Hey everyone! As promised I wanted to give you a few thoughts on Conference! Two talks really stuck out that I wanted to share. One was Be Ye Therefore Perfect--Eventually by Elder Jeffrey R Holland and Has the Day of Miracles Ceased? By Elder Hallstrom. In the first talk, Elder Holland explains how in Matthew the savior commands us all to be perfect, even as our father in heaven is perfect. To you and me that seems impossible. But the truth is that it is possible... to eventually get there. Near the end he testifies: "Brothers and sisters, every one of us aspires to a more Christlike life than we often succeed in living. If we admit that honestly and are trying to improve, we are not hypocrites; we are human. May we refuse to let our own mortal follies, and the inevitable shortcomings of even the best men and women around us, make us cynical about the truths of the gospel, the truthfulness of the Church, our hope for our future, or the possibility of godliness. If we persevere, then somewhere in eternity our refinement will be finished and complete--which is the New Testament meaning of perfection." I testify that through the atonement and grace of Jesus Christ we can become perfect! In the talk given by Elder Hallstrom he starts by explaining an amazing miracle that occurred, that could only be explained by divine help where a man who should have been dead miraculously lived. But then he goes on to ask, what about all those who don't receive the miracle? Or at least the miracle they are Hoping and praying for. He goes on to say: "Often we describe a miracle as being healed without a full explanation by medical science or as avoiding catastrophic danger by heeding a clear prompting. However, defining a miracle as a beneficial event brought about through divine power that mortals do not understand gives an expanded perspective into matters more eternal in nature. This definition also allows us to contemplate the vital role of faith in the receipt of a miracle." "King Nebuchadnezzar demanded that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego worship the golden image he set up as a god, threatening, If ye worship not, ye shall be cast … into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.Then he taunted them with a Who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands? These three devout disciples said: If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods. They possessed full confidence that God could save them, but if not, they had complete faith in His plan."  We all need to ask ourselves, do we have the faith to know that the lord can provide those miracles? But more importantly do we have the faith to accept that god knows best and work toward the most important miracle... to return and live with god forever! Updates for the week! I saw Marlene! I went on exchange in Paterson and got to see her. Such a blessing but I forgot to take a picture. I also got to see Chase! (Elder Verhaaren) he is doing awesome and it was so nice to catch up with him! Love you all! Elder McOmber