All weekend I was excited to do a post on General Conference but then I started to get overwhelmed trying to figure out how to narrow it down to talk about one thing. There was so much good stuff. When I saw this list of questions over at Diapers and Divinity I thought it would be a good way to summarize things up. If you missed Conference or are unfamiliar with it you can read all the talks here.
Okay here I go…
1. Who were your three favorite speakers?My husband always says that if you can still remember a talk by Wednesday then it means it was a good one. So, without looking at my notes the three talks I’ve been thinking about the most the last few days are Elder Neil L. Anderson’s talk on the importance of bearing children, Sister Elaine S. Dalton’s talk on the importance that fathers play in raising daughters, and Elder Matthew O. Richardson’s (from the Sunday School Presidency) on learning to teach “by” the spirit. 2. Which talk spoke to you the most?I was really touched by Sister Dalton’s talk because the truth is that what women need more than anything else in this world is more righteous men who honor and respect their divine nature. It made me think of my post on the Concubine in Judges 19 and I am so glad that she had the courage to say what needed to be said.
3. What was your favorite Hymn and why did it move you?I loved the seeing the children’s choir sing! They were so sweet and had such an angelic sound. 4. Which speaker was the best dressed? (Come on, we can have a little fun.)Elder Oaks had on a snazzy red and blue tie and I remember thinking to myself, “Hey, I think he wore that tie last time too.” I don’t know if he did but I guess he must have a style I recognize!
5. Were there any topics that you felt like were repeated often? Any conference “themes”?It is funny to me how everyone always feels like there was a totally different “theme” of Conference. It just goes to show how the Spirit teaches each of us differently. I would say that that the theme I heard this year was that even though the world is getting darker the Gospel is going to go forth at a marvelous speed and that we need to prepare ourselves for increased persecution but also increased blessings.
6. Share a few of your favorite quotes from any of the talks (paraphrasing is fine).This quote that Barbara Thompson shared in her talk by Eliza R. Snow, “Let them [women] seek for wisdom instead of power and they will have all the power they have wisdom to exercise.” Loved that.
Elder Anderson quoting Spencer W. Kimball when he asked “Where is your faith?”. That phrase just resonated with my soul. I realized that in all aspects of my life I need to trust the Lord more and when I begin to get afraid or doubt ask myself “Heather where is your faith?!”
Elder Scott called the scriptures “Packets of Light” and I thought that was such a beautiful image. 7. Name something(s) that made you smile or laugh during conference.I don’t know if this counts but I was sure excited to see how many stories about women in the scriptures were mentioned! I usually keep track (because I’m nerdy) and some years there aren’t any but this year there were a good handful. Not to mention that the story of Pharaoh’s daughter (the one who rescued Moses) made it into TWO different talks. That has to be some sort of record.
8. Was there any evidence that your children paid attention?Hmmm…. I don’t know if I have any evidence. But Asher did start to get sick Saturday afternoon and he laid on the couch all through the last session so I think that means he HAD to have heard something!
Oh, wait! I think I do have evidence. Because later one when he saw a picture on the Internet a few days later of the President Obama and some of his advisers (dressed up in suits) he said “Oh, look Mom… Conference!” So I think he payed attention somewhat.
9. What doctrine did you learn as you listened to the choir(s) sing?See #10
10. Did the music enhance your General Conference experience? How?To be honest I used the music as “breaks” to take my kids to the bathroom (we are working on potty training), get them food, break up fights and keep them from tearing apart my in-laws house. So I didn’t really give it my full attention but I appreciate the incredible spirit it brings. Conference would NOT be the same without the music!
11. What are some of your post-conference goals?Elder Scott inspired me to start memorizing scriptures.
Elder Ballard inspired me to be more careful to call the church I belong to by its full name “The Church of Jesus Christ of Later-day Saints” and not just call it the “Mormon Church.”
and I think my biggest goal is to make sure that over the next 6 months I go back and read and study all the conference talks again. I am bad about doing that and this time there were quite a few talks that I really need to go back and study more in depth.
Well… I guess that is it.I’d love to hear your thoughts about General Conference! Which were your favorite talks? What did you think the “theme” of Conference was this year?
I noticed the increased women in the scripture stories this conference too! Loved Sister Dalton telling about Abish.
My children were SO excited about the children's choir. They both stopped playing and just watched. I could tell they were feeling the Spirit.
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts. That's one way to make the whole conference experience last more than one day! I felt that all the messages were encouraging, that we just need to keep trying to study the scriptures, prayer more effectively, follow the Spirit, and be a good example. And I loved all the ones that you liked too 🙂
Ha ha I totally laughed out loud when I read the part about your kid thinking the President and his advisers were speakers at General Conference. That made my day 🙂
I had so many "goals" from General Conference that I was super overwhelmed, but then I realized that most of them were habits that I wanted to develop, and only about 10 were actual GOALS (you know, things that you finish). So I broke them down into "daily habits" "other-than-daily habits" "goals" and "my to-be list" (remember April Conference talk about "to be" – maybe I will have to make a "to do" list that will help me progress on my "to be" list…?)
My laughing moment was the expressions on Pres. Monson's face when he told about losing the 5 dollar bill. That whole talk was such a good reminder that prophets are real people and have real experiences.