2024 April General Conference - Sunday Morning Session (transcription by whisper)

2024-04-004-sun-morning.mp3.txt

[00:10.040 --> 00:13.280]  President Henry B. Eyring, Second Counselor
[00:13.280 --> 00:15.520]  in the First Presidency of the Church,
[00:15.520 --> 00:16.840]  will conduct this session.
[00:16.840 --> 00:28.960]  Brothers and sisters, we welcome you
[00:28.960 --> 00:36.440]  to the Sunday morning session of the 194th Annual General
[00:36.440 --> 00:41.600]  Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
[00:41.600 --> 00:43.600]  Saints.
[00:43.600 --> 00:49.240]  President Russell M. Nelson, who is viewing this session
[00:49.240 --> 00:55.920]  from home, has asked me to conduct this session.
[00:55.920 --> 01:00.120]  We extend our greetings to those of you
[01:00.120 --> 01:03.960]  who are participating in these proceedings
[01:03.960 --> 01:10.520]  throughout the world by radio, television, the internet,
[01:10.520 --> 01:14.360]  or satellite transmission.
[01:14.360 --> 01:18.400]  We acknowledge the General Authorities and General
[01:18.400 --> 01:22.520]  Officers who are in attendance at this morning.
[01:25.120 --> 01:27.720]  The music for this session will be
[01:27.720 --> 01:33.080]  provided by the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square,
[01:33.080 --> 01:39.000]  under the direction of Mack Wuerlberg and Ryan Murphy
[01:39.000 --> 01:45.960]  and Richard Elliott and Brian Mefias at the organ.
[01:45.960 --> 01:49.320]  We are pleased to have individuals
[01:49.320 --> 01:54.280]  from outside the United States joining the choir
[01:54.280 --> 01:56.720]  during the conference.
[01:56.720 --> 02:05.840]  They live in Argentina, Austria, Chile, Denmark, England, France,
[02:05.840 --> 02:12.680]  Ghana, Guatemala, Sweden, and South Korea.
[02:12.680 --> 02:18.640]  We welcome you and appreciate your participation.
[02:18.640 --> 02:22.280]  The choir opened this meeting with,
[02:22.280 --> 02:28.240]  Awake and Arise, and now will favor us with,
[02:28.240 --> 02:31.960]  Come, Ye Children of the Lord.
[02:31.960 --> 02:35.080]  The invocation will then be offered
[02:35.080 --> 02:39.200]  by Elder Ve'Hegenga Sikhaema of the Seventy.
[02:39.200 --> 03:07.680]  Come, ye children of the Lord, let us sing with one accord.
[03:07.960 --> 03:12.960]  Let us raise a joyful strain to our Lord,
[03:12.960 --> 03:20.440]  who soon will reign on this earth when it shall be cleansed
[03:20.440 --> 03:23.440]  from all iniquity.
[03:23.440 --> 03:27.440]  Then all men from sin will cease,
[03:27.440 --> 03:30.920]  and we'll live in love and peace.
[03:38.400 --> 03:46.400]  Come, ye children of the Lord, let us sing with one accord.
[03:46.400 --> 03:53.880]  Oh, how joyful it will be when our Savior we shall see,
[03:53.880 --> 03:58.360]  when in splendor He'll descend!
[03:58.360 --> 04:02.360]  Then all wickedness will end.
[04:02.360 --> 04:06.360]  Oh, what songs we then will sing
[04:06.520 --> 04:10.520]  to our Savior, Lord, and King!
[04:10.520 --> 04:17.520]  Oh, what love will then bespring when our fears shall flee
[04:17.520 --> 04:18.520]  away!
[04:18.840 --> 04:21.840]  Oh, what songs we then will sing to our Savior, Lord,
[04:21.840 --> 04:22.320]  and King!
[04:34.600 --> 04:38.600]  All are reigning spotless white.
[04:38.600 --> 04:42.600]  We will dwell in truth and light.
[04:42.600 --> 04:46.600]  We will sing the songs of praise.
[04:46.680 --> 04:50.680]  We will shout in joyous praise.
[04:50.680 --> 04:54.680]  Oh, shall then big clouds crowned
[04:54.680 --> 04:59.160]  save every living thing therein?
[04:59.160 --> 05:03.160]  Shall in love and beauty dwell?
[05:03.160 --> 05:07.160]  Then with joy each heart will stir.
[05:07.160 --> 05:11.160]  Shall in love and beauty dwell?
[05:11.160 --> 05:16.160]  Then with joy each heart will stir.
[05:22.160 --> 05:22.660]  Amen.
[05:22.660 --> 05:38.660]  Amen.
[05:38.660 --> 05:41.420]  Our dear Eternal Heavenly Father,
[05:41.420 --> 05:45.500]  we humbly and joyfully come before Thee
[05:45.500 --> 05:48.620]  in the act of prayer this beautiful Sabbath morning,
[05:48.620 --> 05:50.780]  expressing our love and gratitude
[05:50.780 --> 05:53.220]  to Thee for Thy Beloved Son, Jesus Christ,
[05:53.220 --> 05:56.540]  for His atoning sacrifice.
[05:56.540 --> 05:57.900]  We're grateful for the technology
[05:57.900 --> 06:05.180]  that allows us to meet and gather throughout the world
[06:05.180 --> 06:08.140]  as Thy people and as believers.
[06:08.140 --> 06:12.140]  We pray for Thy prophet, President Nelson,
[06:12.140 --> 06:15.700]  and his two able counselors, the Quorum of the Twelve
[06:15.700 --> 06:19.780]  and all those who will participate in this day's
[06:19.780 --> 06:23.460]  program that they teach us with power and with authority,
[06:23.460 --> 06:28.580]  instructing us in our duties more perfectly in theory,
[06:28.580 --> 06:33.220]  in principle, and in doctrine.
