Making every Conference count
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The Matute family has lived in Salt Lake City for the better part of six years, but they aren't about to start taking for granted the chance to attend general conference twice a year.
"As a family we always want to come and take part in conference, and in that way be able to pay more attention to the conference," said family patriarch Melchizedek Matute after attending the Sunday morning session in the Conference Center.
Brother Matute (pronounced mah-TU-tay) brought his wife, Glenda, and daughter, Emily, to the United States from Honduras in August 2003. Since immigrating, younger daughter, Nicole, was born.
In addition to the spiritual blessings associated with attending conference, the Matute family uses conference weekends as opportunities to snap some scenic family photos.
"We take advantage to come and take some pictures, both to keep for ourselves and also to send back to our family in Honduras," Sister Matute said. "I have a sister with nieces and nephews (in Honduras), and my husband has his sisters with nieces and nephews and a brother as well."
An electrician by trade, Brother Matute is well aware of how easy it can be to watch conference from home but, nevertheless, prefers watching sessions from Temple Square whenever possible.
He said: "I think that it's something very important, valuing the opportunity to take part in conference every time that we can. Because we live in Utah, especially in Salt Lake, we could say, 'Oh, we'll go to the next conference' or 'I can go next year.'
"But for us, attending in the Tabernacle or the Conference Center or even the Assembly Hall, it permits us to feel that we're taking part in the conference and putting the importance on these meetings that they deserve. Because at home it's easy to become distracted, and it's easy to do other things like take phone calls and things like that. We become distracted, thinking that later on we can read the talks in the Church magazines. But being there and being able to feel the Spirit, to personally communicate with the Spirit and take part, is totally different."
