Seeing the Prophet at Safeco Field

We've been anticipating having President and Sister Nelson and President Eyring to come to Safeco Field here in Seattle for about 3 months. When we moved to Moscow in August 2015, President Nelson (as president of the quorum of the twelve) had just visited in April of that year so we knew we weren't going to see an apostle for a long time. So this was very exciting for us!

I realized I've never seen a prophet outside of the Conference Center. And this was going to be twice as many people (nearly 50,000 were there). We rode on the bus to downtown, about an hour drive each way. There were about 4 different families from our ward at the same bus stop and a few other members getting picked up on the way there. The bus driver asked what the event was and the cute thing was he thought we were outsiders/tourists so he pointed out the Space Needle and Lake Union. He told us that if we were on his 8:35 bus back and we said 'event', then he would have a surprised for us. We ended up being the only ones from that first bus ride to catch his evening ride so we got the surprise which was a free bus ride. Super nice guy!

It was jammed packed by the time we got Safeco around 4:30. The lines were probably a quarter mile long if not more. It felt like Conference minus the protesters. And true to Seattle weather it was raining (but not as hard as it was once the devotional got started). Austin had fun seeing random people from his growing up days in Puyallup and a friend from BYU-Idaho. Marjorie was there but of course it's like finding Waldo in there but we did see a couple more people from the ward. One of the members of our ward got to be in the choir (they were amazing!)

Because the devotional started at 6, they let people bring food for dinner and for the kiddos. We were prepared with LOTS of milk for Dallin but he was so mesmerized with the whole thing that he didn't drink a whole ton. I think he was slightly overwhelmed though because he didn't really smile through the whole trip until we got home, comfortable in his own environment. When I changed him in the bathroom at Safeco, he had a really sad, I'm-scared-cry when he usually is so happy when I change him. Let's just say he was glad to be back but throwing off his schedule made it a rough night and rough Sunday which translates into a rough Monday. Always a great cycle, ha.

President and Sis Nelson and Pres Eyring all came out and it was neat to stand in respect for them. When they got to their seats, they kept waving. President Nelson took his seat and leaned over to President Eyring in amazement, "45,000?"

Presdient Eyring talked about the role of a prophet in being the voice of the Lord. He said when changes happen in the Church, it's our responsibility not to just take their word for it, but go to the Lord and seek personal revelation. It felt like he was giving a precursor for the message that President Nelson was going to share. And he said that usually what we need to hear in a meeting or talk is not anything the speaker says but what the Holy Ghost prompts to us.

Sis Nelson spoke about what it's like in their home these last 9 months since he's been called as the prophet. He would regularly get out of the bed during the middle of the night and write down revelations on a small yellow notepad that he keeps in his drawer by his bed. She is careful never to look at it. Sometimes she receives the impression to get out of bed during the night and she said 'her ancestors are very happy when this happens because that means she is doing family history work'. All the while, President Nelson is receiving revelation-sometimes she's gone for several hours. She's received her own personal revelation from the Lord that he is supposed to be the prophet. She actually received the same experience twice in a matter of days. This reminded me that sometimes the Lord needs to reaffirm again what we've received as another witness that this is true. I feel like this is her mission or calling-to spread how she knows that President Nelson is the prophet on earth today. 

President Nelson spoke about 5 things he's learned in his life these past 94 years. You can easily find these on lds.org so some things I took away from it:

-His experience on the raft when he wasn't holding onto the raft and he got catapult straight up. He said we are all on some rafting trip of mortality and the raft is the restored gospel and we need to cling on to it. Don't let go!

-He related an experience where someone asked him why he was so different. I loved his response: It's because I know the Book of Mormon is true. 

-Read it every day and you'll be immunized from the evils of the world.

-Reading it is the surest way to hold on to the raft.

-Temple covenants mean EVERYTHING to him. The honors of men just fade away when you really think about the true purpose of being on this earth. When he was in a near plane crash accident, all the honors and awards and degrees he got meant NOTHING to him. What was important was that he was sealed in the temple of God to his wife and their children were sealed to them. He said there is really only a small amount of what happens in life that is of eternal significance. Don't let even your occupation get in the way of those eternal things.

-The Lord likes effort-He blesses us for our best effort. 

-He uses the unlikely to accomplish His work.

-Put Him center in your life and He will perform miracles in your life.

-We're happiest when we're thinking of others than ourselves. 

-He wants you to have the family you desire. He will help you. 

My favorite part of the experience was when they were leaving we all stood and sang "We Thank Thee O God For a Prophet." Hard not to get emotional when doing that. That's when I felt the Spirit the most. 

Just reminiscing of when I got to meet President Nelson about 18 years ago. I remember the way he interacted with me made me feel like he was my Grandpa (which is funny to say because him and my Grandpa Smith were really good friends in graduate school at the University of Minnesota).