In just a few days, we have the opportunity to hear the words of living prophets and apostles. I challenge you to take the time away from your busy schedule this Saturday and Sunday, (or Sunday and Monday for those a lot of hours ahead of Utah.) and put the electronic's away and sit down with pen and paper and write down what your impressions are and apply what you learn into your life. I know that as you do this, your life will be enriched and you will gain greater hope and peace in an ever darkening world. The Lord will speak to you and if you aren't willing and ready to his word, then you may never again have the opportunity to hear that specific council to you. If you haven't started preparing now to receive the Lord's word this weekend, here are a few suggestions that have helped me, friends, and other persons throughout the world have a more willing mind and a ready heart to hear the Lords word.
· sincerely study the scriptures and the previous General Conference talks.
· Make time to go and go to the temple before General Conference.
· General Conference Book Club. A Talk is posted each week from the most recent LDS Conference and you are invited to re-read it and comment on it if you'd like (www.diapersanddivinity.com).
· Do a service project during conference like making leper bandages, baby blankets, hygiene kits.
· Use it as the time to go through Food storage/ Emergency kits to replace old items, rotate winter items for summer ones, replace batteries in smoke detectors etc.
· Prepare games for kids. If you go to www.lds.org, there are activities and computer games for kids. At www.sugardoodle.net you can find ones for all ages from nursery to youth.
· Learn about the Apostles prior to Conference
· Have another family or some friends over for Pot luck in between sessions or after a session.
· DVR/TIVO Conference so you can use for FHE's during next 6 months.
· Another suggestion I read: "We do 'conference candy' put out a candy dish and each session you pick a word and when you hear the word you can help yourself to a piece of candy."
· Make a list of specific questions or issues you're working on and would like help with.
· Fast about a specific topic before Conference
· Pray, to feel the Spirit, about one or all of the things on your list, for the speakers
· Learn about the General Authorities' lives, families, etc.
· Have a Family Home Evening about General Conference (how to act during, what happens, who speaks, etc.)
· Read your Patriarchal Blessing if you have it
· Get plenty of sleep the night before
· Do all your cleaning and chores before Conference if you can
· Plan to discuss the talks after you watch Conference. This helps you pay attention because you know you'll have to have something interesting to say about it later.
· Plan to listen for which talk to focus on for your Visiting/Home Teaching lesson
· Plan and shop for meals the day before. Have a Conference food tradition. (if you have a 72 hour emergency kit, this a great tradition to start. You have to rotate food in and out of your 72 hr kit(s) and if you have a hard time remembering when you last rotated food in and out, then all you need to remember is, rotate it with General Conference. This way you know when you rotated the food AND it provides you will snacks for Conference and you dont have to worry about buying much Conference snack food.)
· Find your journal or whatever you take notes in. Find a pen, too.
· Listen to spiritual music to help you begin to tune out the worldly distractions and get you in tune with the Holy Ghost so he may speak to you. I am not saying it has to be just Mormon Tabernacle Choir, but any music that helps you feel closer to your Heavenly Father and prepares you spiritually to hear what our Father in Heaven has to say to. I listen to classical music when I am in the car rather than the normal radio stations the week before Conference. It’s been a great help for me to tune out the world. When I am home I put my IPod on and listen to LDS music such as Daniel Beck, Katherine Nelson, Hilary Weeks, Jenny Oaks Baker (Elder Oaks daughter), EFY(especially for the youth) music, etc.
Here is some very helpful websites that I found with many more idea’s to prepare for Conference and Conference activities for ALL ages.
Certainly last but not least, is a talk by President Monson from the April 2010 Conference on how being prepared brings blessings. http://lds.org/general-conference/2010/04/preparation-brings-blessings?lang=eng
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