What an amazing weekend it has been! I love General Conference so much! It is such an incredible blessing that once every 6 months we get to spend two days listening to our prophet, his counselors, the Apostles, and other General Authorities of our Church! I know that their messages are inspired, and I am so grateful for that! I started off Conference weekend by going to the temple with my roommate Jessica! I took my copy of the Conference addition of the Ensign from the last Conference with me! Rereading those messages made me even more excited for the coming weekend! Then I went to the BYU vs Utah State football game! We had fourth row seats AND we won! It was FREEZING but so worth it!
General Conference is something that I always look forward too! It is such an incredible blessing to be able to hear the counsel of our living prophet President Monson, his counselors, the Quorum of the Twelve, and other General Authorities! I always gain so much from their messages and my testimony is strengthened! When we all rolled out of bed on Saturday morning to make breakfast and watch the first session at 10 am, we had absolutely no idea that we were about to hear some exciting and unexpected news. At the very beginning of the session President Monson got up to speak. We all just assumed he would be just welcoming everyone to the Conference. Instead he started talking about missionary work. He announced that effective immediately, all young men could serve missions beginning at age 18 if they had graduated from high school, and young women could serve beginning at age 19! I'm pretty sure my jaw quite literally dropped to the floor! Serving a mission is always something that I had thought of as a possibility, but since I couldn't go until age 21, it had always just kind of been at the back of my mind. Now all of a sudden, I could go right now if I wanted! Needless to say, I have a lot to think about! It's such a comfort to know that my Heavenly Father has a plan for me! If a mission is a part of that plan, I am more than willing to serve!
There were so many messages that touched me this weekend, but I will just touch on a few!
President Uchtdorf:
President Uchtdorf always gives fantastic talks, and this one was no exception! He spoke on reaching our full potential in this short time that we are given on this Earth. He said that in an eternal perspective, our mortal life really is just the blink of an eye. As we get older, we wonder how the years have passed so quickly! I'm only 19 and I've already definitely found that to be true! He encouraged us to spend as much time as we can with the people that we love most! Right after he said something that was a comfort to me in my life right now. He mentioned that he and his wife know what it is like to be far away from loved ones. My family lives 2,000 miles away from me and I don't get to see them nearly as much as I would like. I love BYU and feel so incredibly blessed to be here, but being so far away from my family is hard sometimes. It was so comforting just to hear him say that he understands how that feels. He then talked about how we need to do all that we can to reach our full potential and become the person that the Lord wants us to me. He said that the more we rely on the grace of the Savior, the more that we will feel that we are on the track that the Lord has provided us. In addition, he reminded us that we have complete control over our happiness! He quoted his wife Harriet who said, "It's not a race, it's a journey! Enjoy the moment!" Sometimes we let sweet and joyful experiences pass us by because we are anticipating their end! There is something in each day to rejoice about and cherish, and we can resolve to be happy regardless of our circumstances. He ended by saying, "I pray that we will not wait until we are ready to die before we truly learn to live." I just love that! I loved this talk!!
President Eyring:
President Eyring's talk was exactly what I needed to hear. I am at that time in my life known as the decade of decisions. I have so many big decisions ahead of me, and I am drawing closer to the Lord and relying on him more than ever. This talk was about how the Lord has a plan for each of us. He hears our prayers, but we have to trust him and trust in his timing when it comes to receiving answers. He reminded us that God is close to us, aware of us, and NEVER hides from his faithful servants. I thought that was such a powerful statement. There are billions of people on this Earth, and despite that the Lord is mindful of me and is willing to listen to and answer my prayers. He has a plan for me and that alone is incredible. As President Eyring said, he knows so much better than we do what our future can hold. Each one of us was put on this Earth for a reason and we have a purpose. There were two other things that he said that were EXACTLY what I needed to hear. "We can't insist on our time table when the Lord has his own," and "Submitting fully to Heaven's will is essential, but does not guarantee immediate answers to our prayers." I am the kind of person that likes to have a plan and I like to know exactly what's next. As a result, I want things to happen at specific times. The Lord knows this about me, which is why he has been teaching me patience. I have been trying really hard to find a job here on campus. I check the job listings every day, and have sent my resume to countless people with no luck. I have prayed about it a lot, and have realized that the Lord really is mindful of me and has a plan for me. He just needs me to learn that submitting myself to his will requires patience. President Eyring concluded this wonderful talk by saying that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ see us with perfect clarity and a perfect love. What a beautiful statement! This talk was an answer to my prayers and exactly what I needed to hear!
