Sunday General Conferencing

I was moved by the brother’s account of his struggle with blacks and the priesthood.

Elder Holland’s remarks about how its nice to have evidence for our faith caught my attention. I will probably do a stand alone post about what evidence I have for my testimony later in the week.

I thought it was an odd coincidence that he and the man who spoke right after both led with accounts of Christ healing the blind–but not the same accounts.

Some combination of President Oaks’ talk and Elder Uchtdorf’s talk is everything I care about and struggle to say.

It was close to heartbreaking when he talked about learning his dad had died and I lost my composure during Come Come Ye Saints.

This General Conference was a joy and a consolation. Two talks on The Family: A Proclamation to the World! Multiple ideas on how to live as a Zion people (my current preoccupation)! So much wonderful music. So many testimonies that living a Christ-centered life is the path to happiness, no matter our circumstances.

Now and then I have wondered if we who write at this website give excessive emphasis to forming families and having children, the more the better. For today though, in this thing at least, we are well aligned with the president of the church.

As Pres. Oaks spoke, I remembered my stake’s conference that he presided around 2008. Paraphrasing from memory: “I was visiting a stake in Xyz, England. [I don’t remember the city he named.] There were a hundred children in the Primary. That was a hundred children for the whole stake. Do you know what that means? That stake is in liquidation. It will shrink, and eventually it will be disorganized.”

He has been paying attention to these things at least since then. His closing talk today went beyond the demographic problems of everyone to the matter of keeping centered with our families when that goes against the grain of everything around us.

My prayers were answered for this conference with two talks specifically about The Family: A Proclamation to the world. Whatever the world is doing around us we need to be forming families, having children (big, old-fashioned families), and building eternal families. It was so refreshing to my soul to hear those talks. Pres. Oaks reference to a pre-mortal family council, mortal families, and eternal families was strengthening to me as that is what I’ve felt for many years–the family, father, mother, children, is an eternal pattern and evidenced throughout scriptures. Absolutely stellar conference! I sang along with almost all of the songs!

Also loved the bold and family-focused Elder Oaks talk. I feel like he has never been so personal as he was talking about his dad’s death. Powerful. Interesting focus on the important role grandparents can play.

The words I’m most thinking about were from Eyring, though: ““He is making you strong enough to carry the weight of eternal life.”

And does everyone love Elder Brown?? He came to our stake conference a couple years ago when he was an area authority and I have loved him ever since. The best accent and the most powerful speaking style. (Well, maybe a tie with Elder Kearon.)

I sang along with almost all of the songs!

I miss a lot of things about watching conference in church, but boy do I love singing along with the choir on all the songs without my longsuffering ward having to longsuffer it.