What a week! It was crazy busy! Last week I wrote from Sucre cuz we were on our way to Leadership Council in Cochabamba right? So everything went well in Cocha, me and my comp even had to give a class in the Leadership Council about "Helping our investigators recognize and understand the Spirit" and we did a really good job with it. Coming home from Cocha is where things got interesting. I believe I mentioned that the Miners in Potosí were doing some roadblocks in my last update. Well they were still going on when it was time to go. So Elder Sazo and I were trying to look for solutions so that we could get home. The only viable option was to go through good old Tarija (where I started, and which is no longer part of the mission) and take an alternate route to Tupiza. We asked President about it, and he seemed alright with it, but our idea got shot down by the Area Council haha, so no luck. We still got shipped out to Sucre.
The problem is that once in Sucre, we were stuck, we all were. The Zone Leaders in Potosi couldn't get home either, so we were all bunked in once big house with the ZLs in Sucre. We got into Sucre Thursday morning, and were stuck there all day, and most of Friday. But by some miracle the blockades opened up Friday evening. And it really was a miracle. We woke up Friday morning and received news that between Sucre and Tupiza, there were 13 different blockades set up. But in the evening, they were all taken down while the government had negotiations with the miners. Really there is no way that should have happened, we were ready to be hunkered down in Sucre with only two sets of clothes for a while haha. But we all felt that the Lord had a huge part in that, allowing all of us to return to our areas and our zones for General Conference and for the Transfers that would happen on Sunday.
So we got news that the roads were clear at about 5 pm, and threw all our stuff together, and called a taxi to drive us 2 and a half hours to Potosi. We got in about 7:45, and me and Sazo still had to buy bus tickets to Tupiza. This was another miracle, because the buses leave at 9 pm, and by like 6 all the tickets are usually gone. We thought it would be even worse with everyone that was stuck in Potosi and wanting to get out ASAP. But we went and asked for tickets, and to our surprise there were still 3 seats open. We grabbed the last two that were side by side, and were set! Again, there is no doubt that the Lord played a huge part in that, once again allowing us to arrive home when we needed to.
So we left Potosi at 9 pm, and got into Tupiza at 2:30 am. I was never so happy to walk into my house and jump in my own bed haha. Then we were able to enjoy General Conference all weekend with our zone!
I'll get to Conference in a sec, but first we did have Transfers last night. Luckily me and my comp are staying here in Tupiza! So its a sure bet that I will be here till the end of June, I'm excited!
Now to Conference, it really was great this week! I hope everyone was able to watch some of it and hear some of the talks! It was awesome! I wont share everything I wrote, cuz thats a solid ten pages of notes, but I'll share some of my favorite quotes, or summarized quotes, from the weekend. Feel free to look up the talks on LDS.org!
Saturday Morning:
"We must forsake transgression, and any hint of it in our lives or in the lives of others. We cannot condone sin" - Jeffrey R Holland
"The only real filter that will work in this world is a deep strong testimony in our Savior and His Atonement" - Linda S Reeves
"God expects us to keep His commandments, regardless of social divergence from such beliefs." - Neil L Anderson
"Families are the treasure of Heaven" - Neil L Anderson
"The peace of the Savior subdues the swirling whirlwinds of the world" - Neil L Anderson
"When you choose to make or keep a covenant with God, you choose to leave an inheritance of hope for your posterity." - Henry B Eyring
"Choosing the right bring happiness, in time. Choosing to do wrong will bring sorrow, in time. These effects are sure, although often delayed, if not, choosing righteousness would not require faith" - Henry B Eyring
"Let Christ be the Leader of your family, and it will all work out" - Henry B Eyring
Saturday Afternoon:
"Faith is the antidote for fear" - Russell M Nelson
"Even if everyone is doing, wrong will never be right" - Russell M Nelson
"We cannot practice 'selective obedience', picking and choosing the commandments we want to keep." Robert D Hales
"Obedience is taught by example" Robert D Hales
"We must be firmly connected to the Heavens so as to not be swept away by the currents of the world" - Claudio D Zivic
Priesthood Session:
"Once we decide that's just the way I am' we give up our ability to change, we give up and lose the battle" - Donald L Hallstrom
"Who we are, is not who we can become" - Donald L Hallstrom
"If we are not actively educating our desires, the world will do it for us" - Randall L Ridd
"We are not meant to be shackled to the Earth in straight-jackets of our own making" (referring to addictions) - Dieter F Uchtdorf
"It is much easier to prevent a habit, than to cure one." Dieter F Uchtdorf
"Real tests of courage come when we do the right thing even when we are afraid, being faithful when no one is watching, standing up alone when we are misunderstood." President Thomas S Monson
"It is impossible to stand upright when one plants his roots in the shifting sands of popular opinion" President Thomas S Monson
"Courage, not compromise, brings the smile of God's approval" President Thomas S Monson
Sunday Morning:
"Set down the bottle of bitterness and take up the goblet of gratefulness" Dieter F Uchtdorf
"Commandments are an opportunity to exercerise agency and receive blessings" Dieter F Uchtdorf
"The Lord will strengthen us to make our burdens bearable, he will not always take the burdens away" David A Bednar
"Blame keeps wounds open, only forgiveness heals." President Thomas S Monson
"Perhaps we will forget our kind words or acts today, but their recipients could cherish them forever" President Thomas S Monson
Sunday Afternoon:
"Obedience is a choice between our limited knowledge, and the unlimited power and Omnipotence of the Lord" L Tom Perry
"The Savior makes all things right. No unjustice in this life goes unaccounted for in the Eternity" D Todd Christofferson
Alright there you go! Some of my favorite quotes from the Conference, it was a great weekend! As I said before, go ahead and look up some of the talks, they were all really great!
That's it for this week, miss you guys! Talk to you next Monday!
Love,
Elder Sehestedt
Q&A:
Q: Chile had an earthquake on Wednesday. The news said it could be felt in Peru and Bolivia. Did you feel it?
A: Earthquake? I didn't even know that an Earthquake happened?
Q: Earthquake… a yeah… 8.2 just off the coast of Iquique, Chile. It looked like it was a direct line west of you. Six people died and tsunami warnings were sent all over, including Hawaii. I’m glad you weren’t effected by it!
A: Dang 8.2? That's huge, we didn't feel a thing though!
Q: I’m glad you didn’t feel it. I’m surprised you didn’t hear anything about it though even through the Bolivia people. There has been a lot of earthquake activity around there lately. Be ready!
A: I'm surprised I haven't heard about it either. Cuz Bolivians hate Chile. Allegedly they "stole their ocean" like a 100 years ago and haven't gotten over it.
Q: “Stole their ocean”.. that’s funny! I’m going to start using that against Nevada and California.
Q: Who was your favorite speaker in Conference?
A: Elder Holland's was definitely my favorite. He totally just came out guns blazing and did an awesome job, I loved it. I also liked a talk from the Priesthood session by Randall Ridd, and by Gary E. Stevenson Sunday morning, those were really good too. And Uchtdorf and Bednar.
Q: Elder Holland's talk was awesome. It was my favorite talk too. I was thinking..."Brandon is loving this talk!" Elder Holland is one of your favorites, right? Stevenson’s talk was good too. Random fact… we’re related to Noelle Pikus-Pace (the Silver medalist) he was talking about on Grandpa’s side.
A: We are related to her? What? Why did I not know this? Is that not some fun trivia info I would not like to know? Why haven't we met? I want to put on her Silver medal haha.
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