Paige in Poky: General Conference

Was General Conference amazing or what??!! So for those of you that don't know, General Conference is a meeting where our prophet and apostles and other church leaders speak to us. Man I learned so much and was so uplifted! So some of my favorites:

1. Vern P. Stanfill: "Choose the Light"

So this talk was about my favorite subject: faith! He told this story of him and his friends going on a bike ride through a dark tunnel. They had brought lights with them, but they under-estimated how dark the tunnel would be. One friend had a brighter light so everyone gathered around this person and used his light until they approached the end of the tunnel. When they could see the light emerging from the other side, they were able to move apart and pedal faster towards the growing light. He related this experience to being in the spiritual darkness of doubt. Sometimes we must rely on the testimonies and light of those we love. As we study, pray and receive light of our own we can move away from the the light of others as our own faith grows.

I think as kids we generally rely on the light of our parents because we trust them and we know they have our best interest in mind. As we age, we realize that we can't rely on the testimonies of our parents and other trusted leaders forever. I think I realized this at some point in my high school career. I began searching for truth and praying. But I wasn't as diligent as I should have been. I prayed and then waited for God to tell me what was true. I didn't put much effort in.

Then I went to college and had several experiences that confirmed truth to me. I read the Book of Mormon all the way through and really studied and prayed about it. I believed that God was my Heavenly Father and that Christ suffered for my sins. I believed that Joseph Smith was a prophet and that the Book of Mormon was true. But I still had doubts.

Then I decided to serve a mission. I had a lot of doubts about that too. I wasn't finished with my quest to find my own spiritual light but something was pushing me to serve anyways. And thank goodness I did. In the short two months I've been here I have learned what truth is and where it comes from. I've learned to rely on the Lord as the ultimate source of truth, instead of "being influenced by every whim and change in the world's attitude" and I've realized that I "have the power to choose belief over doubt" (Stanfill's talk).

2. Russell M. Nelson: "A Plea to my Sisters"

This talk was certainly an answer to a prayer. I have been really trying to figure out where women fit in within the church structure. The leadership in the mission field seemed unfair to me with most responsibility given to the elders (male missionaries) and few leadership roles available to sisters. Also, in the LDS church, only men are given the priesthood authority and I have always wondered why. I found myself asking if Heavenly Father loves His sons more than His daughters? Does He want women to play a submissive and silent role? If so, I don't think I want to be a part of His kingdom.

President Nelson spoke about the important and essential role of women in the church. Not just as passive bystanders, but as contributing members with opinions and insights. He said, "my dear sisters, whatever your calling, whatever your circumstances, we need your impressions, insights, and inspiration. We need you to speak up and speak out in ward and stake councils." He goes on to say that married women should be full and contributing partners with their husbands. I had to refrain myself from standing up on the bench and shouting "amen" when I heard this! Women can speak up and speak out! We are not silent members that must bow down to the men of the church. We may not hold the priesthood authority but that doesn't mean we are less than the men of the church. Being a priesthood holder is a responsibility and a selective calling reserved for the worthy and Christ-like men of the church, not something men are entitled to that elevates them above women. We, the women of the church, can contribute to the building of God's kingdom with the same amount of power and conviction as men.

So yeah. I pretty much loved every other talk and could go on for hours about everything I learned BUT I'll spare you. I'll just invite you to read the talks yourself.

I'm so pumped for this next week. I have this new vigor and excitement about the work after conference. Conference couldn't have come at a better time. I was getting a little discouraged but all I needed was a little uplift from some incredible servants of the Lord.

I LOVE THIS WORK! I love the people of Idaho. Seriously these country-bumkin, potato-loving Idahoans are some of the best people I've ever met.

Keep praying and having faith! The Gospel of Christ is the way to true and lasting joy in this life.

Love you all. Until next time,