General Conference Quotes

This past weekend was the General Conference (Semi-Annual) of our Church - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, aka LDS Church or The Mormon Church.  General Conference is held twice a year, in April and October - on the first week.  The main assembly hall (Conference Center) is in Salt Lake City, Utah, but the conferences are broadcast to chapels and centers around the world on radio, satellite, television, cable, internet, etc.

Here are some of the quotes I've selected from some of the talks/sermons of the conference.  I've translated each one in Samoan.

Conference Center with "green" roof

Differences vs. Commonalities
"As we enter a chapel or a temple to worship as a group, we should leave behind our differences, including race, social status, political preferences, academic and professional achievements and instead concentrate on our common spiritual objectives." ~ Elder Joni Koch

Pe a tatou ulufale i se falelotu poo se malumalu sā e tapua’i o se vaega, e ao ona tatou lafoa'i o tatou ‘ese’esega, e aofia ai ituaiga ma lanu, tulaga poo mamalu, talitonuga faa-faigamalo, o faailoga fa’ale-a’oa’oga ma tomai faapitoa, ae ao ona tatou taula’i atu i o tatou faamoemoega ‘autasi faale-agaga.

On Scriptures
"The scriptures remain reliable sources of truth. From those thin pages thick with spiritual insights, we learn truth through the Holy Ghost and thereby increase in light." ~ Ian S. Arden

O tusitusiga pa’ia ua tumau pea o ni puna faatuatuaina o le upu moni.  Mai i na itulau manifinifi, ua mafiafia i malamalama loloto faale-agaga, tatou te a’oa’oina ai le upu moni e ala i le Agaga Pa’ia ma faatupuina atili ai lo tatou malamalama.

Conference Center - view from bottom level

On Faith and Fear
"The Lord has taught me that discouragement and fear are tools of the adversary. The Lord's answer to hard times is to go forward with faith."
~ Elder Stanley G. Ellis

Na a'oa'o mai e le Ali'i ia te a'u o le loto vaivai ma le fefe, o ni faatufūgaga a le fili.  O le tali a le Ali'i mo taimi o faigatā, o le aga'i pea i luma ma le faatuatua.

On the Book of Mormon
[A member of the Church apostatized and came back and wrote a letter saying]:
"Initially, I wanted the Book of Mormon to be proven to me historically, geographically, linguistically and culturally. But when I changed my focus to what it teaches about the gospel of Jesus Christ and His saving mission, I began to gain a testimony of its truthfulness." ~Tad R. Callister

[O se tasi na liliu ‘ese mai i le Ekalesia, ma toe fo’i mai, na ia tusia sana tala faapea]:
I le taimi muamua, na ‘ou mana’o ina ia faamaonia mai ia te a’u le Tusi a Mamona i luga o ni fa’avae faa-talafaasolopito, ele’ele ma laufanua patino, faale-gagana faapea tu ma agaifanua [a tagata o lo’o ta’ua i le tusi].  Peita’i ina ua suia la’u tāutū, ma taula’i la’u va’ai i mea o lo’o a’oa’o mai e le tusi e uiga i le tala lelei a Iesu Keriso ma Lana misiona lavea’i, na amata loa ona ou mauaina se molimau o lona moni atoatoa.

On Journeys and Destinations
“Many of us are on amazing journeys of discovery — leading to personal fulfillment and spiritual enlightenment, some of us, however, are on a trek that leads to sorrow, sin, anguish and despair.”~Elder M. Russell Ballard.

O le to’atele o nisi o i tatou o lo’o i ni faigamalaga maoa’e o le sa’ili malo - e tau atu i ‘ausiaga lelei ta’ito’atasi ma le atamai faale-agaga; peita’i o nisi o i tatou o lo’o i se sāvaliga e tau atu i le faanoanoa, agasala, puapuaga ma le aunoa o se faamoemoe.

Inside Conference Center - view from topmost level

On Superiority
"Anyone who claims superiority under the Father’s plan because of characteristics like race, sex, nationality, language, or economic circumstances,is morally wrong and does not understand the Lord’s true purpose for all of our Father’s children." ~ Elder Quentin L. Cook

So'o se tasi, i lalo o le fuafuaga a le Tama [i le Lagi], e faia se ta’utinoga faapea e sili atu o ia nai lo isi tagata, ona o totinoga e iai itūaiga tagata ma lanu, tane poo le fafine, atunu’u, gagana poo tulaga tau i le tamāoāiga, ua faia e ia se amioga sesē, ma ua na le mālamalama i le faamoemoega moni a le Ali’i mo fanau uma a lo tatou Tama [i le Lagi].

On Choices
“We are blessed not because of our abilities but because of our choices.”
~ Pres. Dieter Uchtdorf

Tatou te manuia, e lē ona oni o tatou agava’a ma tomai, ae ona o ā tatou filifiliga.

General Conference attendees