april 2020 conference

this past sunday we had the chance to watch the sunday morning session of conference for our church meeting (please keep in mind that we aren't able to watch the sessions live here in australia - except this time when i actually did, when it started at midnight for us, as alexander just would not go to sleep that night and laid awake most of the night - so while he wiggled, i watched that session!) it was really good and a wonderful thing to watch as the 200th anniversary of the first vision was celebrated! 

it was certainly different though, as the speakers (only! no additional people were there) sat 6 feet apart in a mini auditorium instead of the conference centre and delivered their talks. president nelson even joked that when he promised us this conference would be unforgettable that this isn't what he had in mind.

the sunday morning session ended with the presentation of a new proclamation - the restoration of the fulness of the gospel of jesus christ: a bicentennial proclamation to the world, read by president nelson in the sacred grove as a precorded part of his talk hear him and then a solemn assembly with a hosanna shout to further celebrate this bicentenary. 

i know there are so many other good talks and i am very excited to listen to all of them using this general conference challenge sheet that is released after each conference (you can find it via a facebook group called "general conference challenge.") it's well worth doing it this way - i find i take so much more in when i listen to them one by one instead of during a two hour block.

so here we go! can't wait to hear what everyone had to say... how lucky we are to live in a time where we know of the truth and are able to continue to hear the words of the lord through our church leaders. we are truly blessed. ❤

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. 

general conference october 2019

photo from churchofjesuschrist.org

i love to hear the words from general conference each year. our church's semiannual conference is full of inspirational and uplifting talks focusing on the words of christ - the centre of our religion. we, as members of the church of jesus christ believe that the lord still speaks to his people in our day - and this is our opportunity to listen to the words of our prophet, his counsellors and the apostles. it is a wonderful experience for all who will listen and heed their council. the talks are broadcast to many different countries live and then made available shortly after to download and watch, for those who are not able to watch live.

there was a few talks that stood out to me this time around - as always, and i want to share parts of them here:

true disciples of the savior - terence m. vinson

it was so nice to hear an australian accent in the middle of all the americans and i was in fits of laughter as he spoke about being "fair dinkum" (a very australian expression) about the gospel. 

my favourite quote from his talk was, "what we need here is less wi-fi and more nephi!"

"giving our all doesn’t mean that we will be continually enveloped in blessings or always have success. but it does mean that we will have joy. joy is not fleeting pleasure or even temporary happiness. joy is enduring and is founded on our efforts being accepted by the lord."

spiritual capacity - michelle craig

sister craig spoke about the importance of being able and ready to receive personal revelation. i loved her talk!

our souls long for a connection with our heavenly home. we want to feel needed and useful. but at times we struggle to distinguish between our own thoughts and the gentle impressions of the spirit. prophets, ancient and modern, have taught that if something “invites and entices to do good, it comes from christ.”

four ways to increase your spiritual capacity to receive revelation.

be intentional about creating time and space to hear god’s voice

the prophet joseph smith taught that most often god reveals himself “to individuals in private, in their chamber; in the wilderness or fields, and that generally without noise or tumult.”

satan wants to separate us from god’s voice by keeping us out of those quiet places. if god speaks in a still, small voice, you and i need to draw close to hear him. pick a time and place, and listen for god’s voice every day. keep this sacred appointment with exactness, for so very much depends on it!

act without delay

when you receive promptings and then act with intention, the lord can use you. the more you act, the more familiar the voice of the spirit becomes. you will increasingly recognize god’s guidance and that he is “willing … to reveal his mind and will.” if you delay, you might forget the prompting or miss the chance to help someone for god.

this reminded me of a quote from thomas s. monson “never, ever, postpone a prompting!” I have thought of this so many times in recent years and it has been the most amazing counsel.

get your errand from the lord

president henry b. eyring has taught us to seek revelation by asking god who we can help for him. “if you ask questions like that, the holy ghost will come and you’ll feel nudges about things you can do for other people. when you go and do those things, you’re on the lord’s errand, and when you’re on the lord’s errand, you qualify for the gift of the holy ghost.”

