2013 Breakout Sessions
Understanding the Temple - Especially for Those who are Upset or Baffled
Jeannie Griffiths (Shanghai, China)
Despite a lifetime of Sunday worship, I really struggled with temple worship, which left me upset and baffled. It all seemed uncomfortably foreign, despite my best efforts. After years of difficulty, I made a surprising discovery that transformed my temple experience. Come learn about the temple in its cultural context. It will increase your understanding and testimony of our most sacred edifice.
Jeannie Griffiths (Shanghai, China)
Despite a lifetime of Sunday worship, I really struggled with temple worship, which left me upset and baffled. It all seemed uncomfortably foreign, despite my best efforts. After years of difficulty, I made a surprising discovery that transformed my temple experience. Come learn about the temple in its cultural context. It will increase your understanding and testimony of our most sacred edifice.
Supercharging your Scripture Study
Mary Latimer (Beijing, China)
Come explore ways to make your regular personal scripture study revelatory, not routine.
Mary Latimer (Beijing, China)
Come explore ways to make your regular personal scripture study revelatory, not routine.
Applying Simple Gospel Principles in Community Involvement
Jere Miller (California, USA)
If your bishop said to you, "This year your calling will be to get involved in a community activity or organization of your choice." Where would you choose to serve? Or, do you hesitate from involvement beyond your comfort circle?
By applying plain and simple gospel principles, we can not only strengthen home, and family, but also our communities wherever we live. As sisters in Zion, we have amazing leadership skills acquired from being a Mormon.
This class will explore ways to reach out beyond church friends and church callings to magnifying skills, talents and interests. We will identify the role church callings have played to make us outstanding community leaders.
Jere Miller (California, USA)
If your bishop said to you, "This year your calling will be to get involved in a community activity or organization of your choice." Where would you choose to serve? Or, do you hesitate from involvement beyond your comfort circle?
By applying plain and simple gospel principles, we can not only strengthen home, and family, but also our communities wherever we live. As sisters in Zion, we have amazing leadership skills acquired from being a Mormon.
This class will explore ways to reach out beyond church friends and church callings to magnifying skills, talents and interests. We will identify the role church callings have played to make us outstanding community leaders.
Mud, Maps & Moments: Finding Joy in the Journey
Jamie Bohn (Manila, Philippines)
Do we ever become so intent on pulling our handcarts through the trenches and over the bumps that we fail to recognize the majesty of the surrounding prairie? Life is a journey, at times fraught with obstacles, but also replete with magnificent vistas if we are looking in the right direction and unforeseen joys if we are moving in the right direction. Mud, Maps, & Moments is an exploration of how we can love more, laugh more, and learn more along the way as we come to view our earthly adventure through the gospel lens, the “good news” lens. This perspective can help us more fully understand the Savior’s role in our lives as we learn to find the extraordinary in the ordinary, focus on the positive, distinguish the important from the trivial, and see the big picture. We can, as President Thomas S. Monson said, “find joy in the journey”—potholes and all.
Keeping Your Boat Afloat - and Moving in the Right Direction!
Katie Hoskin (Beijing, China)
What do you do when sudden changes crash upon your seemingly smooth sailing life? When temporal or spiritual storms rage about you, and the mountain waves of adversity dash upon you, threatening your peace to destroy. How do you keep your boat afloat and moving in the right direction?
A woman of great faith and a life blanketed with miracles, Katie's recent experiences will have you laughing one minute and moved to tears the next! Whether cruising along the stimulating currents of show biz, or tossed upon the tumultuous waves of cancer, you won't want to miss her adventures and learn principles to help you turn towards God and live joyfully.
Katie Hoskin (Beijing, China)
What do you do when sudden changes crash upon your seemingly smooth sailing life? When temporal or spiritual storms rage about you, and the mountain waves of adversity dash upon you, threatening your peace to destroy. How do you keep your boat afloat and moving in the right direction?
