A great message . . .

Okay I finally was able to find Elder Uchtdorf's talk from the General Relief Society broadcast . . . (thanks mom for giving me a heads up!) I had to laugh when I saw what the recipe was that he was talking about . . . everyone has kept saying "it starts with a K" and that was it. Well it is Knusperchen . . . I have never heard of it . . . no one ever fed it to me as a missionary when I was in Germany, and I never remember eating it in Austria (I do remember eating whole baby octopus' though . . . um yeah). "Knusper" means crispy, and the "chen" part means small or you can add it to a word to "soften it up" or make it more endearing or sweet. So ruffly translated it means "little crispies." Which is exactly what it is. Okay their is a German lesson for you! Actually I guess I did see it for sell in the stores, at least I think we did . . . but these little toasts that were rock hard and we'd eat them with jam . . . I don't know why . . . I guess it was a novelty. Nothing like gnawing on little rock hard toasts!
Okay onto his message! What a amazing man he is! On my mission we had a mission conference for our entire mission when President Monson, Elder Uchtdorf, and Elder Busche came. It was an amazing experience! Elder Uchtdorf was a very serving man, you could also tell by his actions that he has a very special relationship with his wife and loves her very much! That came through very much in his talk. One of the things that stood out to me that he said was "To me it appears that our splendid sisters sometimes undervalue their abilities—they focus on what is lacking or imperfect rather than what has been accomplished and who they really are." I second that. Of course the Lord does not want us to think that we are better than everyone else, but I know that he wants us to have confidence and realize and utilize our talents. This was something that I learned everyday on my mission. As a missionary I knew that everyday would not be easy, but I also knew that the Lord wanted me to be happy, and that is what I needed to be . . . (for my sanity and the sanity and happiness of my companion as well) therefore I decided that no matter what I would remember that he loved me an never wanted me to beat myself down over daily experiences. There was a million and one times when I could have just tossed my hands in the air or screamed out of frustration, rather I was grateful to remember my worth as a daughter of God and be thankful that the Lord knew my heart and our experiences and trials and that in the end it was in his hands. I also specifically remember having the feeling that many of our encounters were what people needed at that moment, and that one day they would really stop and listen. The alternative is something that Elder Uchtdorf said when we stress ourselves out and drag ourselves down piling on too much . . . "The good news is that this also points to an admirable quality: the innate desire to please the Lord to the best of your ability. Unfortunately, it can also lead to frustration, exhaustion, and unhappiness." . . . read his talk . . . if you went to the broadcast read it again, "Happiness, Your Heritage." I can't wait for Conference!