4th of 10 top 10: My 10 favorite moments/quotes of April 2011 General Conference

The Sunday before General Conference there was a talk given by one of the men in my ward. He recited a Dr. Seuss book and then told us about his childhood, and how he would fall asleep listening to a recording of that Dr. Seuss book. Night after night those words would ring through his little mind and he would read them during the day. After some time, those words stuck. Pretty much for good. He then transitioned to General Conference. He said, "Is General Conference going to change your life this weekend? No. It's in the days and weeks following that it can change us. If we re-read and re-listen to these talks as often as we possibly can, those words from the prophets will stick in our minds. Then they'll change our life."

*Good example* 

My hubby really took to heart the wise words from Brother "Dr. Seuss Book." So he has been trying to do some exercise in the morning as well as listen to a talk from conference a day. He simply streams it from the internet as he does his work out in the morning. I'm going to be more like him (on both home fronts, if you know what I mean).

And now on to my top 10! This took a little longer than I had anticipated, but it was worth it. And I've linked the name of the talk to the actual talk on the Conference website, in case you haven't downloaded the church podcast on iTunes and listened to it yet. :)

1. "I plead with you to teach your children of the temple’s importance. 

"The world can be a challenging and difficult place in which to live. We are often surrounded by that which would drag us down. As you and I go to the holy houses of God, as we remember the covenants we make within, we will be more able to bear every trial and to overcome each temptation. In this sacred sanctuary we will find peace; we will be renewed and fortified."

- President Thomas S. Monson
"The Holy Temple--a Beacon to the World"

2. "My brothers and sisters, I thank you for your faith and devotion to the gospel, for the love and care you show to one another, and for the service you provide in your wards and branches and stakes and districts. Thank you, as well, for your faithfulness in paying your tithes and offerings and for your generosity in contributing to the other funds of the Church.

"As of the end of the year 2010, there were 52,225 missionaries serving in 340 missions throughout the world. Missionary work is the lifeblood of the kingdom. May I suggest that if you are able, you might consider making a contribution to the General Missionary Fund of the Church."

- President Thomas S. Monson
"It's Conference Once Again"

3. "Our women are not incredible because they have managed to avoid the difficulties of life—quite the opposite. They are incredible because of the way they face the trials of life. Despite the challenges and tests life has to offer—from marriage or lack of marriage, children’s choices, poor health, lack of opportunities, and many other problems—they remain remarkably strong and immovable and true to the faith."

- Elder Quentin L. Cook
"LDS Women Are Incredible!"

4. "Because the Lord hears their cries and feels your deep compassion for them, He has from the beginning of time provided ways for His disciples to help. He has invited His children to consecrate their time, their means, and themselves to join with Him in serving others. ...

"He has invited and commanded us to participate in His work to lift up those in need. We make a covenant to do that in the waters of baptism and in the holy temples of God. We renew the covenant on Sundays when we partake of the sacrament. ...

"They turned their feelings of sympathy into a decision to act on their covenants. I have seen the blessings that come to the person in need who receives help and to the person who seizes the opportunity to give it."

- President Henry B. Eyring
"Opportunities to Do Good"

5. "If someone is looking for a church that requires very little, this is not the one. It is not easy to be a Latter-day Saint, but in the long run it is the only true course."

- President Boyd K. Packer
"Guided by the Holy Spirit"

6. "It is true. We live to die, and we die to live again. From an eternal perspective, the only death that is truly premature is the death of one who is not prepared to meet God. ...

"If we pray with an eternal perspective, we need not wonder if our most tearful and heartfelt pleadings are heard. This promise from the Lord is recorded in section 98 of the Doctrine and Covenants:

“Your prayers have entered into the ears of the Lord … and are recorded with this seal and testament—the Lord hath sworn and decreed that they shall be granted.

“Therefore, he giveth this promise unto you, with an immutable covenant that they shall be fulfilled; and all things wherewith you have been afflicted shall work together for your good, and to my name’s glory, saith the Lord.” ⁸

"The Lord chose His strongest words to reassure us! Seal! Testament! Sworn! Decreed! Immutable covenant! Brothers and sisters, believe Him! God will heed your sincere and heartfelt prayers, and your faith will be strengthened."

- Elder Russell M. Nelson
"Face the Future with Faith"

(I wanted to put his whole talk on as a favorite quote. What does that tell you about which talk I'm reading next?)

7. "Similarly, in modern revelation the Lord declares that He “will judge all men according to their works, according to the desire of their hearts” (D&C 137:9).

"Are we truly prepared to have our Eternal Judge attach this enormous significance to what we really desire?"

- Elder Dallin H. Oaks  

"Desire"

8. "Great things are wrought through simple and small things. Like the small flecks of gold that accumulate over time into a large treasure, our small and simple acts of kindness and service will accumulate into a life filled with love for Heavenly Father, devotion to the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, and a sense of peace and joy each time we reach out to one another."
- Elder M. Russell Ballard
"Finding Joy through Loving Service"

9. So one of my favorite moments was when President Monson started to talk about a temple, one that "will rise in a city which came into being over 2,500 years ago." Did anybody else sit there and think, "woe...what is he about to say?!? Jerusalem?!?! Are they turning the BYU Jerusalem Center into a temple?!?!" I laughed at myself when he said Rome. It was one of my favorite moments. :)

10. My other favorite moment was at the end of the Sunday Afternoon session. Conference was over and done, and there was an artistic camera shot of the conference center. Suddenly, a very happy male face popped up and smiled RIGHT into the camera. You could almost hear the camera coordinator yelling "Switch! Switch! " into their mics. I laughed SO hard! And then I laughed again when I saw this a day or two later:

Wanna see more? Go HERE. They have a number of them, and a blank version so that you can create your own, too!

I may have been born into an LDS family, but I have my own testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I am a member because I want to be. I have prayed for myself to have a testimony of the scriptures (the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Bible for that matter), and of the prophets of yesteryear and today. They speak the words that Christ would have them speak, and I know I would do well to listen to them and act accordingly. I love the peace and happiness that I have in my life because of living the teachings of Jesus Christ, and because of His atonement.