From the Conference Center at Temple Square in Salt Lake
City, this is the Sunday morning 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.
Music for this session is provided by the Tabernacle
Choir at Temple Square.
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 Henry B. Eyring, Second Counselor
in the First Presidency of the Church,
will conduct this session.
[MUSIC PLAYING - "REJOICE, THE LORD IS KING!"]
Brothers and sisters, we welcome you
to the Sunday morning session of the 188th Semiannual General
Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints.
President Russell M. Nelson, who presides at the conference,
has asked me to conduct this session.
We extend our greetings and blessings
to those of you who are participating
in these proceedings throughout the world
by radio, television, the internet, or satellite
transmission.
We acknowledge the General Authorities
and the General Officers who are in attendance this morning.
The music for this session will be provided by the Tabernacle
Choir at Temple Square under the direction of Mack Wilberg,
with Richard Elliott and Andrew Unsworth at the organ.
The choir opened this meeting with "Rejoice,
the Lord Is King!"
and will now favor us with "Redeemer of Israel."
The invocation will then be offered by Elder Allan F.
Packer, who received emeritus status yesterday afternoon.
The choir will then sing "Choose the Right."
[MUSIC PLAYING - "REDEEMER OF ISRAEL"]
Our Heavenly Father, we are grateful to be gathered
together this morning in this Sunday morning
session of general conference.
We acknowledge Thy blessings and the guidance
that we have received.
We come to worship Thee, Thy Son;
to learn, to be uplifted, motivated, and inspired;
and most of all to learn how we might move Thy work forward.
We're grateful for all who are involved
in preparing for speaking to and blessing
the lives of the members of the Church through this conference.
We pray that Thy Spirit might be here in abundance,
that each of the speakers may be able to express that which
has been prepared, and that we as members
of the Church throughout the world
will be able to hear, remember, understand, and apply
those principles in our lives.
We ask Thy blessings upon President Nelson,
his counselors, the Quorum of the Twelve,
and all the leaders throughout the world.
We ask Thy blessings to be with those
who suffer from the natural disasters which have occurred.
We ask Thee to bless and strengthen
those who are pained through physical, emotional,
or other events that have occurred in their lives.
We express our love and gratitude to Thee,
in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
[MUSIC PLAYING - "CHOOSE THE RIGHT"]
We will now be pleased to hear from President M. Russell
Ballard, who serves as Acting President of the Quorum
of the Twelve Apostles.
He will be followed by Sister Bonnie H.
Cordon, who serves as Young Women General President.
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
will then address us.
My brothers and sisters, my talk was prepared some time
before the passing of my dear wife, Barbara.
My family and I thank you for your love and your outreach
and kindness.
I pray the Lord will bless me as I speak to you this morning.
In October 1918, 100 years ago, President Joseph F. Smith
received a glorious vision.
After almost 65 years of dedicated service to the Lord
in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,
and just a few weeks before his death on November 19, 1918,
he sat in his room pondering Christ's atoning sacrifice
and reading the Apostle Peter's description
of the Savior's ministry in the spirit world
after His Crucifixion.
He recorded: "As I read I was greatly impressed.
...
As I pondered over these things ...
the eyes of my understanding were opened,
and the Spirit of the Lord rested upon me,
and I saw the hosts of the dead."
The full text of the vision is recorded in Doctrine
and Covenants section 138.
Let me provide some background so that we may more fully
appreciate Joseph F.'s lifetime of preparation
to receive this remarkable revelation.
When he was President of the Church,
he visited Nauvoo in 1906 and reflected
on a memory he had when he was just five years old.
He said: "This is the exact spot where
I stood when [Joseph, my uncle, and my father, Hyrum]
came riding up on their way to Carthage.
Without getting off his horse father leaned over [from]
his saddle and picked me up off the ground.
He kissed me goodbye and put me down again
and I saw him ride away."
The next time Joseph F. saw them,
his mother, Mary Fielding, lifted him up
to see the martyrs lying side by side
after being brutally murdered in Carthage Jail on June 27, 1844.
Two years later, Joseph F., along with his family
and faithful mother, Mary Fielding Smith,
left his home in Nauvoo for Winter Quarters.
Although not yet 8 years old, Joseph F.
was required to drive one of the ox teams
from Montrose, Iowa, to Winter Quarters
and then later on to the Salt Lake Valley,
arriving when he was almost 10.
I hope you boys and young men are listening
and will realize the responsibility and expectation
placed on Joseph F. during his boyhood.
Just four years later, in 1852, when he was 13,
his beloved mother died--leaving Joseph and his siblings
orphans.
Joseph F. was called to serve a mission
in the Hawaiian Islands in 1854 when he was 15 years old.
This mission, which lasted more than three years,
was the beginning of a life of service in the Church.
Upon his return to Utah, Joseph F. married in 1859.
For the next few years, his life was
filled with work, family duties, two additional missions.
And on July 1, 1866, at the age of 27,
Joseph F.'s life was forever changed
when he was ordained an Apostle by President Brigham Young.
In October the following year, he filled a vacancy
in the Council of the Twelve.
He served as a counselor to Brigham Young, John Taylor,
Wilford Woodruff, and Lorenzo Snow
before becoming President himself in 1901.
Joseph F. and his wife Julina welcomed their first child,
Mercy Josephine, into the family.
She was only two and a half years old when she passed away.
Shortly after, Joseph F. recorded:
"It is one month yesterday since my ... darling Josephine died.
O!
that I could have saved her to grow up to womanhood.
I miss her every day and I am lonely. ...
God forgive my weakness if it is wrong to love
my little ones as I love them."
During his lifetime, President Smith
lost his father, his mother, one brother, two sisters,
two wives, and 13 children.
He was well acquainted with sorrow and losing loved ones.
When his son Albert Jesse died, Joseph F.
wrote to his sister Martha Ann that he had pled with the Lord
to save him and asked, "Why is it so?
O. God why had it to be?"
Despite his prayers at the time, Joseph F. received no answer
on this matter.
He told Martha Ann that "the heavens [seemed like]
brass over our heads" on the subject of death and the spirit
world.
Nevertheless, his faith in the Lord's eternal promises
was firm and steadfast.
In the Lord's due time, the additional answers, comfort,
and understanding about the spirit world
he sought came to President Smith
through a marvelous vision he received in October 1918.
That year was particularly painful for him.
He grieved over the death toll of the Great World War
that continued to climb up over 20 million people that
were killed.
Additionally, a flu pandemic was spreading around the world,
taking the lives of as many as 100 million people.
During this year, President Smith
also lost three more precious family members.
Elder Hyrum Mack Smith of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles,
his firstborn son and my grandfather,
died suddenly of a ruptured appendix.
