The Conference began with President Cheney addressing those who gathered in our church building near the airport. He started by reminiscing to when he was younger and General Conference wasn't broadcast throughout the world. He related the times when he and his family would travel out of state to at least St. George, UT to be able to watch conference. As he spoke, I was prompted with a very loving and motivating thought, "Look how much effort and time he had to put into something that now takes me no time at all to do."
We are so blessed in our day and age to have the advantages of technology to help us as we grow closer to our Savior and learn more of His gospel, yet so often we don't take advantages of those blessings, but instead see them as hassles that we don't have time for. How often do we choose not to go to the temple because it is a two hour drive? It seems like such a hassle, something we may not have time for, but rather it is a blessing to have a temple so close to us. We don't have to walk as the pioneers would have had to have done. We don't have to fly to another country as so many other saints in other areas of the world need to do. We simply need to get in our car and drive a few hours. The same thought is there for General Conference. How often it seems that we don't have time to sit for four hours on a Saturday to watch our beloved church leaders address us. But all we have to do is push a button and turn on the screen. We don't have to travel to another state, we are so blessed by many things that Satan would have us believe are actually hassles or road blocks and he distracts us with the business of our lives.
Elder Caster began his talk by asking, "Who's on the Lord's side, who?" Is it me? How do I, how do we, show the Savior that we are on His side and fighting for His kingdom if we are not accepting and using the wonderful blessings we've been given -- temples, General Conference, Stake Conference, Scriptures by our bedside, prayer, and more?
One way we can show that we are on the Lord's side is by how we raise and teach our own families, raising the next generation of saints. Elder Hales spoke about this momentous task we have as parents (or future parents in mine and Justin's case) to strengthen our families. One very important opportunity we have to teach our children is by having personal prayer, companion prayer, and family prayer; personal study, companion study, and family study. Each one of these opportunities to bring ourselves and our families closer to our Heavenly Father requires deep thought, and a sincere heart. Our behavior, even now before we have children, is a pattern for how our children should live.
Elder Hales continued to testify of the importance of having weekly Family Home Evening and that both parents should be fully involved in teaching the gospel. He recommended holding family fasts when needed to teach your children by example when to use this amazing blessing. He also recommended having family councils to further prepare and strengthen our homes and to gauge how our children are learning, to discover their hidden talents, and to cultivate a love of the Savior.
All of these wonderful habits that help strengthen a home with children in it are habits that need to start now. For once we have children, they will immediately begin learning from us by our examples.
This beautiful Sabbath morning, Justin and I are beginning to prepare our home with these habits so it will be ready for the time when we do bring children into it to grow up in the gospel with our loving Heavenly Father and Savior. We are beginning to replace inconsequential activities such as watching TV with activities that will strengthen our family together and bring us closer to the Savior.
I am so grateful for my family, for my wonderful husband who does so much for us, and for the great adventure we are in out here in Virginia. It truly has been a blessing to us in so many ways. I am grateful to my Savior and Father in Heaven for their guidance and the confirmation they gave us to move to the East. We have learned so much about ourselves, about the church, about our family, and about the Heavenly Father's plan for us and I'm grateful we were able to trust in Him enough to follow Him to learn these things.
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