A woman of great faith and a life blanketed with miracles, Katie's recent experiences will have you laughing one minute and moved to tears the next! Whether cruising along the stimulating currents of show biz, or tossed upon the tumultuous waves of cancer, you won't want to miss her adventures and learn principles to help you turn towards God and live joyfully.
Put it to the Test
Janet Stainton (Guangzhou, China)
How can our Conference theme apply in our lives today? What can we do to make it real? Putting it to the test will provide us with individual answers – many will be small and welcoming but occasionally the test will provide life changing results. Our time together will look at both the ordinary and extra-ordinary and how both are just as miraculous.
Janet Stainton (Guangzhou, China)
How can our Conference theme apply in our lives today? What can we do to make it real? Putting it to the test will provide us with individual answers – many will be small and welcoming but occasionally the test will provide life changing results. Our time together will look at both the ordinary and extra-ordinary and how both are just as miraculous.
Uphill Both Ways; Heights and Highlights of the Himalayas
Carrie Chiles (Taipei, Taiwan)
The culture and incredible beauty of Nepal, its people and the Himalaya Mountains is not something I ever expected to experience in my lifetime. But so much of life is unexpected, isn't it? Through pictures and stories, I'll share the simple but profound perspective that was gained and the analogies for life that were discovered while trekking at 14,000 feet; among some of the world’s highest peaks and humblest people.
Carrie Chiles (Taipei, Taiwan)
The culture and incredible beauty of Nepal, its people and the Himalaya Mountains is not something I ever expected to experience in my lifetime. But so much of life is unexpected, isn't it? Through pictures and stories, I'll share the simple but profound perspective that was gained and the analogies for life that were discovered while trekking at 14,000 feet; among some of the world’s highest peaks and humblest people.
"Counsel with the Lord in all thy Doings, and He will Direct thee for Good" (Alma 37:37)
Candy Fife (Hong Kong, China)
We all need to make many choices in our everyday lives - whether big or small. Do we involve the Savior in our decisions? Do we sometimes think that we can handle our daily challenges with our own wisdom, but the result turns out to be not what we are expecting?
We need to council with the Lord and ask for His guidance in all things!
Candy Fife (Hong Kong, China)
We all need to make many choices in our everyday lives - whether big or small. Do we involve the Savior in our decisions? Do we sometimes think that we can handle our daily challenges with our own wisdom, but the result turns out to be not what we are expecting?
We need to council with the Lord and ask for His guidance in all things!
Interior Design for the Days of Babylon - Safeguarding our Hearths and Homes
Michele Gibbons (Bangkok, Thailand)
There is a house down the street from ours that has been vacant for just over a year and in that time it has completely fallen apart due to neglect and the elements. I pass by the house every day and I have watched it happen- day by day, little by little. Perhaps it is the interior designer in me but it saddened me to witness this neglect. One day I looked at the house and realized that it was analogous of our own lives. If we are not on guard every day and protecting our hearths and homes - not the physical structures but ourselves, our relationships, our marriages, our families, then the adversary will wear us down - day by day, little by little.
Michele Gibbons (Bangkok, Thailand)
There is a house down the street from ours that has been vacant for just over a year and in that time it has completely fallen apart due to neglect and the elements. I pass by the house every day and I have watched it happen- day by day, little by little. Perhaps it is the interior designer in me but it saddened me to witness this neglect. One day I looked at the house and realized that it was analogous of our own lives. If we are not on guard every day and protecting our hearths and homes - not the physical structures but ourselves, our relationships, our marriages, our families, then the adversary will wear us down - day by day, little by little.
- How do we avoid living on parallel paths with our spouse?
- What can we do NOW to strengthen our marriage so that when our “nest is empty” we don’t ask, "What now"?
- What subtle schemes is the adversary employing to obscure our divine nature and cause us to buckle spiritually under the load?