President Smith wrote: "I am speechless--[numb] with grief!
...
My heart is broken; and flutters for life!
...
O!
I loved him!
I will love him forever more.
And so it is and ever will be with all my sons and daughters,
but he is my first born son, the first to bring me the joy
and hope of an endless, honorable name among men. ...
From the depths of my soul I thank God for him!
But ...
O!
I needed him!
We all needed him!
He was most useful to the Church.
...
And now ...
O!
what can I do!
O!
God help me!"
The next month, President Smith's son-in-law,
Alonzo Kesler, died in a tragic accident.
President Smith noted in his journal,
"This most terrible and heart-rending fatal accident,
has again cast a pall of gloom over all [of] my family."
Seven months later, in September 1918,
President Smith's daughter-in-law
and my grandmother, Ida Bowman Smith,
died after giving birth to her fifth child, my Uncle Hyrum.
And so it was on October 3, 1918,
having experienced intense sorrow over the millions
who had died in the world through war and disease
as well as the deaths of his own family members,
President Smith received the heavenly revelation
known as "the vision of the redemption of the dead."
He alluded to the revelation the following day
in the opening session of general conference.
President Smith's health was failing, yet he spoke briefly.
He said: "I will not, I dare not,
attempt to enter upon [the] many things
that are resting upon my mind this morning,
and I shall postpone until some future time,
the Lord be willing, my attempt to tell you some of the things
that are in my mind, and that dwell in my heart.
I have not lived alone these [last] five months.
I have dwelt in the spirit of prayer, of supplication,
of faith and of determination; and I
have had my communication with the Spirit of the Lord
continuously."
The revelation he received on October 3 comforted his heart
and provided answers to many of his questions.
We too can be comforted and learn more about our own future
when we and our loved ones die and go to the spirit world
by studying this revelation and pondering
its significance in the way we live our lives each day.
Among the many things President Smith
saw was the Savior's visit to the faithful in the spirit
world after His own death on the cross.
From the vision I quote:
"But behold, from among the righteous,
he organized his forces and appointed messengers,
clothed with power and authority,
and commissioned them to go forth and carry the light
of the gospel to them that were in darkness,
even to all the spirits of men [and women];
and thus was the gospel preached to the dead. ...
"These were taught faith in God, repentance
from sin, vicarious [baptisms and] remission [for]
sins, the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands,
"And all other principles of the gospel
that were necessary for them to know in order
to qualify themselves that they might be judged according
to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.
...
"For the dead had looked upon the long absence
of their spirits from their bodies as a bondage.
"These the Lord taught, and gave them power
to come forth, after his resurrection from the dead,
to enter into his Father's kingdom,
there to be crowned with immortality and eternal life,
"And continue thenceforth their labor
as had been promised by the Lord,
and be partakers of all blessings which
were held in reserve for them that love him."
In the vision, President Smith saw his father, Hyrum,
and the Prophet Joseph Smith.
It had been 74 years since he had last seen them
as a small boy in Nauvoo.
We can only imagine his joy at seeing his beloved father
and uncle.
He must have been inspired and comforted
to know that all spirits retain the likeness
of their mortal body and that they are anxiously
awaiting the day of their promised resurrection.
The vision revealed more fully the depth and breadth
of Heavenly Father's plan for His children
and Christ's redeeming love and matchless
power of His Atonement.
On this special 100th anniversary,
I invite you to thoroughly read and thoughtfully read
the revelation.
As you do so, may the Lord bless you to more fully
understand and appreciate God's love, His plan of salvation
and happiness for His children.
I testify that the vision President Joseph F.
Smith received is true.
I bear witness that every person can read it and come
to know it is true.
Those who do not receive this knowledge in this life
will surely come to know of its truthfulness
when everyone will arrive in the spirit world.
There, all will love and praise God and the Lord Jesus Christ
for the great plan of salvation, the blessing of the promised
resurrection, when body and spirit
will once again be united never to be separated again.
How grateful I am today, my brothers and sisters,
to know where my precious Barbara is
and that we will be together again
with our family for all eternity.
May the peace of the Lord sustain all of us
now and forever is my humble prayer,
in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
President Ballard, we love you, and we are
praying for your dear family.
A year ago, a Primary child I met in Chile
brought a smile to my face.
"Hello," he said, "I am David.
Will you talk about me in general conference?"
In quiet moments, however, I have pondered
David's unexpected greeting.
We all want to be recognized.
We want to matter, to be remembered, and to feel loved.
Sisters and brothers, each of you matter.
Even if you are not spoken of in general conference,
the Savior knows you and loves you.
If you wonder if that is true, you
need only contemplate that He has "graven [you]
upon the palms of [His] hands."
Knowing that the Savior loves us,
we might then wonder, how can we best show our love for Him?
The Savior asks Peter, "Lovest thou me ...?"
Peter answered, "Yea, Lord; thou knowest ...
I love thee.
He saith unto him, Feed my lambs."
When asked this question both a second and third time,
"Lovest thou me?"
Peter was grieved yet confirmed his love: "Lord, thou knowest
all things; thou knowest that I love thee.
Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep."
Hadn't Peter already proven himself
a loving follower of Christ?
From their first encounter on the seashore,
he "straightway" left his fishing
nets to follow the Savior.
Peter became a true fisher of men;
he accompanied the Savior during His personal ministry
and helped teach to others the gospel of Jesus Christ.
But now the resurrected Lord knew
He would no longer be by Peter's side,
showing him how and when he should serve.
In the Savior's absence, Peter would
need to seek guidance from the Spirit,
receive revelation on his own, and then have
the courage and faith to act.
Focused on His sheep, the Savior desired
Peter to do what He would do if He was there.
He asked Peter to become a shepherd.
Last April, President Russell M. Nelson
extended a similar invitation to us
to feed our Father's sheep in a holier way
and to do so through ministering.
To effectively accept this invitation,
we must develop a shepherd's heart
and understand the needs of the Lord's sheep.
So how do we become the shepherds
the Lord needs us to become?
As with all questions, we can look to our Savior,
Jesus Christ--the Good Shepherd.
The Savior's sheep were known and numbered,
they were watched over, and they were
gathered into the fold of God.
As we strive to follow the Savior's example,
we must first know and number His sheep.
We have been assigned specific individuals and families
to tend so we are certain that all the Lord's flocks are
accounted for and no one--no one is forgotten.
Numbering, however, is not really about numbers;
it is about making certain each person feels
the love of the Savior through someone who serves for Him.
In that way, all can recognize they are known
by a loving Father in Heaven.
I recently met a young woman who has
been assigned to minister to a sister almost five times
her age.
