Our Relief Society Presidency announced almost two months ago that we would be attending the Relief Society Conference in the Conference Center. We would have to be prepared to leave at 5:30 am and prepared not to return until sometime after midnight. A whole day with women and no children! I was so excited and could hardly wait! Anthony was an amazing husband and "gladly" watched the kids all day!
Our first stop after loading the bus, (The owners of Trailways Express are in our ward and donated a bus for us) was a tour of Welfare Square. I was astonished and impressed with everything I saw. Did you know that only 20% of the clothing that we donate to the DI actually makes it out to the floor? Most of it is bundled for humanitarian purposes.
Did you know that the church produces their own milk and cheese? I didn't! They also donate all the scraps to shelters so that they can feed people.
One of the milk machines
This was my bus buddy! My good friend Hilary! We had a lot of fun chatting all the way down and some of the way back (we slept a lot on the way home!) We were given free samples of chocolate milk and cheese.
Another friend getting her free sample!
The Bishop's storehouse! I had no idea that it was like a functioning store. Not sure what I expected...a warehouse maybe.
Some of the products that the Church produces for sale at the storehouse.
Our leaders have not asked to do anything that they haven't already done. This is the Church's three month supply of food for all the bishop's storehouses.
They have a bakery where they bake their own bread!
This is the grain silo! It only took 8 days to build this amazing structure. They rotate the grain every four to five years and donate the grain to the food banks in the area.
Our next stop was lunch!!
Only in Salt Lake would you see a sign like this! We all thought it was rather funny! Charity never faileth!
Then it was on to temple square! We were given about an hour to tour temple square and then we all met back together to watch the Joseph Smith movie. My bus buddy had never been to Temple Square because she is from Maryland. It was awesome to share it with her!
Patty and Sunny at the Joseph Smith Building
With a group of the ladies that went on the Excursion!
The whole group! 50 in all!
Then on to the Conference center to watch the Conference! It was amazing experience to be there! We sat on the very top balcony and on the second row. It was little daunting to sit so high up! As long as I didn't move my head to fast from right to left I did okay. On the way out though, I almost did't make it up the stairs without blacking out. Vertigo! Got to love it!
It was an amazing trip and one that I am so glad that I went on! To be there in person to hear President Uchtdorf's Forgot-Me-Nots, in grained it in my soul. I so needed to hear them!
This experience strengthen my testimony and has given me the help the needed this last weeks! I am so thankful that I could be apart of it!
