Women's Regional Conference

Today, the Relief Society sisters from more than forty stakes in the Idaho area gathered together in the BYU-Idaho Center, the building that is a miniaturized LDS Conference Center. The BYU-Idaho center seats 15,000 people. The LDS Conference Center seats 21,000. So our lovely new building is 6,000 seats smaller. What's amazing is that my school, BYU-Idaho, has only approximately 12,000 students attending a semester.

President Henry B. Erying said at the building's dedication, “I am not sure of what the Lord has planned for this university. Some future growth seems likely and the university seems to have been prepared to respond." I think it's awesome that we have been so blessed with leaders over my school who are open to revelation. Revelation is amazing.

Back to the Women's Regional Conference, Sister Julie Beck, the General Relief Society President spoke. It was amazing. My FHE sister told me that, recently, the regional conferences that she's attended have been more of a question and answer than a talk in Sacrament Meeting or General Conference. Sister Beck said:

Look, we've had a Relief Society meeting! Questions give us the opportunity to receive answers. Bring your questions to Relief Society and study and search for the answers together.

I thought that what she said was inspirational. I think that our church leaders are trying to show us what kind of meetings some of our meetings should be. That we should ask the questions that we feel inspired to ask. That we should work together in discovering the answers. Some of the other things I've really learned are as follows:

1. Prioritize correctly: There are things that are Most Essential, Necessary, and Nice to Do. The Most Essential things concern reading the scriptures daily, praying daily, etc. The Necessary things include working, shopping, having a house of order, etc. The things that are Nice to Do are watching movies, hobbies, interests, etc. But we must remember to take care of the most essential things first, remembering our covenants as we prioritize. We are not to run from our responsibilities.
   
2. Prepare for a mission: Many woman in the church wonder if they should go on a mission. But we must keep in mind that the gospel requires us to prepare for a mission. Perhaps you won't take 18 months and serve 24/7, but rather be married, be a mother, work, or whatever else. But preparing for a mission will prepare you for all of it. So prepare for a mission, thus you are prepared for any call.
   
3. Priesthood blessings: One lady asked how we are supposed to take advantage of the Priesthood and ask for blessings without abusing it? I thought that was an excellent question myself. Sometimes you'd like a blessing but you feel rather self-conscious about it because it seems that a blessing should be used in a serious situation, not just that you'd like one. I learned that if you feel like having one, get one. Heavenly Father would rather that His daughters ask too much than not receive a blessing when they need it.
   
4. Purposes of Relief Society: The purposes of Relief Society are to increase faith and personal righteousness, strengthen home and families, and finally, help those in need. Keeping these purposes in mind, you can gain a testimony of Relief Society. You can also make those goals for yourself and help those in your ward, even when you don't feel a part of Relief Society, Relief Society is more than the people in it. The Restoration was not complete until Relief Society was restored. There are two sides in the Lord's plan for his church; the male half and the female half. We women sometimes try to take over jobs in the male half for the church, but we should be working in our own area because they both are needed. They are companions. They go together.
   
5. Make a friend, be a friend: Sometimes sisters in Relief Society feel alone or judged or faced with spiteful people in the ward because of their life situation. The way to solve this is to never assume the sister you are talking to doesn't need something. Keep in mind the purposes of the Relief Society, and begin to help others in need in the ward. If there is a sister who is ill, visit even if she isn't your visiting teacheé. To make friends, first be a friend.
   
6. Find joy: Many suffer from the pains that come from children who lose their way off the strait and narrow path towards a fullness of joy. I learned that these parents should take after the example of our first parents, Adam and Eve. Eve was able to be glad for her transgression that caused them to have children. They were glad they had children. They were grateful for the chance to be able to learn right from wrong. They were glad for the Atonement and God's plan. They were able to be glad for these things, even as their children struggled and fell away. (Moses 5:10-11). I think that this is something we should all remember.
   
7. Eternal name of Mother: Women today are often told to be ambitious, set goals, achieve them, yet at the same time (at least in the church) are told to marry, have children, follow the Savior. Sometimes they contradict each other. But we must remember our prioritizes. First, we must realize that as women, our main purpose in life is to become so we can return to our Heavenly Father. Our main responsibility in life is to bring spirits into mortality and help them return to our Heavenly Father. We women, in this day and age, have been blessed to receive so many opportunities not offered to us before, but the best place we can use the talents that we've been blessed to receive (naturally or through hard work) is in the home. Our great-grandmothers have sacrificed so much for us, their children, yet now we want it easier? The Lord has given us gifts, gifts that could earn us fame and fortune, but He can call upon them at anytime. The best place for their use would be in the home.
   
8. We are spiritual beings: Too often we excuse behavior by saying it is in our genes. That we are related to animals and so our carnal side is natural. It is not natural. It is a part of mortality to struggle against it. "We are spiritual beings on earth having a mortal experience; not a mortal being occasionally experiencing spiritual experiences." This is so powerful. We are not mortal. We will die, but through the Atonement we will all live life whole again. We are experiencing mortality. We are not meant to be mortal forever. We have quite literally a divine heritage; we are divine.

These are some of the most powerful things I have learned today. I hope you've learned some things as well. It was a wonderfully amazing conference that I wish all could have attended.