General Conference

I love that Conference is broadcast in Quichua for the Otavalo saints. We were able to watch every session in the comfort of our apartment.

My favorite message was given by Elder Robert M. Daines. His talk about being face-blind was so touching. The quote that I researched immediately was, "A few years ago, I got a calling I didn't feel up to. I awoke early, nervous--but with a phrase in mind I had not heard before: that to serve in this Church is to stand in the river of God's love for His children."

A wonderful blog post from Faith Matters tells the story of Elder Daines becoming a stake president in Palo Alto. He was currently working as a law and finance professor at Stanford University. In his first address to his stake he said something similar:

Think for a minute of your favorite story of Jesus. What is it? You show me your favorite store of Jesus and I'll show you a story of Jesus reaching out to and loving someone on the margins of society, someone who was looked down on. The sick and impure, the Roman, the prostitute, the child, the woman, the sinner, the dead, the shepherds, the Samaritan, the prodigal, the collaborator, the tax collector, the wanderer.

One of my favorite parts of conference was seeing Tom perform with the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square. I worked with Tom in Hong Kong and was so impressed with his talent. He was trained at BYU-Hawaii. When we were recording some music together, he could tell exactly which notes were wrong. He was very patient with me.

Of course, I was so grateful to hear a message from President Nelson. What an incredible charge to Think Celestial. It is a grounding and uplifting thought that emerges multiple times a day.

When two temples were announced in Peru, I text Jackson that I thought that made 7. But he sent me the above image with the number 9. What an incredible blessing!

Danika told me a fun game she plays during General Conference. Before it starts, create a bingo card with the hymns/songs you think will be performed. Then, mark them during the two-day conference.

There were many songs that were performed that I thought, "I was going to add that!" But there were plenty I didn't even think of. Here is my final score card.

On the left I was frantically writing down temples. You'll notice I spell Uthlanbatttar like it is pronounced. Ha! Sister Harper taught me that. The Church has been working with leadership in Mongolia for so long, I thought it was almost an impossibility. I was surprised at the Fairbanks and Vancouver temple announcements. Every temple is such a blessing to the members in the area. I'm excited for each one.

Katie was lucky to attend the Saratoga Springs Temple dedication last month. It is a beautiful building and such a tremendous blessing to have a temple so close.

I usually make cinnamon rolls of Conference, but we just had some last week. So honey butter rolls fit the bill. Incredible. Here's the recipe from Sally's Baking Addiction.