[06:33.220 --> 06:35.300]  We pray, Father, for the rising generation,
[06:35.300 --> 06:39.100]  for our missionaries, their leaders, our service
[06:39.100 --> 06:42.500]  missionaries, and our senior couples
[06:42.500 --> 06:45.740]  throughout the world who gather ancient Israel
[06:45.820 --> 06:49.180]  and are building Thy kingdom upon the earth.
[06:51.700 --> 06:54.860]  Finally, we pray, Father, for the courage
[06:54.860 --> 06:58.180]  to act upon the things that we hear
[06:58.180 --> 07:02.180]  with our ears and the impressions that
[07:02.180 --> 07:06.060]  will come to our hearts from Thy Spirit.
[07:06.060 --> 07:09.180]  We now dedicate this meeting unto Thee
[07:09.180 --> 07:12.540]  in the name of Thy Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, amen.
[07:16.620 --> 07:23.700]  We will now be pleased to hear from Elder Ronald A.
[07:23.700 --> 07:28.500]  Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
[07:28.500 --> 07:35.300]  He will be followed by President Susan H. Porter, who
[07:35.300 --> 07:39.460]  serves as Primary General President.
[07:40.020 --> 07:47.220]  After her remarks, the choir will sing a child's prayer.
[07:47.220 --> 07:52.820]  We will then hear from Elder Dale G. Renlund
[07:52.820 --> 07:56.860]  of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
[07:56.860 --> 08:01.700]  and Elder Paul B. Piper of the Seventy.
[08:10.140 --> 08:13.100]  Thank you, dear President Eyring.
[08:13.100 --> 08:14.980]  We all love you dearly.
[08:22.820 --> 08:26.260]  Brothers, sisters, and friends across the world,
[08:26.260 --> 08:30.900]  I am honored to address this vast audience, many of whom
[08:30.900 --> 08:33.300]  are members of our Church and many of whom
[08:33.300 --> 08:38.020]  are friends and new listeners to this conference broadcast.
[08:38.300 --> 08:40.340]  Welcome.
[08:40.340 --> 08:44.580]  The messages from this pulpit are communicated in words.
[08:44.580 --> 08:47.340]  They are given in English and translated
[08:47.340 --> 08:51.300]  into nearly 100 different languages.
[08:51.300 --> 08:55.700]  Always the base is the same, words.
[08:55.700 --> 08:58.700]  And words matter a lot.
[08:58.700 --> 09:00.620]  Let me say that again.
[09:00.620 --> 09:02.180]  Words matter.
[09:02.180 --> 09:05.260]  They are the bedrock of how we connect.
[09:05.540 --> 09:09.700]  They represent our beliefs, morals, and perspectives.
[09:09.700 --> 09:14.180]  Sometimes we speak words, other times we listen.
[09:14.180 --> 09:16.660]  Words set a tone.
[09:16.660 --> 09:21.140]  They voice our thoughts, feelings, and experiences
[09:21.140 --> 09:23.140]  for good or bad.
[09:23.140 --> 09:27.860]  Unfortunately, words can be thoughtless, hasty,
[09:27.860 --> 09:29.220]  and hurtful.
[09:29.220 --> 09:32.540]  Once said, we cannot take them back.
[09:33.100 --> 09:36.220]  They can wound, punish, cut down,
[09:36.220 --> 09:39.940]  and even lead to destructive actions.
[09:39.940 --> 09:43.300]  They can weigh heavily on us.
[09:43.300 --> 09:46.660]  On the other hand, words can celebrate victory,
[09:46.660 --> 09:49.020]  be hopeful and encouraging.
[09:49.020 --> 09:54.660]  They can prompt us to rethink, reboot, and redirect our course.
[09:54.660 --> 09:58.500]  Words can open our minds to truth.
[09:59.020 --> 10:05.500]  That is why, first and foremost, the Lord's words matter.
[10:05.500 --> 10:09.020]  In the Book of Mormon, the prophet Alma and his people
[10:09.020 --> 10:13.300]  in ancient America encountered endless warfare
[10:13.300 --> 10:17.060]  with those who had disregarded the word of God,
[10:17.060 --> 10:21.100]  hardened their hearts, and corrupted their culture.
[10:21.100 --> 10:25.780]  The faithful could have fought, but Alma counseled,
[10:26.500 --> 10:28.460]  and now, as the preaching of the word
[10:28.460 --> 10:32.380]  had a great tendency to lead the people to do that which
[10:32.380 --> 10:36.540]  was just, yea, it had had more powerful effect
[10:36.540 --> 10:40.780]  upon the minds of the people than the sword or anything
[10:40.780 --> 10:43.540]  else which had happened unto them.
[10:43.540 --> 10:47.580]  Therefore, Alma thought it was expedient that they should
[10:47.580 --> 10:52.100]  try the virtue of the word of God.
[10:52.100 --> 10:55.780]  The word of God surpasses all other expressions.
[10:55.780 --> 10:59.020]  It has been so since the creation of the earth,
[10:59.020 --> 11:00.660]  when the Lord spoke,
[11:00.660 --> 11:04.620]  "...let there be light, and there was light."
[11:04.620 --> 11:09.780]  From the Savior came these assurances in the New Testament.
[11:09.780 --> 11:11.860]  Heaven and earth shall pass away,
[11:11.860 --> 11:14.780]  but my words shall not pass away.
[11:14.780 --> 11:19.700]  And this, if a man love me, he will keep my words,
[11:19.980 --> 11:23.660]  and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him
[11:23.660 --> 11:26.620]  and make our abode with him.
[11:26.620 --> 11:29.740]  And from Mary, the mother of Jesus,
[11:29.740 --> 11:31.940]  came this humble testimony,
[11:31.940 --> 11:34.780]  Behold, the handmaid of the Lord,
[11:34.780 --> 11:40.060]  be it unto me according to thy word.
[11:40.060 --> 11:42.060]  Believing and heeding the word of God
[11:42.060 --> 11:44.220]  will draw us closer to Him.
