The general conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will be broadcast live to millions of viewers throughout the world on April 5 and 6.
Despite its extensive reach, general conference prepares friends and faithful to meet the daily challenges of their lives on an individual level. Such was the case for UK native and Latter-day Saint Clarissa Hoyle who gave birth to her fifth child in 2012.
- Hoyle Family
- Charles Defranchi
- A young Latter-day Saint girl is one of thousands who attended the annual First Presidency Christmas Devotional in the Conference Center
- General Conference
- 183rd Conference
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A source of comfort
Something was different about Hoyle’s newborn girl. Her smooth pregnancy gave little indication that her daughter Lilly would require four weeks in the hospital’s intensive care unit, or that she would ultimately be diagnosed with an uncommon chromosome disorder.
“Lilly’s diagnosis is really rare,” Hoyle noted. “There’s not much known about it. We didn’t know what was going to happen with our lives or with her life expectancy and we were so stressed about it.”
In April 2012, two months after her daughter’s birth, Hoyle tuned in to general conference with her husband and children.
“We watch general conference to gain guidance and direction for our lives—to receive current revelation and instruction, and to receive strength,” Hoyle said.
This time, however, an address by Ronald A. Rasband, a presiding leader in the Church, struck her in a uniquely personal way.
“Elder Rasband gave a talk about how his grandson had also been diagnosed with a chromosome disorder,” she said. “It was so completely specific to me and to everything we had been through. I remember one line in which he said to trust in the Lord and it really hit home with me. I thought ‘That’s right, I just need to trust in the Lord and everything will work out.’ It brought me so much comfort.”
A message of faith
Doubt weighed heavily upon Latter-day Saint David Jansen [name has been changed] from the Netherlands. Despite being an active member and leader in his local stake (similar to a parish), difficult experiences lead him to question his beliefs and trust in God. He started attending Sunday worship less frequently and finally not at all.
“I thought as a person, I knew it all better,” Jansen said. “I was about to not go to church anymore, ever.”
Facing deep uncertainty in his spiritual path, Jansen turned to general conference and listened to the words of Dieter F. Uchtdorf, the second counselor in the first presidency of the Church.
“I was watching conference at home with my family when President Uchtdorf made the powerful statement ‘Doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith,’” Jansen said. “That really came into my heart. I realized I had thrown away everything that I had—my spiritual treasures—for the thought that I knew it better than God. At that moment, I decided to change.”
A foundation for priorities
Latter-day Saint Charles Defranchi’s approach to time and resource management is influenced by a general conference address titled “Good, Better, Best” by Dallin H. Oaks, a member of the second highest governing body of the Church.
The Cameroon-born trade specialist works for the Department of Commerce in the US Embassy in Paris and specializes in the information technology sector. Almost two years ago, Defranchi was elected to be the Global Information and Communications Technology Team Leader, a position in which he now manages and motivates an international team of 130.
“I’ve been using this general conference talk to encourage my team colleagues to develop a new paradigm in how they service American high-tech companies that come to them for exporting assistance,” Defranchi said. “I don’t mention Elder Oaks or the Church, but I’ve used some of the ideas in the speech to show them why they are not cheating anyone by focusing their efforts on companies that stand to benefit most from taxpayers’ money, in the context of scarce government resources.”
Defranchi noted that this approach has lead his colleagues to work on exciting projects that stand to yield better returns for the American economy. According to Defranchi, the benefits of thoughtful prioritization also extend into the personal spheres of his life.
“There are many things that are good in life, but you cannot afford to undertake everything that is good,” Defranchi said. “Elder Oaks elaborated on that—how we have to always focus on what is best and not just what is good or better because that’s how we make the best out of our lives, relationships, time and church service.”
General conference 2014
The 184th annual general conference session of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will take place on April 5 and 6 at 10:00 a.m. and 14:00 p.m. mountain time.
General conferences are conducted each April and October and comprise five two-hour meetings held over two days. During the conferences, Church leaders speak on a variety of spiritual topics, addressing Latter-day Saints as well as government, faith and community representatives and other guests.
A live broadcast will be available for viewers at www.lds.org.