Yay for Conference

General Conference was amazing! Saturday was good but something about all of Sunday really affected me. I think my favorite talk was Elder Oak's on testimonies and the relationship between knowledge and obedience. But...there were tons of fantastic talks. Close behind may be Elder Ballard's, Elder Holland's, and President Monson's closing remarks. But they were all great. I'm still going through the talks from the Priesthood session - there were some good ones there as well.

I was able to attend the Sunday sessions in the media room in the Conference Center. Which I've decided is the perfect middle of watching at home and in normal seats at the Conference Center. One, no one can really see us...but I think they can with the right light and looking closely... and so it's really more, um, comfortable. Plus, again, they have drinks, chocolate, mints, nuts and people could talk, we could walk around once in a while, etc. etc. It was grrreat. Oh, wait and PLUS! We get the print out of the talks beforehand so we all get to follow along. It's really funny cuz we are all turning pages at the same time and making notes and haha it's cool. And it makes it easier to follow the talks, pay attention, and actually remember what they said.

In between sessions I attended the press conference in the Relief Society building with the new YW Presidency. I just flashed my press pass and had instant access to walk by the security guards who probably assumed I was too young to be there (BTW...do I really look young? Or ACT it??)I sat on the second row pretty much right in front of the pulpit. After the official conference, the presidency came and talked to all of us. It was really really cool. Sister Dalton gave me a hug and was really really nice and concerned about everyone and dedicated to her work. I'm a big fan of all of them now. I didn't HAVE to attend the second session there but I had had such a good experience so far that day I decided to stay for the next...and I'm glad cuz I loved that session. Anyways it was great, I loved the weekend, and I'm hoping to continue getting a lot from this general conference, especially in the next week! :)

Some comments I liked:

The Spirit mostly speaks to our minds and hearts, not our ears. We must open our hearts to the Spirit which can be hard as we learn to guard it since the heart is sensitive to many things, (Elder Lund, Sunday afternoon).

We build our testimonies by having a "real desire to know, and asking God in sincere prayer. It is a process of seeking knowledge. Obedience and knowledge encourage and enhance each other. We are united but independent in knowing for ourselves, (Dallin H. Oaks, Sunday afternoon).

"We are inclined to view our own personal misfortunes through the distorted prism of pessimism. We feel abandoned, heartbroken, alone. If you find yourself in such a situation, I plead with you to turn to our Heavenly Father in faith. He will lift you and guide you. He will not always take your afflictions from you, but He will comfort and lead you with love through whatever storm you face," (President Monson, Sunday Morning).

"It is crucial to focus on our children for the short time we have them with us and to seek, with the Lord's help, to teach them all we can before they leave our homes....I hope all of you dear sisters, married or single, never wonder if you have worth in the sight of the Lord and to the leaders of the Church. We love you. We respect you and appreciate your influence in perserving the family and assisting with the growth and spiritual vitality of the Church....I pray that God will continually bless the women of the Church to find joy and happiness in their sacred roles as daughters of God," (Elder Ballard, Sunday Afternoon).

"These stories are not about crowds, but individuals among these crowds. They are really about you and me. All of us are among the crowds of the world. My experience has taught me that almost all of us are like the woman who, despite the crowd, comes to the Savior. We all have faith that just a touch will bring healing to our aching souls and relief to our innermost needs," (Elder Neunschwander, Sunday Afternoon).

"Action alone is not faith in the Savior, but acting in accordance with correct principles is a central component of faith....The object of our prayers should not be to present a wish list or a series of requests-but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is eager to bestow, according to His will and timing....May each of us strive with greater resolve to ask in faith and thereby make our prayers truly meaningful," (Elder Bednar, Sunday Afternoon).

"We believe in a God who is engaged in our lives, who is not silent, not absent...In declaring new scripture and continuing revelation, we pray we will never be arrogant or insensitive. But after a sacred vision in a now sacred grove answered in the affirmative the question, Does God exist?, and Does He speak? We bring the good news that He does and that He had. With a love and affection born of our Christianity, we invite all to inquire into the wonder of what God has said since biblical times and is saying even now," (Elder Holland, Sunday Afternoon).

"Remember: the heavens will not be filled with those who never made mistakes, but with those who recognized that they were off course and who corrected their ways to get back in the light of gospel truth," (President Uchtdorf, Priesthood session "A Matter of a Few Degrees").

"You can study the word of God, not for yourself alone, but to be an emissary of the Lord Jesus Christ to all the world. When you increase your power to teach the gospel, you are qualifying to help Heavenly Father in gathering His children. As you do that, another blessing will come. Should the need ever come in fmaily life in this world, or in the world to come, to draw back lost sheep, you will have recieved more power than you may now recognize," President Eyring, Priesthood session, "Faith and the Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood").