Sunday, April 3, 2011

General Conference


I think that this guy felt how I did about General Conference. He looks so happy to be there!

I did not get to attend General Conference in person, but the feeling I got listening to the prophet, apostles, and other leaders of the church, made me feel there in spirit. I loved General Conference, or as my New Testament teacher, Brother Griffin, told us to make it, Personal Conference. There are always messages there for me, that are exactly what I need to hear at the time for comfort, guidance, and growth. Like Elder Jeffrey R. Holland said, these speakers are mortal messengers with angelic messages.
Elder Russell M. Nelson is one of my favorite apostles. His smile just warms your heart. I love his humble messages, especially since they usually include a sweet and inspiring story about his family, such as the story of his young grandson recognizing his grandfather on the television screen and blowing kisses at him. I really appreciated his message of combating fear with faith. He quoted President Monson, "My beloved brethren, fear not, your future is as bright as your faith." With the stress of the end of the semester: multiple papers, projects, and finals, along with all my other responsibilities in life adding up to almost no spare time, I was grateful for his comforting words. I know that the Lord is with me, and through doing my part and trusting in Him, I will make it through the next few weeks just fine.
I loved Elder Richard G. Scott's talk (and not just because he is from Idaho). If you have not noticed, I love their personal stories. His stories about his wife and children were so spiritually strong. One of his final messages was to pray to be an instrument in the hand of God. This is a gift and responsibility that I want to strive to always be worthy of.
Then, there is our sweet prophet, President Thomas S. Monson. To have one of the apostles, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, stand and bear such a loving and devoted testimony of our prophet today, Thomas S. Monson, was so touching and inspiring. Our prophet is really doing magnificently, just like Elder Holland said. Monson became an apostle at the age of 36, and I believe he was made a bishop around age 20. He truly has devoted his life to God and our church, to lead and guide us in these latter-days. The least we could to is to strive to follow him and his teachings. During his closing remarks, President Monson said that we need to try to be examples of honesty and integrity at all times. He then shared about how wondrous it is to be able to celebrate the Easter season, knowing that Christ has risen and that we can return to live with Him again.

All of the talks were wonderful. I cannot wait until October!

3 comments:

Heather said...

Did someone hi-jack your blog...or is this you really posting like 2 times in 2 years!!! Way to go! What happened to your conference tickets?

Jennie Brown Stephens said...

The part at the end CRACKED me up when we saw that kids face. My daughter said "who is that weirdo" We had to rewind it and watch it again, and again, and again... AWESOME!

Ashley said...

Liz's parents did not get them in time; they are going to get some for us in the fall though.
I still cannot believe that the guy turned around and smiled, but I know it generated at least a couple...thousand smiles as a result. :)