General Conference April 2021

Elder Uchtdorf had something to say to me.
—
“Eternity is the wrong thing to get wrong.”

I thought Sis Jones’ how-tos were good.

I didn’t know our marriage situation was so bad. Oof. What a disaster.

I wonder if the birthrates of our people are also looking bad, to merit a mention by Elder Anderson.

So many talks on kindness and compassion and civility . . . gee, I wonder why?
Elder Stevenson: “Kindness is a fundamental gospel principle.”
Gerrit W. Gong: “Waiting on the Lord is a holy position.”

As Elder Renlund spoke factors contributing to inequality, I remembered, “Oh, yes, the former bishop of the Baltimore Ward.” He preceded my years in that ward.

As Elder Uchtdorf spoke, my mind was primed with, of course, a Killers song:
https://open.spotify.com/track/0WT17Tp3QzUK9zqeGILkuL?si=38f5I_GHQESqmKtCPWrGag&utm_source=copy-link

Sunday, 2nd session: 20 temples announced. Wow.

Temples announced:
(spelling not checked, just going by notes.)

1. Oslo, Norway.
2. Brussels, Belgium.
3. Vienna, Austria.
4. Kumasi, Ghana.
5. Beto, Mozambique.
6. Capetown, South Africa.
7. Singapore.
8. ____, Brazil.
9. Cali, Colombia.
10. _____, Mexico.
11. Torreon, Mexico.
12. Helena, Montana.
13. Casper, Wyoming.
14. Grand Junction, Colorado.
15. Farmington, New Mexico.
16. Burley, Idaho.
17. Eugene, Oregon.
18. Elko, Nevada.
19. Yorba Linda (?), California.
20. Smithfield, Utah.

A Farmington temple. Wonderful.

Leia wondered why it was not Alamosa. Well, give it time.

I was astonished at Sister Jones’ talk. Not at the content, but at who the Lord inspired to give it. I will be basing some future lessons around that talk.

I literally pounded the arms of my chair with glee when Elder Oaks announced what the topic of his talk would be.

The three new European temples will work from a relatively small LDS population base. I hope American senior missionaries will be able to assist.

Singapore will operate with an even smaller LDS population base, just one stake currently in that country. I wonder if there will be a future influx of Chinese saints into Singapore if Asia drifts into crisis. Singapore is also a well-positioned hub for travel in its part of the world.

In any event, great news for all 20 new sites and the people the new temples will serve.

I am reverent for conference. But then they announced that VAI SIKAHEMA has been called as a general authority. And then, the next day, President Oaks spoke about the Constitution. It’s like they were begging me to cheer out loud. I think I distracted my family a little when those things happened.

Smithfield. Smithfield, Utah. It’s . . . it’s a smallish town surrounded by even smaller satellite towns – and mostly fields. About the same size as Burley, actually. More cows than people, just about. That one caused much hilarity among my nieces and nephews when it was announced. But given the rate of population growth in Utah lately, I suspect they’ll fill it to capacity quite quickly.

The Burley and Smithfield temples will also help ease strain on the Logan temple, which I understand was operating at capacity before Covid hit.

Man, I really needed General Conference this time around. Of course, I will have to go back and re-watch some of the talks as well as studying them . . . my brother got in an all-out wrestling match during the Sunday morning session with a niece and nephew, as my sister-in-law egged him on. Really funny, but not great for concentration.

Elder Stevenson: “Kindness is a gospel principle.”
Elder Bednar: “A gospel principle is a doctrinally based guideline for the righteous exercise of moral agency.”

I like these together. When we are kind, we are exercising our moral agency righteously. But what is to be kind?

We generally think of playground language, “be nice”. Which that’s an extension of the principle. But the origin of “kind” seems like it’s linked to kin, as in relation, or even ther German kind (“child” as in kindergarten).

Even in the bible, kind is often used in the familial categorical sense -seed bearing fruit after it’s kind, every kind of grain. That stretches the language a bit, but it’s certainly closer to “kin” than “be nice”.

Wouldn’t kindness then consistent of exercising moral agency to consider and treat others as the brothers and sisters we are? You might end up right back at be nice as a general guidelines. But I think it’s a better approach.