Conference is ALWAYS amazing!

I love Conference! Wasn't it so amazing? I learned a lot this time around. I don't know if it was due to the fact that I am on a mission or the fact that I watched in a church or if it was a combination of all. I just LOVED it! I left all my notes home so I can't remember all the thoughts I was going to share with you. I might have to wait until next week but will see what comes back to me as I write. First I wanted to share an experience I had last week. My companion and I had just got done visiting a member family. We had another appointment but I needed to run into CVS before we left the area and use the restroom. On our way out we past this homeless man that we had past on our way into visit this family. This time he yelled to us as we walked away "Are you Jehovah witness?" We get asked that question a lot and we usually talked to the people that ask us this and explain who we really are. This time was no different we walked back over towards him and started talking to him. We found out that he was an alcoholic who had lost his wife, kids, house, job, etc because of his addiction. As we were talking to him he was telling us over and over again how he knew everything he should be doing and everything he wasn't. We couldn't tell him anything that he didn't know already when it came to breaking his horrible habit. Of course we shared who we were and information about the gospel which hopefully planted a little seed. He also told us that on the streets instead of people giving him food or money they give him alcohol. Can you believe that? Sometimes that is the only thing he has during the day! I felt truly sorry for him but I know I can't change him. He has to want it bad enough. We invited him to conference but he didn't show. I hoped so badly that this encounter would be the thing he need to break his lifestyle. I may never know. As we walked away and sat through conference I learned something about this man. (Mainly thinking about my own life pre-mission) I realized how similar we are to this man. We may not be addicted to alcoloh but I know in my own life I was addicted to the sweet drink of excuses. Like this man, we know what we should be doing. They are all the answers that build our true dedication to the gospel, they are the answers that make us truly converted. If you can't guess them here they are- read and STUDY the scriptures, attend church, go to the temple, pray with sincerity, etc. Looking back on my life before I know how easy it is to drink the cup of excuses over and over again. Yet all the time I know what I should be doing and who I should be putting first. Yet it was so easy to come up with this excuse or that excuse. I can't believe how blind I was pre-mission. I think that is the main theme for me this conference. I learned how important it is for us to be truly converted to Christ. I liked the talk about being active in the church but not being active in the Gospel. In the MTC we taught a lady in the TRC which is a opportunity for us to teach in our language. We had taught her a few times. One time in particular we asked her if there was anything she needed in her life. She answered in spanish "my life is perfect. my kids are perfect, my husband is perfect, everything is perfect." This answer shot our lesson down a hole in 1 second. We were supposed to get to know the person, find a need and tell them how they could receive personal revelation in church. We had taught her the week before about the Book of Mormon and she didn't keep the commitment about reading so I was a little bummed. Especially because she had wrote on our feed back that she was really excited about what she learned and couldn't wait to put it into practice (see she is drinking from the cup of excuses too haha jk) Anyway I truly felt that she was doing all the things that look good but not doing the things that are unseen like reading, praying, ect. Maybe she was but it just didn't seem like it. So here we are in a lesson and she tells me everything in her life is perfect? I was pretty quite throughout the whole lesson as my companions taught their parts. When it got to my turn I "told her off" as my companions would say. I really didn't mean to but I reminded her that if her life was perfected there are others out there like visiting teachies, neighbors, those who serve with, etc. That maybe don't have a life as perfect as hers but she can go to church and through the spirit find out who needs help. I didn't realize how much this was a telling off until my companions told me after. All I can say was that is what the spirit told me to say. Haha now I can't remember what my purpose of this story was hold on.....Oh yeah. It just seemed like this lady was doing good things like going to church, volunteering at the MTC but in the end wasn't reading her scriptures or praying. Like I said before I don't know for sure but it just seemed that way. I am grateful for the experience I had because this weekend I realized that we have to be converted in unseen ways. Inside, in our hearts, souls, minds, things not seen. I am really trying to be better at this. I have been studying the life of Christ trying to find new ways to be like him but I am so far away. I also had this strong realization that I have so much to learn. I am grateful for this year and a half to serve! It has only been 4 MONTHS! and I have already learned more here then I have my whole life. Well it feels like it anyway. Well I have to go. I LOVE YOU ALLL!!!!!! Thanks for you letters, support, and prayers! -Hermana Fish