The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints held the 195th semi-annual weekend meetings October 4-5.  Listeners around the world participated as general leaders shared messages of love, hope, and inspiration in their attempts to live a life of Christ-like discipleship.

While the meetings held all of the hallmarks of an ordinary gathering, a solemn attitude of reverent loss filtered through the meetings as members continued to mourn the passing of President Russel M. Nelson nearly one week earlier.  In his opening remarks, Elder Dallin H. Oaks, President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles shared that the conference would proceed as planned with the exception that he would speak in place of President Nelson as the concluding speaker.

Elder Gary Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve opened the Saturday morning session with an address on peacemaking, an inspired and timely topic.  He said, “Peacemaking is a Christlike attribute. Peacemaking begins first in hearts, then in homes and families, and ultimately spreads into neighborhoods and communities.”

Sister Tracy Browning taught how worship songs learned in primary are often the first scriptural language children learn as they participate in church services and will stay with them for a lifetime.  Elder Kelly Johnson addressed how saints can be reconciled to God and how through that reconciliation, approach Him with even greater confidence.

The final speaker of the opening session was Elder Dieter Uchtodorf.  He said, “Faith in Jesus Christ is a gift, but receiving it is a conscious choice that requires a commitment of all our ‘might, mind and strength.’ It is a practice of every day, every hour,” he said. “It takes constant learning and determined commitment.

Saturday afternoon, Elder Ronald Rasband opened the session as he highlighted The Proclamation, saying, “Everyone belongs to a family, whether you are a mother, father, daughter, son, grandchild, grandparent, aunt, uncle, brother, sister, or cousin. Most importantly, each of us are, as the [Family] Proclamation states, ‘a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents . . . [with] a divine nature and destiny,’”

Brother Chad Webb taught about the importance of being diligent learners and turning to the Holy Ghost, “the perfect tutor.”  Elder Kevin Brown gave a powerful address as he focused his thoughts on three “powerful truths” of the Restoration — 1. God is a loving Heavenly Father, 2. Agency is the gift to choose and act, and 3. A testimony comes through the power of the Holy Ghost.  Elder Michael Cziesla spoke about the power that comes from living pure and simple doctrine.

The concluding speaker of the session was Elder Quentin Cook, sharing “As we contemplate the challenges of our day, we must remember that the Savior, during His earthly ministry, also lived in turbulent and violent times. His focus was not on the political challenges of the day; it was on the perfection of the Saints.”

The final session was held Saturday night with messages delivered by Elder Patrick Kearon, Sister Anette Dennis, Elder Neil L. Andersen and others that shared thoughts on Christlike love.  

Elder Kearon said, “Through the goodness and grace of the Savior, we can have fresh starts that propel change in old mindsets, bad habits, grumpy dispositions, negative attitudes, feelings of powerlessness, and tendencies to blame others and avoid personal responsibility.”

“Only the Lord fully knows the actual level of difficulty with which each of us is running our race of life — the burdens, the challenges, and the obstacles we face that often cannot be seen by others,” shared Sister Dennis as she encouraged listeners to cheer each other on throughout the struggles of life.  

Elder Anderson closed the session with words of hope as he said, “If you have committed serious sins and are in the process of or have the desire to fully repent and feel the unspeakable joy of forgiveness, please know this miracle is awaiting you,” he said. “The Savior continuously calls, ‘Come unto me.’”

Sunday morning began with an address by Elder Jeffrey Holland who bore witness of his testimony that was built in a myriad of ways, including his study of the Book of Mormon.  He stated, “The impact in my life of the Book of Mormon is no less miraculous than was the application of spit and dirt placed on a blind man’s eyes. It has been, for me, a rod of safety for my soul, a transcendent and penetrating light of revelation, an illumination of the path I must walk when mists of darkness come, as surely they have and surely they will.”

Elder Ulisses Soares taught on the importance of having temperance, saying, “True spiritual strength is not expressed in impulsive reactions or haughty words, but in temperate, thoughtful attitudes aligned with the Lord’s wisdom.”  

Speaking on how to flourish and prosper in this life, Elder D. Todd Christofferson spoke on making the Lord more than a simple priority as he said, “He is not just one of our priorities; it means rather that He is our one highest priority.”  

Teaching from the Old Testament, Sister Andrea Spannaus gave an example of how a woman came to know that the prophet was truly a holy man of God.  “To listen to and obey the voice of the prophet is crucial to holding on to every good thing,” Sister Spannaus concluded.

Elder Henry Eyring admitted that he once considered giving up in the difficult days of his college work.  There came a point that he realized the Lord was proving him through the difficult tasks he was asked to do.  “The Lord proves us ... to strengthen us. That proving does not come in moments of ease or comfort. It comes in moments when we feel stretched beyond what we thought we could bear. The Lord teaches that we are to continue to grow and never tire in our efforts, that we never give up, that we keep trying.”

Sunday afternoon featured the final session of the conference, opening with remarks by Elder David Bednar.  He taught of the purpose of life-- a time for the children of God to choose, by their actions, to return to Him.  “Moral agency is the divinely designed ‘power of independent action’ that empowers us as God’s children to become agents to act and not simply objects to be acted upon,” he explained.  “If our desires have been for righteousness and our works good — meaning we have exercised faith in Jesus Christ, made and kept covenants with God, and repented of our sins — then the judgment bar will be pleasing,”

Elder Dale G. Renlund spoke about what it means to take the name of Jesus Christ upon oneself as he said, “The more individuals identify with and remember Jesus Christ, the more they want to be like Him.  As His disciples, we change for the better when we focus on Him, more so than when we focus on ourselves. We strive to become like Him and seek to be blessed with His attributes. We pray fervently to be filled with charity, the pure love of Christ.”

President Oaks concluded the conference, first addressing the blessing of temples around the world that allow members to complete the vital ordinances for themselves and their ancestors.  He announced that they would not be announcing the construction on any additional temples as they focus their efforts in completing the 200 temples announced in the seven years President Nelson served as the prophet of the church.

With the remainder of his time, he addressed the importance of the family, building strong relationships, and following Christ’s example.  He said, “We are a family Church.  Our relationship to God and the purpose of our mortal life are explained in terms of the family. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the plan of our Heavenly Father for the benefit of His spirit children.”  He continued  “We can truly say that the gospel plan was first taught to us in the council of an eternal family, it is implemented through our mortal families, and its intended destiny is to exalt the children of God in eternal families.”