President Oaks speaks about the need for us to become a disciple of Jesus Christ through conversion instead of having a knowledge of Jesus Christ by having a testimony.  The need for us to become something more than our knowledge is essential for our eternal progression.

• It is not even enough for us to be convinced of the gospel; we must act and think so that we are converted by it.
  

He shares that when we die and we all enter God's presence during the final judgement, we will be judge based on what we did with the knowledge we were given.  Our judgement will not be a list of good and bad things we did but more of a review of who we became through the adversities of life.

• The Final Judgment is not just an evaluation of a sum total of good and evil acts—what we have done. It is an acknowledgment of the final effect of our acts and thoughts—what we have become.

The plan of salvation leads us to what our Heavenly Father wants us to become.  Our focus should be on how we are becoming more like our Father in Heaven through our earthly experiences.

• The commandments, ordinances, and covenants of the gospel are not a list of deposits required to be made in some heavenly account. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a plan that shows us how to become what our Heavenly Father desires us to become.
  
• The gospel of Jesus Christ is the plan by which we can become what children of God are supposed to become.

President Oaks shares that our family relationships will have more effect on who we become spiritually than any calling, service, or event that we have in our lives.  The day to day family trials, teach us more about becoming like our Heavenly Father than any other venue we could find ourselves in.  It is no wonder that we are being encouraged today to make our homes a place where the spirit can be felt.

• Now is the time for each of us to work toward our personal conversion, toward becoming what our Heavenly Father desires us to become. As we do so, we should remember that our family relationships—even more than our Church callings—are the setting in which the most important part of that development can occur. The conversion we must achieve requires us to be a good husband and father or a good wife and mother. Being a successful Church leader is not enough. Exaltation is an eternal family experience, and it is our mortal family experiences that are best suited to prepare us for it.
  
• I hope the importance of conversion and becoming will cause our local leaders to reduce their concentration on statistical measures of actions and to focus more on what our brothers and sisters are and what they are striving to become.
  

A list of challenges in life is given that could cause us much pain, concern, and heartache.  President Oaks says that these experiences cause us to learn what God wants and needs us to become.

• Most of us experience some measure of what the scriptures call “the furnace of affliction.” Some are submerged in service to a disadvantaged family member. Others suffer the death of a loved one or the loss or postponement of a righteous goal like marriage or childbearing. Still others struggle with personal impairments or with feelings of rejection, inadequacy, or depression. Through the justice and mercy of a loving Father in Heaven, the refinement and sanctification possible through such experiences can help us achieve what God desires us to become.
  

It is not enough for each of us to do the right things.  It is vital that we learn how to do the right things for the right reasons.  This requires a deeper understanding of the Father's purpose for us.

• We are challenged to move through a process of conversion toward that status and condition called eternal life. This is achieved not just by doing what is right, but by doing it for the right reason—for the pure love of Christ.

President Oaks speaks about the parable fo the laborer. Some people labored all day long, while some labored just a few hours, but in the end, all were paid the same amount agreed upon. He shares that God's process of making us something takes some people longer than others and we should never be discouraged or saddened by someone receiving the same blessings we receive even if those lessons are learned very late in life. He encourages us to never give up, never stop striving, and we will become more and more like our Father in Heaven day by day.

• Instead of being judgmental about others, we should be concerned about ourselves. We must not give up hope. We must not stop striving. We are children of God, and it is possible for us to become what our Heavenly Father would have us become.

There are two ways that we can know we are on the right path leading us to become more like our Heavenly Father. President Oaks shares:

• If we are losing our desire to do evil, we are progressing toward our heavenly goal.

The apostle Paul taught us that we have to have the “mind of Christ.” President Oaks explains what this means.

• I understand this to mean that persons who are proceeding toward the needed conversion are beginning to see things as our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, see them. They are hearing His voice instead of the voice of the world, and they are doing things in His way instead of by the ways of the world.

What a great reminder that we need to worry about ourselves and not worry about others process of conversion.  Our Father in Heaven is mindful of each of His children both in and out of the church.  He is working with those inside and outside the church to become more than they currently are.  He is preparing those that need the gospel and He is preparing those that have the gospel to help those that don't.  We are naive to think that we are the only ones that our Father in Heaven is concerned with and we should never be discouraged that others took a different path to finding our Father than we took.  The gospel plan helps us to become what God wants us to become.  People inside and outside the church are progressing towards that goal of what our Father wants them to become.

Elder Ballard discusses with us our personal commitment to the gospel.  He talks about the need for us to be engaged in sharing the message of the restoration with others and to deepen our personal commitment to live the gospel of Jesus Christ.

• Today we must ask ourselves: Are we ready and willing to go through thick and thin for the cause in which we are engaged? Do we reflect in our countenances the joy of living the gospel of Christ as true disciples should? If we do not understand and willingly teach others of the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ through the Prophet Joseph Smith, who will? We cannot place the burden of taking the gospel to all people solely on the backs of the full-time missionaries. Families will not be fortified nor will individual testimonies be strengthened, convert baptisms will not be increased, neither will the less active be welcomed back until we as members of the Church arise individually and collectively, with dedication and action, to help build the kingdom of God.
• Our duty lies in assisting others, through the power of the Spirit, to know and understand the doctrines and principles of the gospel. Everyone must come to feel that the doctrines of the Restoration are true and of great value. And everyone who accepts the message must strive to live the gospel by making and keeping sacred covenants and by participating in all of the ordinances of salvation and exaltation. We often think of conversion as applying only to investigators, but there are some members who are not yet fully converted and who have yet to experience the mighty change of heart described in the scriptures.
• Brethren and sisters, true and complete conversion is the key to accelerating the work of the Church.

