From the Conference Center at Temple Square in Salt Lake
City, this is the Saturday afternoon session
of the 188th Semiannual General Conference
of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,
with speakers selected from the General Authorities and General
Officers of the Church.
The music for this session is provided
by a combined choir of missionaries
from the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah.
This broadcast is furnished as a public service
by Bonneville Distribution.
Any reproduction, recording, transcription,
or other use of this program without written consent
is prohibited.
President Dallin H. Oaks, First Counselor
in the First Presidency of the Church,
will conduct this session.
Brothers and sisters, we welcome you
to the Saturday afternoon session of the 188th Semiannual
General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints.
President Russell M. Nelson, who presides at this conference,
has asked that I conduct this session.
We extend our greetings to all who
are in attendance or who are participating
by means of television, radio, or the internet.
We also welcome those who are viewing
the proceedings in stake centers in various parts of the world
where the conference is being carried
by satellite transmission.
The music for this session will be
provided by a combined choir of missionaries
from the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah,
under the direction of Ryan Eggett and Elmo Keck,
with Linda Margetts and Bonnie Goodliffe at the organ.
The choir will open this meeting by singing
"Hark, All Ye Nations!"
The invocation will then be offered by Sister Sharon L.
Eubank, who serves as First Counselor in the Relief Society
General Presidency.
[MUSIC PLAYING - "HARK, ALL YE NATIONS!"]
Our Father in Heaven, it's with deep gratitude
that we gather together in a great general conference,
the family of God all over the world.
We're so thankful to be presided over by President Russell M.
Nelson.
We pray Thy blessings upon him and the First Presidency
and the Twelve.
We're mindful of President Ballard and his family.
We're so thankful for Sister Ballard, her contribution
and example, and we extend our love to them.
Father in Heaven, wilt Thou be with us at this conference?
Wilt Thou send Thy Spirit?
And may we call it forth also from the faith and the devotion
that's in our hearts, that an abundant feast might
be with us.
We're thankful to be Christians.
We're thankful to be members of The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints and pray that we might stand
as witnesses in the world.
Be with us this day, we pray, in the name of our Savior, Jesus
Christ, amen.
President Henry B. Eyring, Second Counselor
in the First Presidency, will now
present the General Officers and Area Seventies of the Church
for sustaining vote.
Brothers and sisters, I will now present to you
the General Authorities, Area Seventies,
and General Auxiliary Presidencies of the Church
for your sustaining vote.
It is proposed that we sustain Russell Marion
Nelson as prophet, seer, and revelator and President
of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints;
Dallin Harris Oaks as First Counselor in the First
Presidency; and Henry Bennion Eyring as Second Counselor
in the First Presidency.
Those in favor may manifest it.
Those opposed, if any, may manifest it.
It is proposed that we sustain Dallin H. Oaks as President
of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and M. Russell Ballard
as Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Those in favor, please signify.
Any opposed may manifest it.
It is proposed that we sustain the following as members
of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles: M. Russell
Ballard, Jeffrey R. Holland, Dieter F. Uchtdorf, David A.
Bednar, Quentin L. Cook, D. Todd Christofferson, Neil L.
Andersen, Ronald A. Rasband, Gary E. Stevenson, Dale G.
Renlund, Gerrit W. Gong, and Ulisses Soares.
Those in favor, please manifest it.
Any opposed may so indicate.
It is proposed that we sustain the counselors in the First
Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
as prophets, seers, and revelators.
All in favor, please manifest it.
Contrary, if there be any, by the same sign.
It is proposed that we sustain Brook P.
Hales, who has been called to serve as a General Authority
Seventy.
Those in favor, please manifest it.
Those opposed, if any, may so manifest.
It is proposed that we release with appreciation
for their devoted service Elders Mervyn B. Arnold, Craig A.
Cardon, Larry J. Echo Hawk, C. Scott Grow, Allan F. Packer,
Gregory A. Schwitzer, and Claudio D.
Zivic as General Authorities and grant them emeritus status.
Those who wish to join with us in expressing gratitude
to these Brethren for their remarkable service,
please so manifest.
It is proposed that we release the following as Area
Seventies: B. Sergio Antunes, Alan C. Batt, R. Randall Bluth,
Hans T. Boom, Fernando E. Calderon, H. Marcelo Cardus,
Paul R. Coward, Marion B. De Antunano, Robert A. Dryden,
Daniel F. Dunnigan, Jeffrey D. Erekson, Mervyn C. Giddey,
Joao Roberto Grahl, Richard K. Hansen, Todd B. Hansen,
Michael R. Jensen, Daniel W. Jones, Steven O. Laing, Axel H.
Leimer, Tasara Makasi, Alvin F. Meredith III, Adonay S. Obando,
Katsuyuki Otahara, Fred A. Parker, Jose C. Pineda, Gary S.
Price, Miguel A. Reyes, Alfredo L. Salas,
Netzahualcoyotl Salinas, Michael L. Southward, G.
Lawrence Spackman, William H. Stoddard, Stephen E. Thompson,
David J. Thomson, George J. Tobias, Jacques A. Van Reenen,
Raul Edgardo Vicencio, Keith P. Walker, Daniel Yirenya-Tawiah.
Those who wish to join us in expressing appreciation
for their excellent service, please manifest it.
It is proposed that we sustain the other General Authorities,
Area Seventies, and General Auxiliary Presidencies
as presently constituted.
All in favor, please manifest it.
Contrary, if there be any, by the same sign.
Those who opposed any of the proposals should contact
their stake president.
Brothers and sisters, we are grateful for your continued
faith and prayers in behalf of the leaders of the Church.
The choir will now favor us with a medley of "I Will Be Valiant"
and "The Church of Jesus Christ."
Following the singing, we will hear from Elder D.
Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
He will be followed by Bishop Dean M. Davies,
who serves as First Counselor in the Presiding Bishopric.
Elder Ulisses Soares of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
will then address us.
[MUSIC PLAYING - "I WILL BE VALIANT--THE CHURCH OF JESUS
CHRIST"]
Thank you, sisters and elders.
We are with you.
In Old Testament history, we read of successive periods when
the children of Israel honored their covenant with Jehovah
and worshipped Him and other times when they ignored that
covenant and worshipped idols or Baalim.
The reign of Ahab was one of the periods of apostasy
in the northern kingdom of Israel.
The prophet Elijah on one occasion told King Ahab
to gather the people of Israel as well as the prophets
or priests of Baal at Mount Carmel.
When the people had come together,
Elijah said unto them: "How long halt ye between two opinions?
[Or in other words, "When will you decide once and for all?"]
if the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him.
And the people answered him not a word."
So Elijah directed that both he and Baal's prophets cut up
a young bull and place it on a bed of wood on their respective
altars, but "put no fire under."
Then, "Call ye on the name of your gods,
and I will call on the name of the Lord:
and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God.
And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken."
You will recall that the priests of Baal clamored
to their nonexistent god for hours to send down fire,
but "there was neither voice, nor any to answer,
nor any that regarded."
When it was Elijah's turn, he repaired the broken-down altar
of the Lord, laid the wood and the offering upon it,
and then ordered that it all be doused with water,
not once but three times.
There was no doubt that neither he nor any other human power
could light the fire.
"And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening
sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said,
Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel,
let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel,
and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these
things at thy word. ...
"Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt
sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust,
and licked up the water that was in the trench.
"And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces:
and they said, The Lord, he is the God; the Lord,
he is the God."
Today Elijah might say:
Either God, our Heavenly Father, exists or He does not,
but if He exists, worship Him.
