“Conference messages … are deserving of our careful review and study,” said President Thomas S. Monson in April 2014 General Conference. Conversation online and with friends and family upholds the spirit of General Conference through the six months until the next.
On the BYU–Hawaii campus, the direct interaction of students and teachers allows students to better adhere to the prophets’ words. “Just last night, I was talking with a friend about different messages we got out of conference,” said Brendan Scott, a junior from Arizona majoring in political science.
“It helped to solidify what I got out of conference, and get more out of it by listening to what he got out of it. It happened naturally because the gospel is something important for us. That’s one of the best ways to maintain the spirit.”
Maia Jean Watene, a freshman majoring in EXS from New Zealand, said, “I usually go back when somebody is giving a lesson or a talk and refers to a talk or shows a video from one, then I go and find that talk myself.”
Scott continued, “Conference is for everyone. If it’s for me personally, or if it encourages me to think more about others, there is always going to be some insight because the spirit is there.”
He said because we all learn in very different ways, the Lord as well has and uses various methods to instruct us. Elder Ballard taught, “I’m a great believer in the principle of follow-up. As it says in the missionary guide Preach My Gospel, ‘extending an invitation without following up is like beginning a journey without finishing it or buying a ticket to a concert without going into the theater. Without the completed action, the commitment is hollow.’”
Because nobody wants theater tickets to expire or miss out a trip, the conversation online has become global. In 2014 Elder Bednar taught in a BYU Devotional, “Thousands of members join together twice a year to participate in the #LDSconf hashtag conversation about the things they learn and feel as they receive counsel from living prophets and apostles. Through this channel, millions of people around the world are edified by general conference messages.”
With digital devices such as phones and tablets, conference walks with us wherever we go. Watene commented, “I get the messages on Facebook. It’s the best places to get things fast. When the quotes get my attention enough, then I have a look at the talk as well.”
Scott also said, “On Facebook people always post uplifting messages, Mormon Messages or talks. Even if I don’t watch the talk, it reminds me of conference talks, like from President Uchtdorf. And it brings back a lot of good memories of things that he has shared. God uses all this social media and digital tools to help us. This ‘ponderize’ thing is blowing up on social media. It certainly helps. It’s nice to have that constant positivity.”
Heidi Poppleton, a junior majoring in elementary education from California, said, “The last couple of years, it has always been a goal for me to read all the talks before the next conference. But, since this last conference, all the talks were so good and hit me all at once, I like to listen to them while I exercise or walking around.”
“I try to live [the talks],” she further stated. “You always have to pick the ‘therefore what?’ to see what you are going to work on. I listen to the spirit. Like Elder Lawrence taught: What lack I yet. You need to ask. Heavenly Father will let you know.”