We were taught by Elder and Sister Bednar

This morning we had a three hour instruction time with Elder and Sister Bednar.  She told us that when their youngest son was going on his mission, she shared D&C 84:88 with him:  88  And whoso receiveth you, there I will be also, for I will go before your face.  I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up.  She always finished her letters with:  I am praying for the angels to be around you and he would respond by saying he was grateful for the angels or that he had really needed their help.

Elder Bednar taught us that all of our meetings should be revelatory experiences.  We should not write down what the speaker says but what the Holy Ghost teaches us as we listen to the speaker.  Companion principles are to teach by the spirit and to learn by faith.  Faith is an action word.  It is one thing to believe in something but to do something about that belief is manifesting faith.  The act of faith softens our hearts and prepares us to receive the instruction of the Holy Ghost. 

He said that we should be happy and we should tell our faces we are happy.

For the last couple of hours, he invited us to ask inspired questions.  In response to one elder's question about President Hinckley, he said that President Hinckley is the smartest man he knows.  Even though he has never been educated in architechture or finances, in 30 seconds he can see the flaws in a presentation it took the preparer 30 days to prepare.  He said that President Hinckley is curious and is always learning.

One young black sister bore her testimony about her love of the gospel and her accepting it fully but then she quoted a reference I believe from an earlier prophet (it was hard to get everything--she was talking in Spanish) which said that the people who have black skins were not as valiant in the pre-existence and said that that hurt.  Was it true?  Elder Bednar said that it is not taught in the scriptures, it is not taught in general conference, it is not in the handbooks, it is not in the proclamations.  Earlier he had told us that if some idea is not found in the above sources, it is speculation, not doctrine.

This afternoon, Elder and Sister Bednar and all the mission presidents from the Caribbean and their wives went through a special temple session.  Because it is a Monday and the temple is closed, it was open just for this.  The workers were specially requested to come in and were given specific assignments.  I worked at the clothing counter and at the bottom of the stairs where patrons end up when they come from the Celestial Room directing them back to the dressing room.  Don issued new names and worked at the veil in English and French.  The mission president from Haiti is French speaking.  Spanish was also used but other workers assisted those patrons.  President Peterson counciled us to be invisible.  That is we as workers were in no way to call attention to ourselves.  We were also counciled to not engage any of the patrons in conversation.