Saturday, April 2, 2011

Saturday Morning Conference Highlights

I've always consider being able to watch Saturday morning conference a kind of luxury. Life seems to have a way of interfering much too often, but this morning I was there in front of the TV for the whole thing. I found the announcement of three new temples exciting. The first Fort Collins, Colorado is great. The second, Meridian, Idaho took me by surprise. That's so close to Boise and I find it exciting that there's a need for a second temple that close to the Boise Temple. Manitoba, Canada is a big place; I'll be anxious to learn the exact location of that one.

The speakers were great and I didn't miss President Monson's and President Eyring's emphasis on three areas; temples, service to those in need, and missionary work. I was particularly pleased with a small statement made by President Monson concerning making scooters available to missionaries and members to deliver humanitarian supplies to those in areas who are inaccessible by cars or trucks. I found it satisfying to hear of the work the Church is doing to aid those affected by the severe natural disasters of the past year or two. It also prompted me to tear up the check I've written for Humanitarian Aid and write a bigger one.

4 comments:

Tamera Westhoff said...

I most appreciated the Sunday afternoon session! I love Elder Scott's message about being better spouses and I also really enjoyed being told how to best discipline my children! I'm really looking forward to getting these in print!

violettes said...

I loved President Eyring's talk about service...giving, receiving, and the feelings that surround it. On March 23rd a tornado hit our town. The high school and two surrounding neighborhoods were hit at 4:45 pm. My son was in the field house when it hit, which sustained the least amount of damage at the high school. My middle school daughter had called me earlier in the afternoon as I was finishing my errands. She complained that her track practice (held at the high school) had been canceled because we had a chance of severe thunderstorms in the forecast. She complained that it wasn't even raining (it was sunny), that they run most of their practices in the rain, and if there is lightning all they do is go into the press box to wait it out. They would've been in the middle of practice when the tornado hit. The school sustained a lot of damage but the track/football field was hit the hardest. The press box was ripped apart. We are so grateful for this tender mercy that someone canceled her practice on that sunny afternoon, not imagining what the next few hours would bring.
Many homes were destroyed but miraculously there were no serious injuries. Although there was some theft/looting in the aftermath mostly the disaster brought out the best in people. People are clamoring to serve. Throughout the Pittsburgh area communities are gathering money and supplies and offering their time to help the people of our town. It's beautiful to see the divine nature of people brought forward.

Stephonie said...

I absolutely LOVED conference this time around. For the first time in years I was able to watch all four sessions. I felt that many of the speakers and personal little "epistles" being sent directly to me.
I cried through pretty much the entire first session. I was so touched by the music and the speakers. It was a beautiful way to spend the weekend!

Jennie said...

Tamera, Elder Scott touched me too. He always does. I think he made some important points on discipline and that parents need to realize discipline is a time to teach repentance rather than a call for punishment.
Violettes: I'm glad your family wasn't harmed by the tornado, but what a scary experience! I too was touched by President Eyring's words about service. In fact I tore up the Humanitarian check I'd planned to give to help with the recent disasters and wrote out a bigger one.
Stephonie: I had much the same reaction to conference. I didn't have any signings this year, so I didn't have to be anywhere right after the Saturday sessions, so I got to listen to all of them too. Unfortunately my husband missed the Priesthood session. My son-in-law, the one who was wounded in Iraq, had an emergency which required my daughter to rush him to the hospital and we took care of their little boy. By the time everything was taken care of, it was too late for him to go. Sunday morning, I missed parts of some of the talks because a worried grandson needed some attention.