Two weeks ago Tyler spoke in sacrament meeting about preparing for General Conference. I am amazed every Sunday when I see him work and speak with the mantle of the calling he holds as Branch President. He's pretty fantastic all the time, and always has been (just ask my mother...she's his biggest fan), but when I see him in that capacity I literally feel like I'm seeing him as his Spirit self...the man that I will know throughout eternity. I saw that man once before, as I knelt across from him at the alter of the temple. I felt a glimpse of eternity in that moment and felt the Holy Spirit in such force that I have never doubted our covenants. Now that I see him as Branch President, I get to experience that again and again. It's definitely one of the greatest blessings our marriage has received as a result of our willingness to accept this calling.
Anyway, side track! My point was that he spoke to the congregation about preparing for conference. Urging them to go to conference with prayerful questions in their mind and heart. He also spoke about making ourselves available for the sessions and preparing our children so they can enjoy conference too. We have always tried to make conference a family event, and included our children. We tried extra hard this year. Keeping 3 kids of varying ages reverent, attentive and engaged through '10+ hours of conference' (as Pres. Uchtdorf put it) takes some forethought. So I've been planning food and activities over the last two weeks. I've also been reading the Ensign from April conference to help prepare myself.
The kids greatly anticipate conference because of the effort we put into it and the traditions they rely on. I love hearing them say, 'I'm so excited for general conference!'
We started out the Saturday AM session by reading Mosiah 2:1-6 about King Benjamin addressing his people. They pitched their tents towards the temple in family groups. So we made our family room look like a tent and the kids even dressed up in Nephite costumes. Now that we're out East conference runs over meal times (12-2 and 4-6), so we also had a Nephite picnic which consisted of lots of cut up fruits and vegetables, crackers, cheese, pittas, hummus, juice, and pepperoni sticks.
For the afternoon session, we sang 'Follow the Prophet' and talked about how listening to the prophets and apostles will lead us back to Heavenly Father. We had bowls of treats labeled with different key words, and every time they heard that word, they we're allowed to take a treat from the corresponding bowl to make their own 'Follow the Prophet Trail Mix.' They loved it! It was awesome to hear Logan (age 3) shout out, 'I heard scriptures again!' Over and over. They all listened so well. And we switched up the words with each talk so we could cover all topics. This has probably been the most successful conference attention activity we've ever done.
Needless to say, we were all so stuffed from following the prophet that our dinner was very meager at best. Logan told us he was so full he had two babies in his belly: 'Tyson and Lucy'. Love that boy.
My biggest question as of late has been 'How do I ensure my children remain on the straight and narrow?' I feel nervous bouts of choking anxiety at times when I think about this question. Sleepless nights as I see some of the most valiant youth I have known slip away. It presses on my mind and heart constantly. I was so grateful to hear Elder Hales words that listening to General Conference (and the words of the prophet) will protect our children. Exclamation Point!!
I enjoyed so many of the words today. The simple guidance on finances we received from Elder Bednar's talk on tithing; the powerful reassurance on my career as stay at home mother from Elder Christofferson; Sister Stephens timely talk on priesthood; and Brother Soares piercing talk on meekness and controlling our tempers. I love it all.
Looking forward to more traditions and uplifting words tomorrow.
'Doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith.' - President Uchtdorf
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