October 2010 General Conference Insights

Diapers and Divinity had a fun challege for General Conference, so I decided to participate.  You can do the same!!  Just CLICK HERE and join in!

* * *

After eight hours of General Conference intertwined with eight children, I am so glad to have Closed Captioned for this mother who was hearing impaired giving approximately 80 shushes per hour!!

Nevertheless, the spirit of Conference, undoubtedly, filled our home with such incredible feelings of hope, joy, repentance and faith that we are so looking forward to incorporating each talk in very near-future Family Home Evenings!


Here are some of my insights from October General Conference 2010:

1. I cannot make a list of my favorite speakers because that list may go on and on and on. I will say this, I LOVE the energy of President Uchtdorf, the sincerity of Elder Holland, the profundity of Elder Scott, the boldness of President Packer, the love for youth from Sister Cook and Elder Lawrence, the humor of Elder Gong and of course, the sweet tenderness of President Monson. For me, each speaker presented a fruit of the spirit that invoked such feelings and desires in my heart such as love, peace, joy, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance.

2. As for my favorite talks,  I will say this: Last week I wrote down four specific questions/concerns that I wanted answered/addressed during Conference. Each was answered directly by the Spirit through talks given by President Eyring, President Uchtdorf and Elder Bednar!! I am always amazed and humbly grateful that the Lord can and will answer our questions as we ask, seek and listen (with a sincere desire) to General Conference.


3. My favorite hymn sung during Conference was the Choir and Congregation singing “I Am A Child of God.” All of my children sang every, single word at the top. of. their. lungs.

4. Who wore the best tie? I admit I didn’t take notice of ties at all. Hopefully that doesn’t mean I wasn’t paying attention . . .

5. As I thought about what the theme of Conference was, I felt it was “Have Faith not Fear!” Coupled with that, was the call to repentance: thus using my agency wisely in turning to the Lord and cleansing myself from those things that keep me from feeling the Lord’s Spirit.

6. Some of my favorite things said in Conference, or things that I directly applied to me (all paraphrased, of course):

When it comes to the Plan of Salvation, it is all about me! (Elder Holland)

What I want my children to know five years from now, I need to teach them today! (Sister Wixom)


All honest work - no matter what type of work - is the work of God! (Elder Christofferson)


There is more to life than increasing the speed. (President Uchtdorf)


Will I be among the 2/3 who has faith to follow the Savior? (Elder Hales)


Pornography is a weapon of mass moral destruction. (Elder Cook)


Blackberries read in Church make green Bishops turn blue! (Elder Gong)


Life is no spiritual picnic! (Elder Anderson)


“Receive the Holy Ghost” is a priesthood injunction to act, not to be acted upon. (Elder Bednar)


Parenting is not a popularity contest. (Elder Lawrence)


Elder Arnold grew up with a family of nine children in a two bedroom/one bath home!!!!!


Addiction relinquishes agency. (Elder Ballard)


It is my sons’ priesthood responsibility (obligation, even) to be clean and be ready to serve a two year mission! (And my responsibility to get them there!) (President Monson)

7. Let me tell you what made me smile during conference – watching the sweet emotions of President Thomas S. Monson, our prophet, seer and revelator. I smile as he smiles; I smile as he recounts memories that touch his heart and make way to mine; I smile as I listen to the lyrical cadence of his voice as he testifies of gospel truths and the reality of a living Christ.

What also makes me smile is that my boys call the Congregational Hymn in the middle of the hours: "Half Time!!" (Like it's a football game.)

8. Here is evidence that my children paid (some, slight) attention to Conference. I decided that I wasn’t going to make copies and copies and copies of cutesy Conference bundles because that would take up ALL the ink in our copier and use about two reams of paper! So I simply made copies of the pictures of the General Authorities/Auxiliaries of the Church (found in last May’s Ensign) and gave my children scissors, pencils, glue sticks, and several sheets of paper. They has so much fun searching for the members of the Seventy and Auxiliary Leader (they knew where to find the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve), cutting, pasting and gluing! Of course, I had to endure the eight hours of itsy, bitsy, teeny-tiny paper mess all over the family room floor, but it kept their attention just enough!! My 1st grader, who is still learning how to read, chose to draw a picture of what each speaker spoke about. And now, each child has his/her own personal journals of what they learned from General Conference.

9. If I had to give a talk in General Conference (so hypothetical here), I would speak about the importance of virtue. Specifically: modesty for women/Young Women and appropriate language and use of time for the men/Young Men. I would also speak on the importance virtue has in building up the kingdom of God.

10. One of my MANY post-conference goals - GO TO BED EARLY!