[11:44.220 --> 11:47.380]  President Russell M. Nelson has promised,
[11:47.620 --> 11:58.260]  Don't we all want to be, as the hymn says,
[11:58.260 --> 12:04.260]  more blessed and holy, more Savior-like thee?
[12:04.260 --> 12:07.220]  I picture young Joseph Smith on his knees,
[12:07.220 --> 12:09.780]  hearing the words of his Father in Heaven,
[12:09.780 --> 12:15.260]  Joseph, this is my beloved son, hear him.
[12:15.900 --> 12:18.580]  We hear him in the words of scripture,
[12:18.580 --> 12:22.060]  but do we just let them sit on the page,
[12:22.060 --> 12:25.460]  or do we recognize he is speaking to us?
[12:25.460 --> 12:28.180]  Do we change?
[12:28.180 --> 12:31.740]  We hear him in personal revelation and promptings
[12:31.740 --> 12:35.180]  from the Holy Ghost, in answers to prayer,
[12:35.180 --> 12:38.700]  and those moments when only Jesus Christ,
[12:38.700 --> 12:40.620]  through the power of His Atonement,
[12:40.620 --> 12:44.660]  can lift our burdens, grant us forgiveness and peace,
[12:44.820 --> 12:50.260]  and embrace us in the arms of His love.
[12:50.260 --> 12:53.700]  Second, the words of prophets matter.
[12:53.700 --> 12:57.780]  Prophets testify of the divinity of Jesus Christ.
[12:57.780 --> 13:02.380]  They teach His gospel and show His love for all.
[13:02.380 --> 13:05.900]  I bear my witness that our living prophet, President
[13:05.900 --> 13:10.620]  Russell M. Nelson, hears and speaks the word of the Lord.
[13:10.620 --> 13:14.060]  President Nelson has a way with words.
[13:14.380 --> 13:19.060]  He has said, keep on the covenant path, gather Israel,
[13:19.060 --> 13:24.700]  let God prevail, build bridges of understanding, give thanks,
[13:24.700 --> 13:29.860]  increase faith in Jesus Christ, take charge of your testimony,
[13:29.860 --> 13:33.140]  and become a peacemaker.
[13:33.140 --> 13:38.620]  Most recently he has asked us to think celestial.
[13:38.620 --> 13:41.420]  When you are confronted with a dilemma, he said,
[13:41.540 --> 13:42.980]  think celestial.
[13:42.980 --> 13:47.020]  When tested by temptation, think celestial.
[13:47.020 --> 13:52.260]  When life or loved ones let you down, think celestial.
[13:52.260 --> 13:56.700]  When someone dies prematurely, think celestial.
[13:56.700 --> 14:02.660]  When the pressures of life crowd in upon you, think celestial.
[14:02.660 --> 14:05.260]  As you think celestial, your heart
[14:05.260 --> 14:09.420]  will gradually change you and view trials and opposition
[14:09.420 --> 14:14.900]  in a new light, and your faith will increase.
[14:14.900 --> 14:18.460]  When we think celestial, we see things as they really
[14:18.460 --> 14:20.900]  are and really will be.
[14:20.900 --> 14:25.300]  In this world burdened with confusion and contention,
[14:25.300 --> 14:29.740]  we all need that perspective.
[14:29.740 --> 14:32.940]  Elder George Albert Smith, long before becoming
[14:32.940 --> 14:36.860]  President of the Church, spoke of sustaining the prophet
[14:36.860 --> 14:38.820]  and heeding his words.
[14:39.020 --> 14:39.820]  He said,
[14:40.500 --> 14:43.820]  The obligation that we make when we raise our hands
[14:43.820 --> 14:45.820]  is a most sacred one.
[14:45.820 --> 14:48.700]  It means that we will stand behind him,
[14:48.700 --> 14:51.060]  we will pray for him, and we will
[14:51.060 --> 14:53.620]  strive to carry out his instructions
[14:53.620 --> 14:56.260]  as the Lord shall direct.
[14:56.260 --> 14:59.140]  In other words, we will diligently
[14:59.140 --> 15:03.180]  act upon our prophet's words.
[15:03.180 --> 15:06.380]  As one of 15 prophet, seers, and revelators
[15:06.380 --> 15:10.180]  sustained yesterday by our worldwide Church,
[15:10.180 --> 15:15.020]  I want to share with you one of my experiences sustaining
[15:15.020 --> 15:18.940]  the prophet and embracing his words.
[15:18.940 --> 15:24.100]  It was for me, much like the Prophet Jacob, who recounted,
[15:24.100 --> 15:28.180]  I had heard the voice of the Lord speaking unto me
[15:28.180 --> 15:30.700]  in very word.
[15:30.700 --> 15:33.740]  Last October, my wife, Melanie, and I
[15:34.100 --> 15:36.140]  were in Bangkok, Thailand, as we were
[15:36.140 --> 15:42.300]  preparing to dedicate what would be the Church's 185th temple.
[15:42.300 --> 15:46.860]  For me, the assignment was both surreal and humbling.
[15:46.860 --> 15:49.180]  This was the first House of the Lord
[15:49.180 --> 15:52.460]  on the Southeast Asia Peninsula.
[15:52.460 --> 15:57.540]  It was masterfully designed, a six-story, nine-spired
[15:57.540 --> 16:02.420]  structure, fitly framed to be a house of the Lord.
[16:02.900 --> 16:06.300]  For months I had contemplated the dedication.
[16:06.300 --> 16:09.100]  What had settled in my soul and mind
[16:09.100 --> 16:11.580]  was that the country and the temple
[16:11.580 --> 16:17.420]  had been cradled in the arms of apostles and prophets.
[16:17.420 --> 16:21.300]  President Thomas S. Monson had announced the temple
[16:21.300 --> 16:23.980]  and President Nelson the dedication.
[16:23.980 --> 16:28.900]  I had prepared the dedicatory prayer months earlier.
[16:29.300 --> 16:33.580]  Those sacred words had been translated into 12 languages.
