Conference Weekend

Last weekend we were able to attend 178th Semiannual General Conference in Salt Lake City. The event takes place inside the Conference Center across the street from the Salt Lake Temple. These conference occur twice a year. During four two-hour sessions over the course of two days, the leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints address members across the world. In over 70 languages, folks can watch it on TV, listen to it on the radio or access the broadcast online. Next month, the Ensign (the Church's magazine) will print all the talks that were delivered.

The Center holds about 21,000 people and we sat somewhere in the middle. We attended the Sunday morning session. The highlight of the event for me actually occurred before the meeting actually started. Music & the Spoken Word, the world's longest-running continuous network broadcast, began half an hour before the conference. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir sang a number of hymns with brief narration between each to tie the program together. When they sang "I Believe In Christ" by Bruce R. McConkie they sounded amazing. I have seriously never heard anything like it—it was electrifying. The choir sang as one, they were so tight, I am grateful I could hear them in person.

The talks were, of course, very uplifting. I always like hearing what our leaders have to say. They have the ability to motivate me to do better, put life in perspective, and simplify things. The last time I attended Conference at the Center was about 10 years ago when it was first built. I like to think I have changed a bit for the better since then and it is largely due to the inspired council and instruction I received from God's leaders from gatherings just like the one I attended.

Outside the building there were protesters yelling things like "Mormons aren't Christians!" and "You're all going to hell!" A man walking beside me, also on his way to the event, turned to me and said "Well, at least we'll be in good company" That couldn't be more true. Just thinking about the wise old men that spoke to us from the pulpit and feeling their true desire to inspire everyone listening to change the world for the better, remembering the gentleman that shared his umbrella with us while we were in line, and all the polite, smiling people around us...If hell is where the Mormons go, that's fine by me. Any place filled with that kind of people is a place I want to be.