Either Jesus Christ is the Son of God,
the resurrected Redeemer of mankind, or He is not,
but if He is, follow Him.
Either the Book of Mormon is the word of God or it is not,
but if it is, then "get nearer to God by [studying and]
abiding by its precepts."
Either Joseph Smith saw and conversed with the Father
and the Son that spring day of 1820 or he did not,
but if he did, then follow the prophetic mantle,
including the keys of sealing that I, Elijah,
bestowed upon him.
In the most recent general conference,
President Russell M. Nelson declared:
"You don't have to wonder about what is true.
You do not have to wonder whom you can safely trust.
Through personal revelation, you can receive your own witness
that the Book of Mormon is the word of God,
that Joseph Smith is a prophet, and that this is
the Lord's Church.
Regardless of what others may say or do,
no one can ever take away a witness borne to your heart
and mind about what is true."
When James promised that God "giveth to all men liberally"
who seek His wisdom, he also cautioned:
"But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering.
For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with
the wind and tossed.
"For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing
of the Lord.
"A double minded man is unstable in all his ways."
Our Savior, on the other hand, was the perfect example
of stability.
He said, "The Father hath not left me alone;
for I do always those things that please him."
Consider these descriptions from the scriptures of men and women
who, like the Savior, were firm and steadfast:
They "were converted unto the true faith;
and they would not depart from it, for they were firm,
and steadfast, and immovable, willing with all diligence
to keep the commandments of the Lord."
"Their minds are firm, and they do put their trust in God
continually."
"And behold, ye [yourselves know],
for ye have witnessed it, that as many of them as are brought
to the knowledge of the truth ...
are firm and steadfast in the faith, and ...
the thing wherewith they have been made free."
"And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine
and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers."
To persevere firm and steadfast in the faith of Christ requires
that the gospel of Jesus Christ penetrate one's heart and soul,
meaning that the gospel becomes not just one of many influences
in a person's life, but the defining focus of his or her
life and character.
The Lord says:
"A new heart also will I give you,
and a new spirit will I put within you:
and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh,
and I will give you an heart of flesh.
"And I will put my spirit within you,
and cause you to walk in my statutes,
and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.
"And ... ye shall be my people, and I will be your God."
This is the covenant we make by our baptism and in temple
ordinances.
But some have not yet fully received the gospel of Jesus
Christ into their lives.
Although, as Paul says, they were "buried with [Christ]
by baptism," they are still missing the part that "like
as Christ was raised up from the dead ..., even so we ...
should walk in [a] newness of life."
The gospel does not yet define them.
They're not yet centered in Christ.
They are selective about the doctrines and commandments they
will follow and where and when they will serve in the Church.
By contrast, it is in keeping their covenants with exactness
that those "who are the elect according to the covenant"
avoid deception and remain firm in the faith of Christ.
Most of us find ourselves at this moment on a continuum
between a socially motivated participation in gospel rituals
on the one hand and a fully developed,
Christlike commitment to the will of God on the other.
Somewhere along that continuum, the good news of the gospel
of Jesus Christ enters into our heart and takes possession
of our soul.
It may not happen in an instant, but we should all be moving
toward that blessed state.
It is challenging but vital to remain firm and steadfast when
we find ourselves being refined "in the furnace of affliction,"
something that comes soon or late to all of us in mortality.
Without God, these dark experiences tend
to despondency, despair, and even bitterness.
With God, comfort replaces pain, peace replaces turmoil,
and hope replaces sorrow.
Remaining firm in the faith of Christ will bring His
sustaining grace and support; He will convert trial
into blessing and, in Isaiah's words, give "beauty for ashes."
May I mention three examples of which I have personal
knowledge:
There is a woman who suffers with a debilitating chronic
illness that persists despite medical attention,
priesthood blessings, and fasting and prayers.
Nevertheless, her faith in the power of prayer and the reality
of God's love for her is undiminished.
She presses ahead day by day--sometimes hour
by hour--serving as called in Church and, together with her
husband, looking after her young family,
smiling as much as she can.
Her compassion for others runs deep,
refined by her own suffering, and she often loses herself
in ministering to others.
She continues steadfast, and people feel happy being around
her.
A man who grew up in the Church, served as a full-time
missionary, and married a lovely woman was surprised when some
of his siblings began speaking critically of the Church
and the Prophet Joseph Smith.
After a time they left the Church and tried to persuade
him to follow.
As often happens in such cases, they bombarded him with essays,
podcasts, and videos produced by critics,
most of whom were themselves disaffected former members
of the Church.
His siblings mocked his faith, telling him he was gullible
and misled.
He didn't have answers for all their assertions,
and his faith began to waver under the relentless
opposition.
He wondered if he should stop attending church.
He talked with his wife.
He talked with people he trusted.
He prayed.
As he meditated in this troubled state of mind,
he recalled occasions when he had felt the Holy Spirit
and had received a witness of the truth by the Spirit.
He concluded, "If I am honest with myself,
I must admit that the Spirit has touched me more than once
and the testimony of the Spirit is real."
He has a renewed sense of happiness and peace that is
shared by his wife and children.
A husband and wife who have consistently and happily
followed the counsel of the Brethren in their lives were
grieved by the difficulty they experienced in having children.
They expended substantial funds working with competent medical
professionals, and after a time, they were blessed with a son.
Tragically, however, after only about a year,
the baby was the victim of an accident that was no
one's fault but that left him semicomatose with significant
brain damage.
He has received the best of care,
but doctors cannot predict how things will unfold going
forward.
The child this couple worked and prayed so hard to bring
into the world has in a sense been taken away,
and they don't know if he will be returned to them.
They struggle now to care for their baby's critical needs
while meeting their other responsibilities.
In this supremely difficult moment they have turned
to the Lord.
They rely on the "daily bread" they receive from Him.
They are aided by compassionate friends and family
and strengthened by priesthood blessings.
They have drawn closer to one another,
their union perhaps now deeper and more complete than might
otherwise have been possible.
On July 23, 1837, the Lord directed a revelation
to the then-President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles,
Thomas B. Marsh.
It included the following:
"And pray for thy brethren of the Twelve.
Admonish them sharply for my name's sake,
and let them be admonished for all their sins,
and be ye faithful before me unto my name.
"And after their temptations, and much tribulation, behold,
I, the Lord, will feel after them,
and if they harden not their hearts,
and stiffen not their necks against me,
they shall be converted, and I will heal them."
I believe the principles expressed in these verses apply
to all of us.
The temptations and tribulations we experience,
plus any testing that the Lord sees fit to impose,
can lead to our full conversion and healing.
But this happens if, and only if, we do not harden our hearts
or stiffen our necks against Him.
If we remain firm and steadfast, come what may,
we achieve the conversion the Savior intended when He said
to Peter, "When thou art converted,
strengthen thy brethren," a conversion so complete that it
cannot be undone.
The promised healing is the cleansing and sanctification
of our sin-wounded souls, making us holy.
I am reminded of our mothers' counsel: "Eat your vegetables;
it will do you good."
Our mothers are right, and in the context of steadfastness
in the faith, "eating your vegetables"
is to pray constantly, to feast on the scriptures daily,
serve and worship in the Church, worthily take the sacrament
each week, love your neighbor, and take up your cross
in obedience to God each day.
Always remember the promise of good things to come,
both now and hereafter, for those who are firm
and steadfast in the faith of Christ.
Remember "eternal life, and the joy of the saints."
"O all ye that are pure in heart,
lift up your heads and receive the pleasing word of God,
and feast upon his love; for ye may, if your minds are firm,
forever."
