Taking Advantage of GENERAL CONFERENCE!!!!!

Deiter F. Ucthdorf, second counselor in First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints once said

"What a marvelous privilege it is to hear God's messages for each of us during general conference! Let us prepare well for this great blessing of divine guidance delivered by His chosen servants."

That was so beautifully stated! (General Authorities usually have a knack for doing so...) 

General Conference is such an amazing opportunity where we get to hear the message of God through his servants. In a world that is constantly changing (political views, religious views, fashion trends, technological advancements, etc.) we need to know how we can stay steady. We need to know how we can live in a world that is always changing, yet still hold fast to the standards that our Heavenly Father has set. 

How do we do this? 

Well, our Heavenly Father, in his INFINITE love and wisdom has given us a modern-day Prophet, Seer, and Revelator; his name is Thomas S. Monson. 

This guy, right here ^^^^^

Twice a year, we have the opportunity to listen to the Prophet in a session called General Conference. General Conference is held on the first weekend of every April and October. The next session is coming up!
It will be held on Saturday and Sunday, April 5 and 6, 2014, with general sessions each day at 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. mountain daylight time (MDT), and the general priesthood meeting on Saturday, April 5, 2014, at 6:00 p.m. MDT.

 It is held in the LDS Conference Center in Salt Lake, UT 

                                                               This place, right here^^^

Or there will be a live broadcast which you can watch it either here 

                                                                               

Or at LDS.org  (if you haven't been to this website yet, GO, because it is awesome!) 

By listening to his counsel, and the counsel of others whom he has called to speak in General Conference, we can receive that guidance and direction. We can know what our Heavenly Father wants us to do in order to 

"Love God and remain clean from the blood and sins of this generation......" -Jeffrey R. Holland 

All of these speakers are given the assignment to speak a couple of months in advance, but they were not given topics on which to speak. It is an amazing process that these speakers go through. They go to the Lord and seek HIS guidance on what he wants them to speak about, and through revelation, the Lord lets them know what their topic needs to be.  

So how can General Conference bless YOUR life? 

Growing up, my Parents made general conference a priority in our home. When I was younger I thought that this was their version of semi-annual torture. Sitting and watching people speak for 8 hours was certainly NOT how I wanted to spend my weekend, but as I grew older I really started to enjoy it. I started taking notes, and after conference was over, I would go through my notes and pick one piece of advice that I had received and apply it to my life. I also started to pray before conference, asking Heavenly Father for guidance on how to overcome trials that were occurring in my life at that time. 

Praying and taking notes changed the way that I looked at conference. Instead of viewing it as 8 hours of boredom, I now view it as 8 hours of receiving guidance from the Lord. I love being able to listen to the speakers and hear answers to my prayers. I consider that to be proof that my Heavenly Father is listening, and that he cares. When we do all we can to show that we are making an effort to receive the guidance that we need, he will give it to us! 

So that is the challenge that I want to extend. In preparation for conference, I want everyone to 

-Think about some of your trials that you need guidance a on. 

-Pray about these trials and ask Heavenly Father to give you the answers that you need during conference. 

-Take notes during conference with the faith that you WILL receive your answers. 

I can promise you, that as you do this, you will receive guidance and council that you need in your life at this time. Your Heavenly Father cares, and He wants you to listen to his servants, so that he can give you the answers you need!

Here are some other ways that you and your family can prepare for General Conference
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/prepare-for?lang=eng

Remember

 What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same.

                                                              Doctrine and Covenants 1:38

General Conference is a BLESSING! Take advantage of it! 

Love, 

Sister Love