General Conference is almost here again! We as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints look forward to this semi-annual event with anticipation and gratitude. We spend two days listening to counsel and teachings from our general leaders. (Archives at the link above from past conferences are available in 87 different languages. If you are interested in listening to the Conference this weekend, April 4-5, 2009, live internet streams will be available here. For more information about broadcast times worldwide, see here.)
How do you prepare for General Conference weekend? And do you have any special traditions associated with enjoying the spiritual feast?
For example, if you have children, what do you do to help them learn to love and listen to the messages?
Do you attend a broadcast in your building, or do you stay at home?
Do you eat special foods, or get together with friends or family during the weekend?
Or is each General Conference its own unique experience?
General Conference doesn’t have many traditions with it –just the excitement to hear General Conference! The kids aren’t as into it as they could be, but they hear all four sessions. Saturday, we turn it up really loud and go about doing yard work or house work. Sunday it is more serious –the whole family has to sit in the living room for the morning session. The Sunday afternoon session is similar, but the requirement to be there is more leniant.
The best part of General Conference, though, is knowing that it will be on –no matter what. One year, we were moving from California to Utah, and we couldn’t get Conference on the radio. It took forever, but we finally got some reception and we were able to hear most of one session. It made us appreciate all the times we could sit and listen in our living room!
We have started a few traditions. The children build ‘tents’ out of blankets and the like (think King Benjamin) and we listen together. I also let them pick a favorite treat that we then share over the weekend. They also usually have papers from Primary with different activities to help them listen.