Tender Mercies Through Life's Adversity - My story of Cancer
Rhondalee Paskins (Utah, USA)
Adversity- Trial- Tribulations ... Whatever you want to call them, all of these are like thorns that prick our skin. The refiners fire is real, and the qualities of character and righteousness that are forged in the furnace prepare us to meet God.
"The fire is our education that we came here to acquire."
I found out that I had cancer in my jaw and spent the last year undergoing 11 surgeries and reconstruction of both legs and jaw. I spent one month in intensive care and two months on a feeding tube and pic line along with 30 hyperbolic chamber sessions. I would like to share my spiritual journey through the refiners fire, at times terrifying but recognizing the Tender Mercies of our Savior.
Rhondalee Paskins (Utah, USA)
Adversity- Trial- Tribulations ... Whatever you want to call them, all of these are like thorns that prick our skin. The refiners fire is real, and the qualities of character and righteousness that are forged in the furnace prepare us to meet God.
"The fire is our education that we came here to acquire."
I found out that I had cancer in my jaw and spent the last year undergoing 11 surgeries and reconstruction of both legs and jaw. I spent one month in intensive care and two months on a feeding tube and pic line along with 30 hyperbolic chamber sessions. I would like to share my spiritual journey through the refiners fire, at times terrifying but recognizing the Tender Mercies of our Savior.
With Courage and Faith in our Savior We Can Overcome our Fears
Robyn Anderson (Utah, USA)
Fear is one of Satan's most powerful tools, and he uses it in its many forms to keep us from accomplishing our goals and the Lord's work. Through faith and courage the Savior will help us overcome our fears so that we may serve Him and further the work of the Lord.
Building Your House upon a Rock
Lena Paul (Jakarta, Indonesia)
"Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it." Matthew 7:24-27
We are all building houses on our journey in life. What is your house made of? Is there a blueprint for the "house upon a rock"? Indeed there is. Come and let us reason together how we can build our spiritual homes on the rock spoken of in the scriptures.
Lena Paul (Jakarta, Indonesia)
"Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it." Matthew 7:24-27
We are all building houses on our journey in life. What is your house made of? Is there a blueprint for the "house upon a rock"? Indeed there is. Come and let us reason together how we can build our spiritual homes on the rock spoken of in the scriptures.
The Morning Will Come
Naomi Toma Tai (Hong Kong, China)
Growing up as a third generation Latter-day Saint in Japan and having lived in different parts of the world, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ has blessed me with strength and wisdom to overcome adversities. As many of us face various problems in our daily lives, I would like to share my formula to be happy based on the experiences of my family.
Naomi Toma Tai (Hong Kong, China)
Growing up as a third generation Latter-day Saint in Japan and having lived in different parts of the world, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ has blessed me with strength and wisdom to overcome adversities. As many of us face various problems in our daily lives, I would like to share my formula to be happy based on the experiences of my family.
Pathology and Faith
Joyce Youse (Shenzhen, China)
The day in November 1999 that my son was diagnosed with Wilm’s Tumor was the most frightening day of my life. Cancer!!! How can it happen to my son? It was already very difficult to deal with his congenital heart disease since his birth. And now at three, he was facing a disease no different from a death sentence. The thought of bringing my son to this world of pain was incomprehensible. Come join me as I share my personal stories of how I joined the church and how faith has helped me cope with many diseases that happened to me personally and to my loved ones. Pathology can change us. Faith can heal us. Life is no doubt full of many trials of faith, big and small. With the Lord’s help, we can learn to appreciate His plans for us. If we put our trust in Him, He will lighten our burdens.
Joyce Youse (Shenzhen, China)
The day in November 1999 that my son was diagnosed with Wilm’s Tumor was the most frightening day of my life. Cancer!!! How can it happen to my son? It was already very difficult to deal with his congenital heart disease since his birth. And now at three, he was facing a disease no different from a death sentence. The thought of bringing my son to this world of pain was incomprehensible. Come join me as I share my personal stories of how I joined the church and how faith has helped me cope with many diseases that happened to me personally and to my loved ones. Pathology can change us. Faith can heal us. Life is no doubt full of many trials of faith, big and small. With the Lord’s help, we can learn to appreciate His plans for us. If we put our trust in Him, He will lighten our burdens.
