general conference preppin'

(artwork from churchofjesuschrist.org)

last october, president nelson announced during his final address at general conference that the next general conference would be a special bicentennial celebration of the first vision. he invited all members to prepare themselves for it as he said the following:

"The year 2020 will be designated as a bicentennial year. General conference next April will be different from any previous conference. In the next six months, I hope that every member and every family will prepare for a unique conference that will commemorate the very foundations of the restored gospel.

You may wish to begin your preparation by reading afresh Joseph Smith’s account of the First Vision as recorded in the Pearl of Great Price. Our course of study for next year in Come, Follow Me is the Book of Mormon. You may wish to ponder important questions such as, “How would my life be different if my knowledge gained from the Book of Mormon were suddenly taken away?” or “How have the events that followed the First Vision made a difference for me and my loved ones?” Also, with the Book of Mormon videos now becoming available, you may wish to incorporate them in your individual and family study.

Select your own questions. Design your own plan. Immerse yourself in the glorious light of the Restoration. As you do, general conference next April will be not only memorable; it will be unforgettable."

we have tried as a family to incorporate these things into our study over the last few months and particularly over the last few weeks... this past sunday we included a lot of things to prepare us in our home sacrament meeting and church:

we listened to the talk - joseph smith: teacher by example - thomas s monson

then had our closing hymn as -  praise to the man - via video

watched this video telling exactly who joseph smith was - (now you know)

watch this first vision video - ask of god

and read the recount of the first vision in joseph smith history 1:8-20

there are so many other talks available that look amazing, i'm hoping to get through some more before conference starts next weekend! president nelson promised it would be unforgettable and with everything going on in the world right now there is no doubt about that! i can't wait to see what happens.