During the time between the two sessions, my family went for a walk in the ravine behind our house. Spring is slowly making its appearance 🙂 I also cleaned up (showered and shaved). Lastly, I watched the April 2011 edition of the World Report. I love getting some of that “behind-the-scenes” information that show report shares.
Now we’re all gathered together again in the living room ready for the second session.
President Dieter F Uchtdorf conducted.
A combined choir from BYU-Idaho sang How Firm a Foundation
Elder Kevin W Pearson offered the invocation
Sustainings presented by President Dieter F Uchtdorf
- During the sustainings of the apostles, Elder Robert D Hales had a huge knee brace on. He also had small clear tubes on his lap. They looked like they were oxygen tubes. Did anyone see him with them on, or were they for something else?
- A bunch of Area Seventies were released and sustained
- (at one point during the sustainings, the Internet feed paused and my 3-year-old daughter said it was scratched)
- There were a total of 10 new General Authorities sustained
- There were no changes to any of the auxiliary presidencies
Robert W Cantwell Managing Directory of the Church Auditing presented the Church Auditing Department Report
- Council of the Disposition of the Tithes consists of the First Presidency, Quorum of 12, Presiding Bishopric
- Things are being administer
Brook P Hales, Secretary to the First Presidency presented the Statistical Report of the Church for the year 2010
- 2,896 stakes
- 340 missions
- 614 districts
- 28,660 wards/branches
- 14,131,467 members
- 120,528 children of record were baptized (one of them was my son)
- 272,814 converts
- 52,225 full-time missionaries
- 20,813 church service missionaries
- 4 temples dedicated (Vancouver British Columbia/Gila Valley Arizona/Cebu City Philippines/Kyiv Ukraine)
- 1 temple rededicated (Laie Hawaii)
- 134 total temples in operation
The choir sang How Great the Wisdom and the Love
President Boyd K Packer (he was sitting down)
- 400 years since the publishing of the bible
- We should use the full name of the Church whenever possible
- Ordinances are done through the authority of Jesus Christ
- We have the same organization as Jesus Christ had
- If someone is looking for a church that requires very little, this is not the one
- Regardless of what happens in the world, no power can stop this work
- Do a lot of forgiving, and a little repenting, and you will be blessed
Elder Russell M Nelson
- thank you for your uplifting service
- our faith now becomes part of our posterity’s faith later
- the forces of evil will ever be in opposition to the forces of good
- to prepare to meet God, one keeps all of God’s commandments
- when we are faithful, He and His angels will bear us up
- God will hear your sincere prayers
The choir and congregation sang Press Forward, Saints
Elder Richard J Maynes
- the principle of eternal families is an essential element in God’s plan
- the family is ordained of God
- establish celestial traditions
- kids don’t remember the FHE topic, but they remember having FHE
- kids don’t remember what was read in the scriptures that morning, but they remember that they read them
- Shared a poem by C C Miller
Elder Cecil O Samuelson Jr
- he has worked with the young people in the Church for many years
- who is entitled to have a testimony? anyone who is willing to pay the price
- everyone has worth because we are all children of God
Elder Dallin H Oaks
- what do we really desire?
- desires dictate our priorities, priorities shape our choices, choices determine our actions
- desire, labour, and faith brought Enos the blessings he wanted
- told story of Aron Ralson, the guy who cut off his own arm to save his life
- we need to cut and carve ourselves free from addictions and other things that prevent our eternal progress
- the desire to receive and keep a marriage for eternity should be paramount (priority efforts)
- we cannot follow the politically correct but eternally false concept that we don’t need to be married and have children
Elder M Russell Ballard
- told a nice story about a person who wanted gold; he was looking for nuggets, and missing the flecks of gold that would fill his pouch
- by small and simple things are great things come to pass
- we should keep our lives simple
- charity begins at home
- practice the golden rule
- we need to serve
- the most important attribute that we should seek to possess is charity, the pure love of Christ
The choir sang Let Zion in Her Beauty Rise
Elder ??? offered the benediction (President Uchtdorf didn’t announce who it was going to be)
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
