Even Sunday was rough for me. Extra church than I was used to? That didn't fly with me.
Once I went to college, I started enjoying conference. Maybe it was the excitement from my friends that rubbed off on me, or maybe it was the chance I had to go sit in the conference center in salt lake that really got me interested in it. Whatever it was, I was hooked. Through 4 years of college, I had gone to at least one session every 6 months. I only missed watching a session a few times because I was working softball.
I have found the importance of listening to the words of our prophet on a regular basis and I have learned to love it.
In the last two years, I have been present for great and wonderful announcements that have brought me to tears (and no, I don't think I was just overly emotional at the time those announcements were made).
Last year's October session announced the rebuilding of my beloved Provo tabernacle not only to its grand state, but to also convert it into a second temple in the city.
This year announced a temple in Tucson, which was overridden by the announcement that young men are eligible for church service at the age of 18, and young women at the age of 19 (previous ages were 19 and 21, respectively). This news is huge. My first thought had to do with the fact that I'm not ready for my baby brother to leave for 2 years (a bit selfish, I know) and after that, I was a mess. A crying mess.
As I thought about it more, I began to realize the repercussions of this announcement: I and my brother could go through the temple and receive our temple endowments at the same time (girls who have not served a mission and are not married are encouraged to wait until they are 25). I will be 25 in 2 weeks.
I had always thought that I would go through prior to my wedding, with my fiancé. It never even crossed my mind that I would have the opportunity to do so with my brother.
And now, a new announcement: my youngest sister will also be serving a mission a year earlier than planned because of the change. By June, we could have 3 of the 4 kids going through the temple.
It was an answer to a prayer, not only for my siblings, but also for me. I had been wondering what my next step in life would be, where I should be headed. Now I know that I should be preparing myself to go through the temple, to make those sacred covenants and to receive important blessings that will help guide me for the rest of my life.
Oh what joy and peace comes from being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
If you want to learn more, go to lds.org or Mormon.org and feel free to ask me any questions you may have.
