So this all started a week ago at church. So I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and we have three hours of meeting, every Sunday (honestly, its not that bad). One of our meetings is called Sacrament Meeting. This is where we all get together and have about 3-4 speakers talk about a certain topic and we take the sacrament. Well last week one of the speakers talked about a story in the Book of Mormon (Haven't heard of it? Read it. You can't judge a book or a group by the cover. I highly recommend reading it. Its the best book.). The story is about King Benjamin. Now to give a little back story, the Book of Mormon gives accounts of the people in the Americas in the time before and when Christ was on the Earth and this is one of the King's who was also a Prophet. Anyways, he was giving a sermon to his people and in the scriptures it talked about how you need to build a tent in order to listen to the prophet. After the speaker told the story, he mentions on how he knows a family that builds a little tent in front of the television for general conference. (General Conference happens twice a year and it is when the leaders of the church speak to all the members. You can watch it on tv, internet, listen on the radio, or go to it.) So my roommates and I decided we wanted to build a fort and follow the message of King Benjamin.
Well this past weekend was conference. It was seriously the best idea ever! I have never focused as much or gotten so much out of conference. I was able to "leave" the world and focus on what the leaders had to say. I loved it. Conference is six sessions long and each session is about 2 hours long. Four of the sessions are general session, then there is one for the men and one for the women. So in a course of one weekend there is about 10 hours (not in a row) of church. Now that sounds like a lot but seriously it goes by so fast and you are sad when it is over.
So many of the talks hit home for me. It was like the speakers were talking to just me. It amazes me every time because if you ask anyone who watches conference, they would say the same thing. A lot talked about trials and how they are suppose to be a part of our lives and how we best can get through them. One talk really hit me was Dieter F. Uchtdorf's talk. He is an apostle for the church and the second counselor in the first presidency. He talked about how we need to be grateful for our trials and that having gratitude is a way to get through a trial. It made me realize that he was right. It is so much easier if we are just grateful. When we become bitter and alone we do not see the joy of life, we think the world is coming to an end, and that our Heavenly Father doesn't care. Well that is when we are wrong. The world is not coming to an end because of our situations and He does care. He cares so much that He gives us only things we can handle and He gives us people and ways of being able to get through that trial. Be grateful He loves you enough to push you and test you. Be grateful for the experiences you have and the time you have on this Earth. I believe and know we lived with Heavenly Father before Earth and once we die that we can go back to Him. Heavenly Father has a plan for us and in that plan there is no endings, only ever lasting beginnings. People move on from our lives and situations move on also, some people die, some move away but one thing is that none of it ends, it is only a new beginning. This time on Earth is not our only time to be alive, we will one day die and live with our Heavenly Father and see everyone that came before us again. The time on this Earth is short compared to Eternity.
I can talk forever on what I learned in just this one weekend. My prayers and questions were answered by men and women who do not know me, but know my Heavenly Father. This weekend was amazing. Conference made it more amazing but even the moments in between and after were icing on the cake. The fort my roommates and I made is now one memory we will all cherish. Inviting others for breakfast before conference, being together, learning together and so much more. If you ever have questions or want to know more go to www.lds.org or www.mormon.org there you can find the talks of general conference and any answer to any question about the LDS church. I love my religion and wouldn't change it. It has helped me be able to deal with any trial and any struggle I have ever had. And I know it can do the same for you too. :)
Here are some pictures of our fort :) Its going to stay up for awhile!
