by David E Bay, High Councilor

Have you ever wondered what it felt like for those virgins in Jesus’s parable who came to the wedding feast and found the door shut? I don’t have to wonder about that. I experienced it on Friday, September 29, 1972, just before 10 AM.

I was 15 years old at the time. My family just moved to Bountiful, Utah from Lake Zürich Illinois, a small town just north of Chicago. I had always enjoyed General Conference. In the Chicago area, in the days before instant worldwide communication, broadcasts, and information about General Conference were scarce. We could listen to some conference sessions on a local FM radio station, but mostly we had to wait until the Conference Report came out in the Ensign magazine nearly 2 months later. We had been thrilled the previous April when a Chicago TV station broadcast one of the Sunday sessions.

When my family moved to Bountiful, I realized I was close enough to attend General Conference. In those days, General Conference for the general membership of the church had three days of sessions. I decided it would be worth missing school to hear the words of the prophets. I convinced my dad to drop me at Temple Square on his way to work. He let me off at about 7 o’clock that Friday morning. I got into a line of excited people waiting to get into the Tabernacle for the opening session of General Conference. President Harold B Lee was to be sustained as the President of the Church.

We waited patiently until about 9:15 AM. The lines began to move after doors opened and people began to enter the Tabernacle. Eventually, I found out that our line led to the north of the two doors on the east side of the Tabernacle that led to the balcony. The line moved quickly for a while and then began to move slowly. We could easily see the door. Unfortunately, when there were only 10 people between me and the stairway to the balcony, the door closed and was shut. I was on the outside and unable to enter. There was a loudspeaker system on the grounds of Temple Square sharing the sounds from the Tabernacle. I could hear the beginning of the conference session and the Solemn Assembly with the sustaining of President Lee. Of course, there was a lot of hustle and bustle of people moving around Temple Square, so the situation was not ideal, but I was there at the Tabernacle and could experience being there. I realized it was better than what I had in Illinois. Still, I wanted to be on the other side of the door. I didn’t have a ride or anywhere else to go, so as everyone else, who had waited with me in line, drifted elsewhere, I stood by the door listening to the words and sentences I could hear.

As the Solomon Assembly ended, the Usher opened the door and saw me standing there. He took pity on me and invited me in. The benches in the tabernacle were open at each end and could seat people according to how closely they sat together. The Usher encouraged one bench to slide a little closer together and created a few inches for me at the end of the bench. I enjoyed the spirit of the Apostles and Prophets of Jesus Christ teaching in General Conference. Now in contrast to earlier, I felt the joy of the virgins entering the wedding feast.

I am so excited about the upcoming couple of weeks. This weekend we have the opportunity to have a General Authority Seventy, Elder Erich Kopischke, coming to Brigham City to council with us and teach us those things the Lord would have us learn. And the following weekend is General Conference.

I hope each of you can receive the messages Heavenly Father will send to you and not shut the door of your heart.