Crabby Abi's Blabbing

Archive for April 6th, 2008

You parents out there… I don’t know how you do it. We had two boys (3 and 4) over for a good portion of the day yesterday and I’m still looking for the piece of gum that one of them left for me – in a place he couldn’t quite recall. Needless to say, General Conference was on… in the background.

Below are some notes I took from this morning’s meeting. I can’t type fast enough to quote word for word so I’ll have to come back and add links.

Brother Sheldon Child spoke on tithing. Paying your tithing will be the best investment you will ever make. He mentioned the children of Israel and what the Lord told them about paying tithing. He first told them that they had robbed Him. They didn’t get it so they asked wherein they had robbed Him. His response: “In tithes and offerings.” The Lord then made the Israelites a promise that if they would pay their tithing and offerings that He would then open the windows of heaven and pour out so many blessings that there wouldn’t be room enough to receive them. (Malachi 3:8-10)

Something difficult to remember is that the Lord blesses us in ways that He sees fit. It won’t necessarily be in a way that we expect or even hope for. To show faith by paying tithing and offerings and accepting the will of the Lord is not always easy, but will be the best investment we will ever make.

If nothing else, I know that Sister Tanner loves the Young Women of the Church. She is a great example of truth, righteousness, motherhood and womanhood. She KNOWS what it means to be a woman. She understands her role as a woman, daughter, sister, mother, grandmother. She will be missed as the Young Women General President.

She spoke of how we are blessed with miracles. They are real. They come in His way and on His timetable. Sometimes it is not until we have reached our extremity. Miracles do come, but they may not come until the fourth watch. As Brother Child mentioned, the Lord works in his time, not in ours.

Elder Packer, among others, spoke regarding the succession of the Presidency.

I’ve been amazed at the number of speakers that have testified of the way that the Presidency is called. There were also many who spoke of the type of person President Monson is. I think it’s amazing to me because of how long President Monson has been a member of the Presidency, allowing church members to get to know him. We should know President Monson as well as we knew President Hinckley. Granted, it’s very different to not see President Hinckley on the stand, to hear him speak during each session. He’s been the prophet since my sophomore or junior year in high school so he’s really all I remember listening to. During all that time, however, there has been a special place in my heart for President Monson. I love listening to his parables and stories. He knows because he’s been there. He’s been where I am. I know all of this because of the time that I’ve had to get to know him.

What I failed to remember, until early this morning, is that there are so many out there who have known no other prophet of God than President Hinckley. The number of converts baptized during the last 10 years, all members born within the last 10 years, those who are coming back into activity over the last 10 years, are all familiar with President Hinckley. They love him. He knew how to draw people in and make them feel loved. To those people, it’s important that President Monson be able to do the same. That he be able to reach their hearts and speak to their spirits the way that President Hinckley did.

It’s my testimony that any prophet of God will be able to do everything that President Hinckley did. We heard him speak many times of the fact that our Heavenly Father was making all of those things possible – that it wasn’t just the mortal man. He was merely a conduit for the electrification of the Spirit of God. He was good at being a conduit, and so is President Monson. President Monson is a man of God. He is a prophet. He loves all men, women and children. He understands the responsibility and the authority of the priesthood as well as role that all priesthood holders have within the walls of their homes and within the boundaries of their callings.