My LDS General Conference weekend began with an unexpected turn: a tummy ache. Gratefully I watched the Saturday sessions comfortably nestled in my bed while taking notes. Luckily I was able to rewind my DVR whenever I dosed off to get caught up. Love that DVR! However, the rest of my family was downstairs watching without me 🙁 and my college son brought a friend home for the weekend.
But no fear! I’m on the mend and we are going to the Conference Center for the Sunday afternoon session and sitting on the bottom floor section towards the back because my Oklahoma son was able to send tickets for us from his father-in-law. I will be good-to-go by then. Woot woot!
So, here are a few of my favorite General Conference quotes from the Saturday Morning and Afternoon Session. So grateful I’ve had the opportunity to study and review these talks as they have enlightened me and brought purpose to my life. We live in exciting times!
[This is a repost as I’ve corrected typos and added links to the talks. I’ll be doing another post about the Sunday session.]
Saturday Morning Session, October 5, 2013
According to President Thomas S Monson, church membership rose to over 15 million 2 weeks ago and there are now 80,333 missionaries, from 58,500 last October.
“Now is the time for members and missionaries to come together, to work together, to labor in the Lord’s vineyard to bring souls unto Him.”
– President Thomas S. Monson, “Welcome to Conference“
“The greatest blessings of general conference come to us after the conference is over. Remember the pattern recorded frequently in scripture: we gather to hear the words of the Lord, and we return to our homes to live them.”
– Elder Robert D. Hales, “General Conference: Strengthening Faith and Testimony“
“I encourage all members to use the resources on the Church’s websites and mobile apps. They are continually being refined so that they are easier to use and more relevant to our lives.”
– Elder Robert D. Hales, “General Conference: Strengthening Faith and Testimony“
“Being meek does not mean weakness, but it does mean behaving with goodness and kindness, showing strength, serenity, healthy self-worth, and self-control.”
– Elder Ulisses Soares, “Be Meek and Lowly of Heart“
“Another important step to becoming meek is learning how to control our temper. Because the natural man dwells within each one of us and because we live in a world full of pressure, controlling our temper may become one of the challenges in our lives.”
– Elder Ulisses Soares, “Be Meek and Lowly of Heart“
“Sons of God, do you know who you are? Do you know what you have? Are you worthy to exercise the priesthood and receive the power and blessings of the priesthood? Do you embrace your roles and responsibilities to strengthen homes as fathers, grandfathers, sons, brothers, and uncles? Do you show respect for women, womanhood, and motherhood?
Daughters of God, do we know who we are? Do we know what we have? Are we worthy to receive the power and blessings of the priesthood? Do we receive the gifts given to us with gratitude, grace, and dignity? Do we embrace our roles and responsibilities to strengthen homes as mothers, grandmothers, daughters, sisters, and aunts? Do we show respect for men, manhood, and fatherhood?”
– Sister Carole M. Stephens, “Do We Know What We Have?“
“As we look ahead and believe, we need this same teamwork in hastening the work of salvation as we invite others to come unto Christ. In our individual capacities, we need to follow the counsel of President Dieter F. Uchtdorf to ‘stand close together and lift where we stand.'”
– Elder Edward Dube (from Zimbabwe), “Look Ahead and Believe“
“For decades the Church has taught its membership the principle of setting aside additional food, fuel, and money to take care of emergencies that might arise. The Church as an institution simply follows the same principles that are taught repeatedly to the members.”
– Elder David A. Bednar, “The Windows of Heaven“
“A grateful person is rich in contentment. An ungrateful person suffers in the poverty of endless discontentment.”
– Elder David A. Bednar, “The Windows of Heaven“
“To those of you who pay your tithing, I commend you. To those of you who presently are not obeying the law of tithing, I invite you to consider your ways and repent. I testify that by your obedience to this law of the Lord, the windows of heaven will be opened to you. Please do not procrastinate the day of your repentance.”
– Elder David A. Bednar, “The Windows of Heaven“
“Please, first doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith. We must never allow doubt to hold us prisoner and keep us from the divine love, peace, and gifts that come through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.”
– President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Come, Join with Us“
“I suppose the Church would be perfect only if it were run by perfect beings. God is perfect, and His doctrine is pure. But He works through us—His imperfect children—and imperfect people make mistakes.”
– President Dieter F Uchtdorf, “Come, Join with Us“
Saturday Afternoon Session, October 5, 2013
“Parents today wonder if there is a safe place to raise children. There is a safe place. It is in a gospel-centered home.”
– Elder Boyd K. Packer, “The Key to Spiritual Protection“
“Just as chalk can be removed from a blackboard, with sincere repentance the effects of our transgression can be erased through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. That promise applies in every case.”
– Elder Boyd K. Packer, “The Key to Spiritual Protection“
“A woman’s moral influence is nowhere more powerfully felt or more beneficially employed than in the home. There is no better setting for rearing the rising generation than the traditional family, where a father and a mother work in harmony to provide for, teach, and nurture their children. Where this ideal does not exist, people strive to duplicate its benefits as best they can in their particular circumstances.”
– Elder D. Todd Christofferson, “The Moral Force of Women“
“Former Young Women general president Margaret D. Nadauld taught: ‘The world has enough women who are tough; we need women who are tender. There are enough women who are coarse; we need women who are kind. There are enough women who are rude; we need women who are refined. We have enough women of fame and fortune; we need more women of faith. We have enough greed; we need more goodness. We have enough vanity; we need more virtue. We have enough popularity; we need more purity.'”