Together, they have discovered a common love for music.
When this young woman visits, they sing songs together
and they share their favorites.
They are forging a friendship that
blesses both of their lives.
I hope those to whom you minister will see you
as a friend and realize that in you,
they have a champion and a confidant--someone who is aware
of their circumstances and supports them in their hopes
and aspirations.
Recently I received an assignment to minister
to a sister neither my companion nor I knew well.
As I counseled with Jess, my 16-year-old ministering
companion, she wisely suggested, "We need to get to know her."
Well, we immediately decided that a selfie
and an introductory text were in order.
I held the phone, and Jess pushed the button
to take the photo.
Our first ministering opportunity
was a companionship effort.
On our first visit, we asked our sister
if there was anything we could include in our prayers
on her behalf.
She shared a tender personal challenge
and said she would welcome, so welcome our prayers.
Her honesty and confidence brought an instant bond
of love.
What a sweet privilege to remember her
in my daily prayers.
As you pray, you will feel the love of Jesus Christ
for those to whom you minister.
Share that love with them.
What better way is there to feed His sheep than to help them
feel His love--through you?
A second way to develop the heart of a shepherd
is to watch over His sheep.
As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints, we can move, fix, repair, and rebuild
just about anything.
We are quick to meet a need with a helping
hand or a plate of cookies.
But is there more?
Do our sheep know we are watching over them with love
and we will take action to help?
In Matthew we read:
"Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared
for you ...:
"For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty,
and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger,
and ye took me in. ...
"Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we
thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty,
and gave thee drink?
"When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in?"
Brothers and sisters, the key word is saw.
The righteous saw those in need because they
were watching and noticing.
We too can be a watchful eye to aid and comfort,
to celebrate and even dream.
As we act, we can be assured of the promise in Matthew:
"Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these
..., ye have done it unto me."
A friend--we will call him John--shared what can happen
when we see another's less-visible need:
"A sister in my ward attempted suicide.
After two months, I discovered no one in my quorum
had approached her husband to address
this traumatic experience.
Sadly, I had not acted either.
Finally, I asked the husband to lunch.
He was a shy man, often reserved.
And yet when I said, 'Your wife attempted suicide.
That must be overwhelming for you.
Do you want to talk about it?'
he openly wept.
We had a tender and intimate conversation
and developed a remarkable closeness and trust
within minutes."
John added, "I think our tendency is just
to bring brownies rather than figure out
how to walk into [the] moment with honesty and love."
Our sheep may be hurting, lost, or even willfully astray;
as their shepherd, we can be among the first
to see their need.
We can listen and love without judgment and offer hope
and help with the discerning guidance of the Holy Ghost.
Sisters and brothers, the world is more hope-filled and joyful
because of the inspired acts of kindness you perform.
As you seek the Lord's direction on how to convey His love
and see the needs of those to whom you minister,
your eyes will be opened.
Your sacred ministering assignment
gives you a divine right to inspiration.
You can seek that inspiration with confidence.
Third, we want our sheep to be gathered into the fold of God.
To do so, we must consider where they are on the covenant path
and be willing to walk with them on their journey of faith.
Ours is a sacred privilege to come to know their hearts
and point them to their Savior.
Sister Josivini in Fiji had difficulty seeing her way
forward on the covenant path--literally.
Her friend saw that Josivini struggled
to see the scriptures well enough to read.
She provided Josivini with new reading glasses
and a bright yellow pencil to highlight
every mention of Jesus Christ in the Book of Mormon.
What started as a simple desire to minister and to help with
scripture study has resulted in Josivini attending the temple
for the first time--28 years after she was baptized.
Whether our sheep are strong or weak,
rejoicing or in anguish, we can make certain
that no one walks alone.
We can love them wherever they are spiritually
and offer support and encouragement for the next step
forward.
As we pray and seek to understand their hearts,
I testify that Heavenly Father will direct us
and His Spirit will go with us.
We have the opportunity to be the "angels round about" them
as He goes before their face.
The Lord invites us to feed His sheep.
To tend His flocks as He would, He
invites us to be shepherds to every nation, every country;
and yes, Elder Uchtdorf, we love and need German shepherds.
And He desires His young people to join in the cause.
Our youth can be some of the strongest shepherds.
They are, as President Russell M. Nelson said, "among the best
the Lord has ever sent to this world."
They are "noble spirits," our "finest players"
who follow the Savior.
Can you imagine the power such shepherds will bring
as they care for His sheep?
Ministering side by side with these youth, we see wonders.
Young women and young men, we need you.
If you don't have a ministering assignment,
talk with your Relief Society or elders quorum president.
They will rejoice in your willingness
to make certain His sheep are known and numbered, watched
over, and gathered into the fold of God.
When the day comes that we will kneel
at the feet of our beloved Savior,
having nourished His flock, I pray
we can answer as did Peter: "Yea, Lord; thou knowest
that I love thee."
These, Thy sheep, are loved, they are safe,
and they are home.
In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
We all remember last April when President Russell M.
Nelson introduced this concept of ministering.
He stressed that it was a way to keep
the great commandments to love God and love each other.
We as officers of the Church openly applaud and congratulate
you on the tremendous response you
have made and begun in that regard.
We thank you for following our beloved prophet
in this wonderful endeavor and suggest
that you don't wait for many more instructions.
Just jump into the pool and swim.
Head toward those in need.
Don't be immobilized wondering whether you
should do the backstroke or the dog paddle.
If we follow the basic principles that have been
taught, stay aligned with priesthood keys,
and seek the Holy Spirit to guide us, we cannot fail.
Thank you, Sister Cordon, for that great message.
This morning I wish to speak of an even more personal aspect
of ministering that isn't by assignment, that does not
involve a calendared interview, and has no reporting
line except to heaven.
Let me share just one homespun example
of that kind of ministering.
Grant Morrell Bowen was a hardworking, devoted husband
and father who, like many, made their living on the land
and had an economic downturn when the local potato
crop was poor.
He and his wife, Norma, took other employment,
eventually moved to another city,
and started their climb back to economic stability.
However, in a terribly unfortunate incident,
Brother Bowen was deeply hurt when
in a temple recommend interview, the bishop
was a little skeptical regarding Morrell's declaration
that he was a full-tithe payer.
I do not know which of these two men
had the more accurate facts that day,
but I do know Sister Bowen walked out
of that interview with her temple recommend renewed,
while Brother Bowen walked out with an anger that
would take him away from the Church for 15 years.
Regardless of who was right about the tithing,
evidently both Morrell and the bishop
forgot the Savior's injunction to "agree with thine adversary
quickly" and Paul's counsel to "let not
the sun go down upon your wrath."
