Reliefsociety wmin and the profit

We managed to make it through all four sessions of general conference this year. The girls were actually pretty good, although they always wanted attention at the times I really wanted to listen. I enjoyed it for the most part. I'm always hoping for more women to be involved and frustrated that there are still so few. There's always next time. :) The girls drew pictures and I loved Apple's depictions of President Beck and President Monson.

Not bad, hey? Apple tells me that Mango drew these next pictures and she only helped with the legs. I'm not convinced since up until now she has only scribbled, but she was pretty proud of it.

Strawberry made her own little conference book and drew pictures of the speakers.  I love the hearts and the butterflies. Can you spy the platypus? Little girls are awesome.

I really did feel uplifted by the conference. But there were a couple of things that bothered me.  A few of the speakers sort of made jokes poking fun at things. It was really disheartening to me because those were some of the things I have difficulty with.

Elder Nelson made a dig at the Big Bang and compared it to a printing shop explosion resulting in a dictionary. It felt like when someone laughs about how ridiculous it is to believe that we evolved from monkeys. I'm not an astrophysicist (wish I were!), but I am amazed by the universe and its complexity and how we are always discovering more. That's beautiful and it doesn't detract from the divine in any way. Maybe he simply meant that it wasn't chance and that it is important to acknowledge God's hand in creation (which I do), but the way he said it felt so dismissive.

Elder Christofferson spoke of hermeneutics and exegesis. Don't those just mean to study scriptures critically with a goal of understanding based on language, context and culture? I agree that it is so important to listen to the spirit as we read, but if I can't understand what the scripture is saying, how am I supposed to discover truth? I have benefited greatly from reading what religious scholars have to say about things that are way over my head. I'm still perfectly able to accept or reject what they say based on my own feelings, but some things have become clear in a way that I could never have had in simple reading.

So, I was a teeny bit bummed at the end of conference. I have had a hard time in the past couple of years as I've developed my beliefs because sometimes the way I think and feel isn't exactly in line. I work hard to get to a place where I can feel comfortable with things, and then I hear a talk in church or at conference, that says, "Nope, you aren't allowed to think like that." Life's a long journey though, hey?

I do agree with President Monson when he said that what we have learned over the last two days can be life changing. I feel that there are some things I heard that can really help, especially with the emphasis on children. I have awesome kids, but parenthood is so overwhelming and I appreciate all the help I can get. The best part, though, was when he cast a blessing spell on everyone. :) Loved it.