believe and trust

each of us has a different mission to perform, and at times the spirit may call us in “another way.” there are many ways to build the kingdom of god as covenant-making, covenant-keeping disciples of jesus christ. as his faithful disciple, you can receive personal inspiration and revelation, consistent with his commandments, that is tailored to you. you have unique missions and roles to perform in life and will be given unique guidance to fulfill them.

each one of us, can strive to seek, receive, and act. as you follow this eternal pattern ordained for our day, you will draw nearer to jesus christ—his love, his light, his direction, his peace, and his healing and enabling power. you will increase your spiritual capacity to become an everyday instrument of his hands in accomplishing his great work.

found through the power of the book of mormon - ruben v alliaud

i loved every word of this talk. his real life story of being found through the power of the book of mormon had me enthralled and very amused. he was a great speaker and his message was the best. highly recommend listening to this one, its way better in his accent.

thru cloud and sunshine, lord, abide with me! - reyna i aburto

i feel like this talk will have touched the hearts of so many who struggle with mental health issues

“all human beings—male and female—are created in the image of god. each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and … each has a divine nature and destiny.” like our heavenly parents and our savior, we have a physical body and experience emotions.

it is normal to feel sad or worried once in a while. sadness and anxiety are natural human emotions. however, if we are constantly sad and if our pain blocks our ability to feel the love of our heavenly father and his son and the influence of the holy ghost, then we may be suffering from depression, anxiety, or another emotional condition.

my daughter once wrote: “there was a time … [when] I was extremely sad all of the time. i always thought that sadness was something to be ashamed of, and that it was a sign of weakness. so i kept my sadness to myself. … i felt completely worthless.”

a friend described it this way: “since my early childhood, i have faced a constant battle with feelings of hopelessness, darkness, loneliness, and fear and the sense that I am broken or defective. i did everything to hide my pain and to never give the impression that i was anything but thriving and strong.”

my dear friends, it can happen to any of us—especially when, as believers in the plan of happiness, we place unnecessary burdens on ourselves by thinking we need to be perfect now. such thoughts can be overwhelming. achieving perfection is a process that will take place throughout our mortal life and beyond—and only through the grace of jesus christ.

in contrast, when we open up about our emotional challenges, admitting we are not perfect, we give others permission to share their struggles. together we realize there is hope and we do not have to suffer alone.

****************

there are so many wonderful talks from conference, in all of the sessions. i absolutely recommend reading/listening to as many as you can. 

it's the most wonderful time of the year!

general conference april 2019

i love general conference. i love to hear the words of the modern day prophets, telling us things we can do to improve our lives and grow closer to the lord. although i never quite manage to get to watch it all uninterrupted, i managed to sneak one of the sessions in, playing on the laptop while editing some photos, before we watched the sunday morning session as a family. i absolutely loved this quote from sister craven from her talk careful vs. casual. it was an excellent talk and it hit me hard in a good way, a great reminder to do the right thing. to always do the right thing.

i actually had a wonderful experience this time around too, elder uchtdorf spoke during the saturday morning session in his talk: missionary work: sharing what is in your heart. he spoke of the importance of being the one to bring up the gospel, to speak up and not wait for a chance. because not long after listening to that talk, the chance arose for me. 