In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
In speaking of the President of The Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints, the Lord proclaimed:
"And again, the duty of the President of the office
of the High Priesthood is to preside over the whole church,
and to be like unto Moses--
"...
Yea, to be a seer, a revelator, a translator, and a prophet,
having all the gifts of God which he bestows upon the head
of the church."
I have been blessed to witness some of the gifts of God upon
His prophets.
May I share one such sacred experience with you?
Prior to my current calling, I assisted in the identification
and recommending of future temple sites.
After September 11, 2001, crossings along the U.S.
borders became more controlled.
As a result, it took two to three hours for many Church
members to make the crossing from Vancouver, Canada,
while going to the Seattle Washington Temple.
President Gordon B. Hinckley, President of the Church at that
time, suggested that a temple in Vancouver would bless members
of the Church.
A site search was authorized, and after we examined several
Church-owned properties, other sites not owned by the Church
were also investigated.
A beautiful site with religious zoning adjacent
to the Trans-Canadian Highway was found.
The property had excellent access,
was dotted with beautiful Canadian pine trees,
and enjoyed a prominent location which would make it visible
to thousands of passing motorists.
We presented the site with pictures and maps
in the monthly Temple Sites Committee meeting.
President Hinckley authorized that we place it under contract
and complete the necessary studies.
In December of that year we reported back to the committee
that the studies were complete, and we sought approval
to proceed with the purchase.
After hearing our report, President Hinckley said,
"I feel I should see this site."
Later that month, two days after Christmas,
we left for Vancouver with President Hinckley,
President Thomas S. Monson, and Bill Williams,
a temple architect.
We were met by Paul Christensen, the local stake president,
who transported us to the site.
It was a little wet and misty that day,
but President Hinckley jumped out of the car and began
walking all over the site.
After spending time on the site, I asked President Hinckley
if he would like to see some of the other sites that had been
considered.
He said yes, he would like that.
You see, by looking at the other sites,
we were able to make a comparison of their virtues.
We did a large clockwise loop around Vancouver,
looking at the other properties, ultimately arriving back
at the original site.
President Hinckley said, "This is a beautiful site."
Then he asked, "Can we go to the Church-owned meetinghouse about
one-quarter mile away?"
"Of course, President," we responded.
We got back into the cars and drove to the nearby
meetinghouse.
As we arrived at the chapel, President Hinckley said,
"Turn left here."
We turned and followed the street as instructed.
The street began to rise slightly.
Just as the car reached the crown of the rise,
President Hinckley said, "Stop the car; stop the car."
He then pointed to the right at a parcel of ground and said,
"What about this property?
This is where the temple goes.
This is where the Lord wants the temple.
Can you get it?
Can you get it?"
We hadn't looked at this property.
It was farther back and away from the main road,
and it was not listed for sale.
When we responded we didn't know,
President Hinckley pointed to the property and said again,
"This is where the temple goes."
We stayed a few minutes, then left for the airport to return
home.
The next day Brother Williams and I were called to President
Hinckley's office.
He had drawn out everything on a piece of paper: the roads,
the chapel, turn left here, x marks the spot for the temple.
He asked what we had found out.
We told him he couldn't have picked a more difficult
property.
It was owned by three individuals: one from Canada,
one from India, and one from China!
And it didn't have the necessary religious zoning.
"Well, do your best," he said.
Then the miracles happened.
Within several months we owned the property,
and later the city of Langley, British Columbia,
gave permission to build the temple.
In reflecting upon this experience,
I am humbled by the realization that while Brother Williams
and I possessed formal education and years of experience in real
estate and temple design, President Hinckley had no such
formal training, but he had something far greater--the gift
of prophetic seership.
He was able to envision where God's temple should stand.
When the Lord commanded the early Saints in this
dispensation to construct a temple, He declared:
"But let a house be built unto my name according
to the pattern which I will show unto them.
"And if my people build it not according to the pattern which
I shall show ..., I will not accept it at their hands."
And as with the early Saints, so it is with us today:
the Lord has revealed and continues to reveal
to the President of the Church the patterns by which
the kingdom of God is to be directed in our day.
And, at a personal level, he provides guidance as to how
each of us should direct our lives,
such that our conduct may likewise be acceptable
to the Lord.
In April 2013, I spoke about the efforts involved in preparing
every temple's foundation to ensure that it can withstand
the storms and calamities to which it will be subjected.
But the foundation is just the beginning.
A temple is composed of many building blocks,
fitted together according to predesigned patterns.
If our lives are to become the temples each of us is striving
to construct as taught by the Lord,
we could reasonably ask ourselves,
"What building blocks should we put in place in order to make
our lives beautiful, majestic, and resistant to the storms
of the world?"
We can find the answer to this question in the Book of Mormon.
Concerning the Book of Mormon, the Prophet Joseph Smith said,
"I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most
correct of any book on earth, and the keystone
of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding
by its precepts, than by any other book."
In the introduction to the Book of Mormon we are taught that
those who gain a divine witness from the Holy Spirit that
the Book of Mormon is the word of God will also come to know
by the same power that Jesus Christ is the Savior
of the world, that Joseph Smith is His revelator and prophet
of the Restoration, and that The Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints is the Lord's kingdom once again
established on the earth.
These, then, are some essential building blocks
of our individual faith and testimony:
Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world.
The Book of Mormon is the word of God.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is
the kingdom of God on the earth.
And Joseph Smith is a prophet, and we have living prophets
on the earth today.
In recent months I have listened to every general conference
address which President Nelson has given since he was first
called as an Apostle.
This exercise has changed my life.
As I studied and pondered 34 years of President
Nelson's collected wisdom, clear and consistent themes emerged
from his teachings.
Each of these themes relates to those building blocks just
mentioned or is another key building block for our personal
temples.
They include faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, repentance,
baptism for the remission of sins,
the gift of the Holy Ghost, redemption of the dead,
temple work, keeping the Sabbath day holy,
beginning with the end in mind, staying on the covenant path.
President Nelson has spoken of them all with love
and devotion.
The chief cornerstone and building block of the Church
and for our lives is Jesus Christ.
This is His Church.
President Nelson is His prophet.
President Nelson's teachings witness and reveal
for our benefit the life and character of Jesus Christ.
He speaks lovingly and knowingly of the Savior's nature
and of His mission.
He has also borne frequent and fervent testimony of the divine
calling of the living prophets--the Presidents
of the Church--under whom he has served.
Now, today, it is our privilege to sustain him
as the Lord's living prophet on the earth.
We are accustomed to sustaining Church leaders through
the divine pattern of raising our arms to the square
to manifest our acceptance and support.
We did this just a few minutes ago.
But true sustaining goes well beyond this physical token.
As noted in the Doctrine and Covenants, section 107,
the First Presidency is to be "upheld by the confidence,
faith, and prayer of the church."
We come to fully and truly sustain the living prophet
as we develop the pattern of confiding in his words,
having the faith to act upon them,
and then praying for the Lord's continued blessings upon him.
When I think of President Russell M. Nelson,
I take comfort in the words of the Savior when He said,
"And if my people will hearken unto my voice,
and unto the voice of my servants whom I have appointed
to lead my people, behold, verily I say unto you,
they shall not be moved out of their place."
Listening to and hearkening to living prophets will have
profound, even life-changing effects in our lives.
We are strengthened.
We are more assured and confident in the Lord.
We hear the word of the Lord.
We feel God's love.
We will know how to conduct our lives with purpose.
I love and sustain President Russell M.