[16:33.580 --> 16:38.300]  We were ready, or so I thought.
[16:38.300 --> 16:40.020]  The night before the dedication, I
[16:40.020 --> 16:44.220]  was awakened from my sleep with an unsettled, urgent feeling
[16:44.220 --> 16:46.340]  about the dedicatory prayer.
[16:46.340 --> 16:51.220]  I tried to set it aside, put that prompting away,
[16:51.220 --> 16:55.900]  but the Spirit would not leave me alone.
[16:55.900 --> 16:59.740]  I sensed certain words were missing, and by divine design,
[16:59.740 --> 17:04.140]  they came to me in revelation, and I inserted these words
[17:04.140 --> 17:06.460]  in the prayer near the end.
[17:06.460 --> 17:12.660]  May we think celestial, letting Thy Spirit prevail in our lives
[17:12.660 --> 17:18.060]  and strive to be peacemakers always.
[17:18.060 --> 17:21.180]  The Lord was reminding me to heed
[17:21.180 --> 17:23.380]  the words of our living prophet.
[17:23.780 --> 17:27.220]  Think celestial, let the Spirit prevail,
[17:27.220 --> 17:29.980]  strive to be peacemakers.
[17:29.980 --> 17:36.780]  Words of the prophet matter to the Lord and to us.
[17:36.780 --> 17:42.540]  Now third, and so very important, are our own words.
[17:42.540 --> 17:48.700]  Believe me, in our emoji-filled world, our words matter.
[17:49.340 --> 17:53.740]  Our words can be supportive or angry, joyful or mean,
[17:53.740 --> 17:56.300]  compassionate or tossed aside.
[17:56.300 --> 18:00.500]  In the heat of the moment, words can sting and sink painfully
[18:00.500 --> 18:04.300]  deep into the soul and stay there.
[18:04.300 --> 18:08.260]  Our words on the Internet, texting, social media,
[18:08.260 --> 18:11.540]  or tweets take on a life of their own.
[18:11.540 --> 18:15.380]  So be careful what you say and how you say it.
[18:15.900 --> 18:19.540]  In our families, especially with husbands and wives
[18:19.540 --> 18:22.980]  and children, our words can bring us together
[18:22.980 --> 18:26.380]  or drive a wedge between us.
[18:26.380 --> 18:28.660]  Let me suggest three simple phrases
[18:28.660 --> 18:31.180]  that we can use to take the sting out
[18:31.180 --> 18:36.580]  of difficulties and differences, lift and reassure each other.
[18:36.580 --> 18:42.060]  Thank you, I am sorry, and I love you.
[18:42.060 --> 18:45.500]  Do not save these humble phrases for a special event
[18:45.500 --> 18:47.180]  or catastrophe.
[18:47.180 --> 18:52.180]  Use them often and sincerely, for they show regard for others.
[18:52.180 --> 18:54.300]  Talk is growing cheap.
[18:54.300 --> 18:57.300]  Do not follow that pattern.
[18:57.300 --> 19:00.740]  We can say thank you on the elevator, in the parking lot,
[19:00.740 --> 19:03.860]  at the market, or in the office, in a queue,
[19:03.860 --> 19:06.180]  or with our neighbors or friends.
[19:06.180 --> 19:10.420]  We can say, I am sorry, when we make a mistake, miss a meeting,
[19:10.580 --> 19:14.300]  forget a birthday, or see someone in pain.
[19:14.300 --> 19:17.340]  We can say, I love you, and those words
[19:17.340 --> 19:21.620]  carry the message, I am thinking about you, I care about you,
[19:21.620 --> 19:26.700]  I am here for you, or you are everything to me.
[19:26.700 --> 19:29.300]  Let me share a personal example.
[19:29.300 --> 19:31.220]  Husbands, take heed, and sisters,
[19:31.220 --> 19:34.180]  this is going to help you too.
[19:34.180 --> 19:36.580]  Before my full-time assignment in the Church,
[19:36.580 --> 19:39.020]  I traveled widely for my company.
[19:39.380 --> 19:44.300]  I was gone a fair amount of time to far reaches of the world.
[19:44.300 --> 19:48.460]  At the end of my day, no matter where I was,
[19:48.460 --> 19:50.260]  I always called home.
[19:52.860 --> 19:58.580]  When my wife, Melanie, picked up the phone and I reported in,
[19:58.580 --> 20:02.100]  our conversation always led to expressing,
[20:02.100 --> 20:05.060]  I love you, every day.
[20:05.660 --> 20:10.500]  Those words served as an anchor to my soul and my conduct.
[20:10.500 --> 20:14.340]  They were a protection to me from evil designs.
[20:14.340 --> 20:20.020]  Melanie, I love you, spoke of the precious trust between us.
[20:20.020 --> 20:22.780]  President Thomas S. Monson used to say,
[20:22.780 --> 20:25.740]  there are feet to steady, hands to grasp,
[20:25.740 --> 20:29.140]  minds to inspire, and souls to save.
[20:29.140 --> 20:34.620]  Saying, thank you, I am sorry, I love you, will do just that.
[20:35.180 --> 20:38.460]  Brothers and sisters, words do matter.
[20:38.460 --> 20:42.780]  I promise that if we feast upon the words of Christ
[20:42.780 --> 20:46.820]  that lead to salvation, our prophet's words that
[20:46.820 --> 20:50.900]  guide and encourage us, and our own words that
[20:50.900 --> 20:53.620]  speak of who we are and what we hold dear,
[20:53.620 --> 20:57.060]  the powers of heaven will pour down upon us.
[20:57.060 --> 20:59.500]  The words of Christ will tell you
[20:59.500 --> 21:01.580]  all things what ye should do.
[21:02.020 --> 21:05.140]  We are His children, and He is our God,
[21:05.140 --> 21:09.420]  and He expects us to speak with the tongue of angels
[21:09.420 --> 21:12.940]  by the power of the Holy Ghost.
