Conference Weekend

Twice a year our church holds a general conference for all members throughout the world.  The leadership meets in Salt Lake City where the conference is held and then broadcast in parallel worldwide in many languages.  The conference starts on a Saturday and goes until Sunday, with a total of five different sessions being held.  It's a wonderful opportunity to hear inspired messages about the Savior and how we can apply his Gospel to our lives.  Being that it's such a special occasion for us, we've established a couple of traditions in our family to help us prepare for it and enjoy it that much more.

First, about two weeks before the conference begins we start our Conference Chain Countdown.  The "Chain" consists of 14 paper chains links, each with the title of a talk given in the previous conference, the name of its author, and a few key notes so we can remember what was said and see if how we've done at applying the principles shared in our lives since.  Each day we take off one chain link and read it together as a family, also finding a photo of the speaker in an issue of our church magazine.  Atticus was particularly excited to help make, and then slowly disassemble the chain each day.  He did quite well, too, at recognizing the First Presidency of the church after only a few days.  

To help Atticus get through each session of conference (he sat through almost four entire sessions, each two hours long), Laura prepared a number of conference colouring activities for him to complete during the session, and at the end of each session we enjoyed, as a family, a small treat, usually something like homemade cookies or similar.  At the end of all the sessions, we REALLY treat ourselves by making (and EATING) homemade cinnamon buns (our second tradition for springtime General Conference).  Delicious!  The recipe we use is supposedly the same as what was used by the Cinnabon company.  Can't confirm that, but they sure taste the same!  These cinnamon buns come with a couple conditions though; they are meant to be shared and to be enjoyed while chatting about our favorite conference messages.

Conference itself was truly awesome!  All of the talks were powerful, and really helped to inspire, motivate and fortify each of us as we face our individual and family challenges.  Though the speakers are never told what to speak about, almost inevitably certain themes emerge from each conference.  This time, there were a number of talks that addressed families and raising children within the framework of the Gospel, teaching correct principles, and instilling in them a testimony of the Saviour; others talked about the struggles and difficulties we all face, and how God is able to help us through each of them no matter how hard it may seem; and others still talked about missionary work and how to share the message of the gospel with others.

One of our favorite talks was given by President Boyd K. Packer, who spoke about families.  He talked about the sacredness of family time, and how nothing should be given higher priority than the time we spend with our spouse and children, even church initiatives.  Another favorite was given by Elder Dallin H. Oaks, who spoke about sacrifice, and the meaning we bring to our lives as we sacrifice our own desires to help those around us.

It was an inspirational weekend, and we all feel better equipped to face the next six months as we live our lives and try to serve each other and those we meet. Looking forward to applying those parts that stood out to us as important for us and our family.