Elder Holland:
Can I just say that I absolutely love this man? I just love him. He is incredible! He talked about how after Christ was crucified his disciples, who were all relatively new converts, thought that they were supposed to return to their normal lives. They returned to the sea and began fishing, just as they had before they were called as Apostles and caught nothing. They saw a figure approaching who called out to them, "Cast your nets to the right side of the ship," the exact exchange that had happened three years earlier when Christ had beckoned the Apostles to follow him. This was the first time the Apostles had seen the resurrected Savior. Christ asked Peter three times if he loved him. Peter responded "yes" each time. Christ then explained to Peter that he and the other apostles needed to carry on his work, even though he could no longer remain with them. Just because his Earthly ministry was over, did not mean that their's was. Elder Holland went on to say that Christ needs disciples and he needs them forever. In his words, "Our message is the work of the Almighty God and it will change the world." He said that the best way to show our love for the Lord and Jesus Christ is loyalty. We have a life of devoted discipleship to give to show our love for the Lord. He expects our loyalty in every stage of our lives. He closed by powerfully declaring, "We will never look back until this work is finished." I love him and I loved this talk!
President Monson:
The final talk I want to share a little bit about is President Monson! He loves to tell stories and I love to listen to them! He reminded us to take a step back and consider the blessings in our lives! This is something that I have been focusing on a lot this week. We had a devotional on Tuesday where the speaker encouraged us to keep a gratitude journal and at the end of each day write down what we are grateful for! I have been doing that each day this week, and have been amazed at how much the Lord blesses my life each and every day! In President Monson's words, "Take an inventory of your life and look specifically for the blessings that you have received!" I feel like sometimes I get so wrapped up in everything that's going on in my life with school and all that I forget to stop and really notice the little tender mercies that happen each and every day. He focused the rest of his remarks on being an instrument in the Lord's hands through service. He said, "The more we act upon the inspiration of the Spirit, the Lord will send us on his errands." I love that I am able to be an instrument in the Lord's hands through service! It is such an amazing feeling! President Monson also reminded us that our prayers will be heard and answered by a Heavenly Father who knows and loves us perfectly! What an extraordinary blessing that is! What a great message!
General Conference weekend was just all around amazing. Between breakfast parties with my wonderful friends, getting answers to some questions, hearing an announcement that gave me a lot to think about, and feeling the Spirit so strongly and having my testimony grow, it was a wonderful weekend that I won't soon forget! I know that this Gospel is true. I know that the Atonement is real and that we have a Heavenly Father who loved us enough to send his son to this Earth to suffer for our sins, be crucified, and be resurrected on our behalf. I know that he hears and answers our prayers. I know that he speaks to us through living prophets! I love the Gospel! As Sister Ann Dibb said in her talk, "I'm a Mormon. I know it. I live it. I love it!"
General Conference is something that I always look forward too! It is such an incredible blessing to be able to hear the counsel of our living prophet President Monson, his counselors, the Quorum of the Twelve, and other General Authorities! I always gain so much from their messages and my testimony is strengthened! When we all rolled out of bed on Saturday morning to make breakfast and watch the first session at 10 am, we had absolutely no idea that we were about to hear some exciting and unexpected news. At the very beginning of the session President Monson got up to speak. We all just assumed he would be just welcoming everyone to the Conference. Instead he started talking about missionary work. He announced that effective immediately, all young men could serve missions beginning at age 18 if they had graduated from high school, and young women could serve beginning at age 19! I'm pretty sure my jaw quite literally dropped to the floor! Serving a mission is always something that I had thought of as a possibility, but since I couldn't go until age 21, it had always just kind of been at the back of my mind. Now all of a sudden, I could go right now if I wanted! Needless to say, I have a lot to think about! It's such a comfort to know that my Heavenly Father has a plan for me! If a mission is a part of that plan, I am more than willing to serve!
There were so many messages that touched me this weekend, but I will just touch on a few!
President Uchtdorf:
President Uchtdorf always gives fantastic talks, and this one was no exception! He spoke on reaching our full potential in this short time that we are given on this Earth. He said that in an eternal perspective, our mortal life really is just the blink of an eye. As we get older, we wonder how the years have passed so quickly! I'm only 19 and I've already definitely found that to be true! He encouraged us to spend as much time as we can with the people that we love most! Right after he said something that was a comfort to me in my life right now. He mentioned that he and his wife know what it is like to be far away from loved ones. My family lives 2,000 miles away from me and I don't get to see them nearly as much as I would like. I love BYU and feel so incredibly blessed to be here, but being so far away from my family is hard sometimes. It was so comforting just to hear him say that he understands how that feels. He then talked about how we need to do all that we can to reach our full potential and become the person that the Lord wants us to me. He said that the more we rely on the grace of the Savior, the more that we will feel that we are on the track that the Lord has provided us. In addition, he reminded us that we have complete control over our happiness! He quoted his wife Harriet who said, "It's not a race, it's a journey! Enjoy the moment!" Sometimes we let sweet and joyful experiences pass us by because we are anticipating their end! There is something in each day to rejoice about and cherish, and we can resolve to be happy regardless of our circumstances. He ended by saying, "I pray that we will not wait until we are ready to die before we truly learn to live." I just love that! I loved this talk!!
