General Conference

We took the YM/YW of our ward to General Conference in October and had an excellent trip. I wasn't super excited on the idea. It meant driving all day Friday, hanging around the conference center all day Saturday, and then more conference and driving on Sunday. It's about a 13 hour drive to my parents house and that is a long time to be stuffed in a car, just ask Jonathan shown below.

At least he had the snacks.

We hadn't even left the church before we had a flat tire. There was enough air to drive back home and fill it up but that didn't last long. About an hour into the drive the tire was done.

How many times do you think we had to tell Nathan to stop helping and get out of the highway?

Can you find Thomas?

We got the tire to a shop in Arlington, OR and this is what the girls did to keep themselves entertained.

The boys opted for the hacky sack. Timeless

We finally made it to my parent's house around 1:00 am. We had 15 youth staying over with 4 adult leaders. We didn't get too much sleep because we had to get up early and try to find tickets.

We waited in line for a little bit but then one of the other leaders came through with tickets for everyone. We had grabbed a lot of people's extra one or two tickets and he was able to get enough that way. I sat alone but at least we all got inside.

Here is some of the group after the 1st session. One of the girls, Laura, is not in this picture because we left her at my parent's house, home alone style. We gave her a bedroom on the main level since she graduated high school last summer and nobody remembered to grab her in the morning. She called us while we were on our way to see what was going on. Luckily the Rasmussen's were staying at my parents house as well and were able to bring her up for lunch.

Here are all the boys that went on the trip. About 15 minutes after this picture, Nathan took off and we couldn't find him for about an hour or so. I went in with the rest of the boys while two of the other leaders stayed out to try and find him. They ended up getting in about 15 minutes into the Priesthood session with 2nd row seats.

A little more hacky sack before we hit the road after the 1st session on Sunday. We opted to sleep in and watch it from my parent's basement. The boys found the soda machine my Dad had installed so I guess they were all up till 3:00 am drinking all of his Diet Coke and Dr. Pepper.

Here are a few of my favorite quotes from this General Conference, in no particular order:

- "Perhaps the single greatest thing I learned from reading the Book of Mormon is that the voice of the Spirit comes as a feeling rather than a sound. You will learn, as I have learned, to "listen" for that voice that is felt rather than heard." - President Boyd K. Packer

- "Let us be as quick to kneel as we are to text." - Elder Ian S. Ardern

- "President Monson's encouragement to look up is a metaphor for remembering Christ. As we remember Him and trust in His power, we receive strength through His Atonement. It is that means where by we can be relieved of our anxieties, our burdens, and our suffering. It is the means whereby we can be forgiven and healed from the pain of our sins. It is the means whereby we can receive the faith and strength to endure all things." - Elder Carl B. Cook

There were a lot more talks that hit deep and that is why I love General Conference. It is essentially the same message over and over but every time I feel the truthfulness of what is being said. That makes it all worth it.