Women's Conference notes in readable form for me...day two

Friday opening session:
Sister Worthen:
Parable of the carmel apples (she and her sister made them when they were little and forgot to add water so the carmel was icky and wouldn't work right - their mom told them they forgot the water)
Remember the small and simple things
Water in the carmels is like covenants - makes things come together, connect us to God
Athletes and musicians - accomplishing makes them happy, joy in hard work = endorphins
Exercising faith and keeping covenants = spiritual endorphins

President Worthen:
What are covenants?  He gave legal definition along the lines of mutual promise, sacred and enduring promise plus other legal mumbo jumbo :)
People of Ammon gave all - 100%
Faith is a principle of action
Covenants give us eternal perspective
Reflect on them often - during the sacrement too (I loved that!)
Frequency makes us overlook the significance sometimes, that why we need to reflect
Renew ALL covenants during the sacrament (how have I not thought of this before!?)
Gospel covenants open up the powers of heaven, impact on children, grandchildren and generations to come

Classes I attended:
Your Patriarchal Blessing Will See You Through the Darkest Night by Susan S. Taggert and David L. Beck

Susan:
The God Who Weeps - book
Image of wing breaking the water - God sending light to the fish
Think in terms of eternity, not popularity
Do we appreciate our blessing enough?
Isaiah 55 "my thoughts not your thoughts..."
Look at blessing not like the world does
Read it, make something of it
Rely on Spirit to understand it
Prayer is a form of work - "wrestle"
Look for "keynotes" - items repeated
Get your ancestor's blessings (through church website)
Itemize blessing, make columns - Gifts, Admonitions, Warnings
Analyze list when trying to make a decision
Thank Him!

David:
Personal revelation
Promised future blessing
If you continue to live as you are living, will the promises be fulfilled?
3 Nephi 20:26-27 (children of the covenant)
Provides comfort, speaks peace to a family after loved one's death (or wayward children!  I read Ashley's every so often, wish Clark would have received one!)
Pres. Monson said to read it, cherish it, follow it
Length and language do not a patriarchal blessing make

Learning from Covenant Keepers of the Scriptures by Jill Brim and Camile Fronk Olson

Jill:
Threefold mission of the church is a covenant work (4th added by Pres. Monson to care for poor and needy)
Early saints - face towards Zion, keeping covenants
(she gave lots of early church stories and facts, all very interesting)

Camille:
Covenant - family - bind people together beyond blood
Faith in covenants with Jehovah constituted families
Cut off as Adam - BECOME sons and daughters of God (D&C 132:37)
Blessings through keeping covenants:
1) Recognize God's hand in our lives
2) Power to draw other to Christ and His covenant
3) Awareness and love for eternal family
4) Become children of God - His family

Harnessing the Power of Covenants to Buoy us up When Loved Ones Stray by Beverly Jebe and Larry Barkdull

Beverly:
Draw on the powers of the temple covenants
Stay faithful to covenants, embrace them
Keep partaking of the fruit (tree of life)
Attend the temple
Love unconditionally
Know that Heavenly Father and Jesus love your child
Go to the temple for peace and healing
Don't give up
Be patient, keep eternal perspective
(her child has been in prison, does drugs, stole a car on his 18th birthday, more prison, sad sad story! made me feel better about my own situation.)

Larry:
Southern CA there are 89,000 YSA and only 16,000 of them are active!
Today we are compared to the time before the flood - WICKED!
No one is exempt from this plague
Alma - works on himself, not on Alma the younger, sanctified himself
Every effort to sanctify has redeeming effect on person you are praying for (I'm trying!)
Sanctify - become more holy
Sacrament - normal bread, becomes more holy as it's prayed over (and sanctified)
Renew all covenants during Sacrament (2nd time I heard this here!)
Review in the temple, but renew each week
Be unified in prayer (parents)
Temple often - every 2 weeks names on prayer rolls (I do this, but not every two weeks...once a month, room for improvement!)
It's a trust not a trial - a child placed with you is YOUR CALLING
It's going to turn out better than we think (HOPE!)

Closing Session:
Elder Ballard:
Women's meeting is the first session of General Conference
We can all be kinder and more thoughtful
Dissenting votes in conference, though inappropriate to vocalize them, it is in their rights.  That's why we ask EVERY TIME
Today they don't ask of God, they ask of Google
Don't trust your soul and faith to the internet
Stay focused on the simple message of the restoration
Sacrament - have a perasonal interview with yourself
(Elder Ballard then referred to his talk "Stay in the Boat and hang on" no safer place than keeping covenants)