Have you ever been sitting in a conference and it was like the speaker was talking directly to you? That happened to me today. We were at Stake Conference but part of the conference was a broadcast from Salt Lake. President Boyd K. Packer was the last speaker. Right at the end of his talk he said something that was kind of like an after thought, but it was just for me. He said that if you were worrying about this or that remember that if you have faith, the Lord will let you know what to do and that you will know what to say in the very hour that you need it. He also said that the Lord will help and bless us. Those words were so amazing because for the last few days I have struggled with my calling as a Relief Society President. I have felt like I am just not able to do all that is required of a Relief Society President. There are times that I am afraid of not knowing what to say or I am afraid of saying the wrong thing. Then the challenges of being a wife and mother and still having time to take care of over 100 women is so daunting. What President Packer said this morning is exactly what I needed. It is wonderful that the Lord sends these "tender mercies" to us just in the hour that we need them most.

Planting A Garden

We just planted the garden tonight. When we plant the garden I always think about Alma 32 and planting the seed and the last three verses. We always think of planting the seed and nourishing it but the last three verses are interesting because they repeat themselves and whenever something in the scriptures is repeated three times that means it is important. It tells us three times how we nourish things. Lots of things need to be nourished besides testimonies. But look at the words nourish by you faith, diligence and patience in verse 41. In verse 42 it’s diligence faith and patience and in 43 it’s faith diligence and patience. 

Faith is something that you must have in order to accomplish anything. You need to have faith that you can do something. Take learning a new skill, you need to have faith to just begin. Then you need to have diligence - you need to work at it. But the most important is that you need to have patience. Patience is probably the most important and the hardest to do because we want something now. There is a little thought that says “Faith in God includes Faith in his Timing” (patience.). All these things we are experiencing will require patience and patience is a great virtue to develop. 

You can use this formula with every trial that you will have in life. Have faith that things will work out for your good - be diligent in your prayers, scripture study and keeping the commandments and the have patience in the Lord’s timing. And you notice in the very end of verse 43 it adds the words “long-suffering, and waiting for the tree to bring forth fruit unto you. There again have patience and wait for the blessings. The blessings of the Lord are there and miracle can happen everyday of our lives if we just have faith, be diligent and have patience.