The following are the talks written by President Monson in the April 2013 General Conference. For my assignment I had to write a summary of all of the talks and why it matters to me. I also had to read one additional talk from another time. I will include my write-ups for each apostle that I learn about.
President Thomas S. Monson
“Welcome to Conference”
President Thomas S. Monson
General Conference Saturday Morning Session
April 2013
As President
Monson opened General Conference this year he gave a brief summary of
everything that is going on in the church worldwide. He spoke of the numerous
temple dedications that have occurred in the last six months before this
conference and announced two more temples. He then gave the number of
missionaries serving in the field and who are waiting to go out and serve the
Lord. It was very powerful to see these numbers and how fast they grew in the
six months since the age change.
One piece that
really stood out to me in his opening address was when he said, “Now, brothers
and sisters, we will hear inspired messages today and tomorrow. Those who will
address us have sought prayerfully to know that which the Lord would have us
hear at this time.” This was very powerful to me because it shows how much the
Lord is involved in the talks that are heard at General Conference. It never
ceases to amaze me when my prayers are answered by a speaker in a way that
could only come from the Lord and His answer to my prayers. I loved hearing the
updates of the church and how it is growing so quickly. I loved hearing about
all the missionaries in the field and I am so grateful for the work that they
do. Although simple, President Monson’s opening address was very welcoming and
powerful.
“Come, All Ye Sons of God:
President Thomas S. Monson
General Conference Priesthood Session
April 2013
When President
Monson spoke to the men holding the priesthood, he also was able to teach
everyone in the church the best way to come to the Lord and bring the Gospel to
others without being a full-time missionary. There were four key things that he
said were part of a formula that would ensure success. They are: (1) “search
the scriptures with diligence,” (2) “ plan your life with purpose,” (3) “teach
the truth with testimony,” and (4) “serve the Lord with Love.” As he continues
through his talk he goes into greater detail on each of these four pieces of
the formula. One in particular really stood out to me.
“Teach the
truth with testimony.” This powerful statement has so much behind it, but yet
is very simple. When someone asks a question, we can simply respond by bearing
our testimony. A favorite quote of mine in this talk says, “Lift up your voices
and testify to the true nature of the Godhead. Declare your witness concerning
the Book of Mormon. Convey the glorious and beautiful truths contained in the
plan of salvation.” This, to me, seems like a perfect guide of how we should
live our lives and how we should raise our children. As I thought about this
quote, I could imagine it being in a picture frame somewhere in my home where
it would be read often and brought into the lives of my family. President
Monson told a story of a couple of missionaries who were kicked out of a man’s
house and left with an accusation that they could not actually believe in
Joseph Smith. The young missionaries walked away, but then turned back and
knocked on the door of the man who had asked them never to return. The youngest
missionary bore his testimony of Joseph Smith to the man. Not long after, the
man was baptized and became a strong member of the church. We never know what
our testimony will do for someone. We never know if the Spirit will help our
words touch their heart. All that matters is that we share our testimony with
others.
The other
three parts of the formula are as equally important as the one I just
discussed. We need to show love to everyone, especially those who are difficult
to be around or do not share our beliefs. There is a common phrase that says we
should “kill them with kindness.” To me this is kind of what President Monson
means. He wants us to love others and serve the Lord by loving His children. We
also need to search the scriptures. They testify of the Lord Jesus Christ and tell
us about eternal life and how we can prepare. The last part to discuss is
planning life with a purpose. There are so many decisions that must be made,
especially in our younger years. My seminary teacher my senior year of high
school called this time on our lives the “Decade of Decisions.” This included
college, a mission, marriage, possible military service, and all other critical
decisions in life. We cannot allow these decisions to be swayed by the world
around us. Instead, we need to prepare for them early on and plan for them in
our life.
Although this
talk was given to the priesthood holders of the church, I found it relevant in
my life. I can be a righteous member of the church a great missionary to those
around me. All I need to do is follow this formula for success. If I had never
read this talk I never would have come across this formula. I want to come
closer to the Lord and I can do that through these four steps.
“Obedience Brings Blessings”
President Thomas S. Monson
General Conference Sunday Morning Session
April
2013
As with many of President Monson’s
talks, stories take up a lot of this talk. He talks a lot about the importance
of being obedient and shows the importance of this through stories. The story
that stands out to me the most is when he was a small boy. When President
Monson and his friend set Vivian Park on fire because of their disobedience, it
really showed me how important obedience is. Although everything we do may not
lead to a large fire, this story can be very symbolic. As he continues he
shares the different ways that obedience plays a role in our life. He tells a
story of a home teacher who travels hundreds of miles just to visit the man who
he home teaches for. This kind of obedience helps the Lord serve and help His
children. After sharing these powerful stories, President Monson shares the
story of the Savior and how he obeyed His father in order to us to live again
and return to our Father. The Savior is the perfect example of someone who is
obedient and can show us the way we need to obey. When the Savior calls us as
he called His apostles we need to follow Him and do as He has asked. This
requires us to know His commandments and to listen to the Spirit so we will
always be able to obey and do as we are asked.
