oh yeah, by the way..

the prophet came to speak to my school on tuesday!
hello.. highlight of my year!

as i'm sure i've mentioned before, i'm taking a living prophets class that is so great. i'm learning so much about the apostles that lead the church. they truly are amazing men. they are well educated, have so many amazing qualities, and have led impressive Christ-centered lives.
we are in the process of going through the 15 apostles right now (first presidency + quorum of the 12) and have already learned about Thomas S. Monson, our prophet.
the thing that impressed me the most while learning about President Monson was the fact that he was in the quorum of the 12 when he came back to BYU and got his MBA. it was so cool for me to hear this, especially since earning an MBA is my dream. i hope that i will be given the opportunity no matter what time in my life. it also really taught me the importance of an education, and learning throughout your life.

monday word quickly spread throughout campus that the prophet would be our devotional speaker. usually we know ahead of time, but this wasn't officially announced until monday. they put it in the daily universe in a brief, but front page article.
my roommates hayley, alex, rachel and i left for the marriott center at 9 tuesday morning. we waiting in line with many other students, some had actually camped out! we were lucky because our spot in line was underneath a bridge and it was raining. it was pretty cold! but so worth it.
at about 9:30 they opened the doors and we snagged our seats. we sat to the left of the big middle section, near the portal where the speakers enter. at 10 i left and went to my stats lab for about a half hour, then i came back so my seat wouldn't be snagged!

the marriott center was pretty close to full. the Spirit was so strong. as i sat there and tried to do some reading, i was so excited, but i also felt so unified as a campus. i was so proud of the turnout and that we know how important President Monson is and how important his message was. i feel it was incredibly important because this is the most direct message i have ever received from a prophet. he was speaking directly to my school.
when he entered the marriott center it instantly became silent and we all rose. again, the Spirit was so strong. he is so cute!

his overall message told us to share the gospel by being a righteous example.
here are some points i really enjoyed:

• we are born with the light of Christ, the Spirit of Christ, and the gift of discernment
• we are spiritual beings having a human experience, not human having a spiritual experience. 
• he invited us to read the Book of Mormon and renew our testimony of it through study and prayer.
• "when you choose to follow Christ, you choose to change." -Ezra Taft Benson
• "you are more than what you've become, look inside yourself and remember who you are, remember you are sons and daughters of God."

the last part is my favorite. at first it sounds harsh to say we are more than what we have become, but when we remember who we are it instantly motivates us to be better people.


i'm so grateful for this experience! and that i go to a school with students who appreciate it as much as i do and that i share beliefs and values with.