[21:12.940 --> 21:15.460]  I love the Lord Jesus Christ.
[21:15.460 --> 21:19.780]  He is, in the words of the Old Testament prophet Isaiah,
[21:19.780 --> 21:25.580]  wonderful, counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father,
[21:25.580 --> 21:29.060]  the Prince of Peace.
[21:29.060 --> 21:31.700]  And as the Apostle John made clear,
[21:31.700 --> 21:36.660]  Jesus Christ Himself is the word.
[21:36.660 --> 21:41.100]  Of this I testify, as an Apostle called to the Lord's divine
[21:41.100 --> 21:44.940]  service to declare His word and called
[21:44.940 --> 21:48.180]  to stand as a special witness of Him,
[21:48.180 --> 21:51.740]  in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, amen.
[22:00.060 --> 22:04.580]  Thank you, Elder Rasband.
[22:04.580 --> 22:07.940]  Brothers and sisters, I feel joy as I
[22:07.940 --> 22:13.620]  respond to an impression to speak to children.
[22:13.620 --> 22:16.700]  Girls and boys, wherever you are in the world,
[22:16.700 --> 22:20.500]  I want to share something with you.
[22:20.500 --> 22:24.380]  Our Heavenly Father loves you.
[22:24.380 --> 22:26.940]  You are His child.
[22:27.340 --> 22:28.700]  He knows you.
[22:28.700 --> 22:31.540]  He wants to bless you.
[22:31.540 --> 22:38.620]  I pray with all my heart that you will feel His love.
[22:38.620 --> 22:40.940]  Do you like to receive gifts?
[22:40.940 --> 22:45.020]  I want to talk to you about a very special gift
[22:45.020 --> 22:48.900]  that Heavenly Father has given to help you.
[22:48.900 --> 22:52.220]  It is the gift of prayer.
[22:52.220 --> 22:54.620]  What a blessing prayer is!
[22:54.660 --> 23:00.980]  We can talk to Heavenly Father anytime, anywhere.
[23:00.980 --> 23:04.420]  When Jesus was on the earth, He taught us to pray.
[23:04.420 --> 23:11.260]  He said, "...ask, and ye shall receive."
[23:11.260 --> 23:13.500]  What gifts can you pray for?
[23:13.500 --> 23:18.620]  There are many, but today I want to share three.
[23:19.420 --> 23:27.620]  Pray to know, pray to grow, and pray to show.
[23:27.620 --> 23:30.460]  Let's talk about each one.
[23:30.460 --> 23:33.820]  First, pray to know.
[23:33.820 --> 23:37.420]  What do you need to know?
[23:37.420 --> 23:41.100]  There is a song about prayer that Primary children
[23:41.100 --> 23:43.340]  sing all over the world.
[23:43.340 --> 23:45.820]  It starts with a question.
[23:46.380 --> 23:48.700]  Do you know what that song is?
[23:48.700 --> 23:53.620]  If I were really brave, I would sing it to you.
[23:56.420 --> 24:01.060]  Heavenly Father, are You really there?
[24:01.060 --> 24:07.780]  And do You hear and answer every child's prayer?
[24:07.780 --> 24:10.900]  How can you know that Heavenly Father is really there,
[24:10.900 --> 24:14.740]  even when you can't see Him?
[24:14.740 --> 24:17.660]  President Russell M. Nelson has invited
[24:17.660 --> 24:21.980]  you to pour out your heart to your Heavenly Father
[24:21.980 --> 24:24.580]  and then listen.
[24:24.580 --> 24:29.580]  Listen to what you feel in your heart and thoughts
[24:29.580 --> 24:33.020]  that come to your mind.
[24:33.020 --> 24:37.020]  Heavenly Father has a glorified body of flesh and bones
[24:37.020 --> 24:41.540]  and is the Father of your spirit.
[24:41.540 --> 24:43.940]  Because Heavenly Father has all power
[24:43.940 --> 24:48.380]  and knows all things, He can see all His children
[24:48.380 --> 24:53.580]  and can hear and answer every prayer.
[24:53.580 --> 24:58.220]  You can come to know for yourself that He is there
[24:58.220 --> 25:01.580]  and that He loves you.
[25:01.580 --> 25:03.660]  When you know that Heavenly Father is real
[25:03.660 --> 25:07.260]  and that He loves you, you can live with courage and hope.
[25:07.740 --> 25:10.500]  Pray, He is there.
[25:10.500 --> 25:15.220]  Speak, He is listening.
[25:15.220 --> 25:17.300]  Have you ever felt alone?
[25:17.300 --> 25:22.540]  One day when our granddaughter Ashley was six years old,
[25:22.540 --> 25:25.380]  she was the only one without a friend
[25:25.380 --> 25:27.980]  to play with on the school playground.
[25:27.980 --> 25:32.580]  As she stood there feeling unimportant and unseen,
[25:32.940 --> 25:36.980]  a specific thought came into her mind.
[25:36.980 --> 25:42.180]  Wait, I'm not alone.
[25:42.180 --> 25:45.060]  I have Christ.
[25:47.740 --> 25:50.940]  Ashley knelt down right in the middle of the playground,
[25:50.940 --> 25:55.340]  folded her arms, and prayed to Heavenly Father.
[25:55.340 --> 26:00.060]  The moment she opened her eyes, a girl her age
[26:00.060 --> 26:06.020]  was standing there asking her if she wanted to play.
[26:06.020 --> 26:11.820]  Ashley came to know we are important to the Lord
[26:11.820 --> 26:16.380]  and we are never truly alone.
[26:16.380 --> 26:20.060]  Sometimes you may want to know why something hard is happening
[26:20.060 --> 26:22.940]  in your life or why you didn't receive
[26:22.940 --> 26:25.060]  a blessing you prayed for.
[26:25.060 --> 26:29.500]  Often the best question to ask Heavenly Father
[26:29.780 --> 26:33.260]  is not why but what.
