My Summary of Sunday afternoon session of General Conference, Oct. 2011

Russell A. Nelson, Quorum of the 12 Apostles.
Elder Nelson spoke about the importance of covenants, and especially about the ancient covenants and their relationship to latter-day restoration. He talked about the Abraham a covenant and the promises made Israel and our role in them.

Elder Nelson taught that the coming forth of the book of Mormon was beginning the fulfillment of the covenant to gather Israel and that we as Latter-Day Saints have a duty to assist in the gathering of Israel.

He associated the covenants given anciently with the commandments to live righteously and that we keep covenants in these latter days as part of our devotion to our faith. He stated that the greatest complement one could receive would be being called a covenant keeper. He stated that when we understand that we are the children of the covenant that we know who we are and what God expects of us.

Dallin H. Oaks, Quorum of the 12 Apostles
Elder Oaks spoke on the importance of understanding Jesus Christ and what he has done for us. He cautioned against following the teachings of the world and even other Christian faiths that praise Jesus as a teacher but reject his divinity. He then recalled many New Testament Scriptures wherein the Savior himself testify of his Godhood.

Through this, Elder Oaks demonstrated that Jesus is the only begotten of the Father, his appearance is as that of the Father, that he was in the beginning with God, that he was the Creator, that he was Jehovah, that he is the light and life of the world, that we come to the father through him, that we come to him by following the will of the father.

Elder Oaks taught us that we are guided to follow Jesus by the influence of the Holy Ghost and by following the commandments given. He stressed that we are to seek him first and that we must not be like those who would Jesus declared himself the Bread of Life, many went away because they could not seek him above all else.

He expressed the culmination of the Savior's ministry was the Atonement. And that through this we overcome physical death, and spiritual death and bring about the hope for Exaltation. To summarize the Savior's role as creator, light of the world, and Redeemer. He stated that the way to Christ is first, desire and second, obedience.

Elder Matthew O. Richardson, Of the Seventy
Elder Richardson spoke about teaching. He declared that we all have a responsibility to teach and to teach by the spirit. He talked about teaching by the spirit instead of in front of it or behind it or in place of it. He made mention that some people think they are teaching by the spirit where in fact there only "winging it." He taught how others seek to teach their own thoughts and not teach by the spirit.

He explained to things that we can do to teach after the manner of the spirit. We can do this by following two ways in which the Holy Ghost teaches us. The first being that the Holy Ghost teaches in a very personal way. That we can follow this and strive to teach people instead of teaching lessons. He counseled us to pause and listen and to observe those we teach, to see where they are, to understand them. The second is that the Holy Ghost teaches by inviting us and prompting us and inspiring us to act. And that we can invite others to act for themselves and encourage them to take these lessons to heart to change not only their synapses but also their behavior.

Elder Kazuhiko Yamashita, Of the Seventy
Elder Yamashita expressed gratitude for the missionaries and how he is never forgotten the missionaries who brought him to the gospel. He expressed that even when baptized he did not fully understand all the teachings, but that the love conveyed by the missionaries and the love he felt during his baptism and confirmation came from the Holy Ghost and taught him that he was loved. He encouraged future missionaries to do three things: bring a desire to present gospel, bring a testimony with them, and love others.

Elder Randall K. Bennett, Of the Seventy
Elder Bennett spoke about an experience in swimming in dangerous currents when he thought he had the ability to handle it. He told how this choice he made nearly cost him his life. After struggling to swim back to shore and becoming exhausted to the point of nearly drowning he began to plead for help only to find a lifeguard next him. He said the lifeguard saw him swim in the current new where you would be with their and patiently waited for him to call for help. He likened this to the choices we often make.

He expressed that the choices we make are the choices of not only our actions but are consequences. He told the story of a child who wanted to choose only the best of consequences regardless of her actions. He said we can choose to follow God and seek joy in following his path organ choose the folder world and indulgence in and it's ultimate sorrow, but we cannot choose to do both. We said we all face adversity, temptations, and we all make mistakes. But that we can all repent.

He challenged us to examine the things that we think say and do to see if we are choosing eternal life.

J. Devin Cornish, Of the Seventy
Elder Cornish spoke of God being a physical being and not some intangible feeling or force. That he is a loving father and that we should learn to pray to him as such. He recounted his own story and having an answer to prayer and asked why would God be concerned with something so small. He answered his own question by saying he believes that God loves us so much that our concerns are his concerns.

Even though God does love us agency dictates that he does not affect our lives without us asking him first. We need to seek him and ask for his help. He then used the Lord's prayer as the example of the pattern of prayer that we should have. He explained that the purpose of prayer is not to change the will of God but to have God bestow promised blessings upon us. He taught that is the devil but teaches us not to pray that it times some people think they are too sinful to pray. He said this is like a person being too sick to see a doctor.