madeline has made a few new friends since the beginning of the school year, which always happens as classes are shuffled and kids are put with new people. one girl she has become very good friends with and has had regular play dates. this girls mother messaged me during the holidays, to ask me to keep a date free for a birthday party, which was - of course, a sunday. most of our friends know we are religious, that we attend church regularly and that when we decline invitations to sunday parties that it's not because we don't want to attend, but because of our church meetings. but this was a new friend, i don't know the mother well and i didn't want to decline and risk it possibly affecting the girls friendship. i'm not saying the mum would be like that and don't think for a minute she would be, but the unfortunate reality is, some people are. so... i thought about it long and hard, how could i respond kindly, but give a good reason for her not being able to make it? elder uchtdorfs talk came clearly into my mind and i found myself typing back that sundays weren't a good day for us as we are very involved in our church community, which takes up our day and that madeline just wouldn't be able to make it. i don't know what i expected to happen, i am a little bit paranoid at the best of times... i guess i just figured that she wouldn't be going. what i didn't expect was a quick response from the mum asking if saturday would work better for us? you could not wipe the smile off my face - and madeline was thrilled to pieces! to speak up even though i was unsure of what it would lead to, had lead to something amazing! i had managed to mention the church to someone and have the best response possible. hooray! that talk was clearly something i needed to hear and i know it will help me to be a lot more brave in the future.

i also loved this talk from president nelson in the sunday morning session: come follow me. how blessed we are to have this amazing man leading our church in these days. he truly is inspired and i know this talk will be something that so many people will need to hear. it is all about how we can become closer to the lord, even if we have strayed from the "covenant path" or even doubt his existence. i hope there are people who hear his words and begin to return to the safety of the gospel.

i mean seriously, he just says all the right things. just when i thought i couldn't love him any more, he came out with this quote in the priesthood session. what a legend.

i can't wait to get into the rest of the sessions, general conference is truly a huge blessing in our lives.

grateful in any circumstances

someone i follow on instagram shared this quote and i love it so much. it really made me think about what i can do. how i can get out of a hole and how i can be better. ♥

have a read... and for the full talk, go here.

"Sooner or later, I believe that all of us experience times when the very fabric of our world tears at the seams, leaving us feeling alone, frustrated, and adrift.

It can happen to anyone. No one is immune.

Everyone’s situation is different, and the details of each life are unique. Nevertheless, I have learned that there is something that would take away the bitterness that may come into our lives. There is one thing we can do to make life sweeter, more joyful, even glorious.

We can be grateful!

It might sound contrary to the wisdom of the world to suggest that one who is burdened with sorrow should give thanks to God. But those who set aside the bottle of bitterness and lift instead the goblet of gratitude can find a purifying drink of healing, peace, and understanding."

- Dieter F. Uchtdorf

general conference - april 2018

on sunday we watched the sunday morning session of general conference and it was amazing as always... i have so much love for our new prophet president nelson, it was amazing to hear him speak and most of all to learn a bit more about him, as his talk was very personal and he spoke a lot about himself. it was great!

as i have the past few conferences, i plan to listen to the rest of the talks by following the general conference challenge that can be found here. i have found for me it's the best way to do it as i have time to listen carefully and take each one in. ♥

general conference prep

as i am sure you must have all worked out by now, i'm in australia, meaning that although general conference streamed live in the u.s. last week, we don't watch it until this sunday. i happened to come across this awesome idea on one of the lds relief society pages i am on last week and decided that i needed make them for the sisters i visit teach... so i did. thankfully you can still buy 7up in a few places! i was seriously thinking i would have to go and buy them at kfc and that they would be $$$$$$

such a cute idea! big props to the person who originally thought of it here and to the lovely sister on the lds relief society page who edited the file for all of us wanting to use it. 

so excited for this weekend, general conference is the best!

general conference oct 2017

i love modern technology. being able to watch conference in the comfort of your own home is the most amazing thing ever and i am so grateful for it! having driven home from dunsborough after the pinker wedding and not making it in until 1am, i was especially to be able to watch from home this time around. i watched the sunday morning session with the kids and loved president eyrings talk so much...

