Today hosted the first two sessions of April General Conference. I was able to listen to some of my favorite General Authorities and Auxiliary Leaders: Elder Christofferson, Elder Holland, President Eyring, and Sister Beck. From what I'm gathering thus far, this conference seems to be a siren call to batten down the hatches and prepare for the storm. Many exhortations to listen to spiritual warnings (indeed, revelation in general) and read the scriptures (indeed, feast in them) were given; many reminders of our baptismal covenants were heard. I heard reports of humanitarian aid given, both spiritual and temporal, from the singular instance to nation-wide or international efforts. I listened as advice and pleadings came to teach our children, strengthen ourselves and homes, and to cast of those things that would drag us down. I felt the Spirit testify to me strongly, and the loving arms of Heavenly Father encircle me as figuratively sat at the feet of his chosen servants.
A discussion ensued at the beginning of the second session, in which President Uchtdorf read off the sustaining vote of all the leaders of the church. I used to think that the sustainment of the General Authorities and Auxiliary Leaders was boring and even tedious, until I started to understand what it meant to sustain the prophet. To sustain is to nourish or support, to buoy up, to give support or relief to. When we sustain our leaders, we not only say, "I believe that God has called you to receive revelation and lead His church," but we also say, "I will do my best to help you achieve your calling: I will support you, encourage you, follow you, pray for you. I will be behind you every step of the way." It is a heavy thing to say with a simple lifting of the right hand. The thing I started to understand is this: Heavenly Father loves us so much, respects us so much, that He gives us the opportunity twice a year to witness before Him and our peers, indeed, ourselves, that we believe they are who they are: Special Witnesses of the Lord and Savior. We are able to decide for ourselves that we believe in and will follow them as they are mouthpieces; we are given that chance to add another block to our fortification of testimony. And that is a magnificent thing indeed.
Yesterday marked the one-year anniversary of coming home from my mission. Last night I actually attended a mission reunion (I'll have to write more of that later) and felt the familiar strings pulled upon my heart again, of how much I miss being a missionary, the things we were able to do daily, the mantle I was honored to hold for that brief period of time. I thought back to a previous conference, October of 2008, in fact, when my companion Ashley Peterson and I were in Winnipeg...
We were excited to have Shawna and Jen with us that conference, two amazing women who were getting baptized a month later. I had talked with another woman the night before, Chantel, and taught her about the importance of a prophet, exclaiming excitedly, "and we have a chance to listen to a living prophet this weekend! Do you want to come?" Chantel had come to Conference, all four sessions of it, and had walked blocks in heels in order to attend some of the sessions. The end of the first session I had found her in the back pew, calling friends and co-workers and overhearing, "yes, a prophet! A living prophet. Right here! I just listened to him--and it's amazing! You have to come down here and hear for yourself." I thought nothing else could touch me more, except that afternoon we taught her the message of the Restoration, explaining what she had felt during Conference, and she listened, enraptured. During Joseph Smith's First Vision, she said she had goosebumps. And finally, at the end of the lesson, Celisse Henderson (my companion for the afternoon), Chantel, and I knelt on the ground to listen to her pray to know if what we taught, and the Book of Mormon itself, was true. It was a time in which the Spirit was so strong that it brought tears to your eyes--it enclosed all three of us in a warm embrace, holding us there as if suspended in time, if just for a moment.
That was a small portion of that day, and I will continue to remember it fondly. I will remember that and a thousand more days, moments that added up to make it the best decision I've ever made.
There are indeed prophets in the land again, and I had the privilege of listening to them today. Tomorrow I have the even greater privilege of seeing them speak. How blessed am I, to have friends, opportunities, temporal blessings, and above all, the blessings of the gospel?
