Follow the Prophet

Now we have a world
Where people are confused.
If you don't believe me
Go and watch the news.
We can get direction
All along our way.
If we heed the prophets
Follow what they say.

Follow the prophet
Follow the prophet
Follow the prophet
Don't go astray
Follow the prophet
Follow the prophet
Follow the prophet
He knows the way.

This is a children's Primary song that has a very important message.  In our home we place a lot of importance on the words of the prophets and following them. General Conference is a great place to hear the latest words from our prophet.  

Making a big deal out of General Conference weekend is a tradition in our home.  Jerry and I were one of the first married in our families.  We invited any unmarried siblings to our home on Conference weekend to watch all four sessions of General Conference together.  And on Saturday evening, all the men would go to the stake center to attend Priesthood session together.  Us women would stay home, and get the food ready.  As Jerry and I started having children, us ladies would sit around and chat in the bathroom as I bathed the two little boys.

 One particular general conference fell on the weekend of April Fools Day.  April 1st, while the men were at Priesthood session, we decided to play a joke on them.  We made spaghetti for dinner and decided to put gummy worms on their plates.  We dished up the food, hiding the gummy worms under the sauce.  We had a blessing and started eating.  We eyed the men and looked at each other.  They ate without saying a word about anything strange.  Finally, we decided to ask them.  "Is there anything interesting about your dinner?"  "No," they answered.  We finally poked around in their plates, and even we could find no evidence of the gummy worms.  They hadn't detected them in what they'd already eaten, so what could have happened?  We deduced that our April Fools day trick had gone seriously wrong.  The gummy worms had melted in the hot pasta sauce, and our hungry men had not even noticed the added sweetness to their dinner.  We still had a good laugh together though.

One conference weekend Jerry made cinnamon buns for everyone.  That began a tradition.  Now, our children cannot even imagine General Conference weekend without cinnamon buns.

We have nine children now and we still get together with extended family on General Conference weekend.  Our children all sit on the floor playing conference Bingo.   We eat cinnamon rolls, and enjoy eating and visiting together between sessions.  Our sons now attend priesthood session with their fathers and uncles, while us women stay home feeding the little ones and big girls and getting in as much "girl talk" as we can.  Sometimes we even have "cousin sleepovers" on Saturday night. 

Why do we go to so much effort to make General Conference a special time?  Because we value the words of the living prophets.  We want our entire family to watch all four sessions - 8 hours in a two day period.  We want to hear the council that our leaders have for each of us individually and for us as families.  We believe that the latter day prophets were foreordained, called and chosen by the Lord, to lead our church in this day.  They receive revelation directly from the Lord for us, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  Their council can help us survive the struggles and temptations of living in the world today.  When we do what they ask, our lives will be more joyful, we will have the Spirit more in our homes, and our families will be more united.  Their council will lead us and our children back to Heavenly Father.  What a grand tradition!!!

And when General Conference weekend is over, do we forget about all we've heard and go back to life as normal?  No!  With the Internet, we can re-read or re-watch talks almost as soon as the session is over.  And then, when the next month's Ensign comes we have all the talks nicely bound up in one magazine.  We can use the talks in family devotional and scripture time or as the basis for Family Home Evening Lessons.  Watching or listening once to the talks is not enough.  We need to re-read or listen to them again, and apply the principles we learn.  If the words of the prophets do not incite us to change our lives for the better, then we are not really following the prophet.  We can each make changes in our lives, every conference.  We can evaluate and make changes for the better in our families.  We can read and re-read talks that give us comfort and hope in the midst of difficult times. 
We are so blessed to have a prophet on the earth today.  And to know that there will always be a living prophet to guide us.  And that he will never lead us astray.

CAN'T WAIT UNTIL NEXT WEEKEND!