"The best days are ahead for the kingdom of God on the earth. Opposition will strengthen our faith in Jesus Christ, as it has since the days of the Prophet Joseph Smith. Faith always defeats fear. Standing together produces unity. And your prayers for those in need are heard and answered by a loving God. He neither slumbers nor does He sleep."

what a blessing it is to hear the words of the lord during conference. i can't wait to listen to the rest! ♥

(i also came across this awesome page online that had one great quote from each of the talks from octobers conference. have a look here if you'd like conference in a nutshell)

general conference april 2017

we watched general conference yesterday, as per tradition in australia. seeing as the are live in the middle of the night for us, we watch them at the same times, only a week later. and due to the wonderful blessings of the internet and downloading, we can watch them in the comfort of our own home, on the cinema screen! woo. 

i spent most of the morning feeling very sad that i couldn't be in utah to watch it, especially seeing as just over a month ago, i was! actually walking around the conference centre, seeing where it all takes place. it was the best... and it just cemented my desire to be there and watch it live one day. ohhhh take me back! i would go back in a heartbeat! pity it costs money...

i so enjoyed president monsons talk that began the conference, in which he asked all members of the church to begin a daily study of the book of mormon if they had no already done so. i know first hand that having a testimony of it's truthfulness is so important and something that will get us through the hardest of times... so hearing him ask yet again just made it all the more important to me.

there were some wonderful talks, how blessed we are to hear the voices of modern day prophets, urging us to stay truth to our faith.

i also loved the talk joy d jones gave, about giving our children something great to imitate. i pray each day as a mother that i will be a good influence to my children and enable them to grow in the gospel and make good decisions as they get older.

i love general conference, it's my most favourite time of the year! ♥

general conference october 2016

what can i say? i love general conference, hearing the words of the church leaders... and i especially love that living in australia and watching it a week after those in the united states, i get to have a feed full of quotes two weeks in a row! ♥ this morning we watched the sunday morning session here at home (on the big screen woo!) and there were two talks in particular that i really loved.

the first was joy and spritual survival by russell m nelson, in which he spoke of finding joy, even in the darkest of times... it was so beautiful and i am sure it was comforting to so many. you can see it here

the other was "to whom shall we go?" which you can find here. this really touched my heart. i know there are so many who struggle with the gospel and are yet to find their place... those who struggle to remain active and those who just struggle in general! i loved hearing his words of comfort and counsel and will definitely listen to it again in time. 

general conference how i love thee!

you can find the whole lot...

here.

general conference + the temple

i love general conference so much... i love to hear the words of our church leaders and to learn, because to me general conference above all else is for learning. more about the gospel, more about the scriptures... and more about myself, because i always feel like there's something just for me!

i especially loved the talk from the sunday morning session by elder quentin l. cook  "see yourself in the temple" ... (go and read it, it's amazing!) as i've said numerous times, i made a commitment at the beginning of the year to attend the temple every month this year and i have learned something new every single time. 

take friday night for example, while attending my friends sealing, i listened to the words of the sealer as he spoke of the building of the perth temple, he was saying that our marriages should be built to last an eternity in every way necessary and that many times during the building of the perth temple, builders commented on some of the finishes/processes being unnecessary. the building supervisor simply informed them that our temples are build to last a thousand years. i honestly had never heard that before and i was amazed... but it makes perfect sense though, why so much precision, perfection and love go into their walls. why so many have sacrificed so much to build them and why we as members need to use them and attend as often as we can!

may we keep the temple first and foremost in our lives and always remember, that as long as we can see the temple, we are never lost.

october 2014 general conference

i love general conference. i love that it is the opportunity to hear the inspired words of living prophets. prophets living on the earth today, who listen when god speaks to them, so we can hear his words and improve ourselves. doug and i sat together with our babes on sunday morning and watched the sunday morning session (how convenient)... and it was great.

i have always had a quote obsession and have watched general conference with my notepad and pen handy... although these days it's my trusty notes apps on my iphone. thank goodness for pinterest and the ability to store my quote obsession and access it easily.

i loved these two quotes from james j hamula and president thomas s monson... they spoke to me and i quickly wrote them down. how true they are, how true is the gospel and how thankful i am for general conference!