He stated that praying and understanding what we should ask for and receiving answers takes practice, but that we can all learn the language of the spirit.

Elder Quentin L. Cook, Quorum of the 12 Apostles
Elder Cook spoke about trials and tribulations. He began by rehearsing some of the tragedies that have occurred in recent years. He addressed the question of why God allows bad things to happen and stated that we don't always know the reasons but that we do understand the principles of God, and that understanding them can give us a better perspective on these tragedies.

These principles include that we have a loving Heavenly Father, that his son Jesus Christ at home for our sufferings, and that there is an eternity and a plan of salvation.

Elder Cook express Sierra of looking at trials in life only through the lens of mortality and that if only look into this lens tragedy does not make sense. He also explain the tragedy come from many different elements, such as the agency of others that another's choice must include the ability to choose bad things and that those bad choices can affect even righteous people. He explained that some tragedies come to others because of disobedience to Commandments such as violation of the word wisdom or the law of chastity. He explained that others may not have any direct explanation but that the perspectives of the eternities can help us.

He looked at to LDS connections to the tragedy of the Titanic. How would one case missionaries were safe from harm by not being able to board the ship, and how in another case a member did board the ship and even though the women and children were placed in the liferafts how she stayed and assisted others even to her own death. It is not easy to understand why some would be spared another's would not, Elder Cook said. But that we know from the wider and clearer lands of the gospel we can see that none of these tragedies are permanent and that those who are righteous and are slain are not lost in the lives are not meaningless.

He spoke of Capt. Moroni and how he stated that the Lord will at times allow the righteous to be slain that he may allow his judgments to come upon the wicked. And that those who are righteous but die, die and to God and will be saved in his kingdom.

He concluded by stating that the atonement covers all of the unfairness of life and that there is no chance or fate or destiny that can circumvent or hinder or control the firm resolve of a determined soul. Our question is not so much why tragedy occurs but how will we choose to live in the face of tragedy.

President Thomas S. Monson
Pres. Monson expressed gratitude for all who have helped in this conference. This included choirs and congregations. He expressed his love for us and his gratitude for our service. He admonished us to be more kind, more loving to be always found doing good and serving the Lord, and to endeavor to increase our testimony.

My Summary of Sunday Morning Session of General Conference, Oct. 2011

Elder Henry B. Eyring
Elder Eyring's talk came from Mosiah 3:18. Expounding on the Scripture, Elder Eyring looked at three key elements of the baptismal covenant as found in the Scripture. He talked about being charitable, being a witness, and enduring in obedience.

Elder Eyring taught us that being charitable will become a part of our nature as we pursue it and rely on the Savior. Regarding being a witness, Elder Eyring told a story about speaking at a university where he was explicitly told that he could not be a witness of Jesus Christ there as is his calling. He struggled with how to deal with the situation and became inspired by Book of Mormon prophets who also had to testify of the Savior in the midst of opposition.

He found inspiration in being directed to research the university's history and realized similarities in charitable service between it and the LDS Church. He used this as a starting point and spoke about how this service is Christlike service. The experience was deeply emotional for him as he figured out how to deal with this difficult challenge.

He spoke of enduring and recounted stories of people whose lives were devoted to service of the Lord. He quoted Mosiah 2 and showed how King Benjamin in spite of his weakness and age endured to serve the Lord to the end.

Elder Robert D. Hales
Elder Hales spoke about the suffering the Savior endured during the atonement and how he willingly allow himself to undergo the pain. He stressed that he allowed himself to be alone and to wait upon his Heavenly Father.

He addressed the question of why some suffer great trials even while striving to do God's will. He referenced Joseph Smith and the early pioneers as examples. He made it clear that the purpose of our life is to grow developed and to strengthen. To do this, he said, that we too must learn to wait upon the Lord.

He acknowledged that there are times when we wonder why we are going to things such as a death of a companion, financial turmoil, or a wayward child. But in these circumstances he stressed the importance of waiting upon the Lord.

He explained that waiting upon the Lord means that we must have trusted the Lord, that we must have hope, that we must plant the seed of faith and press forward in faith. We must learn to rely on the merits of Jesus Christ and be steadfast and movable in keeping his commandments. He also explained that many times in prayer he did not receive answers because he was not ready for them. And that when they did come it was a little here and a little there.

He concluded by saying that we are not alone. That unlike the Savior, whose disciples could not stay awake for even an hour while he suffered in Gethsemane, that the Savior who watches over us does not slumber and that we can always call on him. He concluded with Isaiah 40:7.

Personal note: Given Elder Hale's recent struggles, I found his testimony particularly moving. He clearly spoke as someone who has had to wait on the Lord.

