. (Would it be wrong to adopt a 16 year old, love them tons but also ask them to babysit all of the time?) I am so glad that I can read your notes and get the wisdom I missed out on.

Lisa @ Pulsipher Page said...

I loved this post- very uplifting! Her comments were everything I needed to hear. Thanks so much for keeping such great notes.

Dev & Di said...

I really liked this, I wish I could have been there to hear it in person! Thanks for sharing this with me! :)

kitchenditcher said...

Oh Shaila, I must say that I was actually guided to your blog today. I haven't visited in quite a while. And how glad I am that I did.

Thank you so much for posting this. I hope it's okay but I have copied it and sent it to both my girls.

Just through your notes, I can tell that she is a powerful speaker. I am going to read this again and again.

And I too and working on my question for conference. :o}

Love you girlfriend!

Jodi said...

Thank you SO much for taking the time to share that with us! I absolutely loved every word and needed to hear it all! So much to absorb and think about that I am going to have to keep coming back and re-reading it until it all sinks in! Thanks Shaila!!!

craigandlissa said...

Thanks so much for your notes, Shaila, and taking the time to share them with us. I have been so out of sorts lately, it was just what I needed. Is it okay if I put a link to your post on my blog??? I was sick and I was bummed to miss. Love ya!

Marilyn said...

Truly you shared these notes for me! I'm in tears right now and I thank you so much for the inspiration. I'm struggling with my new calling-it is SO hard-and these words have given me comfort and hope and the resolve to get my answers from the scriptures. I will be definitely seeking to have the Holy Ghost at my side! Thank you! Thank you!

tiki_lady said...

absolutely beautiful! thanks so much for posting this. It has been so helpful! I am going to take my question to the scriptures for 30 days.