2. The 187th Semiannual Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

This last weekend, September 30th and October 1st, 2017, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints held their semiannual general conference. As the name denotes, this conference is open to the general body of the church, as well as any visitors who wish to view the proceedings. The speakers for this conference are drawn from the general authorities and officers of the Church. These speakers are not given a topic to talk about, but rather carefully ponder on what they should say and are guided by the Holy Ghost to the topic they eventually speak on.

The speakers spend copious amounts of time writing and re-writing their remarks. They are careful to listen to the Spirit as they prepare their talk so that the words can be prepared to reach the hearts of those who are listening when the message is delivered. This is a huge blessing to everyone who listens and can often have profound impacts on the lives of the audience.

One talk that was given during this conference was given by Elder John C. Pingree of the Quorum of the Seventy. He gave a talk titled " I Have a Work for Thee." In this talk, he discusses the different roles that people have in their lives and how it can sometimes be difficult to decide what one's role is. In discussing how someone can decide what they should be doing with their life, he offered the following advice: "After pondering for several months, I came across this verse: “If you desire, you shall be the means of doing much good in this generation” (D&C 11:8). The Spirit helped me understand that the primary purpose of divine assignments is to bless others and to do “much good.”"

Powerful messages like this help member of The Church, as well as others, across the world, to develop their lives and to feel more joy because they appeal to fundamental desires that many people have. In the case of this talk, it appeals to the need to have a meaningful role in life. This is something that many people spend a lot of time thinking about. Because serving others feels good, the advice that is given here will appeal to the audience it is given. This is especially true because the audience, the members of The Church, are typically trying to find ways to do more good in the world.