The fact is they didn't agree, and the sun
did go down on Brother Bowen's wrath for days
and then for weeks and then for years,
proving the point made by one of the wisest of the old Romans
who said, "Anger, if not restrained,
is frequently more [destructive] than the injury that
provoked it."
But the miracle of reconciliation
is always available to us, and out of love for his family
and the Church he knew to be true,
Morrell Bowen came back into full Church activity.
Let me tell you briefly how that happened.
Brother Bowen's son Brad is a good friend of ours
and a devoted Area Seventy serving in southern Idaho.
Brad was 11 years old at the time of this incident,
and for 15 years he watched his father's religious devotion
decline, a witness to the terrible harvest
being reaped where anger and misunderstanding had been sown.
Something needed to be done.
So as the Thanksgiving holiday approached in 1977, Brad,
a 26-year-old student at Brigham Young University;
his wife, Valerie; and new baby son,
Mic, loaded into their student version
of an automobile and, bad weather notwithstanding,
drove to Billings, Montana.
Not even a crash into a snowbank near West Yellowstone
could keep this threesome from making their ministering
contact with Brother Bowen Sr.
Upon arrival, Brad and his sister Pam
asked for a private moment with their father.
"You have been a wonderful dad," Brad began with some emotion,
"and we have always known how much you loved us.
But something is wrong, and it has been for a long time.
Because you were hurt once, this whole family
has been hurting for years.
We are broken, and you are the only one who can fix us.
Please, please, after all this time,
can you find it in your heart to lay aside that unfortunate
incident with that bishop and again lead
this family in the gospel as you once did?"
There was dead silence.
Then Brother Bowen looked up at these two--his children,
bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh--and said very
quietly, "Yes.
Yes, I will."
Thrilled but stunned by the unexpected answer,
Brad Bowen and his family watched
their husband and father go to his current bishop
in a spirit of reconciliation to set things right in his life.
In a perfect response to this courageous but totally
unexpected visit, the bishop, who had extended repeated
invitations to Brother Bowen to come back,
threw his arms around Morrell and just held him--held him
in a long, long, long embrace.
In a matter of only a few weeks--it doesn't take
long--Brother Bowen was fully engaged in Church activity
and had made himself worthy to return to the temple.
Soon enough he accepted the call to preside over
a struggling little branch of 25 and grew it
into a thriving congregation of well over 100.
All of this took place nearly half a century ago,
but the consequence of a son and a daughter's
ministering plea to their own father
and that father's willingness to forgive and move forward
in spite of the imperfections of others
has brought blessings that are still coming
and will come forever to the Bowen family.
Brothers and sisters, Jesus has asked
that we "live together in love" with "no disputations
among you."
"He that hath the spirit of contention is not of me,"
He warned the Nephites.
Indeed, to a great degree, our relationship to Christ will be
determined--or at least affected--by our relationship
to each other.
"If ye ... desire to come unto me," He said,
"and rememberest that thy brother hath aught against
thee--
"Go thy way unto thy brother, and first
be reconciled to [him], and then come unto me
with full purpose of heart, and I will receive you."
Surely each of us could cite an endless array
of old scars and sorrows and painful memories
that this very moment still corrode
the peace in someone's heart or family or neighborhood.
Whether we have caused that pain or been the recipient of it,
those wounds need to be healed so life can be as rewarding
as God intended it to be.
Like the food in your refrigerator
that your grandchildren carefully check in your behalf,
those old grievances have long since
exceeded their expiration date.
Please don't give precious space in your soul
to them any longer.
As Prospero said to the regretful Alonso
in The Tempest, "Let us not burden our remembrance
with a heaviness that is gone."
"Forgive, and ye shall be forgiven,"
Christ taught in the Sermon on the Mount.
And in our day: "I, the Lord, will
forgive whom I will forgive, but of you
it is required to forgive all men."
It is, however, important for some of you
living in real anguish to note what He did not say.
He did not say, "You are not allowed
to feel true pain or real sorrow from the shattering experiences
you have had at the hand of another."
Nor did He say, "In order to forgive fully,
you have to reenter a toxic relationship
or return to an abusive, destructive circumstance."
But notwithstanding even the most terrible offenses
that might come to us, we can rise above our pain
only when we put our feet onto the path of true healing.
That path is the forgiving one walked
by Jesus of Nazareth, who calls out to each of us,
"Come, follow me."
In such an invitation to be His disciple and try to do as He
did, Jesus is asking us to be instruments of His grace--to
be, and I quote, "ambassadors for Christ"
in "the ministry of reconciliation."
That's how Paul described it to the Corinthians.
The Healer of every wound, He who rights every wrong,
asks us to labor with Him in the daunting task
of peacemaking in a world that will not find it any other way.
So, as Phillips Brooks wrote: "You who are letting miserable
[little] misunderstandings run on from year to year [to year],
meaning to clear them up some day;
you who are keeping wretched quarrels alive because you
cannot quite make up your mind that now is the day
to sacrifice your pride and [settle] them;
you who are passing men sullenly upon the street,
not speaking to them out of some silly spite ...;
you who are letting ... [someone's] heart ache
for a word of appreciation or sympathy,
which you mean to give ... some day, ...
[you] go instantly and do the thing which you might never
have another chance to do."
My beloved brothers and sisters, I
testify that forgiving and forsaking offenses, old or new,
is central to the grandeur of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
I testify that ultimately such spiritual repair can only
come from our divine Redeemer, He who rushes to our aid
"with healing in his wings."
We thank Him and our Heavenly Father, who sent Him,
that renewal and rebirth--a future free from old sorrows
and past mistakes--are not only possible,
but they've already been purchased,
paid for at an excruciating cost symbolized by the blood
of the Lamb who shed it.
With the apostolic authority granted me
by the Savior of the world, I testify
of the tranquility to the soul that reconciliation
with God and each other will bring
if we are meek and courageous enough to pursue it.
"Cease to contend one with another," the Savior pled.
So if you know of an old injury, repair it.
Care for one another in love.
My beloved friends, in our shared ministry
of reconciliation, I ask us to be peacemakers, to love peace,
to seek peace, to cherish peace, to create peace.
I make that appeal in the name of the Prince of Peace,
who knows everything about being "wounded in the house of [His]
friends" but who still found the strength to forgive
and forget--and to heal and be happy.
For that I pray for you and for me
in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, amen.
The congregation will now join the choir
in singing "We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet."
After the singing, we will hear from Elder Shayne M.
Bowen of the Seventy.
He will be followed by Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum
of the Twelve Apostles.
This is the 188th Semiannual General Conference
of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
[MUSIC PLAYING - "WE THANK THEE, O GOD, FOR A PROPHET"]
Brothers and sisters, my uncle Morrell
comes from a family of 11 children,
and he was always one of my favorites
and always set a wonderful example for me.
