I think the best place to begin with this post is with some few points.
- I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
- Every six months, members of this church have the opportunity to participate in what is called "General Conference." Latter-Day Saints travel from all over the world to attend this conference which originates in the 21,000-seat Conference Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. The church membership is currently at 14 million and as such, conference is broadcasted to thousands of meetinghouses all over the world as well as online so that all may watch and listen.
- General Conference is intended to be a revelatory experience as participants learn from living prophets, apostles, and other church leaders through the power and influence of the Holy Ghost. Receiving inspiration and instruction from Church leaders will serve as a guide for members' present day lives.
- I have a unique phobia of heights, big buildings, wide open spaces, and probably other things I'm currently unaware of.
- The Conference Center in Salt Lake City is a VERY big building.
With the above points in mind, I will proceed with my General Conference experience in the Spring of 2004. At that time I was living in Spanish Fork, UT with my aunt, uncle, cousins, and siblings. My parents remained in Laredo, TX, however that Spring my father had the opportunity of traveling to Utah with other Laredo Church members for General Conference. My dad had with him four tickets; two for the Saturday Morning Session, and another for Sunday Morning Session. It was his plan to attend both with one of his children. My older brother and I were the only ones old enough to attend so it was determined that I would attend one and my brother the other. From the time I knew of this I was not at ease. Much of what happened that day was a blur for me. I remember being very sleepy during our drive there since I could not sleep the night before due to the nerve-racking anticipation, but I could not sleep due to the anxiety.
Once there, I clung to my dad as we entered the building. Imagine my disbelief when I learned we were to go upstairs. I covered my eyes throughout this ordeal and remember nothing, only that we were then to go upstairs once again! There are no words to describe what I felt. If anything think about something that would cause you great anxiety, then think how that scenario would feel worse and then you might feel what I felt.
We proceeded to enter the actual conference area (I'm sure there's a particular name for it) and I realized we were on the highest level for seating. We proceeded to find our seats which happened to be close to the edge! We finally took our seats and I figured the worst was over. I let myself relax and try to take in the fact that I would be in the presence of a prophet of God. I remained anxious, but I felt enough peace to remain there for the full 2 hours. At one point I was thankful that I was strong enough to be there and have that experience with my dad. Once the session concluded, the anxiety increased as we began the descend. We left and all was good.
Seven years have passed since that day. I don't know if I will ever return to the Conference Center and face the possible anxiety and horror caused by my phobia, but I am glad to say that I've been there. I've experienced General Conference with thousands of other members that gather to hear important messages imparted by servants of God including his very own prophet. While there I received a witness of the peace the spirit can bring to our lives during troubled times. Even though I faced great difficulties I will forever remember that I overcame them and enjoyed this remarkable experience. I did it!
