General Conference April 2016

Saturday, April 2nd-

We love General Conference! This session was so wonderful and I am really looking forward to studying each of the talks over the next few months.

Saturday morning session highlights:

• Pres. Eyring challenged us to pray more fervently, especially as we have questions about our faith.
• Sis. Durham suggested that we help our children to recognize and start to understand the promptings of the Holy Ghost and said that our homes can be a place where they are immersed in the promptings of the Holy Ghost.
• Elder Hallstrom spoke of being a child of God and how we sing it all the time but do we really know it's true!? He also said, "You can have what you want, or you can have something better." The Lord knows what is best and sometimes we need to be patient and wait for Him.
• Elder Stevenson shared an analogy of losing car keys and how the Earth lost the keys of the priesthood for a time but they have been restored and the saving ordinances have been unlocked for us.
• Elder Duncan gave an emotional talk on forgiveness. He said forgiveness is the very reason that God sent His Son.
• Elder Snow talked about humility.
• Elder Relund spoke on welfare and how we are more grateful when we receive help from people we know. He also said that all that is unfair in the world will be made right by the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

Between sessions, Cleod and I went for a run to practice for a 5K we are doing together next Saturday. It was a good run and went by quickly for me since I had someone to encourage. He did a great job and we ran 3 miles in a little over 35 minutes.

Then we made our traditional pigs in a blanket for lunch and sat down for another session.


Getting snacks

Saturday afternoon session highlights:

• Elder Rasband talked about sustaining the Lord's servants. This was a wonderful talk that I really want to go back and study.
• Elder Anderson spoke on families being eternal but in a different way. He talked about families who aren't sealed or children who don't have both parents and how God loves ALL His children.
• Elder Arnold spoke of rescuing others, giving inspiring stories which made me want to go out and hug every inactive member in our ward.
• Elder Mazzagardi gave an interesting perspective of the Restoration. He is from Brazil so he addressed the question, Why was the church restored in the United States?
• Elder Bednar gave a beautiful talk on the Holy Ghost and specifically on His role as a sanctifier. The Holy Ghost can cleanse us continually from sin as we keep our covenants.
• Elder Ballard talked about Family Councils. This is something we haven't formally done but I am anxious to get started. He said several times that we should not have any electronics on when we council and that there are different councils including the whole family, just parents, parents and one child and one parent and one child.

After the afternoon session, the kids played outside with neighbors. It was a beautiful Spring day today which was so welcome after some cooler weather this week.


Cora helping Molly ride a bike

Silas enjoyed the Priesthood Session which the kids and I had grilled cheese sandwiches. :)


Sunday, April 3rd-

Second day of Conference! Today was successful, as far as the kids listening to Conference. We changed our snack-getting activity from running up for a snack every time you hear a certain word like faith  or temple to the kids making tally marks next to a list of words and then collecting their treats during songs. It definitely made it easier for Silas and I to listen.

Sunday morning session highlights:

• President Monson announced 4 new temples. One in Peru, Ecuador, Brazil and Zimbabwe. He then gave a super short talk about agency. He said we need to choose the harder right instead of the easier wrong.
• Sister Oscarson spoke on conversion. She said that we need to get the Gospel from our heads and into our hearts. She also said that the greatest challenge facing the youth is the Great and Spacious Building, or being ashamed of the Gospel and falling away.
• Bishop Waddell also mentioned the Great and Spacious Building and specifically the difference between tasting the fruit and partaking of the fruit. We need to consistently partake of the Gospel.
• Elder Christofferson gave a moving talk on fathers and their work. He talked about looking to Heavenly Father and his abundant goodness and love. He said fathers work outside the home is important work.
• Elder Cook talked about temples and temple work. I have noticed that he talks about family history work a lot. I love that. He said that with the increasing number of temples and the advance in technology, it is the most blessed time to live. He said to never underestimate the aid of the other side of the veil in the temple.
• President Uchtdorf talked about how we can be restored to something better through the Atonement and used an analogy of a German town that was destroyed during WWII.

During the break, we walked with the kids to the church and sat on the grass while they played.

Hanging out

Cora selfies

Sunday afternoon session highlights:

• Elder Hales spoke on the Holy Ghost. This is definitely another one I want to study. He said that keeping the commandments and our covenants will help us not to be deceived.
• Elder Gong talked about the ways we can remember Christ. We need to have confidence in the Lord's promises, be grateful for His hand in our lives, partake of the sacrament and more.
• Elder Kearon gave a wonderful talk on helping others, specifically the refugees. He talked about the "I Was a Stranger" initiative that was introduced during the Women's broadcast last week.
• Elder Oaks spoke of the adversary. I need to relisten to this one because I didn't get much out of it with the kids. :)
• Elder Richards also spoke on temples and said we need the temple more than anything else.
• Elder Johnson- missed this one. It's the only one I slept through. :\
• Elder Holland gave a wonderful last talk on how we all can keep going and that God will never give up on us. He said that the great thing about the Gospel is that we get credit for trying!



Selfies and editing