And I love him very much and look forward
to the day when I'll see him again.
Many people today wonder about the reality of God
and our relationship to Him.
Many know little or nothing at all about His great plan
of happiness.
More than 30 years ago, President Ezra Taft Benson
observed that "much of the ... world today rejects
the divinity of the Savior.
They question His miraculous birth, His perfect life,
and the reality of His glorious resurrection."
In our day, questions are focused not only on our Savior
but also on His Church--The Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints--which He restored through the Prophet
Joseph Smith.
These questions often focus on the history, teachings,
or practices of the Savior's Church.
From Preach My Gospel we read: "Remember that
our understanding [of Heavenly Father and His plan
of happiness] comes from modern prophets--Joseph Smith and his
successors--who receive direct revelation from God.
Therefore, the first question someone
should answer is whether Joseph Smith was a prophet,
and he or she can answer this question by reading and praying
about the Book of Mormon."
The testimony of the divine calling of the Prophet Joseph
Smith has been strengthened by prayerfully
studying the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus
Christ.
I have acted on Moroni's invitation
to "ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ,"
to know of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon.
I bear witness that I know it is true.
That knowledge has come to me, as it
can come to you, "by the power of the Holy Ghost."
The introduction to the Book of Mormon
states: "Those who gain this divine witness
[of the Book of Mormon] from the Holy Spirit
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 in these last days,
and that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
is the Lord's kingdom once again established on the earth,
preparatory to the Second Coming of the Messiah."
As a young missionary going to Chile,
I learned a life-changing lesson about the conversion power
of the Book of Mormon.
Mr. Gonzalez served in a respected position
in his church for many years.
He had extensive religious training,
including a degree in theology.
He was quite proud of his biblical expertise.
It was obvious to us that he was a religious scholar.
He was well aware of the missionaries
of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
as they went about their work in his home city of Lima, Peru.
He always wanted to meet with them so that he
could school them in the Bible.
One day, almost as a gift from heaven, so he thought,
two missionaries stopped him in the street
and asked if they could come to his home
and share the scriptures with him.
This was his dream come true!
His prayers had been answered.
Finally, he could set these misguided young boys straight.
He told them that he would be delighted to have
them come to his house and discuss the scriptures.
He could hardly wait for his appointment.
He was ready to use the Bible to disprove their beliefs.
He was confident that the Bible would clearly and articulately
point out the error of their ways.
The appointed night came, and the missionaries
knocked on the door.
He was giddy.
The moment had finally arrived.
He opened the door and invited the missionaries into his home.
One of the missionaries handed him a blue book
and bore a sincere testimony that he knew the book contained
the word of God.
The second missionary added his powerful testimony of the book,
testifying that it had been translated
by a modern prophet of God, named Joseph Smith,
and that it taught of Christ.
The missionaries excused themselves and left his home.
Mr. Gonzalez was so disappointed.
[LAUGHTER]
But he opened the book and he started
to leaf though its pages.
He read the first page.
He read page after page after page
and didn't stop until late into the afternoon of the next day.
He read the whole book and knew that it was true.
He knew what he had to do.
He called the missionaries, received the lessons,
and gave up the life that he had known
to become a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints.
That good man was my MTC teacher in Provo, Utah.
Brother Gonzalez's conversion story
and the power of the Book of Mormon
made a great impression on me.
When I arrived in Chile, my mission president,
President Royden J. Glade, invited us to read
the testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith recorded in Joseph
Smith--History every week.
He taught us that a testimony of the First Vision
would have a direct correlation to our own testimony
of the gospel and our testimony of the Book of Mormon.
I took his invitation seriously.
I have read the accounts of the First Vision;
I have read the Book of Mormon.
I have prayed as directed by Moroni
and asked "God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ"
if the Book of Mormon is true.
I bear witness today that I know the Book of Mormon,
as the Prophet Joseph Smith said, is "the most correct
of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion,
and a man [will] get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts,
than by any other book."
The Prophet Joseph also declared: "Take away
the Book of Mormon and the revelations,
and where is our religion?
We have none."
As we better understand who we are
and the purposes of the Book of Mormon,
our conversion deepens and becomes more certain.
We are strengthened in our commitment
to keep the covenants we have made with God.
A principal purpose of the Book of Mormon
is to gather scattered Israel.
This gathering gives all of God's children
the opportunity to enter into the covenant path
and, by honoring those covenants,
return back to the presence of the Father.
As we teach repentance and baptize converts,
we gather scattered Israel.
The Book of Mormon has 108 references
to the house of Israel.
At the beginning of the Book of Mormon,
Nephi taught, "For the fulness of mine
intent is that I may persuade men
to come unto the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac,
and the God of Jacob, and be saved."
The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
is Jesus Christ, the God of the Old Testament.
We are saved as we come unto Christ
through living His gospel.
Later, Nephi wrote:
"Yea, even my father spake much concerning the Gentiles,
and also concerning the house of Israel,
that they should be compared like unto an olive tree,
whose branches should be broken off and should be scattered
upon all the face of the earth. ...
"And after the house of Israel should be scattered
they should be gathered together again; or, in fine,
after the Gentiles had received the fulness of the Gospel,
the natural branches of the olive tree,
or the remnants of the house of Israel, should be grafted in,
or come to the knowledge of the true Messiah, their Lord
and their Redeemer."
Likewise, at the end of the Book of Mormon,
the prophet Moroni reminds us of our covenants,
saying, "That thou mayest no more be confounded,
that the covenants of the Eternal Father which he hath
made unto thee, O house of Israel, may be fulfilled."
What are the "covenants of the Eternal Father"
referred to by Moroni?
We read in the book of Abraham:
"My name is Jehovah, and I know the end from the beginning;
therefore my hand shall be over thee.
"And I will make of thee a great nation,
and I will bless thee above measure,
and make thy name great among all nations,
and thou shalt be a blessing unto thy seed after thee,
that in their hands they shall bear this ministry
and Priesthood unto all nations."
President Russell M. Nelson taught
in a recent worldwide broadcast that "these surely
are the latter days, and the Lord
is hastening His work to gather Israel.
That gathering is the most important thing
taking place on earth today.
Nothing else compares in magnitude,
nothing else compares in importance, nothing else
compares in majesty.
And if you choose to, if you want to,
you can be a big part of it.
You can be a big part of something big, something grand,
something majestic!
"When we speak of the gathering, we are simply
saying this fundamental truth: every one of our Heavenly
Father's children, on both sides of the veil,
deserves to hear the message of the restored
gospel of Jesus Christ.