Nelson and the others who have been called as prophets, seers,
and revelators.
I testify that he has the gifts the Lord has bestowed upon his
head, and I witness that as we solidify in our lives
the practice of listening to and heeding the voice of the living
prophets, our lives will be built according
to the Lord's divine pattern for us and we will reap eternal
blessings.
The invitation is extended to all.
Come, listen to a prophet's voice; yea,
come unto Christ and live.
In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Good afternoon, my dear brothers and sisters.
As we say in my native Brazilian Portuguese, "Boa tarde!"
I feel blessed to gather together in this wonderful
general conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints under the direction of our beloved prophet,
President Russell M. Nelson.
I marvel at the great opportunity each one of us has
to listen to the Lord's voice through His servants on earth
in these latter days we are living in.
My home country of Brazil is very rich in natural resources.
One of them is the famous Amazon River,
one of the largest and longest rivers in the world.
It is formed by two separate rivers, the Solimoes and Negro.
Interestingly, they flow together for a number of miles
before the waters blend, due to the rivers having very
different origins, speeds, temperatures,
and chemical compositions.
After several miles, the waters finally blend together,
becoming a river different than its individual parts.
Only after these parts merge, the Amazon River becomes
so powerful that when it reaches the Atlantic Ocean,
it pushes back the seawater so that fresh water can still be
found for many miles out into the ocean.
In a similar way that the Solimoes and Negro Rivers flow
together to make the great Amazon River,
the children of God come together in the restored Church
of Jesus Christ from different social backgrounds, traditions,
and cultures, forming this wonderful community of Saints
in Christ.
Eventually, as we encourage, support, and love each other,
we combine to form a mighty force for good in the world.
As followers of Jesus Christ, flowing as one in this river
of goodness, we will be able to provide the "fresh water"
of the gospel to a thirsty world.
The Lord has inspired His prophets to teach us how we can
support and love each other so we can become united in faith
and purpose in following Jesus Christ.
Paul, the New Testament Apostle, taught that those who "have
been baptized into Christ have put on Christ ...
for ye are all one in Christ Jesus."
When we promise at baptism to follow the Savior,
we witness before the Father that we are willing to take
upon us the name of Christ.
And as we strive to acquire His divine attributes in our lives,
we become different than we were through the Atonement of Christ
the Lord, and our love for all people increases naturally.
We feel a sincere concern for everyone's welfare
and happiness.
We see each other as brothers and sisters,
as children of God with divine origin, attributes,
and potential.
We desire to care for each other and bear one another's burdens.
This is what Paul described as charity.
Mormon, a prophet of the Book of Mormon,
described it as "the pure love of Christ,"
which is the most sublime, noblest,
and strongest form of love.
And our current prophet, President Russell M. Nelson,
recently described a manifestation of this pure love
of Christ as ministering, which is a more focused and holier
approach to love and care for other individuals like
the Savior did.
Let us consider this principle of love and care as the Savior
did within the context of encouraging, helping,
and supporting those who are recent converts and those
beginning to show interest in attending our Church services.
When these new friends come out of the world and embrace
the gospel of Jesus Christ, joining His Church,
they become His disciples, being born again through Him.
They leave behind a world they knew well and choose to follow
Jesus Christ with full purpose of heart, joining a new "river"
like the mighty Amazon River--a river that is a valiant force
of goodness and righteousness that flows toward the presence
of God.
The Apostle Peter describes it as a "chosen generation,
a royal priesthood, [a] holy nation, a peculiar people."
As these new friends merge into this new and unfamiliar river,
they may feel a little lost at first.
These new friends find themselves blending
into a river with unique origins, temperatures,
and chemical compositions--a river that has its own
traditions, culture, and vocabulary.
This new life in Christ may seem overwhelming for them.
Think for a moment about how they may feel as they hear
for the first time such expressions as "FHE," "BYC,"
"fast Sunday," "baptism for the dead," "triple combination,"
and so forth.
It is easy to see why they may feel like they don't belong.
In such situations, they may ask themselves,
"Is there a place for me here?
Do I fit in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?
Does the Church need me?
Will I find new friends willing to help and support me?"
My dear friends, in such moments,
those of us who are at different points in the long journey
of discipleship must extend a warm hand of fellowship
to our new friends, accept them where they are, and help, love,
and include them in our lives.
All of these new friends are precious sons and daughters
of God.
We cannot afford to lose even one of them,
because like the Amazon River that depends on tributaries
feeding it, we need them just as much as they need us,
to become a mighty force for good in the world.
Our new friends bring God-given talents, excitement,
and goodness within them.
Their enthusiasm for the gospel can be contagious,
thereby helping us revitalize our own testimonies.
They also bring fresh perspectives
to our understanding of life and the gospel.
We have long been taught how we can help our new friends
to feel welcome and loved in the restored Church of Jesus
Christ.
They need three things so they may remain strong and faithful
throughout their lives.
First, they need brothers and sisters in the Church who are
sincerely interested in them, true and loyal friends to whom
they can constantly turn, who will walk beside them,
and who will answer their questions.
As members, we should always be attentive and look for new
faces when attending Church activities and meetings,
regardless of the responsibilities, assignments,
or concerns we may have.
We can do simple things to help these new friends feel embraced
and welcome in the Church, such as giving a warm greeting,
smiling sincerely at them, sitting together to sing
and worship, introducing them to other members, and so forth.
As we open our hearts to our new friends in some of these ways,
we are acting in the spirit of ministering.
When we minister to them like the Savior did,
they won't feel like "strangers within our gates."
They will feel like they can fit in and make new friends,
and most importantly, they will feel the Savior's love through
our genuine care.
Second, new friends need an assignment--an opportunity
to serve others.
Service is one of the great geniuses of The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints.
It is a process by which our faith can grow stronger.
Every new friend deserves that opportunity.
While the bishop and ward council have direct
responsibility to extend assignments soon after
their baptism, nothing prevents us as members from inviting
our new friends to help us serve others informally or through
service projects.
Third, new friends must be "nourished by the good word
of God."
We can help them to love and become familiar with
the scriptures as we read and discuss the teachings with
them, providing them context to the stories and explaining
difficult words.
We can also teach them how to receive personal guidance
through regular scripture study.
In addition, we can reach out to our new friends in their own
homes and invite them to ours at times outside of our regularly
scheduled Church meetings and activities,
helping them merge into the mighty river of the community
of Saints.
Recognizing the adjustments and challenges our new friends make
in becoming members of God's family as brothers and sisters,
we can share how we have overcome similar challenges
in our lives.
This will help them know that they are not alone and that God
will bless them as they exercise faith in His promises.
When the Solimoes and Negro Rivers blend together,
the Amazon River becomes mighty and strong.
In a similar fashion, when we and our new friends truly
merge, the restored Church of Jesus Christ becomes even
stronger and steadier.
My sweetheart, Rosana, and I are so grateful for all those who
helped us to blend into this new river many years ago when we
embraced the gospel of Jesus Christ in our home country
of Brazil.
Throughout the years, these wonderful people have truly
ministered to us and have helped us to continue flowing
in righteousness.
We are so grateful for them.
The prophets in the Western Hemisphere knew well how
to keep new friends flowing faithfully together into this
new river of goodness toward eternal life.
For example, having seen our day and knowing that we would face
similar challenges, Moroni included some of those
important steps in his writings in the Book of Mormon,
and I quote:
"And after they had been received unto baptism,
and were wrought upon and cleansed by the power
of the Holy Ghost, they were numbered among the people
of the church of Christ; and their names were taken,
that they might be remembered and nourished by the good word
of God, to keep them in the right way,
to keep them continually watchful unto prayer,
relying alone upon the merits of Christ,
who was the author and the finisher of their faith.
