The April 2020 General Conference was indeed amazingly memorable. We joked that it would be that because of COVID-19, but all on its own, it proved to be outstanding in its messages of hope, peace, and moving forward.

All of us get individual messages from our General Conferences, as we should. The spirit speaks to us individually. I’d like to share a few (because there were actually many) things caused deep thoughts to surface.

 

Peace, Not Fear

First, I felt there were a lot of references to having peace, not fear. In our day, there is a lot to fear, unfortunately. But the gospel brings peace, especially when we can receive our own personal witness. We were challenged to find out how the Spirit speaks to us. That gift will play an important part in how we handle our fear in the future.

 

Joseph Smith and The First Vision

We all spent a good portion of the last six months studying and reading about The First Vision and Joseph Smith. My husband and I read both volumes of Saints together and were able to really understand just how difficult it was to reorganize a church. Joseph was given a little information at a time and there were many times when it was simply trial and error. I guess I didn’t realize just how much pressure was on Joseph’s shoulders. And for me, Hyrum is a true hero. He stood by Joseph’s side for all those really tough times, but even he questioned polygamy. Hard Times! We have no idea! Instead of leaving for safety, he still chose to stay. What will we do when things get really hard for us?

 

The Book of Mormon

If we don’t know yet, we need to discover once and for all that the Book of Mormon really does have all the answers. Either, the answers are in the words of the book, or answers come to us because we are reading the book. Reading the scriptures, praying, and pondering Jesus Christ DAILY is clearly what we need right now almost more than food, water, and shelter.

 

Goal Setting

Hearing from our youth makes me realize what they are capable of. I imagined how scary speaking in General Conference was for them, but their talks were strong and inspiring. With this new Youth initiative, we really need to let our young people show what they can do. And as they set their own goals, we as adults need to get busy and set our own goals. And speaking of goal setting, we’ve decided to memorize this new proclamation. How wonderful to be able to declare such truths!

 

Relief Society Women

Speaking of goals, Relief Society women were called out. We need to stop relying on the old traditional meetings. Women should be setting spiritual goals and they can do this individually by supporting one another collectively. Women need to use the Relief Society organization as a platform of influence in the cause for Christ. We need to understand how the priesthood works, how we benefit from the priesthood, and live using the power of the priesthood daily. Conversations in Relief Society need to be faith-filling and faith-motivating. Spirit-driven action must be our by-word.

 

Keep Our Covenants

Even though our temples are all closed at the moment, we still have covenants to keep active and fresh. Our covenants are our lifeline. They will carry us into the eternities. Do we ever spend moments thinking about the covenants we’ve made and what we can do to make them active in our lives? How does that change us? How will that help us hear the Spirit speak to us?

 

Hear, Hearken, and Heed

Pres. Nelson’s final words to us were to hear, hearken, and heed Jesus Christ. Taking time to ponder and read our scriptures will certainly help, but we must act. If we truly believe in miracles then our action needs to be acted upon, it needs to be visible, it needs to be intentional.

For me, General Conference was absolutely, amazingly memorable. I challenge you to meet the challenges we were given. Not only is life moving forward, it is increasing in speed. Do we feel the energy, the urgency, and the exigency? We have all been called out. We have all been called into action. We heard, but will we hearken and heed now?

I testify of the truths we heard from our prophets. I recognize the sacrifices I need to make in my own life. My hope is in my Savior, even Jesus Christ, who paid the price that I might return to my Heavenly Home.