We were visiting in Elkhart, IN this week. They were doing a stake conference, but the majority of it was a satellite broadcast for the Eastern Midwest United Stated. It cut out several times during the broadcast which was a little frustrating, but if you kept focused and didn't let it distract you it was okay. We did miss a couple of keep points that speakers were trying to make.
Although it was interesting while we were singing an intermediate hymn that Salt Lake was putting words on the screen for and providing the accompaniment. The feed cut out through most of the song and the congregation continued on. It was nice to see that we were comfortable about how meetings work and with the hymn that we were able to keep going. It was a nice spirit and a nice feeling of common bond with the congregation.
The Young Men General President spoke first. He quoted something about "When we want to talk to God we should pray. When we want him to talk to us we should read the scriptures."
The 2nd councelor in the Relief Society General Presidency spoke. She also touched on the importance of prayer. She focused on praying with our families as well as family home evening and family counsils.
She went into the great value there is in teaching children to work. Through work they learn skills and also how to serve.
The President of the Seventy spoke next. He related the parable of the watchman from the Doctrine and Covenants and gave his thoughts on it. (D&C 101:43-62) He talked about the watchmen being prophets, church leaders, husbands, and fathers. The parable talks about the servants planting trees and begining to make all of the preparations that the nobleman commanded them for defending the field. Because the servants felt that everything was safe and peaceful they did not finish the preparations and the vineyard was overrun. If we are slack in doing the little preparations then when the big problems come they will over run our lives.
President Boyd K. Packer - Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke next. Over the years the personal contact of general authorities has had to be lessened due to the growth of the church. In spite of that we have technologies at our disposal that have allowed their messages and even their faces to go to more people.
He spoke of how Wilford Woodruff's missionary labors started in Tennessee. President Packer also shared some of those early experiences.
He also talked about President Hinckley and how close he has become to him and how well he has gotten to know him over the last 50 years.
The last speaker was President Hinckley. This area of the country has been an area of great missionary triumph and also tragedy.
He said that it was necessary to restore the gospel after the dark ages and not just reform it.
He encouraged us all to pray in our families and thanked us all for the prayers of support for him.
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