[26:33.260 --> 26:36.580]  Do you remember when Nephi and his family
[26:36.580 --> 26:40.420]  were hungry while they were traveling in the wilderness?
[26:40.420 --> 26:44.540]  When Nephi and his brothers went to hunt for food,
[26:44.540 --> 26:50.860]  Nephi broke his bow, but he didn't ask why.
[26:50.860 --> 26:54.900]  Nephi made a new bow and asked his father, Lehi,
[26:54.900 --> 26:57.820]  where he could go to get food.
[26:58.540 --> 27:06.460]  Lehi prayed, and the Lord showed them where Nephi could go.
[27:06.460 --> 27:08.540]  Heavenly Father will guide you when
[27:08.540 --> 27:15.980]  you ask Him what you can do and what you can learn.
[27:15.980 --> 27:18.820]  Second, pray to grow.
[27:18.820 --> 27:22.740]  Heavenly Father wants to help you grow.
[27:22.740 --> 27:27.220]  He loves us so much that He sent His Son, Jesus Christ,
[27:27.340 --> 27:30.260]  to show us the way to live.
[27:30.260 --> 27:34.940]  Jesus suffered, died, and was resurrected
[27:34.940 --> 27:37.900]  so we can be forgiven of our sins
[27:37.900 --> 27:42.620]  and grow to become more like Him.
[27:42.620 --> 27:46.420]  Do you want to grow in patience or in honesty?
[27:46.420 --> 27:50.020]  Do you want to grow in a skill?
[27:50.020 --> 27:54.900]  Maybe you are shy and want to grow in courage.
[27:55.460 --> 27:56.380]  Pray.
[27:56.380 --> 27:58.940]  He is there.
[27:58.940 --> 28:02.500]  Through His Spirit, your heart can change
[28:02.500 --> 28:06.220]  and you can receive strength.
[28:06.220 --> 28:09.940]  My new friend Jonah wrote,
[28:09.940 --> 28:14.500]  I often feel nervous on my way to school in the morning.
[28:14.500 --> 28:18.660]  I worry about things like being late, forgetting something,
[28:18.660 --> 28:21.620]  and taking tests.
[28:21.620 --> 28:26.220]  When I was 10, I started saying prayers on my drive
[28:26.220 --> 28:28.580]  to school with my mom.
[28:28.580 --> 28:33.660]  I ask for the help I need, and I pray for my family too.
[28:33.660 --> 28:38.940]  I also think of the things I'm grateful for.
[28:38.940 --> 28:42.300]  Praying to Heavenly Father has helped me.
[28:42.300 --> 28:45.340]  Sometimes I don't feel the relief right
[28:45.340 --> 28:50.140]  as I get out of the car, but by the time I'm at my classroom,
[28:50.540 --> 28:53.780]  I feel peaceful.
[28:53.780 --> 28:59.100]  Jonah's faith is growing as he prays every day
[28:59.100 --> 29:01.660]  and then moves forward.
[29:04.460 --> 29:06.940]  Third, pray to show.
[29:06.940 --> 29:11.980]  You can pray for help to show Heavenly Father's love
[29:11.980 --> 29:13.180]  to others.
[29:13.180 --> 29:16.380]  Through His Spirit, Heavenly Father
[29:16.380 --> 29:19.740]  will help you notice someone who is sad
[29:19.860 --> 29:21.940]  so you can comfort them.
[29:21.940 --> 29:27.340]  He can help you show His love by forgiving someone.
[29:27.340 --> 29:32.100]  He can give you courage to serve someone and share with them
[29:32.100 --> 29:36.700]  that they are a child of God.
[29:36.700 --> 29:39.340]  You can help others come to know and love
[29:39.340 --> 29:42.580]  Jesus and Heavenly Father as you do.
[29:43.380 --> 29:50.140]  For my whole life, I prayed that my father
[29:50.140 --> 29:53.620]  would become a member of The Church of Jesus
[29:53.620 --> 29:56.340]  Christ of Latter-day Saints.
[29:56.340 --> 30:00.260]  Even as a young girl, I knew how many blessings
[30:00.260 --> 30:02.660]  he could receive.
[30:02.660 --> 30:05.500]  Our family could receive the blessings
[30:05.500 --> 30:08.060]  of being sealed for eternity.
[30:08.820 --> 30:12.380]  My family, friends, and I prayed often for him,
[30:12.380 --> 30:16.020]  but he didn't join the Church.
[30:16.020 --> 30:19.940]  Heavenly Father does not force anyone to make a choice.
[30:19.940 --> 30:25.820]  He can send us answers to our prayers in other ways.
[30:25.820 --> 30:28.900]  When I was old enough, I received my patriarchal
[30:28.900 --> 30:29.980]  blessing.
[30:29.980 --> 30:33.620]  In the blessing, the patriarch told me
[30:33.620 --> 30:37.900]  the best thing I could do to help my family be together
[30:37.940 --> 30:43.660]  in heaven was to be an example of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
[30:43.660 --> 30:48.300]  That's what I could do.
[30:48.300 --> 30:51.580]  My father lived to be 86.
[30:51.580 --> 30:56.340]  Five days after he died, I received
[30:56.340 --> 31:00.580]  a sacred feeling of joy.
[31:00.580 --> 31:02.940]  Heavenly Father let me know through His Spirit
[31:02.940 --> 31:06.300]  that my father wanted to receive the blessings
[31:06.460 --> 31:10.900]  of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
[31:10.900 --> 31:13.540]  I will never forget the day I knelt
[31:13.540 --> 31:16.740]  around the altar in the temple with my sister and brothers
[31:16.740 --> 31:19.540]  to be sealed to my parents.
[31:19.540 --> 31:23.140]  I had started praying for this blessing
[31:23.140 --> 31:27.180]  when I was in Primary, and I received it
[31:27.180 --> 31:31.260]  when I was a grandmother.
[31:31.260 --> 31:33.860]  Perhaps you are praying for blessings for your family
[31:33.860 --> 31:35.580]  and others you love.