They decide for themselves if they want to know more."
That is what we are doing as members
of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints:
we are seeking to bring the world
to an understanding and a conversion
to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
We are the "latter-day gatherers."
Our mission is clear.
Brothers and sisters, let us be known
as those who have taken Moroni's promise to heart,
prayed and received an answer to know that the Book of Mormon
is true, and then shared that knowledge with others in word
and, most importantly, in deed.
The Book of Mormon contains the fulness of the gospel of Jesus
Christ; it leads us to the covenants of the Father,
which if kept will assure us of His greatest gift--eternal
life.
The Book of Mormon is the keystone
to conversion of all of Heavenly Father's sons and daughters.
Quoting again from President Nelson: "As you ...
read daily ... the Book of Mormon,
you will learn the doctrine of the gathering,
truths about Jesus Christ, His Atonement,
and the fulness of His gospel not found in the Bible.
The Book of Mormon is central to the gathering of Israel.
In fact, if there were no Book of Mormon,
the promised gathering of Israel would not occur."
Let me conclude with the words of the Savior
as He taught the Nephites of the promised blessings:
"Ye are the children of the prophets;
and ye are of the house of Israel;
and ye are of the covenant which the Father made
with your fathers, saying unto Abraham:
And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth
be blessed."
I testify that we are sons and daughters of God,
the seed of Abraham, the house of Israel.
We are gathering Israel for the last time and are doing so with
the Book of Mormon--a book that, combined with the Spirit
of the Lord, is the most powerful tool of conversion.
We are led by the prophet of God, President Russell M.
Nelson, who is directing the gathering of Israel in our day.
The Book of Mormon is true.
It has changed my life.
I promise you, as have Moroni and many prophets
through the ages, that it can change yours.
In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
On March 22, 2016, just before 8:00 in the morning,
two terrorist bombs exploded in the Brussels Airport.
Elder Richard Norby, Elder Mason Wells, and Elder Joseph Empey
had taken Sister Fanny Clain to the airport
for a flight for her mission in Cleveland, Ohio.
Thirty-two people lost their lives,
and all of the missionaries were wounded.
The most seriously wounded was Elder Richard Norby, age 66,
serving with his wife, Sister Pam Norby.
Elder Norby reflected on that moment:
"Instantly, I knew what had happened.
"I tried to run for safety, but I immediately fell down.
...
I could see that my left leg was badly injured.
I [noticed] black, almost spiderweb-type, soot drooping
from both hands.
I gently pulled at it but realized
it was not soot but my skin that had been burned.
My white shirt was turning red from an injury on my back.
"As the consciousness of what had just happened filled
my mind, I [had] this very strong thought, ...
the Savior knew where I was, what had just transpired,
and [what] I was experiencing at that moment."
There were difficult days ahead for Richard Norby
and for his wife, Pam.
He was placed in an induced coma,
followed with surgeries, infections,
and great uncertainty.
Richard Norby lived, but his life would never be the same.
Two and a half years later, his wounds are still healing;
a brace replaces the missing part of his leg;
each step is different than before that moment
at the Brussels Airport.
Why would this happen to Richard and Pam Norby?
They had been true to their covenants,
served a previous mission in the Ivory Coast,
and raised a wonderful family.
Someone could understandably say, "It isn't fair!
It just isn't right!
They were giving their lives for the gospel of Jesus Christ; how
could this happen?"
Although the details will differ, the tragedies,
the unanticipated tests and trials--both physical
and spiritual--come to each of us because this is mortality.
As I thought of the speakers in just this session
of conference, it occurred to me that two
have had children and three have had grandchildren unexpectedly
return to their heavenly home.
None has been spared sickness and sadness,
and as has been spoken in this very week,
an angel on earth whom we all love, Sister Barbara Ballard,
stepped gently through the veil.
President Ballard, we will never forget your testimony
this morning.
We search for happiness.
We long for peace.
We hope for love.
And the Lord showers us with an amazing abundance of blessings.
But intermingled with the joy and happiness,
one thing is certain: there will be moments, hours, days,
sometimes years when your soul will be wounded.
The scriptures teach that we will
taste the bitter and the sweet and that there will
be "opposition in all things."
Jesus said, "[Your Father] maketh his sun to rise
on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just
and ... the unjust."
Wounds of the soul are not unique to the rich or the poor,
to one culture, one nation, or one generation.
They come to all and are part of the learning
we receive from this mortal experience.
My message today is especially to those
who are keeping the commandments of God,
keeping their promises to God, and, like the Norbys
and many other men, women, and children
in this worldwide audience, are confronted
with trials and challenges that are unexpected and painful.
Our wounds may come from a natural disaster
or an unfortunate accident.
They may come from an unfaithful husband or wife,
turning life upside down for a righteous spouse and children.
The wounds may come from the darkness and gloom
of depression, from an unanticipated illness,
from the suffering or premature death of someone we love,
the sadness from a family member dismissing his or her faith,
the loneliness when circumstances do not bring
an eternal companion, or a hundred other heart-wrenching,
painful "[sorrows] that the eye can't see."
We each understand that difficulties are part of life,
but when they come to us personally,
they can take our breath away.
Without being alarmed, we need to be ready.
The Apostle Peter said, "Think it not strange
concerning the fiery trial which is to try you,
as though some strange thing happened [to] you."
Along with the bright colors of happiness and joy,
the darker colored threads of trial and tragedy
are woven deeply into the fabric of our Father's plan.
These struggles, although difficult,
often become our greatest teachers.
When telling the miraculous story of Helaman's 2,060
young soldiers, we love this scripture:
"According to the goodness of God,
and to our great astonishment, and also
the joy of our whole army, there was not one soul of them
who did perish."
But the sentence continues: "And neither
was there one soul among them who
had not received many wounds."
Each of the 2,060 received many wounds, and each one of us
will be wounded in the battle of life, whether physically,
spiritually, or both.
Never give up.
However deep the wounds of your soul,
whatever their source, wherever or whenever they happen,
and for how short or long they persist,
you are not meant to perish spiritually.
You are meant to survive spiritually, and blossom
in your faith and trust in God.
God did not create our spirits to be independent of Him.
Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,
through the incalculable gift of His Atonement,
not only saves us from death and offers us,
through repentance, forgiveness for our sins,
but He also stands ready to save us from the sorrows
and pains of our wounded souls.
The Savior is our Good Samaritan, sent
"to heal the brokenhearted."
He comes to us when others pass us by.
With compassion He places His healing balm on our wounds
and binds them up.
He carries us.
He cares for us.
He bids us, "Come unto me ... and I shall heal [you]."
