This annual meeting consists of various sessions with 3 on Saturday (one being the priesthood session broadcast only via satellite to local meeting houses) and two more on Sunday. The general authorities and other leaders of the church are chosen to speak. You get to hear from each of the apostles and many member of one of the quorums of seventies, along with an occasional member of the presidency of the Primary, Young Women's or Relief Society. The First presidency generally each speak more then once.
This is a great time to get an idea of what the leaders are concerned about for the whole church. In as much as no one is given a topic to speak on you will find a general theme that develops. It moves from year to year but, it is interesting to see what things the leaders are wanting to focus on. And the music is an added plus - Who can beat the Mormon Tabernacle Choir singing some of the most beautiful religious hymns available.
Another thing that is quite amazing is the number of languages that conference is translated into. There are a good 80+ languages including all the major ones like Portuguese, German, Russian, Italian, French, Spanish, and the like. And some rather obscure ones as well. There are members there so they translate to those languages. Every month the church's magazine is published in these same languages. It's just amazing. Really amazing.
Sometimes you will get some type of announcement from the Prophet regarding a new Temple or other special item such as when they announced the conference center back in the day.
October 2009 was a wonderful time for my family as that was when they announced the Fortaleza, Brazil temple. They have now broken ground and begun construction of this most recent House of the Lord in Brazil. (See the whole announcement here)
Or you might just get a most powerful of testimonies and witnesses from one of the apostles. Just before he died Elder Bruce R McConkie gave this most stir of statements at the end of his April 1985 conference.
"I am one of his witnesses, and in a coming day I shall feel the nail marks in his hands and in his feet and shall wet his feet with my tears.
But I shall not know any better then than I know now that he is God’s Almighty Son, that he is our Savior and Redeemer, and that salvation comes in and through his atoning blood and in no other way."
So come with your questions in mind and find answers to all your daily struggles. For conference is a truly eye opening experience.
Buaidh - NO - Bas
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