Elder Donald L. Hallstrom
Elder Hallstrom spoke and bore testimony about the Book of Mormon. He told the story of his great grandfather who upon reading the preface to the Book of Mormon said that it must either come from God or from the devil and he was going to find out which. His great grandfather later concluded that it could not have come from the devil therefore it must be from God. He stated that this is the nature and the genius of the Book of Mormon; that there is no middle ground where it is concerned.

He spoke of the Book of Mormon being a fulfillment of prophecy that out of the mouth of two witnesses shall every word be established. He used an analogy of a single point with infinite lines intersecting it as a demonstration of how the Bible with its many interpretations create so many different churches. He then use the Book of Mormon as a second point and showed how now only one line could intersect both. And the us with the Book of Mormon the interpretation of Scripture is clear and Pacific to one direction.

He went on to show how the Book of Mormon clarify misinterpretations in the Bible regarding the necessity of baptism, the mode of baptism, the need for continuing revelation, and the doctrine of the Atonement.

Elaine S. Dalton, Young Women's President
Sister Dalton, suprisingly, directed her words not towards the young women, but towards fathers and future fathers and spoke about what fathers can do to raise their daughters in righteousness.

She specified three things that can be done. First, a father must love the daughter's mother. Second, a father must be virtuous. Third, a father must bear testimony.

She expounded on each one of these, spending most of her time on the need for a father to love the mother. She stressed that if he loves and respects his spouse that his daughter will see this and know what is to be expected of her spouse and will ask for nothing less. She pleaded that fathers love the mothers so much that the marriage becomes celestial.

She talked about virtue being something that a father must teach and must live. Then he must be a defender virtue in word and deed. That if she knows that he is devoted to virtue that she will have the strength to maintain the standards on her own.

She encouraged fathers to teach their children the importance of education, modesty, values and obedience. She even stated that fathers must set curfews for their daughters, and if they do not come home on time that they should go out and get them so that the daughter will know how important virtue is.

She spoke of the importance fathers of bearing testimony to their daughters. She referenced Alma 19:16, which is the story of Abish. Abish was the daughter of a converted Lamanite who believed on her father's testimony. Her belief in his testimony was instrumental in bringing many Lamanites to Christ, and ultimately this resulted in the Stripling Warriors.

She stressed the importance of fathers in the lives of their daughters and that we could not accept world's view of a father's role being irrelevant. She stressed that fathers should be loyal to the royal within them.

Personal note: Many of the things spoken by Sister Dalton have been stated in priesthood meeting for young men repeatedly. However, hearing a sister speak to the fathers, I couldn't help but feel a special spirit and importance in this message. It is unusual for the Young Women's President to speak specifically to men, but I found the talk the most impactful of the session.

Elder M. Russell Ballard
Elder Ballard spoke of the name of Christ and its importance. He addressed the name of the church and the importance of understanding the full name of the church as being The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He distinguished this from the term Mormons and stated that while it's okay for members to be called Mormons, that we should not use the term to refer to the church. At the very least, he said we should tell people we belong to the Church of Jesus Christ.

He told about how when people asked if he was a member of the Mormon church, how he explained he belong to the Church of Jesus Christ and further explanations about what that means. He said this often created additional questions and teaching opportunities.

He said it was clear that far too many people did not understand that the name Mormon referred to the Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints and out our efforts in clarifying this would be very helpful. He told us that there is only one church on the earth that by divine command bears the name of the Lord. Since Lord commanded the church to have this name we should identify it by this name.

President Thomas S. Monson
Pres. Monson address the change in morality that is throughout the world. He, with much humor, addressed the views of the world has taken regarding morality. Saying things like the overriding command of the world seems to be "thou shalt not be found out." He spoke about a writer who stated that we spend moral capital with the same abandoned as you spend our physical capital.

He then stated that in spite of this decaying morality, that we as Latter-Day Saints, should not despair. He said we have the gospel of Jesus Christ, we know what it teaches and we know that we can live our standards. He said that morality is not passé. He declared that the laws of God do not change, that they are commandments and not suggestions. He quoted the 10 Commandments and said that if we listen we can hear the echo of God's voice speaking to us as he spoke them. He said our code of conduct is definitive and non-negotiable.

He declared strongly that God is the same yesterday today and forever. And gave us comfort that in a world where everything seems to be changing that we can rely on the constancy of God's commandments and this can anchor us in an ever-changing world. He explained how these teachings can be rejected because the natural man received is not the things of God (1 Corinthians 2:14). However it is essential that we reject anything that does not conform to our standards.

He explained that to be in the world but not of the world, it is necessary that we communicate with our heavenly father through prayer. He stressed the importance of praying every day. He told a personal story about losing five dollars as a child and the prayer he gave for its return and the answer he received. He then said to the day does not go by that he does not pray and that we need to do the same.

A collection of tweets related to these talks can be found here.