President Monson says, “…the Lord has provided guidelines
and commandments to help ensure our spiritual safety so that we might
successfully navigate this often-treacherous mortal existence and return
eventually to our Heavenly Father.” I absolutely love this quote. It also
summarizes everything he is teaching us in this talk. This is such an important
thing for us to realize because it has been made very clear what we need to do
in order to obey the Lord. We need to be as past prophets and obey the Lord’s
commandments. Obedience is essential to our salvation and we need to remember
that we have not been left without guidance. A path has been shown to us that
we can follow in order to return back to our Father in heaven. President Monson
has clearly stated the importance of being obedience and I am so grateful for
that.
This talk meant so much to me. It was so important for me to
hear these stories and see, once again, the importance of obedience. Although I
have heard to be obedient many times, I have not always done what I need to do.
Hearing the prophet telling me to be obedient, it makes me want to push myself
that much more to follow the commandments and pray morning and night. I have
always struggled with this but what I always forget is that it is a commandment
that has been talked about over and over again. I need to be more obedient and
pray as I have been asked to do. I also need to be better at some of the other
things that we have been asked to do. I know that the Prophet gave this talk
for a reason. I know that I need to be obedient and that this was a reminder to
me of all the things I need to do. Using the excuse of not having enough time
is no reason to not be obedient to the Lord. I am so grateful for this talk and
what it means.
“Until
We Meet Again”
President
Thomas S. Monson
General
Conference Sunday Afternoon Session
April 2013
As at the end of every General
Conference, President Monson speaks and wishes the members of the church well
until we meet again in six months. He first thanks all of those who
participated in the Conference and for the messages they prepared and shared
with us. He leaves us with a word saying we need to be good citizens and we
need to be tolerant of others. We need to especially be tolerant of those who
are not of our faith. Love them as the Lord does. We need to follow the example
of the Lord and be kind to everyone around us. He asks for us to be aware of
those around us and help those in need. We are the Lord’s hands and we need to
help Him serve His children. President Monson concludes by bearing his
testimony and sharing the love that he has for the Lord. He testifies of the
Lord and the gospel.
A line that really stood out to me
was President Monson’s promise to each of us. He said, “I invoke the blessings
of heaven upon each of you. May your homes be filled with peace, harmony,
courtesy, and love. May they be filled with the Spirit of the Lord. May you
nurture and nourish your testimonies of the gospel, that they will be a
protection to you against the buffetings of Satan.” I absolutely loved this
promise. I could really feel like it came from the Lord and that if I am
obedient and follow the commandments I can receive this blessing. I would love
to get these blessings and I am glad I heard this promise coming from the mouth
of the prophet. This matters because it is for everyone in the world, and
especially for me. The prophet is truly an amazing man and is connected to the
Lord in all ways. Everything he says comes from the Lord and I can listen to
him and know that it is something that is meant for everyone.
“The
Holy Temple—A Beacon to the World”
President
Thomas S. Monson
General
Conference
April
2011
No matter how many times I hear
stories of people putting forth their all to make it to the temple, I still
feel the Spirit and am amazed at their love for the temple. In this talk,
President Monson wants us to be aware of the importance of the temple. New
temples are being built all over the world and every General Conference there
are new temples being announced and groundbreakings are taking place all over
the world. These temples are making it possible for members of the church to
have a better chance of going to the temple and being sealed for all time and
eternity as well as being endowed. Although this still may be the only time
they will be able to go to the temple, more members are getting the chance to
getting all of the ordinances done for them and their families. An amazing
story he told was of a family from Manaus who had to travel over a thousand
miles down the Amazon River and on bumpy roads for days in order to receive the
blessings of the temple. At the time of this talk, the Manaus temple was being
built and the people rejoiced for the closeness of the temple. There are so
many other stories that he shares about sacrifices families have made. Most
families have to save money for many years before they actually get the chance
to go to the temple. All of these stories show how important the temple is. The
Lord makes it possible for these families to make it to the temple under
near-impossible circumstances.
A quote that I love from this talk
says, “My brothers and sisters, temples are more
than stone and mortar. They are filled with faith and fasting. They are built
of trials and testimonies. They are sanctified by sacrifice and service.” I
absolutely love this because it really tells everything a temple is in a broad
sense. The early saints built two temples before they made it to Salt Lake City
and they were forced out of both areas. They never gave up and when they
finally finished the Salt Lake Temple after 40 years, they rejoiced and knew
they had done the Lord’s work. As President Monson says, not all of us have to
sacrifice to go to the temple and we need to put the effort into attending the
temple regularly. The temple is not only a service to those who have passed on,
it is also a way for us to come closer to the Lord and feel His Spirit in a
place that is sacred and holy.
The last thing
President Monson talks about is the importance of teaching the children about
the temple and the importance of it. When we have our own family, he has asked
that we hang pictures up of the temples all over the house so they will have it
as part of their life growing up and the decision to go to and get married in
the temple will be made before the time comes. I absolutely love this and I can
testify of the power of a child seeing the temple and attending as soon as they
can. When I read that we need to attend regularly, I thought of how this can be
such a great example. I also thought of my 13-year old cousin who goes every
week to do baptisms for the dead. She is such an example to me and everyone else
around her. She will bring family names and never misses a week.
This talk was
so relevant to me because I live five minutes away from a temple. I do not have
an excuse like living miles away or not having enough money because that does
not work when I live so close. This talk has really made me realize that I
really need to make a habit of going to the temple so I can serve the Lord and
His children. I am so grateful for the stories President Monson shared about
the different families who have traveled to the temple in different parts of
the world.
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