The place was enormous, the lights were bright and beaming and—as I stepped into the building—I just realized that for the first time in my life I was attending the spiritual meetings of a General Conference session. This was an opportunity to see friends that I hadn’t seen for years, meet new ones, and have a new experience with the Lord. And what an experience it was!

The amount of people at the GC was staggering. Never before had I seen so many of our brethren and sisters in one place. Persons, young and old, from all over the world gathered together. I met brethren from the east coast of the United States, brethren from Brazil, and sisters from Germany that happened to share my Romanian heritage. Yet despite all the differences of language and origin, we all shared one thing: We had all come together to praise the Lord and learn from Him. This singleness of purpose brought us all together, and long chains of newly-formed friendships occupied the lunch tables as everyone was enjoying each other’s company and fellowshipping in harmony. The sacredness of the music that soon followed clearly demonstrated the singularity of the group, as voice combined with voice, and instrument joined instrument to bring us closer to the divine.

The holy atmosphere projected by the orchestra and choir merged in song was absolutely marvelous. I was given the privilege to sing in the choir, and the solemn messages of our melodies were not only for the audience but were actually God’s words to all of us as we united to give Him praise. “Christ Is All, and in All” was not only the emphasis of the spiritual meetings, but it became a reality as His holy presence could be felt in our midst ministering to our hearts, and bringing us all closer together to become as one.

One of the biggest blessings of the General Conference was reuniting with someone I had not seen for more than ten years. As a young boy in Romania, I often went with my dad to the church in Bucharest where he was ministering. Brother George, a young university student who was there at the time, was like a mentor to me. Now after more than a decade, I had the momentous opportunity to see him again. I recognized him as soon as I laid my eyes on him, and he had not changed one bit. Though the wheels of life had turned, and he had gotten married and become a worker for the church, his face still glowed with the same kindness, brilliance, and zeal for the Lord that I remembered. As a child, I dreamed to be just like him when I grew older, and now here I stood, all grown up and meeting him once again. I realized that time is one of the most important talents with which God blesses humanity. It is up to us to use it to do good, to develop our character, and to enrich our Christian experience as we broaden our daily walk with God.

Much like my friend who retained the same brilliant and compassionate spirit over the years, I realized that God never changes. Throughout my entire life, God has been patiently and kindly waiting and working to bring me closer to Himself. Through all my ignorance and resistance He has penetrated the hardness of my heart to help me realize His infinite love and abounding grace. By His grace I live, by His providence I attended the General Conference, and by His hand we all shall be victorious. This is my wish and prayer, that the glorious motto of the GC shall forever be a reflection of reality. May Christ be all and in all! Amen!