President Eyring:
President Eyring's talk was exactly what I needed to hear. I am at that time in my life known as the decade of decisions. I have so many big decisions ahead of me, and I am drawing closer to the Lord and relying on him more than ever. This talk was about how the Lord has a plan for each of us. He hears our prayers, but we have to trust him and trust in his timing when it comes to receiving answers. He reminded us that God is close to us, aware of us, and NEVER hides from his faithful servants. I thought that was such a powerful statement. There are billions of people on this Earth, and despite that the Lord is mindful of me and is willing to listen to and answer my prayers. He has a plan for me and that alone is incredible. As President Eyring said, he knows so much better than we do what our future can hold. Each one of us was put on this Earth for a reason and we have a purpose. There were two other things that he said that were EXACTLY what I needed to hear. "We can't insist on our time table when the Lord has his own," and "Submitting fully to Heaven's will is essential, but does not guarantee immediate answers to our prayers." I am the kind of person that likes to have a plan and I like to know exactly what's next. As a result, I want things to happen at specific times. The Lord knows this about me, which is why he has been teaching me patience. I have been trying really hard to find a job here on campus. I check the job listings every day, and have sent my resume to countless people with no luck. I have prayed about it a lot, and have realized that the Lord really is mindful of me and has a plan for me. He just needs me to learn that submitting myself to his will requires patience. President Eyring concluded this wonderful talk by saying that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ see us with perfect clarity and a perfect love. What a beautiful statement! This talk was an answer to my prayers and exactly what I needed to hear!
Elder Holland:
Can I just say that I absolutely love this man? I just love him. He is incredible! He talked about how after Christ was crucified his disciples, who were all relatively new converts, thought that they were supposed to return to their normal lives. They returned to the sea and began fishing, just as they had before they were called as Apostles and caught nothing. They saw a figure approaching who called out to them, "Cast your nets to the right side of the ship," the exact exchange that had happened three years earlier when Christ had beckoned the Apostles to follow him. This was the first time the Apostles had seen the resurrected Savior. Christ asked Peter three times if he loved him. Peter responded "yes" each time. Christ then explained to Peter that he and the other apostles needed to carry on his work, even though he could no longer remain with them. Just because his Earthly ministry was over, did not mean that their's was. Elder Holland went on to say that Christ needs disciples and he needs them forever. In his words, "Our message is the work of the Almighty God and it will change the world." He said that the best way to show our love for the Lord and Jesus Christ is loyalty. We have a life of devoted discipleship to give to show our love for the Lord. He expects our loyalty in every stage of our lives. He closed by powerfully declaring, "We will never look back until this work is finished." I love him and I loved this talk!
President Monson:
The final talk I want to share a little bit about is President Monson! He loves to tell stories and I love to listen to them! He reminded us to take a step back and consider the blessings in our lives! This is something that I have been focusing on a lot this week. We had a devotional on Tuesday where the speaker encouraged us to keep a gratitude journal and at the end of each day write down what we are grateful for! I have been doing that each day this week, and have been amazed at how much the Lord blesses my life each and every day! In President Monson's words, "Take an inventory of your life and look specifically for the blessings that you have received!" I feel like sometimes I get so wrapped up in everything that's going on in my life with school and all that I forget to stop and really notice the little tender mercies that happen each and every day. He focused the rest of his remarks on being an instrument in the Lord's hands through service. He said, "The more we act upon the inspiration of the Spirit, the Lord will send us on his errands." I love that I am able to be an instrument in the Lord's hands through service! It is such an amazing feeling! President Monson also reminded us that our prayers will be heard and answered by a Heavenly Father who knows and loves us perfectly! What an extraordinary blessing that is! What a great message!
General Conference weekend was just all around amazing. Between breakfast parties with my wonderful friends, getting answers to some questions, hearing an announcement that gave me a lot to think about, and feeling the Spirit so strongly and having my testimony grow, it was a wonderful weekend that I won't soon forget! I know that this Gospel is true. I know that the Atonement is real and that we have a Heavenly Father who loved us enough to send his son to this Earth to suffer for our sins, be crucified, and be resurrected on our behalf. I know that he hears and answers our prayers. I know that he speaks to us through living prophets! I love the Gospel! As Sister Ann Dibb said in her talk, "I'm a Mormon. I know it. I live it. I love it!"
I LOVED conference too - and I LOVED your recap. You are awesome - and you would be an incredible missionary! Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us!
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