"And the church did meet together oft,
to fast and to pray, and to speak one with another
concerning the welfare of their souls."
My beloved companions in the work of the Lord,
I believe we can do much better and should do better
in welcoming new friends into the Church.
I invite you to consider what we can do to be more embracing,
accepting, and helpful to them, starting this next very Sunday.
Be careful to not let your Church assignments get
in the way of welcoming new friends at Church meetings
and activities.
After all, these souls are precious before the eyes of God
and are much more important than programs and activities.
If we minister to our new members with our hearts full
of the pure love of the Savior as He did, I promise you,
in His name, that He will assist us in our efforts.
When we act as faithful ministers as the Savior did,
our new friends will have the help they need to remain
strong, dedicated, and faithful to the end.
They will join us as we become a mighty people of God and will
help us to bring fresh water to a world desperately in need
of the blessings of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
These children of God will feel like they are "no more
strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with
the saints."
I promise you that they will recognize the presence
of our Savior Jesus Christ in His own Church.
They will continue to flow with us as a river into the fountain
of goodness until they are received with open arms
by our Lord Jesus Christ and they hear the Father say,
"Ye shall have eternal life."
I invite you to seek the Lord's help in loving others as He has
loved you.
Let us all follow the counsel of Mormon: "Wherefore,
my beloved brethren [and sisters],
pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart,
that ye may be filled with this love,
which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his
Son, Jesus Christ."
Of these truths I witness and do so in the name of Jesus Christ,
amen.
The congregation will now join the choir in singing "Called
to Serve."
After the singing, we will hear from Elder Gerrit W.
Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
He will be followed by Elder Paul B. Pieper of the Seventy.
This is the 188th Semiannual General Conference of The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
[MUSIC PLAYING - "CALLED TO SERVE"]
Dear brothers and sisters, isn't it marvelous to continue
receiving revelation from heaven through President Russell M.
Nelson and our Church leaders that invites us to live in new
and holier ways, at home and at church, with all our heart,
mind, and strength?
Have you ever had opportunity to do something for which you felt
unprepared or inadequate but were blessed for trying?
I have.
Here's one example.
Some years ago, Elder Richard G. Scott,
a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles,
kindly invited, "Gerrit, would you like to watercolor with
me?"
Elder Scott said painting helped him observe and create.
He has written: "Attempt to be creative,
even if the results are modest.
...
Creativity can engender a spirit of gratitude for life
and for what the Lord has woven into your being. ...
If you choose wisely, it doesn't have to absorb a lot of time."
President Henry B. Eyring describes his artistic
meditations as motivated by "a feeling of love,"
including "the love of a Creator who expects His children
to become like Him--to create and to build."
President Eyring's creative works provide a "unique,
spiritual perspective on testimony and faith."
President Boyd K. Packer's artwork illustrates
a fundamental gospel message: "God is the Creator
of the heavens and the earth and all things that are in them,
that all nature bears testimony of that divinely directed
creation, and that there is [a] complete harmony between
nature, science, and the gospel of Jesus Christ."
Alma testifies, "All things denote there is a God."
Our Primary children sing, "Whenever I hear the song
of a bird or look at the blue, blue sky, ...
I'm glad that I live in this beautiful world Heav'nly Father
created for me."
Author Victor Hugo celebrates the "miraculous relationships
between beings and things; in this inexhaustible whole,
from sun to aphid. ...
All the birds that fly hold the thread of eternity
in their claws.
...
A nebula is an anthill of stars."
And that brings us back to Elder Scott's invitation.
"Elder Scott," I replied, "I would like to become more
observant and creative.
I thrill to imagine Heavenly Father paints with billowing
clouds and every hue of sky and water.
But"--here was a long pause--
"Elder Scott," I said, "I have no skill to watercolor.
I worry it may frustrate you to try and teach me."
Elder Scott smiled and arranged for us to meet.
On the appointed day, he prepared paper, paints,
and brushes.
He sketched some outlines and helped wet the paper for me.
We used as a model his beautiful watercolor titled Campfire
at Sunset.
As we painted, we talked about faith--how as we face the light
and warmth of a campfire, we leave the darkness
and uncertainty behind us--how on sometimes long,
lonely nights, our campfire of faith can give hope
and assurance.
And the dawn does come.
Our campfire of faith--our memories, experiences,
and heritage of faith in God's goodness and tender mercies
in our life--has strengthened us through the night.
My testimony is, for those who seek, allow, live for it,
the dawn of faith, sometimes gradually,
will come or can return.
The light will come when we desire and seek it,
when we are patient and obedient to God's commands,
when we are open to God's grace, healing, and covenants.
As we began painting, Elder Scott encouraged, "Gerrit,
even with one lesson you will paint something you will want
to keep and remember."
Elder Scott was right.
I treasure the watercolor of our campfire of faith Elder Scott
helped me paint.
My artistic ability was and remains limited,
but the remembrance of our campfire of faith can encourage
us in five ways.
First, our campfire of faith can encourage us to find joy
in wholesome creativity.
There is joy in imagining, learning,
doing worthwhile new things.
This is especially true as we deepen faith and trust
in Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.
We cannot love ourselves enough to save ourselves.
But Heavenly Father loves us more and knows us better than
we love or know ourselves.
We can trust the Lord and lean not unto our own understanding.
Have you ever been the only one not invited
to someone's birthday party?
Have you ever been chosen last, or not chosen,
when teams were selected?
Have you prepared for a school test, a job interview,
an opportunity you really wanted--and you felt you
failed?
Have you prayed for a relationship that,
for whatever reason, has not worked out?
Have you faced chronic illness, been abandoned by a spouse,
agonized for family?
Our Savior knows our circumstances.
As we exercise God-given agency and engage all our faculties
in humility and faith, our Savior Jesus Christ can help us
meet life's challenges and joys.
Faith includes a desire and choice to believe.
Faith also comes from obeying God's commandments,
given to bless us, as we follow His covenant path.
When we have felt, or feel, uncertain, alone, frustrated,
angry, let down, disappointed, or estranged from God and His
restored Church, it may take an extra measure of effort
and faith to enter again on His covenant path.
But it is worth it!
Please come, or come again, unto the Lord Jesus Christ!
God's love is stronger than the cords of death--temporal
or spiritual.
Our Savior's Atonement is infinite and eternal.
Each of us strays and falls short.
We may, for a time, lose our way.
God lovingly assures us, no matter where we are or what we
have done, there is no point of no return.
He waits ready to embrace us.
Second, our campfire of faith can encourage us to minister
in new, higher, and holier Spirit-filled ways.
Such brings miracles and the blessings of covenant
belonging--where we feel God's love and seek to minister
to others in that spirit.
Not long ago, Sister Gong and I became acquainted with a father
and family blessed by a faithful priesthood brother who came
to their bishop and asked if he (the priesthood brother) could
be a home teaching companion with the father.
The father was not active and not interested in home
teaching.
But as the father's heart changed,
he and this loving priesthood brother began visiting
"their" families.
After one such visit, his wife--herself not then
attending Church--asked her husband how things had gone.
The father admitted, "I may have felt something"--and then he
went to the kitchen to get a beer.
But one thing followed another: tender experiences,
ministering service, changing hearts,
temple preparation class, coming to Church,
being sealed as a family in the holy temple.