Faith of Mary, Strength of Martha: The Miraculous Modern Woman of Christ!
Caroline Black (Beijing, China)
"Some say these Modern Days are the Age of Women. With so many expectations upon us to excel, even to "be Superwoman" at home, school and work, we can benefit from the examples of Christ's first female followers, faithful Mary and strong Martha, as we strive to bring our life's work in line with the Savior's teachings. After all, the One True Needful thing is Him, and choosing "that good part" will bless our lives and so many others. (Join a feel-good discussion group about how we can apply Mary's and Martha's talents to our zion-building efforts today!)
Yes, even YOU can live in Hawaii! Trusting in the Lord requires FAITH
Jennifer Castle (Hawaii, USA)
Who wouldn't want to live in Hawaii? Well there was one person that didn't at first...Me! Learning to trust in the Lord and have faith not only helped me in this experience but many others. Come feel a "Taste of the Islands" and learn more about how faith is a part of so many aspects of our everyday lives.
Jennifer Castle (Hawaii, USA)
Who wouldn't want to live in Hawaii? Well there was one person that didn't at first...Me! Learning to trust in the Lord and have faith not only helped me in this experience but many others. Come feel a "Taste of the Islands" and learn more about how faith is a part of so many aspects of our everyday lives.
Learning to Recognize and Accept His Will
Margaret Huang (Hsinchu, Taiwan)
When I was a teenager I always admired people who always had peace, because I was always worried and angry at myself for not being perfect. I tried to figure out what made those people so peaceful, so I started to search for a religion by reading and researching religious materials, attending and feeling the atmosphere of religious activities since I was 20. But it is hard to be converted simply using human logic without the Holy Spirit, I was happy to finally be converted when I was 38 years old. Once I got this year’s theme and saw “lean not unto thine own understanding”, I suddenly thought of my conversion story because it is a typical example to demonstrate the theme. Even though I was baptized, I still have problems with leaning to my understanding in my life in these 12 years. Last year, I got some inspiration from reading the Sermon on the Mount, and I want to share with you how the Sermon on the Mount has helped me on trusting in the Lord with all my heart.
Margaret Huang (Hsinchu, Taiwan)
When I was a teenager I always admired people who always had peace, because I was always worried and angry at myself for not being perfect. I tried to figure out what made those people so peaceful, so I started to search for a religion by reading and researching religious materials, attending and feeling the atmosphere of religious activities since I was 20. But it is hard to be converted simply using human logic without the Holy Spirit, I was happy to finally be converted when I was 38 years old. Once I got this year’s theme and saw “lean not unto thine own understanding”, I suddenly thought of my conversion story because it is a typical example to demonstrate the theme. Even though I was baptized, I still have problems with leaning to my understanding in my life in these 12 years. Last year, I got some inspiration from reading the Sermon on the Mount, and I want to share with you how the Sermon on the Mount has helped me on trusting in the Lord with all my heart.
Towels,Temples,Tortillas, & Gun Battles: Embracing Direction However it Comes
Rebecca Watt (Taipei, Taiwan)
Each of us needs guidance. Sometimes it comes very directly; other times it is a little harder to spot. The Lord loves us all and wants to guide us in our lives, even when we have the messiest house in the ward. This session is about recognizing different types of direction and trusting the Lord and ourselves as we move forward heeding that direction.
Rebecca Watt (Taipei, Taiwan)
Each of us needs guidance. Sometimes it comes very directly; other times it is a little harder to spot. The Lord loves us all and wants to guide us in our lives, even when we have the messiest house in the ward. This session is about recognizing different types of direction and trusting the Lord and ourselves as we move forward heeding that direction.