"And [Jesus] shall ... [suffer] pains and afflictions
and temptations of every kind; ...
that ... he [might] take upon him the pains and ...
sicknesses of his people ...
[taking upon Himself our] infirmities, [being]
filled with mercy."
Come, ye disconsolate, where'er ye languish;
Come to the mercy seat, fervently kneel.
Here bring your wounded hearts; here tell your anguish.
Earth has no sorrow that heav'n cannot heal.
At a time of enormous suffering, the Lord told the Prophet
Joseph, "All these things shall give thee experience,
and shall be for thy good."
How can painful wounds be for our good?
In the crucible of earthly trials, patiently move forward,
and the Savior's healing power will bring you light,
understanding, peace, and hope.
Pray with all your heart.
Strengthen your faith in Jesus Christ, in His reality,
in His grace.
Hold on to these words: "My grace is sufficient for thee:
for my strength is made perfect in weakness."
Remember, repentance is powerful spiritual medicine.
Keep the commandments and be worthy of the Comforter,
remembering the Savior promised, "I will not
leave you comfortless: I will come to you."
The peace of the temple is a soothing balm
to the wounded soul.
Return to the Lord's house with your wounded heart
and with your family names as frequently as possible.
The temple projects our brief moment in mortality
onto the wide screen of eternity.
Look backward, remembering that you proved your worthiness
in your premortal state.
You are a valiant child of God, and with His help
you can triumph in the battles of this fallen world.
You have done it before, and you can do it again.
Look forward.
Your troubles and sorrows are very real,
but they will not last forever.
Your dark night will pass because the Son did rise
"with healing in his wings."
The Norbys told me: "Disappointment
comes to visit on occasion but is never allowed to stay."
The Apostle Paul said, "We are troubled ...
yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;
persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed."
You may be exhausted, but don't ever give up.
Even with your own painful wounds,
you will instinctively reach out to others, trusting
in the Savior's promise: "Whosoever will lose his life
for my sake shall find it."
The wounded who nurse the wounds of others
are God's angels on earth.
In just a few moments we will listen to our beloved prophet,
President Russell M. Nelson, a man of undaunted faith in Jesus
Christ, a man of hope and peace, loved by God
but not spared from the wounds of the soul.
In 1995 his daughter Emily, while expecting a child,
was diagnosed with cancer.
There were days of hope and happiness
as her healthy baby was delivered.
But the cancer returned, and their beloved Emily
would pass from this life just two weeks
after her 37th birthday, leaving her loving husband and five
young children.
In general conference, shortly after her passing,
Elder Nelson confided: "My tears of sorrow have flowed along
with wishes that I could have done more for our daughter. ...
If I had the power of resurrection,
I would have been tempted to bring [her] back. ...
[But] Jesus Christ holds those keys and will use them
for Emily ... and for all people in the Lord's own time."
Last month, while visiting the Saints in Puerto Rico,
and remembering last year's devastating hurricane,
President Nelson spoke with love and compassion:
"[This] is part of life.
It's why we're here.
We are here to have a body and to be tried and tested.
Some of those tests are physical; some are spiritual,
and your trials here have been both physical and spiritual."
"You have not given up.
We are [so] proud of you.
You faithful Saints have lost much, but through it all,
you have fostered your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ."
"By keeping God's commandments, we
can find joy even in the midst of our worst circumstances."
My brothers and sisters, it is my promise to you
that increasing your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ
will bring you added strength and greater hope.
For you, the righteous, the Healer of our souls,
in His time and His way, will heal all your wounds.
No injustice, no persecution, no trial, no sadness,
no heartache, no suffering, no wound--however deep,
however wide, however painful--will be excluded from
the comfort, peace, and lasting hope of Him whose open arms
and whose wounded hands will welcome us back into His
presence.
At that day, the Apostle John testifies,
the righteous "which [come] out of great tribulation"
will stand "arrayed in white robes ...
before the throne of God."
The Lamb will "dwell among [us] ...
and God shall wipe away all tears from [your] eyes."
This day will come.
I so witness in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
We are grateful to those who have spoken to us thus far,
and to the Tabernacle Choir for the beautiful music
they have provided this morning.
The choir will now favor us with "His Voice as the Sound."
After the singing, we will be pleased to hear
from our beloved prophet, President Russell M. Nelson.
Following President Nelson's remarks,
the choir will close this meeting
by singing "It Is Well with My Soul."
The benediction will then be offered by Elder Donald L.
Hallstrom of the Seventy.
[MUSIC PLAYING - "HIS VOICE AS THE SOUND"]
Thank you, choir.
My beloved brothers and sisters, on this beautiful Sabbath day
we rejoice together in our many blessings from the Lord.
We are very grateful for your testimonies of the restored
gospel of Jesus Christ, for the sacrifices you've
made to stay on or return to His covenant path,
and for your consecrated service in His Church.
Today I feel compelled to discuss with you
a matter of great importance.
Some weeks ago, I released a statement
regarding a course correction for the name of the Church.
I did this because the Lord impressed upon my mind
the importance of the name He decreed for His Church,
even The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
As you would expect, responses to this statement
and to the revised style guide have been mixed.
Many members immediately corrected
the name of the Church on their blogs and social media pages.
Others wondered why, with all that's going on in the world,
it was necessary to emphasize something so "inconsequential."
And some said it couldn't be done, so why even try?
Let me explain why we care so deeply about this issue.
But first let me state what this effort is not:
It is not a name change.
It is not rebranding.
It is not cosmetic.
It is not a whim.
And it is not inconsequential.
Instead, it is a correction.
It is the command of the Lord.
Joseph Smith did not name the Church restored through him;
neither did Mormon.
It was the Savior Himself who said, "For thus shall
my church be called in the last days,
even The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints."
Even earlier, in AD 34, our resurrected Lord
gave similar instruction to members of His Church
when He visited them in the Americas.
At that time He said:
"Ye shall call the church in my name.
...
"And how be it my church save it be called in my name?
For if a church be called in Moses' name
then it be Moses' church; or if it
be called in the name of a man then it be the church of a man;
but if it be called in my name then it is my church."
Thus, the name of the Church is not negotiable.
When the Savior clearly states what the name of His Church
should be and even precedes His declaration
with "Thus shall my church be called," He is serious.
And if we allow nicknames to be used or adopt or even
sponsor those nicknames ourselves, He is offended.
What's in a name or, in this case, a nickname?
When it comes to nicknames of the Church, such as "LDS
Church," the "Mormon Church," or the "Church of the Latter-day
Saints," the most glaring omission
is the absence of the Savior's name.
To remove the Lord's name from the Lord's Church
is a major victory for Satan.
When we discard the Savior's name,
we are subtly disregarding all that Jesus Christ did
for us--even His Atonement.