Imagine how grateful the children and grandchildren are
to their father and mother and to the ministering brother who
came as a friend and companion with their father to minister
and love others.
A third campfire of faith encouragement:
gospel joy and blessings come when we seek to love the Lord
and others with all our hearts and souls.
The scriptures invite us to place all we are and are
becoming on the altar of love and service.
In the Old Testament, Deuteronomy enjoins us to "love
the Lord thy God" with all our heart, soul, and might.
Joshua exhorts, "Love the Lord your God, ...
walk in all his ways, ... keep his commandments, ...
cleave unto him, and ... serve him with all your heart
and with all your soul."
In the New Testament, our Savior states the two great
commandments: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy
heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, ...
and thy neighbour as thyself."
In the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ,
King Benjamin labored "with all the might of his body
and the faculty of his whole soul"
and established peace in the land.
In the Doctrine and Covenants, as every missionary knows,
the Lord asks us to serve Him with all our "heart, might,
mind and strength."
When the Saints entered Jackson County,
the Lord commanded them to keep the Sabbath holy by loving
"the Lord thy God with all thy heart,
[and] with all thy might, mind, and strength;
and in the name of Jesus Christ thou shalt serve him."
We rejoice in the invitation to devote our whole souls
to seeking higher and holier ways to love God and those
around us and to strengthen our faith in Heavenly Father
and Jesus Christ in our hearts and in our homes and at Church.
Fourth, our campfire of faith encourages us to establish
regular patterns of righteous living that deepen faith
and spirituality.
These holy habits, righteous routines,
or prayerful patterns may include prayer;
scripture study; fasting; remembering our Savior
and covenants through the ordinance of the sacrament;
sharing gospel blessings through missionary,
temple and family history, and other service;
keeping a thoughtful personal journal; and so on.
When righteous patterns and spiritual yearnings join,
time and eternity come together.
Spiritual light and life come when regular religious
observance draws us closer to our Heavenly Father
and our Savior, Jesus Christ.
When we love the spirit and letter of the law,
the things of eternity can distill upon our souls like
the dews from heaven.
With daily obedience and refreshing living water,
we find answers, faith, and strength to meet everyday
challenges and opportunities with gospel patience,
perspective, and joy.
Fifth, as we keep the best of familiar patterns while seeking
new and holier ways to love God and help us and others prepare
to meet Him, our campfire of faith can encourage us
to remember perfection is in Christ,
not in ourselves or in the perfectionism of the world.
God's invitations are full of love and possibility
because Jesus Christ is "the way, the truth, and the life."
To those who feel burdened, He invites, "Come unto me,"
and to those who come to Him, He promises,
"I will give you rest."
"Come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, ...
love God with all your might, mind and strength,
then is his grace sufficient for you,
that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ."
In this assurance, "by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ"
is also the comfort, peace, and promise we can continue forward
with faith and confidence in the Lord,
even when things do not go as we hope, expect,
or perhaps deserve, through no fault of our own,
even after we have done our best.
In various times and ways, we all feel inadequate, uncertain,
perhaps unworthy.
Yet in our faithful efforts to love God and to minister
to our neighbor, we may feel God's love and needed
inspiration for their and our lives in new and holier ways.
With compassion, our Savior encourages and promises we can
"press forward with a steadfastness in Christ,
having a perfect brightness of hope,
and a love of God and of all men."
The doctrine of Christ, our Savior's Atonement,
and our whole-souled following of His covenant path can help
us know His truths and make us free.
I testify the fulness of His gospel and His plan
of happiness are restored and taught in The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints, in holy scripture,
and by prophets from the Prophet Joseph Smith to President
Russell M. Nelson today.
I testify His covenant path leads to the greatest gift
our loving Heavenly Father promises:
"Ye shall have eternal life."
May His blessings and enduring joy be ours as we warm
our hearts and hopes and commitment at our campfire
of faith, I pray in the sacred and holy name of Jesus Christ,
amen.
A few weeks ago I took part in the baptism of several
eight-year-old children.
They had begun to learn the gospel of Jesus Christ from
their parents and teachers.
The seed of their faith in Him had begun to grow.
And now they wanted to follow Him into the waters of baptism
to become members of His restored Church.
As I watched their anticipation, I wondered how much they
understood about one important aspect of their baptismal
covenant: their commitment to take upon themselves the name
of Jesus Christ.
From the beginning, God has declared the preeminence
of the name of Jesus Christ in His plan for us.
An angel taught our first father, Adam:
"Thou shalt do all that thou doest in the name of the Son,
and thou shalt repent and call upon God in the name of the Son
forevermore."
The Book of Mormon prophet King Benjamin taught his people,
"There shall be no other name given nor any other way nor
means whereby salvation can come."
The Lord reiterated this truth to the Prophet Joseph Smith:
"Behold, Jesus Christ is the name which is given
of the Father, and there is none other name given whereby man
can be saved."
In our day, President Dallin H. Oaks has taught that "those who
exercise faith in the sacred name of Jesus Christ ...
and enter into his covenant ... can lay claim on the atoning
sacrifice of Jesus Christ."
Our Heavenly Father wants to make it absolutely clear that
the name of His Son, Jesus Christ,
is not simply one name among many.
The Savior's name has singular and essential power.
It is the only name by which salvation is possible.
By emphasizing this truth in every dispensation,
our loving Father assures all of His children that there is
a way back to Him.
But having a sure way available does not mean that our return
is automatically assured.
God tells us that our action is required: "Wherefore,
all men [and women] must take upon them the name which is
given of the Father."
In order to access the saving power that comes only through
the name of Christ, we must "humble [ourselves] before God
... and come forth with broken hearts and contrite spirits ...
and [be] willing to take upon [us] the name of Jesus Christ"
and thereby qualify, like my young eight-year-old friends,
to "be received by baptism into his church."
All who sincerely desire to take the Savior's name upon them
must qualify for and receive the ordinance of baptism
as a physical witness to God of their decision.
But baptism is just the beginning.
The word take is not passive.
It is an action word with multiple definitions.
Likewise, our commitment to take upon us the name of Jesus
Christ requires action and has multiple dimensions.
For example, one meaning of the word take is to partake
of or receive into one's body, such as when we take a drink.
By taking upon ourselves the name of Christ,
we commit to take His teachings, His characteristics,
and ultimately His love deep into our beings so that they
become part of who we are.
Thus the importance of President Nelson's invitation to young
adults to "prayerfully and vigorously [seek] to understand
what each of [the Savior's] various titles and names means
personally for [them]" and to feast on the words of Christ
in the scriptures, especially the Book of Mormon.
Another meaning of the word take is to accept a person
in a particular role or embrace the truthfulness of an idea
or principle.
When we take upon us the name of Christ,
we accept Him as our Savior and continually embrace His
teachings as the guide for our lives.
In every meaningful decision we make,
we can take His gospel to be true and obediently live it
with all of our heart, might, mind, and strength.
The word take can also mean to align oneself with a name
or a cause.
Most of us have had the experience of taking
on responsibility at work or taking up a cause
or a movement.
When we take upon ourselves the name of Christ,
we take upon us the responsibilities of a true
disciple, we advocate His cause, and we "stand as witnesses
of [Him] at all times and in all things,
and in all places that [we] may be in."
President Nelson has called upon "every young woman and every
young man ... to enlist in the youth battalion of the Lord
to help gather Israel."
And all of us are grateful to take up the prophetic call
to profess the name of His restored Church as revealed
by the Savior Himself: The Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints.
In the process of taking the Savior's name upon us,
we must understand that the cause of Christ and of His
Church are one and the same.
