Priesthood Leadership Training with President Russell M. Nelson

Our Ward Selfie. Left to right, the Bishop's Counselor, our Elders Quorum President, and this blogger.

There was much more to this wonderful meeting last Saturday than the question I asked and the later, tragic connection.

Notice went out just a few days ahead of time that the Stake Presidencies, each Bishop-or a Counselor, the High Priest Group Leader-or an Assistant, and the Elders Quorum President-or a Counselor from each ward were invited to a muti-stake, Saturday morning training session with President Russell M. Nelson, President of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles and other General Authorities of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The call to me came from our Stake Exec Sec who happens to be my son-in-law's father. As a shortened relationship status, we refer to each other as Co-Grandpas.

The meeting involved seven or eight stakes and we met in a stake center in North Centerville filling the chapel with no overflow but packed in with a few extra folding chairs added. Just before the meeting began we were invited to file by, row by row, to shake hands with President Nelson and the others. I gave Elder Ulisses Soares, of the Presidents of the Seventy, a hearty "Bem-vindo, Elder Soares!" as he is native Brazilian. He conducted the meeting and noted in opening the warm greetings he had from several in Portuguese or Spanish.

Also present on the stand was a Seventy from our Area Presidency, newly called, Elder Gene Chidester, President Spendlove from the Salt Lake City North Mission, and President Winegar of the Bountiful Temple. Only later did I learn that their wives were at a similar training session with the women leaders of the same stakes and wards as my daughter went as part of a Primary Presidency. She said Sister Nelson spoke for two-hours straight!

My rough notes follow in my usual style, occasionally enhanced with notes shared by my bishopric counselor buddy:

Live-blogging LDS Conference April 2, 2011

We'll give this a try. I think the way to do it is to type and post then edit the same posting. This may even help me stay awake as I take notes for the world. Of course, there may be a few private inspirational things that I will not launch out into the cyber-ether.

So the big news from the Saturday Morning Session, besides the new Temples, one in Meridian, Idaho closer to my parents and sister's family than Boise, was Elder Cook's talk that we should respect women who choose to be in the workplace outside the home and President Eyring's talk that we should be doing more to live up to our covenants in the nature of the Law of Consecration to serve the poor in the Church Welfare Program.

Saturday Afternoon was about Charity, Testimony, Families, Faith, Desires, and Miscellanea from President Packer.

Errors in reporting are mine and not from the speakers or the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.