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Just When I thought BYU Couldn't Possibly Get Any Better...

It's not every day you wake up on a rainy morning and the first thought that pops into your head is "The Prophet of the Lord is coming to speak to my school today!" Well, I was fortunate enough to wake up to this very thought this morning! What an unforgettable experience! I still cannot believe that I was in the same room as the prophet listening to him deliver a message that was directed towards me and my fellow students here. It was so amazing to me that the moment he entered the Marriott Center, every single person in that packed room stood up out of respect and love for this incredible man. He started out his talk with a hilarious story about how one time he was speaking at a devotional and was not wearing his wedding band. He explained that he usually doesn't wear one, because he perspires from his fingers and the band falls us. He assured us that he is happily married. Anyways, one girl in the audience thought that he had been proposing to her, and called his house to accept. After this funny little anecdote, he said with a look of utmost sincerity on his face, that he was speaking to one of the most marvelous audiences in the world. That statement hit me hard. I couldn't believe that I was sitting in an audience that the prophet of the Lord said was one of the most marvelous audiences in the world. He then went onto say that though each of us in one of a kind, with experiences, trials, traits, and backgrounds that are unique to us, we all have the Gospel in common. The topic of his talk was shining the light of Christ in the world. He said, "Each of us came to Earth having been given the light of Christ...Some people allow their light of Christ to burn out, so we have a responsibility to let ours shine and invite others to follow it." He said that some people believe that they can do things on their own, without the help of a higher power. President Monson reminded us that we are not human beings having a spiritual experience, but spiritual beings having a human experience. I had never before thought of our life on Earth that way before! We are sons and daughters of a Heavenly Father who sent us to this Earth to be tried and tested. President Monson went on to say that looking at this life in this manner reminds us who we must rely on and who we owe everything to: Our Father in Heaven.

He then told us a story about a man named Brother Christensen who wanted a testimony of the Book of Mormon. He read for an hour every night. After he finished each page, he thought about what he had read and whether it was true. He said a warm Spirit accompanied him every night he read, and as a result he devoted his life to the Lord. President Monson challenged us to set aside time every day to find out if the Book of Mormon is true. He told us that if we ask with a sincere heart, he promises that we will receive an answer, and that it will change our lives and our hearts.

President Monson always tells the best stories! Seriously, I love them! He told us about a young missionary who had to go to the hospital for a very risky surgery, and the doctors weren't sure he would make it. His family was called, and President Monson and his father gave him a blessing. He was in a ward that had 5 other men staying in it. The morning that he was in surgery, all 5 of the men refused breakfast from the nurse who came in. When she asked what was going on, the men explained that this young missionary had told them about the Gospel. They had grown to love this man, so they explained that they were fasting for him. The surgery was very successful. When President Monson tried to pay the surgeon, he said that he cannot except the payment. He said that his hands were being guided by a higher power, and for that reason he could accept no fee for an act he felt he did not along perform. Such a cool story!!

He concluded his talk by telling us that we were each choice sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father. He said that our collective lights can brightly shine into the world. He then quoted The Lion King, my FAVORITE Disney movie! It was the part where Simba sees a vision of his dead class father who says, "look inside yourself. You are more than what you've become. Remember who you are." President Monson encouraged us to look inside ourselves and remember who we are. It was such an incredible experience and pretty much a dream come true to be in the same room as the prophet and listen to him speak! He is such an incredible man and I love him!!!

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