They cannot be separated.
Similarly, our personal discipleship to the Savior
and active membership in His Church are also inseparable.
If we falter in our commitment to one,
our commitment to the other will be diminished,
as surely as night follows day.
Some are reluctant to assume the name of Jesus Christ and His
cause because they regard it to be unduly narrow, limiting,
and confining.
In reality, taking upon us the name of Christ is both
liberating and enlarging.
It awakens the desire we felt when we accepted God's plan
through faith in the Savior.
With this desire alive in our hearts,
we can discover the real purpose of our divinely given gifts
and talents, experience His empowering love,
and grow in our concern for the welfare of others.
As we take upon us the Savior's name,
we truly lay hold upon every good thing.
It is important to remember that taking the Savior's name upon
us is a covenant commitment--beginning with
the covenant we make at baptism.
President Nelson has taught, "[Our] commitment to follow
the Savior by making covenants with Him and then keeping those
covenants will open the door to every spiritual blessing
and privilege available."
One of the supernal privileges of taking the Savior's name
upon us by baptism is the access it provides to the next
ordinance on the covenant path, our confirmation.
When I asked one of my eight-year-old friends what
taking the name of Christ meant to her, she replied simply,
"It means I can have the Holy Ghost."
She was right.
The gift of the Holy Ghost is received by confirmation after
we have received the ordinance of baptism.
This gift is the right and opportunity to have the Holy
Ghost as a constant companion.
If we listen to and obey His still, small voice,
He will keep us on the covenant path we entered through
baptism, warn us when we are tempted to depart from it,
and encourage us to repent and adjust as necessary.
Our focus after baptism is to keep the Holy Ghost always with
us so that we can continue progressing along the covenant
path.
The Holy Ghost can be with us only to the degree we keep
our lives clean and free from sin.
For this reason, the Lord has provided a way for us
to continually refresh the purifying effect of our baptism
through another ordinance--the sacrament.
Each week, we can "witness ... that [we] are willing to take
upon [us] the name of [the] Son" again by reaching out
and taking the emblems of the Lord's flesh and blood
in our hands--the bread and the water--and partaking of them
into our very souls.
In return, the Savior performs His cleansing miracle yet again
and qualifies us to have the continuing influence
of the Holy Ghost.
Is this not evidence of the infinite mercy found only
in the name of Jesus Christ?
Just as we take His name upon us,
He takes our sins and sorrows upon Him,
and yet His arm is "stretched out still"
to encircle us in the arms of His love.
The sacrament is a weekly reminder that taking upon us
the name of Jesus Christ is a living and continuing
commitment, not a single event that happens once only
on the day of our baptism.
We can continually and repeatedly enjoy "that sacred
holy off'ring, by man least understood,
to have our sins remitted and take his flesh and blood."
It is little wonder then that whenever the children of God
understand the powerful, spiritual blessings that can
come from taking upon them the name of Christ,
their feeling is always of joy and their desire is always
to enter into a covenant with their God.
As we follow this divinely designed covenant path,
our commitment and efforts to take upon us the name of Jesus
Christ will give us the strength to "retain [His] name written
always in [our] hearts."
We will love God and our neighbors and feel a desire
to minister to them.
We will keep His commandments and yearn to draw nearer to Him
by entering into additional covenants with Him.
And when we find ourselves weak and incapable to act
on our righteous desires, we will plead for the strength
that comes only through His name,
and He will come to our aid.
As we endure in faithfulness, the day will come when we will
see Him and be with Him, and we will find that we have become
like Him, thus qualifying us to return to the presence
of the Father.
For the Savior's promise is sure:
those who "believe on the name of Jesus Christ,
and worship the Father in his name,
and endure in faith on his name to the end"
will be saved in the kingdom of God.
With you, I rejoice that these incomparable blessings are made
possible by taking upon us the name of Jesus Christ,
of whom and in whose name I testify, amen.
We are grateful for all who have spoken to us this afternoon
and for the beautiful music that has been provided by this
missionary choir.
As you are all aware, we have made changes to the general
conference schedule, which become effective with this
conference.
We will have no priesthood meeting this evening.
Instead we will have a general women's session for all sisters
ages eight and older, which will commence in the Conference
Center this evening at 6:00 p.m.
mountain daylight time.
The nationwide broadcast of Music and the Spoken Word will
be tomorrow morning from 9:30 to 10:00 a.m.
mountain daylight time.
The Sunday morning session of conference will immediately
follow.
The concluding speaker for this session will be Elder Dieter F.
Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Following his remarks, the choir will close this meeting
by singing "Hope of Israel."
The benediction will then be offered by Elder Joni L.
Koch of the Seventy.
My dear brothers and sisters, it's such a wonderful occasion
to be with you in this marvelous general conference session
today to listen to inspired messages,
to listen to this marvelous, amazing choir of missionaries
representing the many thousands of missionaries all around
the world--our daughters, our sons--and especially of being
united in our faith today, again sustaining our dear President
and prophet, President Russell M. Nelson;
the First Presidency; and the General Officers of the Church.
What a joyful day to be with you today!
Now, the ancient King Solomon was one of the most outwardly
successful human beings in history.
He seemed to have everything: money, power, adoration, honor.
But after decades of self-indulgence and luxury,
how did King Solomon sum up his life?
"All is vanity," he said.
This man, who had it all, ended up disillusioned, pessimistic,
and unhappy despite everything he had going for him.
There's a word in German, Weltschmerz.
Loosely defined, it means the sadness that comes from
brooding about how the world is inferior to how we think it
ought to be.
Perhaps there's a little Weltschmerz in all of us.
When silent sorrows creep into the corners of our lives;
when sadness saturates our days and casts deep shadows over
our nights; when tragedy and injustice enter the world
around us, including the lives of those we love;
when we journey through our own personal and lonely path
of misfortune, and pain darkens our stillness and breaches
our tranquility--we might be tempted to agree with Solomon
that life is vain and devoid of meaning.
The good news is, there is hope.
There is a solution to the emptiness, vanity,
and Weltschmerz of life.
There is a solution to even the deepest hopelessness
and discouragement you might feel.
This hope is found in the transformative power
of the gospel of Jesus Christ and in the Savior's redemptive
power to heal us from our soul-sickness.
"I am come," Jesus declared, "that they might have life,
and that they might have it more abundantly."
We achieve that abundant life not by focusing on our own
needs or on our own achievements but by becoming true disciples
of Jesus Christ--by following in His ways and engaging in His
work.
We find the abundant life by forgetting ourselves
and engaging in the great cause of Christ.
Now, what is the cause of Christ?
It is to believe in Him, love as He loved, and do as He did.
Jesus "went about doing good."
He walked among the poor, the outcast, the sick,
and the ashamed.
He ministered to the powerless, the weak, and the friendless.
He spent time with them; He spoke with them.
"And he healed them."
Everywhere He went, the Savior taught the "good news"
of the gospel.
He shared eternal truths that set people free spiritually
as well as temporally.
Those who dedicate themselves to Christ's cause discover
the truth of the Savior's promise:
"Whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it."
Solomon was wrong, my dear brothers and sisters--life is
not "vanity."
To the contrary, it can be full of purpose, meaning, and peace.
The healing hands of Jesus Christ reach out to all who
seek Him.
I have come to know without a doubt that believing and loving
God and striving to follow Christ can change our hearts,
soften our pain, and fill our souls with "exceedingly great
joy."
Of course, we must do more than merely have an intellectual
understanding of the gospel for it to have this healing
influence in our lives.
