After the afternoon session, while the kids were eating dinner, we watched Joseph Smith The Prophet of the Restoration. It was very well done. My kids seemed to enjoy it. We live close enough to some of the sites (Palmyra and Kirtland) that we told them we’d visit the sites this summer.

I go to Church a little before 8 pm. A YM has just returned from his mission. While he was away, his parents moved, so he won’t be staying in the area. Tonight was the only chance to catch up with him.

Afterward, my father and I continued a tradition we’ve had for probably 20 years… We went out for food. We went to Boston Pizza where I got a Buffalo Chicken Sandwich and a smoothie. Great times!

The Priesthood Choir was made up from Ogden and Logan Utah Institutes

President Henry B Eyring conducted

The choir sang See the Mighty Priesthood Gathered

Elder Rafael E Pino offered the invocation

The choir sang Guide Me to Thee

Elder Neil L Andersen

• Spoke to 12 to 25-year-olds
• These are your days
• Told story about a 19 year old future rugby star, Sid Going, in New Zealand served a mission instead of joining the All Blacks. He felt that sharing the gospel was more important
• Sid Going The sun never sets on missionaries sharing their testimony In the years before your mission, consider the sacred assignment ahead of you

Elder Steven E Snow

• Hope is an emotion which brings richness to our lives
• Hopes brings a calming influence
• Our hopes leads us to dreams, which inspires us
• Don’t let hope be displaced by despair
• The spiritual journeys today require great hope

Brother Larry M Gibson

• Went over responsibilities of a Deacon
• Go to the scriptures and discover what your duties are

The choir and congregation sang Redeemer of Israel

President Dieter F Uchtdorf

• Are we living below our priesthood privileges?
• In our daily lives, our actions indicate our understanding is little more than a rehearsed definition
• Set your “Do it” switch to “Now” not “Later”
• Read the owner’s manual, the scriptures and handbooks
• Re-read sections 20, 84, 107, and 121 of the Doctrine and Covenants
• Become an expert in the doctrines of the gospel
• Seek the revelations of the Spirit
• Find joy in priesthood service
• Our religion is a joyful one

President Henry B Eyring

• 3 aids to growing in the priesthood
  1. Listen and council together
  2. Have love for each other
     • Discord inhibits the Spirit
  3. Labour for the salvation of men

President Thomas S Monson

• Wants to discuss a few personal worthiness things
• The moral compass of the masses has shifted to an almost anything goes direction
• There is a wide chasm between us and the world
• Do not subject yourself to the filth that is found
• Do not do anything that you wouldn’t be proud of
• Avoid pornography, alcohol, tobacco
• A strong testimony will help see you through to safety
• Don’t postpone marriage
• The saddest thing he has to do is a cancellation of sealings
• Be fiercely loyal one to another
• “Choose your love. Love your choice”
• A happy marriage isn’t so much because of marrying the right person, but in BEING the right person
• We are married for time and all eternity, and then must put forth the effort to make it so
• The gift of the priesthood is priceless

The choir sang For the Strength of the Hills

Elder Joseph W Sitati offered the benediction

Read the recaps and other notes from the 181st Annual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints:

• 181st Annual General Conference – Pre-conference notes
• 181st Annual General Conference – Saturday Morning General Session
• 181st Annual General Conference – Saturday Afternoon General Session
• 181st Annual General Conference – Priesthood Session
• 181st Annual General Conference – Sunday Morning General Session
• 181st Annual General Conference – Sunday Afternoon General Session
• 181st Annual General Conference – Post-conference notes

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As indicated in the write-up for the Saturday afternoon session, I watched that one at home. I had to be at the Church by 6:15 pm (Eastern time), so I left about halfway through Elder Scott’s address and picked up my father. We both had to be at the YM sub-sational which started at 7:00 PM (I had a meeting before then).

The sub-sational was great, with around 15 YM attending with their fathers. Include the YM leaders, the missionaries and the bishopric, and we probably had 30 people there. Good times for sure!

My father has always taken me out after the Priesthood Session of conference, and that tradition continues. Even after eating a couple of subs, we went out afterward to Boston Pizza and had some chicken wings and cactus cut potatoes. As to me as I dropped him off at home, “Good conversation, good company.” Thanks Dad!