He speaks about our duty as leaders in the church to assist with activation and conversion of the other members of the church.  He tells us that conversion, retention, and activation are the key elements for each member.

• As active members of the Church, and especially as priesthood and auxiliary leaders, we need to do more to assist in the process of conversion, retention, and activation. We know that faithful members desire to serve, but sometimes we lose sight of the essential outcomes that our faith and works ought to produce in strengthening the commitment of our Father’s children to the gospel.
  

He speaks of conversion coming from our participation in meetings and in our abilities to reach out to help others.

• Imagine the power that would come if every member of the Church would reach out to help all members and investigators enjoy the companionship of the Spirit. Let all of us work harder to see that the presence of the Spirit is in all of our meetings to bring about deeper spiritual conversion.

He concludes by sharing his testimony of the gospel.  He encourages us to have greater faith and to work as a ward council to bring souls unto Christ and help retain them in fellowship afterwards.  This is done by helping church members truly become converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

• This is God’s work. He wants us to participate with Him and His Beloved Son in bringing the gospel into the lives of all of His children. The Lord has promised us that our joy will be great if we bring just one soul unto Him. Let us exercise greater faith and work together, members and missionaries, to bring many more souls unto Him. Let every family in the Church include as part of their daily family prayers a plea with the Lord to go before your family members and help them to find someone prepared to receive the message of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.
  

Conversion to the gospel is the ultimate way we can engage people in sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ.  When someone feels the personal witness of the changes the gospel brings into their lives, they have a desire for others to have those same feelings.  Conversion is the key retaining and reactivating members of the church.  One thing I like to do with less active members is the help them reflect on the time in their life that they knew the church was true.  Bringing those members to the minds and hearts can stir a desire to have those feelings again.  If you are not fully converted to living the gospel, please ask yourself what you can do to become a better disciple of the Savior and join me on my journey to learning how to follow the Savior with greater purpose.

Elder Hales teaches us a deeper meaning behind the baptismal ordinance and receiving the Holy Ghost.  He had been sick for the past two conferences and noted that through his illness, he was able to ponder on the things of God and this topic was one close to his mind.

• I wish to speak on the ordinance of baptism and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, which takes us out of this world and into the kingdom of God.
  
• Our mortal existence is necessary to fulfill the plan of salvation. We must therefore live in this world, but we must also resist the worldly influences that are ever before us.
  
• When we are baptized by immersion by one with the proper priesthood authority and choose to follow our Savior, we then are in His kingdom and of His kingdom.
  
• Being of the kingdom of God requires that we heed the Savior’s admonition “Follow thou me”
  
• At baptism we make a covenant with our Heavenly Father that we are willing to come into His kingdom and keep His commandments from that time forward, even though we still live in the world.

He shares with us that understanding the covenants that we make will bring about a might change within our lives.  Our understanding of the covenants we have made will bring us closer to the Savior and further into the kingdom to worship Him.

• When we understand our baptismal covenant and the gift of the Holy Ghost, it will change our lives and will establish our total allegiance to the kingdom of God. When temptations come our way, if we will listen, the Holy Ghost will remind us that we have promised to remember our Savior and obey the commandments of God.

He shares with us something that I didn't fully contemplate.  We know the promises we make when we take the sacrament and that God also covenants with us to always have His spirit.  Elder Hales talks about our commitment to keep the law of obedience.  I guess I never looked at the law of obedience having a significant part in the sacrament.  Although I know we promise to keep his commandments, obedience is a different word that I had not associated with that covenant.

• When we are baptized, we take upon ourselves the sacred name of Jesus Christ. Taking upon us His name is one of the most significant experiences we have in life. Yet sometimes we pass through that experience without having a full understanding. How many of our children—how many of us—really understand that when we were baptized we took upon us not only the name of Christ but also the law of obedience? Each week in sacrament meeting we promise to remember the atoning sacrifice of our Savior as we renew our baptismal covenant. We promise to do as the Savior did—to be obedient to the Father and always keep His commandments. The blessing we receive in return is to always have His Spirit to be with us.

Elder Hales concludes with sharing with us what our lives will look like when we keep our baptismal covenants and truly take upon ourselves the name of Christ.

• By choosing to be in His kingdom, we separate—not isolate—ourselves from the world. Our dress will be modest, our thoughts pure, our language clean. The movies and television we watch, the music we listen to, the books, magazines, and newspapers we read will be uplifting. We will choose friends who encourage our eternal goals, and we will treat others with kindness. We will shun the vices of immorality, gambling, tobacco, liquor, and illicit drugs. Our Sunday activities will reflect the commandment of God to remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. We will follow the example of Jesus Christ in the way we treat others. We will live to be worthy to enter the house of the Lord.
  

The blessings of understanding the covenants we made a baptism are tremendous.  When we realize the covenants that we have made and make them the driving force behind our actions, we will be able to be be true disciples of the Saviors.  We have many opportunities to find happiness but nothing will bring us more happiness than living the commandments of God.  It is my hope that we will all look at the covenants we have made and seek for more meaning as we prepare to take the sacrament this upcoming Sunday.