By Carrie Sheffield
Skunks, silverware and senior citizens were a few of the topics leaders discussed Sunday afternoon.
Elder Spencer V. Jones of the Seventy instructed members on how to overcome the stench of sin through the imagery of a childhood memory.
As a teenager, Jones and a group of friends pulled a prank on a neighbor. During the getaway run, one of Jones'' friends kicked a skunk that sprayed the hooligans with a pungent mist.
The group tried various household remedies to lessen the stench that clung to them, causing alienation from family members and friends.
Jones compared the skunk''s smell to the effects of sin apparent in the countenances of sinners no matter how hard they try to hide them.
'We may even convince ourselves that no one will be able to detect our sins and that they are well-concealed,' Jones said. 'But always, to our Heavenly Father and often to spiritually sensitive leaders, parents and friends, our sins are glaringly apparent.'
Jones said the way to avoid sin is to pay heed to the light of Christ that provides guidance and warning.
'If the Spirit is pricking your heart to correct something in your life, know this - your soul is precious,' Jones said. 'I lovingly plead ''do not procrastinate the day of your repentance.'' Start the process now. Remove the stench of sin with the remedy of repentance. Then, through the Atonement, the Savior can wash you clean.'
During his talk titled 'Giving Thanks in All Things,' Elder Dallin H. Oaks sang 'If I Were a Rich Man.'
Oaks said members should be grateful for many things, including life''s difficulties that the main character complains about during the musical Fiddler on the Roof.
'When we give thanks in all things, we see hardships and adversities in the context of the purpose of life,' Oaks said. 'The Lord will not only consecrate our afflictions for our gain, but He will use them to bless the lives of countless others.'
President Boyd K. Packer of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke on the crucial duties and roles grandparents should play in the lives of their children and grandchildren.
Packer said church members often underestimate the power and wisdom older Church members bring.
The average age of the Presidency and the Twelve is 77 years, Packer said. The group also brings a combination of 1,161 years and 430 cumulative years of experience as General Authorities.
'Older people have a steadiness, a serenity that comes from experience,' Packer said. 'Learn to use that resource. Value the old folks for what they are, not just what they can do.'
Elder F. Burton Howard of the First Quorum of the Seventy spoke on eternal marriage, which he compared to a set of silverware his wife has taken painstaking care of during their 47 years of marriage.
'If you want something to last forever, you treat it differently,' Howard said. 'You protect it. You never abuse it. You don''t make it common or ordinary.'