Blog
12 COMMENTS
LEAVE A REPLY
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Click to subscribe for new post alerts.
Click to subscribe to our magazine, in circulation since 1974.
Submit a Guest Blog Post
Announcements
Subscribe to Our Magazine
I posted about my experience here http://bit.ly/ZrnPE6
I worked a 12 hour shift yesterday (Saturday) and missed all of conference and am trying to listen at home Sunday while the toddler makes it difficult. I was great until the last speaker (don’t know who) was going on about marriage and marriage and then, “And we know there are people who will not have the opportunity to marry in this life through no fault of their own, to them we say do not fear, but do all things cheerfully and you will be rewarded.” or something along those lines.
That’s right single people! You’re left out of all the things we’ve spent an hour telling you are the only things that matter but just be CHEERFUL, ok? I kind of lost it there. I’ve seen how the single friends and family I love are treated in the Church, but geez.
There were several talks that disappointed me as they seem to be veiled attacks on certain reform factions in the Church. The talks that meant the most to me were those that were focused on basic Church doctrine. Not those that go on and on about how secularism is going to destroy the world.
Yes, I get SO tired of hearing how bad everything is in the “last days.” Like, when was everything so virtuous and wonderful? When Herod killed all those babies? When Africans were enslaved and sent to the Americas? When Mao caused millions to die of starvation? Whenever I hear that rhetoric I shut down and can’t even listen to the rest of the talk.
Elder Holland’s talk saved me today.
Conference for me is formally next weekend, because of the internationla date line thing. However, I did tune in to hear/watch Jean Stevens pray. For me, it was as powerful as sustaining a prophet for the first time, or watching a presidential inaguration. It was watching history. It would have been a sin for me to forgo that for a week just because of an international date line.
I always watch Conference, at least passively while doing other things (cooking, sewing, cleaning, etc.). But before the afternoon session today, I gave tuning in a second thought. I felt like there were a lot of painful things said in the other sessions and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to watch the last one. But then I remembered that Elder Holland hadn’t spoken yet, and I knew that whatever he had to say would make up for everything painful that had been said. And was I ever right.
I loved Elder Holland’s talk. I love that I feel empowered to try, to work, to be more than I am. I felt like I saw my shortcomings without feeling burdened by inappropriate guilt, and walked away with a plan of what to do next. I’m planning to use it in my Laurels lesson this month. I felt the spirit when he spoke. I saw almost all of the sessions (missed part of the second one) but for me, that was what I needed to hear and it was worth the wait.
I also liked the Elder with the heavy Spanish accent in the final session. I do not remember his name right off. I liked the lessons that he learned, and that his wife was his partner in learning them.
I have only watched a few talks so far here in the UK over the net, but REALLY enjoyed Elder Uchtdorf’s talk in the priesthood session – especially his use of a similar analogy to Chieko Okazaki’s ‘cookie cutter’ mentality. looking forward to Elder Holland’s talk – met him in Dubai a number of times, so real, so accessible, so uplifting.
I haven’t read Uchtdorf’s talk yet, but my Dad told me he said we should accept differences in the worldwide membership and that it would “contradict the genius of God” if we tried to force everyone to be the same. THAT is a message I’m thrilled to hear spoken over the pulpit in General Conference!
I listened to Uchtdorf’s Priesthood session talk today and it was beautiful. I also loved Elder Cook’s talk about personal peace. Elder Holland was masterful, as always.
And I am THRILLED about the new YW General Presidency and the possibilities that are before them.
I prepared for General Conference by fasting from social media for a week and a half. It helped me to feel more tuned in to General Conference than usual.