Notes from Kobe Stake Conference on the 4th

This post is primarily for my friends who are members of the Kobe Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who didn't get to go to Sanda to attend today.
これは特に私の友達で、末日聖徒イエス・キリスト教会神戸ステーク部の会員であり、三田市での今日の集会に参加できなかった方のための投稿です。

(A stake in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is similar to a diocese. The expression comes from Isaiah 54, "strengthening your stakes".)
（末日聖徒イエス・キリスト教会においてのステーク部とは、教区のようなものです。表現はイサヤ書５４章の「あなたの杭を強固せよ」に由来です。）

(I didn't think to take notes until Sister McCune's talk, but Elder McCune recapped them all, so I got some of the important parts of most of it after all.)
（マキューン姉妹が話するまではメモをとることを考えていなかったけど、マキューン長老が繰り返してくれたので、結局その主要点をのいくらかを書いておくことできました。）

Sister McCune bore her testimony of John 15 1-11 -- 

If we abide with our savior, Jesus Christ, obey His commandments, and love one another, we can have true joy.

Elder McCune talked about the testimony born through music by those who provided the musical number at the beginning. Then he recapped each talk, with comments --

President Ōshima:

• Unity and being one
• Stake theme 2023
• People who influenced him for good
• Focusing on others was focus on unity
• Looking outside ourselves
  
• Appreciation and love for others
• D&C 29: 6 -- ask in my name and receive
• Set the standard -- through priesthood keys and revelation

Sis. Sueda:

• Moroni 7 on charity
• Sunblock as analogy of charity
• Commonly used things for parables/analogies
  

Br. Yamazaki:

• His journey
• Praying at work
• Inspired by BoM
• Feeling and thoughts change a little at a time

Br. Miyajima:

• Just baptized, speaking at stake conference, example of courage and faith
• Week after losing his father
• Perspective
• Looking forward to temple blessings
• Living with blessings of gospel
• His mother's faith,  she was also here today.
• They can look forward to going to the temple doing the proxy work for him and be sealed.
• We can do much for our families on this side of veil.
• We should not limit others.
• Lots of work being done on the other side of veil.
• Many who feel alone on this side of veil have support from the other side.
• Family members are accepting gospel on other side and waiting for temple work to be done
• Great missionary work on other side of veil, many joining the work.
• Does not mean we can wait until other side, there is important work on this side.

Sis. Yamashita:

• Joy of repentance
• Daily scripture study
• More to repentance than giving up sin
• Confessing is not repentance.
• Repentance is joyful act of turning to Father.
• Not just to chase out the bad, must fill life with good.
• If we don't fill our lives with good, the bad returns
• Luke 11, casting evil spirit out, but failed to fill the house with good.
• Consistently doing little things, including scriptures, prayer, and small acts of service is essential.

Pres. & Sis Halverson:

• Love the gospel of Jesus Christ
• Example of consecration and love of the Lord and His Gospel

Back to President Ōshima:

• John 16: 33 -- These things I have spoken unto you that, in me, you might have peace.
• In the world, ye shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer.
• I have overcome the world.

Elder McCune then proceeded with his own message --

• Pres. Nelson and others talk about overcoming the world
• Pattern in Pres. Nelson's talk:
• Words of power.
• Overcome 9 times.
• Rest 11 times.
• Power 13 times.
• Because of Jesus Christ we have power.
• Because He overcome the world, we have power.
• What are we overcoming?
• Vision of Nephi of tree of life
• Great and spacious building
• Imaginations and rationalizations of the world
• Seem true but are not
• Very angry
• Anger is indication where the voices come from
• Satan is an angry being
• Those who follow him consume their time saying good things are bad and bad things are good
• Another thing that takes us away from the tree of life
• Mists of darkness not as easy to see as great and spacious building
• Not there at start of vision
• Mists blind the eyes and hearts, lead into broad roads away from tree of life
  
• Mists are noise, distractions, negativity, ideologies of the world, sins, acts of others
• Focus on Savior can help us overcome mists of darkness.
• Question -- why do bad things happen to good people?
• Simple, trite answers do not work.
• It's not understood unless we come at it from a position of faith.
• If someone understands the Gospel, salvation, the need for opposition, agency, and the reason God does not remove our agency, the answer to the question of evil becomes clear.
• If you have been hurt through the unrighteous actions of someone, Christ can heal you.
  
• The effects of the hurt might last throughout our lifetime, but the savior makes everything fair.
• Even the unrighteous actions of others can be erased.
• God is perfectly merciful and perfectly just.
• We can be healed.
• Please don't look beyond the mark.
• Jesus Christ really is the answer.
• He really overcame the world, and because of Him we can, too.
• It's really all true.