The Priesthood Choir sang Hark, All Ye Nations!

Elder Marcos A Aidukaitis offered the invocation

The choir sang Go, Ye Messengers of Heaven

Elder Russell M Nelson

• we need to remember why we have missionaries
• “go ye into all the world”
• 52,000 missionaries in 340 missions
• missionaries serve to make life better for all of God’s children

Elder Patrick Kearon

• he told a story about growing up on the “Arabian peninsula” and got stung by a scorpion
• he knew he was supposed to wear shoes, but didn’t
• disregarding what we know to be right brings

Elder Juan A Uceda

• story of a man and his daughter, the man yelled at his daughter because she didn’t want to read the scriptures with his family
• after a short time both the daughter and father said they were sorry
• our home has to be a place where the Spirit can dwell
• the home is next to the temple in sacredness

The choir and congregation sang High on the Mountain Top

President Dieter F Uchtdorf

• remembers President Ezra Taft Benson’s talk on Pride from 1989
• there is a difference between being proud of something and being prideful
• pride is self-elevation
• pride is a gateway sin
• there is a lot of pride in sports
• in life, we all wear the same jersey
• we are to encourage all people
• we can be grateful, but when we obsess or focus on those things, that is when the trouble begins
• pride is a switch that turns off priesthood power
• humility is a switch that turns on priesthood power
• there are so many people in need we could be thinking about other than ourselves

President Henry B Eyring

• the power of a holder of the priesthood is magnified by the Holy Ghost
• we should pray for the Holy Ghost in our service
• pondering is the thinking and praying after reading and studying

President Thomas S Monson

• the 3 R’s of choice
  • right of choice
  • responsibility of choice
  • results of choice
• we cannot be neutral, there is no middle ground
• we are bombarded by the messages of the adversary
• the lies are endless
• we cannot afford the luxury of a detour from which we may never return
• it’s easier to keep the commandments 100% of the time than 98% of the time

The choir sang Called to Serve

Elder James J Hamula offered the benediction

• 180th Semiannual General Conference – Pre-conference notes
• 180th Semiannual General Conference – Saturday Morning General Session
• 180th Semiannual General Conference – Saturday Afternoon General Session
• 180th Semiannual General Conference – Priesthood Session
• 180th Semiannual General Conference – Sunday Morning General Session
• 180th Semiannual General Conference – Sunday Afternoon General Session
• 180th Semiannual General Conference – Post-conference notes

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It has been tradition for 8 years or so that before the Priesthood Session of General Conference, the Young Men have a “sub-sational”. It’s for the young men and their father’s, their home teacher, or some other priesthood holder who brings them. There are several kinds of meat (including meat balls), chips, cookies, and pop. It’s a good time. Last night, the missionaries (who are of course always invited) even had an investigator. He is older than 18, but he was still welcome.

Actually, the missionaries had 2 investigators attend the session. This is the first time I can ever remember the missionaries having investigators at the Priesthood Session. It’s kind of hard to commit people to attend Church on a Saturday night for 2 hours. Overall, we had 48 people attend the session.

President Thomas S. Monson conducted

President Boyd K. Packer

• priesthood authority
• many accounts in scriptures of young men serving
• “let no man despise thy youth”
• don’t be discouraged about your physical features as you are a child of God
• treasure the masculine part of who you are
• don’t neglect learning the practical
• a life of fun and games has come to an end
• learn to be content

Bishop Richard C. Edgley

• many natural disasters over the last few years
• we are prepared, organized, have empathy, and have charity
• no organization more prepared for the challenges of humanity than the Church
• priesthood quorums can and must make a difference
• rise up and let the brotherhood of the priesthood fulfill their duties
• this is our “phone call”

Elder Claudio R. M. Costa

• President Hinckley taught us we have 4 responsibilities
  • families
  • employers
  • Lord’s work
  • ourselves
• preserve opportunities to strengthen our families
• need to keep Monday night free
• be a good employee
• home teaching is one of great responsibilities

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf ** might use this as a 4th Sunday lesson **

