Speaking of General Conference, Elder Holland promised,
“If we teach by the Spirit and you listen by the Spirit, some one of us will touch on your circumstance, sending a personal prophetic epistle just to you.”
What a miraculous promise as millions of honest seekers of truth approach General Conference with their own questions, concerns and circumstances and each receives his own person answer through words, thoughts and feelings.
These ten vignettes portray specific answers to me and others as we have discovered this powerful truth through our own experiences.
1. How Do You Grow Potatoes?
It was the Sunday before General Conference, and I was sitting in class with my fellow Beehives as our teacher challenged each of us to think of a question we wanted answered during General Conference and to listen carefully for the answer the following week.
As a silly twelve year old, I tried to think of the most random question I could: “I want to know how potatoes are grown.” Everyone laughed and we moved on with the lesson.
The incident forgotten, I sat to watch Conference with my family the next weekend. Elder Holland was speaking near the end of the first session. My thoughts were drifting a bit when suddenly, I gasped as I heard him say, “‘We’re just old potato farmers,’ John said…”
He proceeded to explain Elder and Sister Hess’ missionary service in Belarus, giving specific details of the methods of planting potatoes and the skills the Hess’ used to increase the potato harvest eleven fold.
I couldn’t believe it. I never expected the Lord to answer my silly question. I was just trying to make a joke. But his message was clear: He will answer every question. I can trust Him.
I am certainly not advocating random, silly questions, but this experience reminded me during every subsequent General Conference that if I seriously approach the Lord with sincere questions, He will answer me through words or feelings every time.