[31:36.260 --> 31:39.860]  Don't give up.
[31:39.860 --> 31:45.380]  Heavenly Father will show you what you can do.
[31:45.380 --> 31:48.380]  Share with Heavenly Father what is in your heart.
[31:48.380 --> 31:51.540]  As you sincerely ask for His help,
[31:51.540 --> 31:56.060]  you will receive His Spirit to guide you.
[31:56.060 --> 31:59.460]  Praying every day will fill you with love for Heavenly Father
[31:59.460 --> 32:01.220]  and Jesus Christ.
[32:01.700 --> 32:06.460]  This will help you want to follow them your whole life.
[32:09.140 --> 32:14.380]  Imagine what would happen if all the children in Africa,
[32:14.380 --> 32:23.060]  South America, Asia, Europe, North America, and Australia
[32:23.060 --> 32:26.340]  prayed every day.
[32:27.100 --> 32:31.940]  The whole world would be blessed with more of God's love.
[32:35.260 --> 32:44.620]  I invite you to pray to know Heavenly Father is there.
[32:44.620 --> 32:50.220]  Pray to grow to become like Him, and pray
[32:50.220 --> 32:56.020]  to show His love to others.
[32:56.020 --> 33:00.820]  I know He lives and loves you.
[33:00.820 --> 33:05.140]  Pray, He is there.
[33:05.140 --> 33:08.940]  In the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.
[33:26.020 --> 33:34.500]  In my time, quiet time, loved ones gather at day's end.
[33:34.500 --> 33:36.980]  I hold them close.
[33:36.980 --> 33:44.460]  I help them know that God will always be their friend.
[33:44.460 --> 33:49.460]  Then just before I say good night,
[33:49.460 --> 33:55.940]  my little one gets by my chair.
[33:55.940 --> 34:01.420]  I close my eyes, I dim the lights,
[34:01.420 --> 34:04.900]  and listen to this simple prayer.
[34:09.380 --> 34:15.340]  Heavenly Father, are you really there?
[34:15.620 --> 34:20.620]  And do you hear and answer every child's prayer?
[34:20.620 --> 34:25.620]  Some say that heaven is far away,
[34:25.620 --> 34:32.100]  but I feel it close around me as I pray.
[34:32.100 --> 34:38.100]  Heavenly Father, I remember now something
[34:38.100 --> 34:42.580]  that Jesus taught disciples long ago.
[34:42.780 --> 34:48.260]  Suffer the children to come to me.
[34:48.260 --> 34:55.260]  Father in prayer, I'm coming now to thee.
[34:55.260 --> 35:00.740]  Pray, He is there.
[35:00.740 --> 35:05.740]  Speak, He is listening.
[35:05.900 --> 35:09.900]  You are His child.
[35:09.900 --> 35:16.380]  His love now surrounds you.
[35:16.380 --> 35:21.380]  He hears your prayer.
[35:21.380 --> 35:25.860]  He loves the children.
[35:25.860 --> 35:35.340]  Of such is the kingdom, the kingdom of heaven.
[35:36.340 --> 35:44.340]  Heavenly Father, are you really there?
[35:44.340 --> 35:49.340]  And do you hear and answer every child's prayer?
[35:49.340 --> 35:54.340]  Some say that heaven is far away,
[35:54.340 --> 36:00.340]  but I feel it close around me as I pray.
[36:00.940 --> 36:06.940]  Heavenly Father, I remember now something
[36:06.940 --> 36:11.420]  that Jesus taught disciples long ago.
[36:11.420 --> 36:16.900]  Suffer the children to come to me.
[36:16.900 --> 36:23.380]  Father in prayer, I'm coming now to thee.
[36:23.900 --> 36:30.380]  Heavenly Father, are you really there?
[36:30.380 --> 36:37.860]  He hears and answers every child's prayer.
[36:54.380 --> 36:59.060]  Years ago, my wife, Ruth, our daughter, Ashley,
[36:59.060 --> 37:03.020]  and I joined other tourists on a kayaking excursion
[37:03.020 --> 37:06.100]  in the state of Hawaii in the United States.
[37:06.100 --> 37:11.140]  A kayak is a low-to-the-water, canoe-like boat
[37:11.140 --> 37:13.940]  in which the rower sits facing forward
[37:13.940 --> 37:17.460]  and uses a double-bladed paddle to pull front to back
[37:17.460 --> 37:20.260]  on one side and then on the other.
[37:20.860 --> 37:24.980]  The plan was to row to two small islands off the coast of Oahu
[37:24.980 --> 37:26.300]  and back again.
[37:26.300 --> 37:29.940]  I was confident because, as a young man,
[37:29.940 --> 37:33.380]  I had paddled kayaks across mountain lakes.
[37:33.380 --> 37:37.860]  Hubris never bodes well, does it?
[37:37.860 --> 37:40.980]  Our guide gave us instructions and showed us
[37:40.980 --> 37:42.980]  the ocean kayaks we would use.
[37:42.980 --> 37:46.580]  They differed from the ones I had previously paddled.
[37:46.580 --> 37:50.180]  I was supposed to sit on top of the kayak instead of down
[37:50.180 --> 37:51.500]  inside it.
[37:51.500 --> 37:55.060]  When I got onto the kayak, my center of gravity
[37:55.060 --> 37:57.340]  was higher than I was accustomed to,
[37:57.340 --> 38:01.180]  and I was less stable in the water.
[38:01.180 --> 38:05.460]  As we started out, I rowed faster than Ruth and Ashley.
[38:05.460 --> 38:09.380]  After a while, I was far ahead of them.
[38:09.380 --> 38:15.220]  Though proud of my heroic pace, I stopped paddling
[38:15.220 --> 38:18.500]  and waited for them to catch up.
[38:18.500 --> 38:25.620]  A large wave, this big, about 13 centimeters,
[38:25.620 --> 38:27.700]  hit the side of my kayak and flipped me over
[38:27.700 --> 38:29.140]  into the water.
