The Church of Joy

This post is part of the General Conference Odyssey. This week we skip ahead to the present day and write about the October 2024 Conference that just happened! Back to April 2007 next week.

I took almost no notes during this conference! (We have no printer here, so I was drawing coloring pages for the kids half the time, and coloring ones they drew for me the other half!) But I felt so peaceful and hopeful as I listened. Even though almost everything here in Quebec feels so different, Conference feels the same, like being wrapped in a blanket of goodness. When I walked out to the store between Saturday sessions, I felt so sorry for all the people that didn't know about it; who thought it was just a normal day instead of Conference Saturday!

On Sunday morning before Conference started (it starts at noon here; that felt funny because I've never watched it at anything but 10 a.m. before!), I went to attend Mass at one of the churches I've been wanting to go to in the old city. It's one of the few churches that actually still holds services, but they are always on Sunday during our church, so I haven't been able to go before! I walked over through the narrow streets and the parks and the hordes of people shopping and walking, made my way with difficulty across the course of the Quebec marathon going on, lines of people cheering and clanging cowbells all along the street, and finally ended up in the church with a bunch of other people (mostly tourists, from the amount of English I heard) waiting for the service to start. After a while a man went to the front and said that Mass was cancelled because of the marathon, and everyone dispersed rather anticlimactically. I heard one woman say to her husband, "…And just when I thought we'd beaten the devil!" Ha!

But when I got home and heard the familiar sound of the Tabernacle Choir and the organ and the voice of President Oaks—I felt like we had beaten the devil! I felt such hope and confidence in God's plan and how perfectly it is set up to work. I felt excited about preparing the earth for the Savior to come again. This really is the Church of Joy!

Here are some talks and ideas that stand out in my memory (and I'm excited to read the other ones I've forgotten! I definitely remember better when I take more notes!).

• The first talk, Elder Andersen's, about hope was so good! I have always been interested in hope, and it seems especially important lately! I've learned a lot about hope by reading Elder Maxwell. Now I'm looking forward to learning more.

• I loved the speaker whose voice sounded like Elder Kearon's—Elder Hirst, I think, talking about how we are all God's "favorite children" and how we can experience His love. This has been a theme in many recent conferences, I assume because it's something people are struggling with today, but I just read a bunch of talks on the same theme from 2006!

• Elder Renlund (the two compounds that give dynamite its power are like the church and the gospel) was good as always. My brother texted, "Elder Renlund is quickly moving up to my favorite-speaker spot" and I thought, "moving up? He's been there for years for me!" Ha!

• Elder Christofferson on rebellion. While listening, I thought what you are not supposed to think during a Conference talk: "I know some people that really need to hear this talk."😁 I'm sure I need it too!

• Elder Kearon (quickly moving up to my favorite-speaker spot! It's going to be about a ten-way tie up there) has the most beautiful, memorable phrases. And he delivers his talks so well! Commandingly. You can hardly look away from him. "Welcome to the Church of Joy." I love that so much. 

• The "A.I. Elder Gong" joke got the biggest laugh I've heard in Conference in years! Our family kept chuckling to ourselves about it for a long time even after he was into the rest of his talk.

• Sam's friend and former co-worker Sister Yee was really good. Her voice is so soft, but she speaks with power. I was kind of laughing about the idea that Heavenly Father allowed her to ruin part of her painting so she could paint it better afterwards. Not because it is really funny—I can imagine just how sick and awful she felt when it happened—but just at the idea of Heavenly Father thinking, "Hmm, this really isn't looking that great; how can I give her another chance at it?" It's interesting to think about the implications of that for my life. What apparent failures (and even really dumb mistakes) could surprise me by leading to greater goodness later on? And isn't that exactly what God promises when he says He'll turn "all things for our good"?

• I remember more of these talks than I thought! (I am consulting the published summaries to help me.) Oh, Elder Uchtdorf's was so good. Nourishing the roots. Everything else will flourish as we go back to the roots: Jesus Christ and His gospel.

• At least three talks made me feel more hope for youth (hope I need, because I have many worries about many youth!). 

     Elder Eyring's felt like it had a lot of wisdom I couldn't quite grasp yet. His talks are always ones I need to study beyond just hearing them.

     Elder Wilcox's analogy about being Children of the Covenant—chosen specially to be the ship's crew, with higher responsibilities and higher compensation—was great

     Elder Egbo said "Keep fasting and praying and don't set a timetable on God. Trust Jesus with your child." I loved that so much. Can't wait to re-read this one.

• What will the next decade hold for me, for our family, for the church? Intriguing to think about. I loved Elder Stevenson's hopeful thoughts on it.

• Elder Holland's raspy voice reminds me how he is getting older, and how close to death he was. I love him. I'm so glad he is still here to speak to us.

• Is it possible for President Nelson to give anything other than a powerful, inspiring, life-changing talk? No. Apparently not. There was such urgency, such real purpose, in his words—we all felt it. I felt his words about "make discipleship your highest priority" go right down into my bones. There is no time for me to waste worrying about anything else besides following Jesus in every single aspect of my life! I want so much to be His true disciple in word and deed, someone He can trust, someone who always points others toward His love.