Las Vegas vs. Las Vegas

I am in Las Vegas, Nevada for a business meeting with Nick.  We are staying at the Suncoast Casino located on the northwest side close to Red Rock.  I've always thought Las Vegas was an ugly place until the last time I was here and we had meetings at this same casino.  The near-by red rock mountains are really quite beautiful. 

Our meeting is four days long and one of those days is Sunday, today!  I decided that I was going to go to church while here because I knew I needed to and because of the World Wide Training this weekend.  I logged on to LDS.org to find the closest meetinghouse and the name of a Bishop I could call to find out when these meetings were going to be.  This morning was the World Wide Training and at noon they were holding their Red Rock Stake Conference.  

What a contrast to walk through the casino, drive two miles to the meetinghouse, and walk into the Stake Center.  For one thing the church smells a lot better, and another thing people at church look and probably are happier.

I attended two great meetings.  The new handbook clarifies and outlines many important aspects of the administration of a 14 million strong world wide congregation.  I loved President Monson's story about moving the chair being used to confirm a new member back to face the congregation after an older high councilman said he always faces the chair towards the temple!  President Monson was a Bishop at the time and knew that practices such as this could be interpreted the wrong way.  I had to borrow someone's handbook to look at since mine is being held in Tucson.  Can't wait to really peruse it.

A Youth Choir sang two songs beautifully for Stake Conference.  I was impressed and touched by the spirit as they sang a unique rendition of "Have I Done Any Good," and "This is the Christ."  The talks that followed were uplifting and spiritual, and if I felt I didn't measure up before the meeting, I felt better afterwards especially from hearing a talk by a member of the Stake Presidency who told the story of taking his elderly aunt white-water rafting.  After two or three #3 category rapids with water dripping off her face she turned to him and said "old age is not for sissies!"  He reminded us that "Life is not for sissies!"  I am not and I will not be a sissy!