We must incorporate it into our lives--make it a part of who we
are and what we do.
May I suggest that discipleship begins with three simple words:
Believe, love, and do.
Believing God leads to faith in Him and developing trust in His
word.
Faith causes our hearts to grow in our love for God and others.
And as that love grows, we are inspired to emulate the Savior
as we continue our own great journey on the path
of discipleship.
"But," you will say, "that seems a bit simplistic.
Life's problems, certainly my problems,
are far too complex for such a simple prescription.
You can't cure Weltschmerz with three simple words: believe,
love, do."
No, it's not the aphorism that cures.
It is the love of God that rescues, restores, and revives.
God knows you.
You are His child.
He loves you.
Even when you think that you are not lovable,
He reaches out to you.
This very day--every day--He reaches out to you,
desiring to heal you, lift you up,
and to replace the emptiness in your heart with an abiding joy.
He desires to sweep away any darkness that clouds your life
and fill it with the sacred and brilliant light of His unending
glory.
I have experienced this for myself.
And it is my witness as an Apostle of the Lord Jesus
Christ that all who come unto God--all who truly believe,
love, and do--can experience the same.
The scriptures teach us that "without faith it is impossible
to please [God]: for he that cometh to God must believe that
he is."
For some, the act of believing is difficult.
Sometimes our pride gets in the way.
Perhaps we think that because we are intelligent, educated,
or experienced, we simply cannot believe in God.
And we begin to look at religion as foolish tradition.
In my experience, belief is not so much like a painting we look
at and admire and about which we discuss and theorize.
No, it is more like a plough that we take into the fields
and, by the sweat of our brow, create furrows in the earth
that accept seeds and bear fruit that shall remain.
Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.
This is the promise to all who seek to believe.
The scriptures reveal that the more we love God and His
children, the happier we become.
The love Jesus spoke about, however, isn't a gift-card,
throwaway, move-on-to-other-things love.
It isn't a love that is spoken of and then forgotten.
It is not a "let me know if there is anything I can do"
sort of love.
The love God speaks of is the kind that enters our hearts
when we awake in the morning, stays with us throughout
the day, and swells in our hearts as we give voice
to our prayers of gratitude at evening's end.
This is the inexpressible love Heavenly Father has for us.
It is this endless compassion that allows us to more clearly
see others for who they are.
Through the lens of pure love, we see immortal beings
of infinite potential and worth and beloved sons and daughters
of Almighty God.
Once we see through that lens, we cannot discount, disregard,
or discriminate against anyone.
In the Savior's work, it is often "by small and simple"
means that "great things [are] brought to pass."
We know that it requires repetitive practice to become
good at anything.
Whether it's playing the clarinet,
kicking a ball into a net, repairing a car,
or even flying an airplane, it is through practicing that we
may become better and better.
The organization our Savior created on earth--The Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints--helps us to do just
that.
It offers a place to practice living the way He taught
and blessing others the way He did.
As Church members, we are given callings, responsibilities,
and opportunities to reach out in compassion and minister
to others.
Recently the Church has placed a renewed emphasis
on ministering, or serving or loving others.
And this is truly a wonderful way to minister,
a way to all of those around us.
It is a more refined way to love and serve our fellow beings
by ministering to them in many ways.
Great thought was taken to determine what we should call
this special emphasis.
One of the names considered was shepherding,
a fitting reference to Christ's invitation: "Feed my sheep."
However, it had at least one complication:
using that term would make me a German shepherd.
Consequently, I am quite content with the term ministering.
Of course, this emphasis is not new.
It simply provides a renewed and refined opportunity for us
to practice the Savior's commandments to "love one
another," a refined way to implement and practice
the purpose of the Church.
Just think about that.
Missionary work--the courageous, humble,
and confident sharing of the gospel--is a wonderful example
of ministering to the spiritual needs of others,
whoever they are.
Or doing temple work--seeking out the names of our ancestors
and offering them the blessings of eternity.
What a divine way of ministering.
Consider the act of seeking out the poor and the needy,
lifting the hands that hang down,
or blessing the sick and afflicted.
Aren't these the very acts of pure ministering the Lord
practiced when He walked the earth?
If you are not a member of the Church,
I invite you to come and see.
Come and join with us.
If you are a member of the Church but presently not
participating actively, I invite you, please come back.
We need you!
Come, add your strengths to ours.
Because of your unique talents, abilities, and personality,
you will help us become better and happier.
In return, we will help you become better and happier
as well.
Come, help us build and strengthen a culture
of healing, kindness, and mercy towards all of God's children.
For we are all striving to become new creatures where "old
things are passed away" and "all things ... become new."
God shows us the direction to move--forward and upward.
He says, "If ye love me, keep my commandments."
Let us all work together to become the people God intended
for us to become.
This is the kind of gospel culture we desire to cultivate
throughout the Church of Jesus Christ.
We seek to strengthen the Church as a place where we forgive one
another; where we resist the temptation to find fault,
gossip, and bring others down; where,
instead of pointing out flaws, we lift up and help each other
to become the best we can be.
Let me invite you again.
Come and see.
Join with us.
We need you.
You will find that this Church is filled with some
of the finest people this world has to offer.
They are welcoming, loving, kind, and sincere.
They are sacrificing, hardworking,
and even heroic at times.
And they are also painfully imperfect.
They make mistakes.
From time to time they say things they shouldn't.
They do things they wish they hadn't.
But they do have this in common--they want to improve
and draw closer to the Lord, our Savior, even Jesus Christ.
They are trying to get it right.
They believe.
They love.
They do.
They want to become less selfish, more compassionate,
more refined, more like Jesus.
Yes, life can be hard at times.
Certainly we all have our times of despair and discouragement.
But the gospel of Jesus Christ offers hope.
And in the Church of Jesus Christ,
we join with others who seek a place where we can feel
at home--a place of growth where, together,
we can believe, love, and do.
Regardless of our differences, we seek to embrace one another
as sons and daughters of our beloved Heavenly Father.
I am grateful beyond measure to be a member of The Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and to know that God
loves His children enough to give them a blueprint
for happiness and meaning in this life and a way
to experience eternal joy in the halls of glory in the life
to come.
I am grateful that God has given us a way to heal
the soul-sicknesses and the Weltschmerz of life.
I testify and leave you my blessing that as we believe
in God, as we love Him and love His children with all
our hearts, and strive to do as God has instructed us,
we will find healing and peace, happiness and meaning.
In the sacred name of our Master,
in the name of our Savior, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
[MUSIC PLAYING - "HOPE OF ISRAEL"]
Our beloved, dear, and kind Heavenly Father,
we come before Thee with our hearts full of gratitude
for the precious teachings and instructions that we have heard
from our prophets, apostles, and leaders today.
We are very grateful for this music that has been provided
by our valiant missionaries.
We thank Thee especially, Father,
for the sweet spirit that we have felt here today.
We ask Thee to bless us with the courage, determination, desire,
and the capacity to act upon the feelings and thoughts that came
to us while we were listening to this beautiful music and to Thy
servants.
Please bless us, Father, with the capacity to prepare
our minds and our hearts for the next sessions of general
conference, that we may receive further personal revelation,
we humbly pray in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
This has been a broadcast of the 188th Semiannual General
Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints.
Speakers were selected from the General Authorities and General
Officers of the Church.
The music for this session was provided by a combined choir
of missionaries from the Missionary Training Center
in Provo, Utah.
This broadcast has been furnished as a public service
by Bonneville Distribution.
Any reproduction, recording, transcription,
or other use of this program without written consent is
prohibited.