Hearing the Prophet's Voice

I always come away from General Conference weekend with a desire to do more and to be a better person. However, since the boys have joined our family, the experience has been somewhat lacking because it's difficult for two little boys to sit and pay attention for 8 hours (which in turn makes it impossible for a certain mommy to pay attention). This time I decided that things needed to change. Although my boys are only 4 years old, I had to somehow teach them how important it is to enjoy General Conference as a family - to listen to the Prophet. I did some research on the internet and, inspired by the ideas of others, I came up with a brilliant plan...

Just before Conference, Jeremy and I sat down with the boys and told them about the story of King Benjamin. We told them about how the people of all the land came from everywhere to hear what he had to say to them. They pitched their tents around the temple and King Benjamin stood upon a tower so all could hear him. We then explained that we were going to pitch our own tent at the feet of the Prophet (in our living room at the base of the TV) so that we could sit together and listen to him. They got SO excited at the prospect of camping out in the living room together. I then also presented each of them with a "Reverence Bag" filled with some quiet activities that I got from the dollar store (crayons, coloring books, books, play dough, puzzles, etc.), treats and conference activity pages that I printed from online. Before each session, I refilled their reverence bags with new things. They would get excited for the next session because of the anticipation of seeing what was in their bags.

I seriously thought this would last a whole ten minutes before they would get bored of the whole tent thing. My boys are obedient, but they're 4 years old and very active. I didn't have much faith that I could get them to sit still very long. I was so surprised though! During the breaks between sessions they would actually ask us when we could sit and listen to the prophet again! If Jeremy and I spoke to each other during the talks, then one of them would say something like, "Shhh! This is important!" Ha! :) I think a couple reasons why it worked so well is because the boys were inside the tent and couldn't get distracted by their toys and other fun things. The other reason is that they genuinely loved the fact that we snuggled up together for hours on end. They got mom's and dad's attention for a full 8 hours and they were in heaven! My butt was sore from sitting on a tent floor for 8 hours, but the reward was so sweet to see Matthew and Jordan happily sitting in there with us, doing their quiet activities and occasionally listening to the words being said. I'm telling you, this was genius! I got more out of General Conference than I have in 4 years. :-)

Our Reverence Tent

Reverent Bags

I love General Conference. I love spring and this Easter time of year when I take special time to reflect on the gift of our Savior. I'm so grateful that God has blessed us with a living Prophet to receive modern revelation and guide us on Earth today. I know that God lives and that I can speak to him daily through prayer. He is aware of my needs and the desires of my heart. I love my Savior, Jesus Christ, and I know that He sacrificed and died for me. I know that He was resurrected and that He lives; and I know that I will live with Him again someday, eternally with my family.