• know for a few months what he wanted to say
• story of plane crash in Everglades
• plane was fine, but a light bulb burned out which distracted them
• we often will focus on the insignificant things in life instead of what is most important
• what matters most?
• don’t be distracted from our sacred duties
• put away childish things
• become true representatives of the Lord Jesus Christ
• “I’m doing a great work and cannot come down”

President Henry B. Eyring

• be brave and bold in your service
• there has been conflict since the beginning
• “no man left behind”
• spiritual wounds can only be seen by inspired eyes
• “none but fools will trifle with the souls of men”
• have joy in your priesthood service

President Thomas S. Monson

• priesthood is a great responsibility
• 3 suggestions to live safely
• study diligently
  • have daily scripture study
• pray fervently
  • with God, all things are possible
• live righteously
  • touch no unclean thing
• chart your course and be cautious

Read the recaps from the other sessions of General Conference:

• 179th Annual General Conference – Saturday Morning Session
• 179th Annual General Conference – Saturday Afternoon Session
• 179th Annual General Conference – Priesthood Session
• 179th Annual General Conference – Sunday Morning Session
• 179th Annual General Conference – Sunday Afternoon Session

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It has been a tradition in our ward for quite some time now to have a “sub-sational” before the priesthood session of General Conference. This is a submarine sandwich dinner for the YM and their fathers.

• President Monson was conducting
• there was a choir from the MTC. There is a member from a neighbouring ward who is in the MTC right now and he was in the choir. Every time the choir sang we were looking for him, but he wasn’t on camera until the closing hymn
• We had about 42 people there for the session
• Elder Richard G. Scott
  • do we ponder the inestimable value of holding the priesthood?
  • the Saviour is the perfect example of how to hold the priesthood
  • Elder Scott did a “personal” interview with us
  • with regards to the idea that man is better than woman he said “nothing could be farther from the truth”
  • God will hold us accountable for how we treat his daughters
• Elder Jay E. Jensen
  • the blessings of the atonement are “arms of safety”
  • this is demonstrated during the sacrament
  • true servants are properly dressed
• Elder James J. Hamula
  • God’s kingdom will not be lost but will overcome the world
  • in doing the will of the Lord, our knowledge increases
  • youth, these are your days… do not squander them
• President Dieter F. Uchtdorf * might be used as a 4th Sunday lesson *
  • “stand close together and lift where you stand”
  • some seek to lead, some seek to hid; both are selfish
  • our service should be motivated by charity, not selfishness
  • the Lord judges differently than we do
  • the Lord is pleased with noble service, not a self-serving Noble
  • he told the story of John R. Moyle, a stone worker on the Salt Lake Temple
  • cease to aspire, cease to retire
• President Henry B. Eyring * might be used as a 4th Sunday lesson *
  • your priesthood duties will stretch you
  • God will increase our power to carry the load
  • to get that power, we need to take our service to the outer limits
  • when we give our all, he will give us all the courage we neeed
• President Thomas S. Monson
  • the First Presidency is united as one under the direction of the Lord
  • in these trouble times, make sure that those we care for do not go hungry
  • to become God’s people we need to do three things to qualify
    1) Learn what we should learn
    2) Do what we should do
    3) Be what we should be

As a final note, I was reading a couple of other recaps, and read Jeff Lindsay’s comments about the MTC choir:

Toward the end of the Priesthood session, watching the missionary choir from the MTC was especially poignant with my own son in the MTC right now (his companion, Elder Excel, was in the choir). As I looked at the missionaries and contemplated all the good that they stand for and pondered all the powerful, inspiring, and Christ-centered messages we heard today, one thought crystallized: I love this Church. The wholesome, joyous, soul-lifting teachings, the goodness of its leaders, the rich Spirit that it brings, all make me so glad to be a part of it.

Well said, Brother Lindsay!

Read the recaps from the other sessions of General Conference:

• 178th Semiannual General Conference – Saturday Morning Session
• 178th Semiannual General Conference – Saturday Afternoon Session
• 178th Semiannual General Conference – Priesthood Session
• 178th Semiannual General Conference – Sunday Morning Session
• 178th Semiannual General Conference – Sunday Afternoon Session

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