Stake Conference–Sunday

I have really been spoiled rotten by the Spirit the past month or so. It seems to me that every weekend is a spiritual high. Maybe I’m just growing up and I’m appreciating things more.

I left for church this morning at 7am, but first stopped at the Appleton church building to grab a VCR for stake conference audio/visual. I never thought I’d say this, but I didn’t have enough VCRs. Wow!!! Technology has progressed ALOT.

I arrived in Neenah around 8am and immediately set to work to ensure that people sitting in the far reaches of the gym would not have a nosebleed seat. I had 2 projectors set up, one on each side of the gym. Both projectors were got it’s feed from a coax cable hooked into a VCR, which then proceeded in to the projector via a composite cable. I had my camera set up to the closed circuit system by way of a composite cable jack that is located on the left side of the overflow room.

The General Session of Conference

The Stake President, President Kindt, was our first speaker. He talked about the temple and the importance of attending it regularly. He challenged all that were in attendance to get a temple recommend if they did not have one, and if they were not worthy of one, to become worthy of a recommend. He said that the temple is there for us to comprehend all things and that the temple radiates all truth and knowledge.

The first counselor of the Stake Presidency, Jim Hyatt, spoke second. He compared life to car repairs. He gave an example about how roads can be bumpy, while they may not do immediate damage to your vehicle, the bumpy roads may do expensive damage in the long-run.  He shared this example because we need to keep our lives in alignment with the gospel of Jesus Christ, just like a car’s steering must be kept in alignment in order for it to work properly. When your car is out of alignment, you take it to an experienced auto technician. When your life is out of alignment of the gospel of Christ, you go to a spiritual leader or spiritual technician.

Sister Allen, the wife of the bishop in the Appleton 1st ward spoke to the children. My favorite quote was:

We should do unto others as we want them to do unto us.

The Temple President’s wife also spoke on temples. Her husband spoke on faith and the strength and power that comes from placing individual’s names on the prayer rolls in temples.

Our concluding speaker was Elder Rhodes of the Seventy. He opened is talk solemnly declaring:

jesus Christ is the savior of the world and died on the cross for our sins.

I truly love when church leaders speak so boldly. Elder Rhodes again spoke about the importance of following promptings and to warn your neighbor. He also spoke about prayer and how it is one of the few ways to come closer to Heavenly Father.

Prayer is the mean by which the will of the child and of Heavenly Father come  in to congruence.

Prayer is a form of work.

I truly love Heavenly Father and his servants that continue to bless my life.

Following the session of stake conference was a Young Single Adult reception where Elder Rhodes gave a quick spiritual thought. He shared something he learned from President Packer that when people focus on eternal families, it lessens Satan’s power over the Earth. There was also food at the reception, my favorite was surprisingly the celery and carrots.

Following all this I came home and finished my transcription of Sousa’s “Semper Fildelis March” and watched Music and the Spoken Word with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square. My favorite piece from the broadcast today was Richard Elliott’s performance of “Praise the Lord with Drums and Cymbals” by Sigfrid Karg-Elert.