Uchtdorf Writeup PDF

Preview

Summary

Paragraph write-ups on Elder Uchtdorf...

Description

Savana Craven

Official Biography and Testimony The life of President Uchtdorf has always been very intriguing to me, as he is originally from Germany and is a refugee. His testimony is very powerful and simple, and I enjoyed learning a little bit more about his life. He is a very skilled pilot; it was interesting to learn that he was the Senior Vice President Flight Operations and Lufthansa Chief Pilot. It makes sense that his testimony related to the clouds in the sky. Jesus Christ was the center of his message, promising that if we follow him, we will have earthly boundaries taken away and have ourselves lifted up so we can see our true potential. Through the restored gospel we are able to obtain instrumental blessings and happiness. “We will rise above the fears of the day.” Bearers of Heavenly Light – Oct 2017 This talk by President Uchtdorf mainly centered on the works of the priesthood. He said, “As a bearer of God’s priesthood and as a disciple of Jesus Christ, you are a bearer of light.” He spoke about spiritual sickness that sometimes comes as a result of sin or emotional wounds. I can definitely relate to feeling like my school responsibilities, social life, work, and church have a tendency to layer like unto sedimentary rock, weighing upon my spirit until it is almost too heavy to bear. The key to healing these deep spiritual wounds is through Jesus Christ and his atonement. President Uchtdorf urges us to become the light of the world, to become a beacon to all who seek eternal life with our Father in Heaven. My favorite quote from this section is this: “God’s love, light, and truth will cause dormant things to spring to life, and you will be reborn into a newness of life in Christ Jesus.” To me, a horticulture student, I think of a plant withering without light, and through certain and careful nourishment it can spring back to life with renewed strength. It is certainly reassuring to know that Jesus Christ can do all things, and can bring us back from even the deepest pits of despair. A Yearning for Home – Oct 2017 This talk given also given in the October session focused on hope and growing our individual testimonies. We will be used by God to bless our brothers and sisters. We can’t get to the Celestial Kingdom on autopilot, rather we need to be responsible for our own lives and follow Him. My favorite quote from this section is this: “The gospel is a transcendent message of hope, happiness, and joy. It is the pathway that leads us home. As we embrace the gospel in faith and deed, each day and every hour, we will draw a little closer to our God. Our lives will be better, and the Lord will use us in remarkable ways to bless those around us and bring about His eternal purposes. Of this I testify and leave you my blessing in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.” To me this is a powerful testament that I can draw closer to God, if only little by little, it is better than not at all. My only real hope in life is that I can feel like my Father in Heaven is proud of me, and what I am trying to do here on earth. I know I am not perfect but I know I can lend what talents I do have and allow myself to become a tool for Him. Three Sisters – Oct 2017

The last conference talk President Uchtdorf gave during the October 2017 conference centered on us persevering till the end, and being glad for all of our abundant blessings. I like how bluntly he put it when he said; “You cannot allow circumstances to make you sad. You cannot allow them to make you mad. You can rejoice that you are a daughter of God. You can find joy and happiness in the grace of God and in the love of Jesus Christ. You can be glad. I urge you to fill your hearts with gratitude for the abundant and limitless goodness of God.” It is definitely easy to get down on ourselves at times and to think negatively about our situations but as President Uchtdorf says, we simply cannot let trials in our life make us sad or mad. We have too much to be thankful for to be stuck in the pessimism of the world. The song of discipleship is a precious and beautiful song to our Heavenly Father. If we continue doing our best day by day we can achieve greatness, I know that to be true. The gospel is the true light and happiness in this world. Are You Sleeping through the Restoration? – April 2014 The title of this talk caught my eye so I chose this one from the April 2014 conference session to talk about. President Uchtdorf centered this talk on all the hard things of this world, such as addictions, selfishness, and competing priorities. He talked about ‘a call to awaken’ and how we are living in the time of the restoration now. This one stood out to me because I struggle with coasting through life, often times focusing on worldly things when I should be focusing more on the gospel and the restoration. My favorite quote from this passage from President Uchtdorf was “Don’t allow selfishness! Don’t allow habits that could lead to addiction! Don’t allow competing priorities to lull you into indifference or detachment from blessed discipleship and ennobling priesthood service! There is too much at stake for us as individuals, as families, and as Christ’s Church to give only a halfhearted effort to this sacred work. Being a disciple of Jesus Christ is not an effort of once a week or once a day. It is an effort of once and for all.” I can appreciate the need and strive for a better world now, as we do not know how much more time we have until the Savior returns to us once again....