For many attending the San Antonio Devotional with President Russell M. Nelson, it was their first time to see a prophet in person. It was also a wonderful shared experience being together with so many other members of the Church, and basking in each other’s strength. There was a unity felt in that huge Alamodome, especially as we sat and watched fun tweets and posts on the big screens from others excited for the evening and ready to learn.
How are you different as a result of what you heard and felt that evening? What message was meant just for you? Catalina Garcia of the North Stake said: “I’m not sure if it is a direct consequence of the devotional, but our home has been filled with the Holy Ghost in a stronger and more perceivable way since that day.”
Elder David A. Bednar spoke of developing a consecrated discipleship. He likened it to the phrase we often hear, “I am all in” when talking about a proposed plan or activity. He related a story from a 1983 General Conference talk about a little boy who fell out of bed and came crying to his mother’s bedside. To her question, “Why did you fall out of bed?” He replied, “I fell out because I wasn’t in far enough.” Apparently, the little boy was not “all in” his bed.
Elder Bednar invited all of us to ask ourselves this important question: “Am I all in as a disciple of Jesus Christ?” He then added that he hoped the “Holy Ghost will help us individually to see ourselves as we really are and to deepen our devotion to Heavenly Father’s eternal plan and to the Atonement of His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ.” He said that he believed the principles of sacrifice and consecration provide the essential foundation for becoming “all in” disciples of the Lord.
Adria Cavanaugh, of the La Cantera Stake said she has been thinking a lot about Elder Bednar’s talk. She said: “I am asking myself if I am all in. And for me, that doesn’t just apply to the gospel and keeping the commandments, but in doing
my best at work, home, in my marriage, in my health goals, trying to continually evaluate, am I all in?”
Karen Lange from the Hill Country Stake said she: “Found the perfect shirt!” at a local retailer.
Jenny Lawson of the Cibolo Valley Stake felt prompted to follow up this week in Family Home Evening and teach about living prophets. She and her husband told about their favorite talks from the devotional. Jenny said: “We asked the kids what President Nelson and Sister Nelson talked about. Maeli (9 years-old) was able to tell us a lot of what Sister Nelson said regarding how President Nelson receives revelation (and we were actually pretty impressed with how much she could relay to us). We talked about Elder Bednar’s talk and what it means to be ‘all in’.” Jenny said 
“We also talked about how our Church is the only one in the world that has a living prophet and that most other people do not believe in a living prophet. We testified about how fortunate we are to have a prophet just like they had in bible times. Then we found cut outs from the Friend magazine of the First Presidency and Twelve Apostles. We reviewed all their names and then we played ‘Don’t eat the prophet.’”
For me, living the type of consecrated discipleship that Elder Bednar spoke of, would help to protect me from the vicissitudes of life that President Nelson mentioned. Not that hard times will not come, President Nelson reminded us, “For each of us, there may be a really serious storm…” Rather, like the example President Nelson gave of Horatio Spafford, we too can say “It is well with my soul.” I was touched by the story behind the choir’s last number “It is Well With My Soul,” penned by Spafford after losing four precious daughters in a shipwreck. President Nelson testified that it is through an eternal perspective that we too will be able to say during our own fierce storms that “it is well with my soul.”
Leisa Parsons