Consider this from His perspective:
Premortally He was Jehovah, God of the Old Testament.
Under the direction of His Father,
He was the Creator of this and other worlds.
He chose to submit to the will of His Father
and do something for all of God's children
that no one else could do!
Condescending to come to earth as the Only Begotten
of the Father in the flesh, He was brutally reviled,
mocked, spit upon, and scourged.
In the Garden of Gethsemane, our Savior
took upon Himself every pain, every sin, and all
of the anguish and suffering ever experienced by you and me
and by everyone that has ever or will ever live.
Under the weight of that excruciating burden,
He bled from every pore.
All of this suffering was intensified as He was cruelly
crucified on Calvary's cross.
Through these excruciating experiences and His subsequent
Resurrection--His infinite Atonement--He granted
immortality to all and ransomed each one of us from the effects
of sin, on condition of our repentance.
Following the Savior's Resurrection
and the death of His Apostles, the world
plunged into centuries of darkness.
Then in the year 1820, God the Father and His Son,
Jesus Christ, appeared to the Prophet Joseph Smith
to initiate the Restoration of the Lord's Church.
After all He had endured--and after all He had done
for humankind--I realize with profound regret that we have
unwittingly acquiesced in the Lord's restored Church being
called by other names, each of which expunges the sacred name
of Jesus Christ!
Every Sunday as we partake worthily of the sacrament,
we make anew our sacred promise to our Heavenly Father
that we are willing to take upon us the name of His Son, Jesus
Christ.
We promise to follow Him, repent, keep His commandments,
and always remember Him.
When we omit His name from His Church,
we are inadvertently removing Him
as the central focus of our lives.
Taking the Savior's name upon us includes declaring
and witnessing to others--through our actions
and our words--that Jesus is the Christ.
Have we been so afraid to offend someone who called us "Mormons"
that we have failed to defend the Savior Himself,
to stand up for Him even in the name by which His Church is
called?
If we as a people and as individuals are to have access
to the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ--to cleanse
and heal us, to strengthen and magnify us,
and ultimately to exalt us--we must clearly acknowledge Him
as the source of that power.
We can begin by calling His Church by the name He decreed.
For much of the world, the Lord's Church
is presently disguised as the "Mormon Church."
But we as members of the Lord's Church
know who stands at its head: Jesus Christ Himself.
Unfortunately, many who hear the term Mormon
think that we worship Mormon.
Not so!
We honor and respect that great ancient American prophet.
But we are not Mormon's disciples.
We are the Lord's disciples.
In the early days of the restored Church,
terms such as Mormon Church and Mormons were often used
as epithets--as cruel terms, abusive terms--designed
to obliterate God's hand in restoring the Church of Jesus
Christ in these latter days.
Brothers and sisters, there are many worldly arguments
against restoring the correct name of the Church.
Because of the digital world in which we live and with search
engine optimization that helps all of us find information we
need almost instantly--including information about
the Lord's Church--critics say that a correction at this point
is unwise.
Others feel that because we are known so widely
as "Mormons" and as the "Mormon Church,"
we should make the best of it.
If this were a discussion about branding
a man-made organization, those arguments might prevail.
But in this crucial matter, we look
to Him whose Church this is and acknowledge
that the Lord's ways are not, and never will be, man's ways.
If we will be patient and if we will do our part well,
the Lord will lead us through this important task.
After all, we know that the Lord helps
those who seek to do His will, just
as He helped Nephi accomplish the task of building a ship
to cross the sea.
We will want to be courteous and patient in our efforts
to correct these errors.
Responsible media will be sympathetic in responding
to our request.
In a previous general conference,
Elder Benjamin De Hoyos spoke of such an event.
Benjamin said:
"Some years ago while serving in the office of public affairs
of the Church in Mexico, [a companion and I] were invited
to participate in a radio talk show. ...
[One of the program directors] asked [us],
'Why does the Church have such a long name?' ...
"My companion and I smiled at such a magnificent question
and then proceeded to explain that the name of the Church
was not chosen by man.
It was given by the Savior.
...
The program director immediately and respectfully responded,
'We will thus repeat it with great pleasure.'"
Well, that report provides a pattern.
One by one, our best efforts as individuals
will be required to correct errors that have
crept in through the years.
The rest of the world may or may not
follow our lead in calling us by the correct name.
But it is disingenuous for us to be frustrated
if most of the world calls the Church and its members
by the wrong names if we do the same.
Our revised style guide is helpful.
It states: "In the first reference,
the full name of the Church is preferred:
'The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.'
When a shortened [second] reference is needed,
the terms 'the Church' or the 'Church of Jesus Christ'
are encouraged.
The 'restored Church of Jesus Christ'
is also accurate and encouraged."
Now, if someone should ask, "Are you a Mormon?"
you could reply, "If you are asking
if I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints, yes, I am!"
If someone asks, "Are you a Latter-day Saint?"
you might respond, "Yes, I am.
I believe in Jesus Christ and am a member of His restored
Church."
My dear brothers and sisters, I promise
that if we will do our best to restore
the correct name of the Lord's Church, He whose Church this is
will pour down His power and blessings
upon the heads of the Latter-day Saints, the likes of which we
have never seen.
We will have the knowledge and power of God
to help us take the blessings of the restored gospel of Jesus
Christ to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people
and to prepare the world for the Second Coming of the Lord.
So what's in a name?
When it comes to the name of the Lord's Church,
the answer is "Everything!"
Jesus Christ directed us to call the Church by His name
because it is His Church, filled with His power.
I know that God lives.
Jesus is the Christ.
He leads His Church today.
I so testify in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.
[MUSIC PLAYING - "IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL"]
Our Father in Heaven, we have gathered this Sabbath morning
as members and friends of The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints.
We are indeed--thank Thee, thank God for a prophet,
who guides us in these latter days.
We are grateful for this season of abundant revelation.
We understand with great blessing
comes great responsibility.
And we pray that each of us, individually
and within our families, may have the capacity
to rise and stand tall and to seek
to understand not simply what we should do
but why we should do it, to understand that the principles
and doctrine that have been taught in this conference
session this day and throughout this weekend are of Thee
and of Thy Son, and as each of us follow it,
we may be blessed and come unto Thy Son
and through Him gain eternal life.
We thank Thee for all who bear the apostolic authority
and for the privilege and blessing
it is within this Church to have the priesthood of Thy Son
and of Thee.
We now dismiss ourselves for a time
so that we might contemplate and understand and do those things
that we have understood this day.
We love Thee, Father.
We love Thy Son, and we pray in His name,
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.
Music was provided by the Tabernacle Choir
at Temple Square.
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.