For those of you who don't know (of which there are probably a lot) Gen Con stands for General Conference, which is a semi-annual (that means twice a year) general meeting of the entire membership of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I don't think anyone else actually calls it Gen Con. I just made that up :D . Anyway it is an opportunity for the members of the church to both hear from our leaders and also to vote and sustain them as the leaders of our church.
The actual meetings themselves (five 2-hour sessions in all - three on Saturday and two on Sunday) are held the first weekend of each April and October and are held in the church's Conference Center in Salt Lake City (if you read my last entry this is where I almost ran into a tree...among other mishaps that we coordinately-challenged people encounter) and broadcast all over the world in almost 100 languages. Like I said leaders speak to the membership of the church on these occasions. These are inspired, intelligent men and women who arguably teach me more every six months than I learn during all the time in between (yeah I go to college-but I'm kind of a slacker).
This year was especially awesome. I have been to conference up at the conference center a couple of times before - and it was pretty neat. Last April we had 2 tickets but 4 people and decided to all go up anyway - we managed to get 2 more tickets and had a great time going to a session. This year however we had 5 people, and no tickets, but decided to take the chance and go on up to Salt Lake (it's only like a 40 minute drive). We asked around and managed to get some of the best seats in the place for not 1 session, but two. It was glorious. We were seriously like 20 rows back from the podium. To get much closer than that you pretty much have to be either security or family of a speaker.
In between the two sessions we meandered around Salt lake a bit and found a place to eat. Afterwards on our way back to the car I even talked our friend Brittany into jumping into a fountain (she did not jump-she stepped in quickly and didn't even get her skirt wet- I want my $5 back). It was an enjoyable affair.
Above all else however, the talks given were amazing. Somehow it is more real hearing this person speak from a hundred feet away than on a TV in another state or country. I could feel the fervor in their voices and the dedication with which they spoke and it seriously impressed me. There were some amazing themes this conference, which tied together so beautiful that if I didn't know any better then I would think they had planned it (in reality each speaker prepares their own remarks separately and usually only find out what others are speaking about when the talks are given the day of). Among these themes were following: the Holy Ghost and the need to invite him more fully into our daily lives; Christ-like love & service and how they are one and the same; and the importance of following Christ - not just nitpicking at the Do's and Don't's - but loving those around us and also taking advantage of the sacrifice that he made for each of us by repenting and constantly working to change our lives for the better.
I'm sure that different people got different specifics out of this conference but these items in particular touched me. Sometimes it really is easy to get into the type of mindset where we worry so much about the Dos and Don'ts that we kind of forget the big picture. The big picture is love. It sounds like a corny Beatles song, but it is true, all you need is love. We are here on the earth because God loves us. We have the opportunity to return to our Heavenly father's presence because Jesus Christ loves us so much that he sacrificed himself for us, enduring more physical pain and mental anguish than any other person. We have the opportunity to thrive here on the earth by showing love to each other and serving one another in both temporal and spiritual ways. All you need is love. Seriously.
There are other important and specific things that we need as well, but as we follow the Holy Ghost (one of the themes) and integrate him more completely into our lives, each of us can be led to accomplish, and help others to accomplish, all that is necessary.
It's great to hear all of this and another thing completely to implement it all into real life. Every 6 months I have this struggle where I have been told so specifically what is right and I feel so sure about what I should do, but that doesn't necessarily make it easier. But as long as progress is progress and not regress, speed only counts for so much.
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