Conference Weekend

It has been an awesome weekend. Conference weekend is our favorite weekend... we look forward to the messages and love the uplifting feeling that strengthens us and helps us to find joy in the midst of trial. This weekend was no exception. I won't re-type all of my notes, but I wanted to share a few thoughts from this weekend.

When I was at BYU, I had religion professors who taught us that if we approached conference with a list of questions or concerns that we wanted answers to, and we prepared ourselves to receive those answers, that we would come away from conference with answers. Now, we were warned that sometimes the answers would come from spoken words and sometimes the answers would come through quiet feelings that we would only feel within our hearts. So, it would require some intense listening (with ears and heart) to get the messages we were seeking.

I haven't always prepared myself like I should, but when I have prepared, I have come away with an overwhelming feeling of knowing that God knows me and loves me. I have been constantly amazed at how this process works. I prayerfully make a list of questions and the answers come with great love.

There was one talk that felt to me as if it was intended just for me. It was Spencer Condie's talk on Saturday morning about the Lord fulfilling His promises. Even before he got into the meat of his talk, I had made a large star in the margin of my notes and wrote "Re-read this talk." As the talk continued and he very tenderly talked about faithful couples in the Old Testament who sought the fulfillment of promises that they would have posterity; his message that the Lord knew and loved them came loud and clear into my heart. I was overwhelmed with the feeling that God has not forgotten us, that he knows the quiet feelings in our hearts, and that His promises to us will be fulfilled. I guess I just needed to be reminded of that. This entire talk was an answer to my prayers. It was a profoundly moving moment for me.

There were a few other very specific moments that really touched me:
- Elder Wirthlin's talk on charity was so powerful, especially as Elder Nelson stood behind him to steady him when he started shaking. So much was taught without words. So powerful!
- Pres. Packer's phrase, "You can't tell by looking at a frog how high he's going to jump," was a good reminder to find the best in people.
- Elder Holland always speaks with power and boldness - this was an incredible talk!
- I really loved the closing hymn by the Young Women on Saturday, "Oh, May My Soul Commune With Thee." It's one of my favorite hymns, and they sang it so beautifully.
- I loved the Choir this morning singing "A Child's Prayer" and really liked the intro to it that they added. So beautiful!
- I appreciated President Eyring's talk about writing down our experiences for our posterity. I love the inspired thought that came to him, "I'm not giving you these experiences for yourself."
- The two talks back to back on revelation by Elder Hales and Elder Scott were inspiring and profound.
- Julie Beck's talk is one that I'll have to go back and re-read over and over... kind of seemed like a "raising the bar" talk for women, showing specific ways we can be a little better as wives, mothers, and homemakers.
- Elder Oaks talk was great! I liked his catchy little phrases, like "what your children really want for dinner is you." The message of the importance of spending time with family was powerful.

Oh, gosh, I could go on and on. There were so many great moments! I love love love President Hinckley. I am so grateful for him and all the other leaders of the Church who give us such simple tools that can help us be better people and encourage us with great love and kindness. I am overwhelmed with feelings of wanting to be more kind, more faithful, more giving, more sensitive, more loving. We are hoping to take these messages and turn them into manageable pieces that we can apply to our life.

It was a wonderful weekend!