I Love General Conference

Few things are as exhilarating for me as General Conference weekend.  Of course the insinuation that two days worth of discourses is exhilarating to me may mean that I lead a very boring life.  (Probably true)  But the opportunity to sit and listen to the voices of Prophets and Apostles, men who hold the keys anciently given to Peter, James, and John by the very Lord Himself, and then from them transmitted to the Prophet Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery in these latter days, is anything but boring to me.  

Yesterday's announcement regarding the ages of missionary service--particularly the ages at which women are eligible to serve the Lord as missionaries--was breathtaking.  Perhaps I am over-exaggerating, but to me this announcement seems like it will have a dramatic influence upon the missionary work and growth of the Church.  In 1974 when President Spencer W. Kimball urged every worthy young man to serve a mission, the Church began to grow rapidly.  That call for more missionaries preceded both the dramatic increase in Temple building (that began under President Kimball) and the 1978 revelation on the priesthood.  Perhaps this revelatory moment in the history of the Church could be preceding similarly dramatic growth and revelations.  At the very least, it is a call for increased spirituality and increased gospel teaching in the homes and families of the Church.

I was likewise moved by the announcement of a Temple in Arequipa, Peru.  The second that temple was announced, my mind went to my old missionary companion, Nefi Ccuno, who came to me straight from Arequipa, via the MTC in Provo.  From time to time it has been hard to keep track of Nefi in the last ten years, but if my assumption is correct, he likely hasn't been able to attend a dedicated Temple of the Lord since he was a missionary.  Nefi has been dealt a harder hand than I have ever considered.  For a person as bright and intelligent as he is, I am certain that the poverty and lack of educational opportunities in Peru have been a severe trial.  But I believe that this Temple will bless Nefi and reward his diligence and faith amidst life's deepest challenges.  And, believing, as I do, that the Temples of the Lord bless not only the people that attend them but also the cities where they are located, I hope and pray that there are brighter days ahead for Arequipa, Peru and those who live there.

There were so many talks in this conference that stood out to me that I'm not sure I could do justice to all of them.  The thing that stood out the most, however, was just the idea that it is time for us as Latter-day Saints to stand up and be distinctive for our beliefs and for our faith.  Elder Ballard referred to the symbol of the beehive.  As he spoke, I was reminded of two things.  The first was the early distinctiveness that characterized the State of Deseret and the Territory of Utah.  During the nineteenth century, we were simply different.  Plural marriage and the political unity of the Saints were big reasons for that distinctiveness, but we were different as a people and we were cohesive and unified as a people.  I believe that there are times when we could benefit from that old willingness to be different from the world.  The second thing that Elder Ballard reminded me of was an entry in the journal of James E. Talmage when he was a student at Johns Hopkins University in the 1880s (unfortunately I don't have time to dig it out of my files, like I ought to for accuracy).  The young James Talmage had been offered a  prestigious opportunity to remain and teach at a university in the East.  For a man who loved the academy and the thrill of scholarship, this was a highly tempting offer.  It was a chance for him to stay near the center of the nation's scientific research and likely to make a name for himself in the field.  But he knew what he had been sent to the East for:  namely, to get an education so that he could return and better the educational opportunities of those in the Church schools in Utah.  Thus, with a hint of sadness, but full of conviction, he concluded to return to Utah, noting that "as the bee must return to the hive, else it die, so must I."  He understood that he was to consecrate everything to the Church, and his very livelihood depended on such consecration.

That same message came across to me in so many different ways.  Elder Holland's talk, "The First Commandment", made this point as powerfully as any given.  He reminded me that my answer to the Lord's question "Lovest thou me?" means everything, now and forever!  Each speaker, in their own way, reminded me that we have a monumental work to do and the Lord is asking us to hasten and improve our efforts in that work.  That call to action has caused me to reflect on where and how I can begin to improve my less than perfect efforts in this supernal work.  For such calls to action, I am grateful once again for the General Conferences of the Church.

Brett