Best General Conference Ever! (18)

This past weekend was awesome! Don't get me wrong, pretty much all General Conference weekends are, but this time was different. If you would have asked me how I thought this past weekend was going to go last Friday, I probably would have said that it was going to be frustrating. For the most part, that was true...up until Saturday night.

 You see, I had gotten tickets to the Sunday morning session of General Conference and I was really excited to go. The only problem was that I couldn't find a ride and I had asked everyone I could possibly think of. But nothing was working out! I thought about taking the frontrunner, but there were no details about it running during Conference weekend on its website. So I came to the conclusion that the only way I was going to make it was by renting a car and driving myself. This scared me because I didn't know how traffic and parking was going to be. Luckily I didn't have to go through that because my friend Catherine told me that the guy she was riding with, Parker, could take me as well! I was so relieved and my excitement for attending Conference was restored!

As the three of us drove to Salt Lake, we had to make a stop at Parker's uncle's house for their tickets. Unfortunately, there was a mix-up and his uncle accidentally got them tickets for the Sunday afternoon session. But we didn't let that stop us because we all pretty much figured that they would get in on stand-by, which they did! So that all worked out.

The first Sunday session was awesome! It was only my second time being in the Conference Center; my first was when I attended Women's Conference last October. It's so powerful to be in the same room with so many wonderful leaders and saints of the church. I wasn't expecting my day to get much better than that until Catherine and Parker told me that they weren't planning on staying for the following session and that I could have their tickets. Because they were my only ride, I was about to pass up on the tickets and just ride home with them. However, I changed my mind once Parker showed me that the tickets were for seats located on the bottom floor in row C! Apparently Parker's uncle was actually the second counselor of the General Young Men's presidency, Brother Ridd, who got released this past weekend. I couldn't let those tickets go, so I quickly made arrangements for a ride home and decided to stay. 

I'm so glad I stayed because I don't think I'll ever be able to experience Conference the same way again! It was epic to be so close to the stand and just feet away from the prophet! I loved every minute of Conference this weekend and I can't believe how blessed I was to be able to attend both Sunday sessions. It was seriously the best General Conference weekend ever!

Now to fulfill another one of my blog assignments, which is to write a mini-analysis of a General Conference talk. I've chosen to write about the talk given by Elder Holland during the Sunday morning session entitled "Where Justice, Love, and Mercy Meet." I don't think I've ever heard a talk from Elder Holland that I haven't enjoyed and this one was no exception. 

He began his talk with a story, a form of pathos that is very common among General Conference talks. The story is about two boys who went climbing in southern Utah without the aid of climbing gear. They quickly ran into a problem that left one of the boys in a life-threatening situation. He came to the conclusion that he had to vertically jump to reach a ledge to safety; however, missing it would lead to his death. Once he made the jump, he put his arms to the ledge only to find that it was sandy and that there was nothing for him to grasp. At that moment, the boy realized that he was about to die. But what he didn't know was that his brother's arms would quickly grab him and pull him to safety.

Elder Holland then related this story to the Savior and His Atonement. Although we were born into an inevitable fallen state because of the Fall of Adam and Eve, the Savior is always there for us. Just like the boy who saved his brother from falling, Christ is there to reach out His arms whenever we need Him. Elder Holland also emphasized that in order to see the significance of the Atonement fully, we must understand the Fall. Because this talk was also given on Easter Sunday, Elder Holland made this statement: "So today we celebrate the gift of victory over every fall we have ever experienced, every sorrow we have ever known, every discouragement we have ever had---to say nothing of resurrection from death and forgiveness for our sins."

I know that Christ's Atonement was the most important thing that has happened in all of history and that will ever happen. I'm so grateful for His sacrifice and for His arms that are always outstretched to help me during my trials. I know that because of the Atonement, I can overcome physical death and be resurrected. I know that the Atonement also always me to repent for my sins; thus, granting me the ability to live with my family, Jesus Christ, and my Heavenly Father again. I love this gospel with all my heart and I can't wait to share it with as many people as I can!