– Elder D. Todd Christofferson, “The Moral Force of Women“
“Sisters, of all your associations, it is your relationship with God, your Heavenly Father, who is the source of your moral power, that you must always put first in your life. Remember that Jesus’s power came through His single-minded devotion to the will of the Father. He never varied from that which pleased His Father. Strive to be that kind of disciple of the Father and the Son, and your influence will never fade.”
– Elder D. Todd Christofferson, “The Moral Force of Women“
“Since we are all on the Lord’s team, do we each have our own winning game plan? Are we ready to play? If we, as members, really loved our family, friends, and associates, wouldn’t we want to share our testimony of the restored gospel with them? . . .
First, specifically pray to bring someone closer to the Savior and His gospel every day.
Second, pray for the missionaries serving in your area and their investigators by name every day.
Third, invite a friend to an activity in or out of your home. Wherever you go or whatever you do, ponder who would enjoy the occasion and then listen to the Spirit as He directs you.
– Elder S. Gifford Nielsen, “Hastening the Lord’s Game Plan!“
“I know we each must develop and carry out our own personal game plan to serve with enthusiasm alongside the full-time missionaries—EXCLAMATION POINT!”
– Elder S. Gifford Nielsen, “Hastening the Lord’s Game Plan!“
“I testify that many of those who need our help are there waiting for us. They are ready for their valiant brothers and sisters to reach out to them and rescue them through small and simple means.”
– Elder Arnulfo Valenzuela, “Small and Simple Things“
“Jesus Christ heals body, mind, and spirit, and His healing begins with faith.”
– Elder Timothy J. Dyches, “Wilt Thou Be Made Whole?“
“As we draw near to Him, we realize that mortality is meant to be difficult and that ‘opposition in all things’ (2 Nephi 2:11) is not a flaw in the plan of salvation. Opposition, rather, is the indispensable element of mortality and strengthens our will and refines our choices. The vicissitudes of life help us fashion an eternal relationship with God—and engrave His image upon our countenance as we yield our hearts to Him.”
– Elder Timothy J. Dyches, “Wilt Thou Be Made Whole?“
“We sense the complexity of such matters when we hear professionals speak of neuroses and psychoses, of genetic predispositions and chromosome defects, of bipolarity, paranoia, and schizophrenia. However bewildering this all may be, these afflictions are some of the realities of mortal life, and there should be no more shame in acknowledging them than in acknowledging a battle with high blood pressure or the sudden appearance of a malignant tumor.”
– Elder Jeffry R. Holland, “Like a Broken Vessel“
“Believe in miracles. I have seen so many of them come when every other indication would say that hope was lost. Hope is never lost. If those miracles do not come soon or fully or seemingly at all, remember the Savior’s own anguished example: if the bitter cup does not pass, drink it and be strong, trusting in happier days ahead.”
– Elder Jeffry R. Holland, “Like a Broken Vessel“
“In preventing illness whenever possible, watch for the stress indicators in yourself and in others you may be able to help. As with your automobile, be alert to rising temperatures, excessive speed, or a tank low on fuel. When you face “depletion depression,” make the requisite adjustments. Fatigue is the common enemy of us all—so slow down, rest up, replenish, and refill. Physicians promise us that if we do not take time to be well, we most assuredly will take time later on to be ill.”
– Elder Jeffry R. Holland, “Like a Broken Vessel“
“Though we may feel we are ‘like a broken vessel,’ as the Psalmist says, we must remember, that vessel is in the hands of the divine potter. Broken minds can be healed just the way broken bones and broken hearts are healed. While God is at work making those repairs, the rest of us can help by being merciful, nonjudgmental, and kind.”
– Elder Jeffry R. Holland, “Like a Broken Vessel“
“. . . the Lord is hastening His work. In our day this can be done only when every member of the Church reaches out with love to share the truths of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. We need to work together in partnership with our 80,000 missionaries now serving. Information about this great work, especially the assignments for the stake and ward council leaders, is clearly outlined on the LDS.org website entitled “Hastening the Work of Salvation.”
– Elder M. Russell Ballard, “Put Your Trust in the Lord“
“We know from our research that most active members of the Church want the blessings of the gospel to be part of the lives of others whom they love, even those whom they have never met. But we also know that many members hesitate to do missionary work and share the gospel for two basic reasons.
•The first one is fear. Many members do not even pray for opportunities to share the gospel, fearing that they might receive divine promptings to do something they think they are not capable of doing.
•The second reason is misunderstanding of what missionary work is.”
– Elder M. Russell Ballard, “Put Your Trust in the Lord“
“Brothers and sisters, fear will be replaced with faith and confidence when members and the full-time missionaries kneel in prayer and ask the Lord to bless them with missionary opportunities. Then, we must demonstrate our faith and watch for opportunities to introduce the gospel of Jesus Christ to our Heavenly Father’s children, and surely those opportunities will come. These opportunities will never require a forced or a contrived response. They will flow as a natural result of our love for our brothers and sisters. Just be positive, and those whom you speak with will feel your love. They will never forget that feeling, though the timing may not be right for them to embrace the gospel. That too may change in the future when their circumstances change.”
– Elder M. Russell Ballard, “Put Your Trust in the Lord“
“We are not asking everyone to do everything. We are simply asking all members to pray, knowing that if every member, young and old, will reach out to just ‘one’ between now and Christmas, millions will feel the love of the Lord Jesus Christ. And what a wonderful gift to the Savior.”
– Elder M. Russell Ballard, “Put Your Trust in the Lord“