Preparing for General Conference

I don't know if anyone else has noticed this but it seems like every week we have new sisters joining us. We are so blessed! Today is no exception and since I was gone last week, I will introduce a couple. 

Megan Asper has recently moved in with her husband Kendall and their five children. She has bookend boys ages 9 and 1 with three little girls ages 8, 6, and 3 in between. Megan and Kendall grew up in Utah but are coming to us from Louisiana where Kendall completed his anesthesia residency. 

Meg Bird has also moved in with her husband and their cute little Tanner who will turn 2 in October (love his name!:). They are expecting their second little one in February. Meg's husband completed his masters in Oklahoma and is now working as a Financial Advisor. 

We are also blessed to have Jennifer Fifield's mom, Wendy Downs, with us. I wasn't able to visit much with her today so make sure you reach out to get to know her!

Today our discussion centered around preparing for our upcoming General Conference. For a fun getting-to-know you opener, Sister LeAnn Rosaaen Risenhoover asked us to share our traditional Conference breakfast. The answers varied a bit and ranged from no tradition to cold cereal to Norwegian pancakes with stops along the way at omelets, German pancakes, biscuits and gravy, cinnamon rolls, crepes, Swedish pancakes, waffles, Monkey Bread, and even homemade pizza in a backyard pizza oven between sessions. I'm not sure this was a fair discussion to have on Fast Sunday but it sure did make everything sound extremely delicious! I'll include as many recipes as I can collect in separate posts.

Sister LeAnn Rosaaen Risenhoover then turned our thoughts from food to being more spiritually prepared for Conference. Every family does things a little differently and what works for one family may not work for another but as Sister Trina Murphy pointed out she is so grateful for our generation of youth. Growing up conference was not a big deal and was often seen as a week off of church for her family and many other families surrounding her.  Rachael Bonnell Inman discovered as she taught seminary that the youth are really wanting to watch conference. As moms we can make sure that opportunity is available. No matter how we choose to participate in Conference, one thing is true for each of us, we will be blessed as we make the word of the Lord a priority in our life. Perhaps you already have a solid grasp on how to prepare for and benefit from Conference but if you need some ideas, consider these experiences from our sweet sisters.

Sisters Joanna Beck and Elizabeth Ewell both expressed a desire to clear our schedules to be available to watch Conference. Elizabeth has found that logistically with both she and her husband working, she has to prepare to do their typical Saturday house and yard work and errands earlier in the week in order to fully enjoy Conference.

Thankfully, technology can be a blessing for those times when schedules cannot be cleared. Barbara Sandoval's son has football obligations every Saturday morning so they DVR Conference and when he is done they can still watch conference together. 

Becky King reminded us that just as important as clearing our physical schedule is to clear our mind and heart to be prepared to take in the Spirit of Conference. Praying for the Apostles and Prophets and those who will be speaking to us along with specifically praying the week before has helped her to hear what she needed to hear.

Jen Sharp realized today that sometimes instead of praying for someone else to receive help, she can pray for guidance and insight on how she can best help that person. Sometimes the answers we hear in Conference might be to help us help those we have stewardship over.

Shirlyn Cox has had to let go of the guilt she would feel when her children wouldn't sit and quietly listen to conference or complete the worksheets she would prepare and when their disruptions would prevent her from getting all she had hoped to out of Conference. With the blessings of technology she has been able to still reap the benefits of Conference by listening to a talk a day following Conference as she gets ready for her day. 

LeAnn Rosaaen Risenhoover said sometimes as you listen to all eight hours of Conference it can feel like you are drinking out of a firehose so digesting a talk at a time after Conference can help you learn even more or learn something different that you didn't pick up as you initially watched. 

There were several fun things families do to help build and create an excitement for their children...

Rachael Bonnell Inman posts a countdown on her chalkboard starting 30 days out

Ellie Pace prepares a basket for each child that evolves with their ages and stages from quiet activities to work on as they listen to Conference to treats to snack on along with a new pair of pjs to lounge in and a notebook to take notes in. (Gloria Murphy's mom had them dress in their Sunday dress so they would be more likely to be reverent so pjs may not be a good option for some!) 

Kathy Jones's husband prepares a quiz as he listens to the Priesthood session and awards prizes to his sons/grandsons who can answer the most questions successfully.

Seminary students are often given a "Fantasy General Conference" sheet to complete in anticipation of Conference. They are also often asked to record a question they would like to have answered at conference. Wendy Downs taught seminary as well years ago and that was one thing she has tried to incorporate in her own life. She has found that often she has found answers in multiple talks. 

Robyn Christensen Wilson's family brings out the blankets and pillows and builds forts to enjoy conference in.

Becky King's family loves to gather for conference and as the guys all go to Priesthood together if someone is missing because they are on a mission or something, they leave a chair empty for them in their midst. 

Mary Call said the men in her family all gather back at her house after Priesthood session and enjoy ice cream together.

A couple of other ideas shared include:

Taking time to review last Conference--Madeline Trimble
Getting to bed early--Trina Murphy
Helping our families to realize it has always required a bit of sacrifice to listen to the Prophet but it is worth it and it is what we do!--Dalynne Ashley Denhof
Not viewing Conference (including stake conference Saturday evening sessions) as a time off but to discover the benefits they have to offer--Pam Wilson
Using 1 Nephi 16:2 as a measuring stick when I listen to Conference to recognize areas I need to reevaluate and address in my own life--Ellie Pace
Sharing our excitement and love for Conference with others can sometimes be the best thing we can do--Chrystalyn Jones Trimble

Sister LeAnn Rosaaen Risenhoover wrapped our discussion up with the challenge for each of us to be excited and ready to hear from our Prophet and apostles. She suggested we do things in advance to be ready for that privilege including to start praying now and to prepare a question to take and then to be mindful of what the Lord wants to tell us! 

This month included with the church magazine subscriptions is a little booklet titled "General Conference Notebook; Your guide to Prepare for and Learn from General Conference". It is specially geared for our youth but this promise applies to each of us:

"I promise you that as you prepare your spirit and come with the anticipation that you will hear the voice of the Lord, thoughts and feelings will come into your mind that are customized especially for you." (Elder Neil L. Andersen)