[38:29.140 --> 38:32.460]  By the time I had turned the kayak upright
[38:32.460 --> 38:34.740]  and struggled to get back on top,
[38:34.740 --> 38:37.420]  Ruth and Ashley had passed me by,
[38:37.420 --> 38:40.780]  but I was too winded to resume paddling.
[38:40.780 --> 38:44.580]  Before I could catch my breath, another wave,
[38:44.660 --> 38:52.300]  this one truly enormous, this big, at least 20 centimeters,
[38:52.300 --> 38:55.260]  hit my kayak and flipped me over again.
[38:55.260 --> 38:58.460]  By the time I managed to right the kayak,
[38:58.460 --> 39:01.380]  I was so out of breath I feared I wouldn't
[39:01.380 --> 39:03.460]  be able to climb on top.
[39:03.460 --> 39:07.060]  Seeing my situation, the guide rowed over,
[39:07.060 --> 39:11.820]  steadied my kayak, making it easier for me to climb on top.
[39:12.380 --> 39:16.020]  When he saw that I was still too breathless to row on my own,
[39:16.020 --> 39:18.700]  he hitched a tow rope to my kayak
[39:18.700 --> 39:23.020]  and began paddling, pulling me along with him.
[39:23.020 --> 39:27.020]  Soon I caught my breath and began paddling adequately
[39:27.020 --> 39:28.140]  on my own.
[39:28.140 --> 39:32.060]  He let go of the rope, and I reached the first island
[39:32.060 --> 39:34.100]  without further assistance.
[39:34.100 --> 39:40.500]  Upon arrival, I flopped down on the sand, exhausted.
[39:40.500 --> 39:45.500]  After the group had rested, the guide quietly said to me,
[39:45.500 --> 39:49.660]  Mr. Renlund, if you just keep paddling,
[39:49.660 --> 39:55.100]  maintaining your momentum, I think you're going to be fine.
[39:55.100 --> 39:58.420]  I followed his advice as we paddled to the second island
[39:58.420 --> 40:00.500]  and then back to our starting point.
[40:00.500 --> 40:07.820]  Twice the guide rowed by and told me I was doing great.
[40:07.820 --> 40:10.940]  Even larger waves hit my kayak from the side,
[40:10.940 --> 40:14.380]  but I wasn't flipped over.
[40:14.380 --> 40:17.220]  By consistently paddling the kayak,
[40:17.220 --> 40:21.580]  I maintained momentum and forward progress,
[40:21.580 --> 40:26.260]  mitigating the effect of waves hitting me from the side.
[40:26.260 --> 40:30.140]  The same principle applies in our spiritual lives.
[40:30.140 --> 40:35.940]  We become vulnerable when we slow down
[40:36.420 --> 40:38.780]  and especially when we stop.
[40:38.780 --> 40:41.900]  If we maintain spiritual momentum
[40:41.900 --> 40:44.860]  by continually rowing toward the Savior,
[40:44.860 --> 40:49.220]  we're safer and more secure because our eternal life
[40:49.220 --> 40:52.900]  depends on our faith in Him.
[40:52.900 --> 40:56.500]  Spiritual momentum is created over a lifetime
[40:56.500 --> 41:00.700]  as we repeatedly embrace the doctrine of Christ.
[41:00.700 --> 41:04.180]  Doing so, President Russell M. Nelson taught,
[41:04.500 --> 41:08.220]  produces a powerful, virtuous cycle.
[41:08.220 --> 41:11.860]  Indeed, the elements of the doctrine of Christ,
[41:11.860 --> 41:16.340]  such as faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, repentance,
[41:16.340 --> 41:19.940]  entering a covenant relationship with the Lord through baptism,
[41:19.940 --> 41:22.340]  receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost,
[41:22.340 --> 41:25.900]  and enduring to the end, are not intended
[41:25.900 --> 41:29.860]  to be experienced as one-time, check-the-box events.
[41:30.380 --> 41:32.900]  In particular, enduring to the end
[41:32.900 --> 41:37.940]  is not really a separate step in the doctrine of Christ,
[41:37.940 --> 41:41.100]  as though we complete the first four elements,
[41:41.100 --> 41:45.500]  then hunker down, grit our teeth, and wait to die.
[41:45.500 --> 41:51.260]  No, enduring to the end is repeatedly and iteratively
[41:51.260 --> 41:54.620]  applying the other elements of the doctrine of Christ,
[41:54.620 --> 41:57.420]  creating the powerful, virtuous cycle
[41:57.420 --> 42:00.900]  that President Nelson described.
[42:00.900 --> 42:03.860]  Repeatedly means that we experience
[42:03.860 --> 42:07.140]  the elements of the doctrine of Christ over and over
[42:07.140 --> 42:08.860]  throughout our lives.
[42:08.860 --> 42:12.980]  Iteratively means that we build on and improve
[42:12.980 --> 42:15.020]  with each repetition.
[42:15.020 --> 42:17.620]  Even though we repeat the elements,
[42:17.620 --> 42:19.660]  we're not just spinning in circles
[42:19.660 --> 42:21.940]  without a forward trajectory.
[42:21.940 --> 42:26.860]  Instead, we draw closer to Jesus Christ each time
[42:27.100 --> 42:29.820]  through the cycle.
[42:29.820 --> 42:33.820]  Momentum involves both speed and direction.
[42:33.820 --> 42:36.700]  If I had paddled the kayak vigorously
[42:36.700 --> 42:39.460]  in the wrong direction, I could have created
[42:39.460 --> 42:42.700]  significant momentum, but I wouldn't have reached
[42:42.700 --> 42:44.660]  the intended destination.
[42:44.660 --> 42:49.780]  Similarly, in life, we need to row toward the Savior
[42:49.780 --> 42:52.020]  to come unto Him.
[42:52.020 --> 42:56.420]  Our faith in Jesus Christ needs to be nourished daily.
[42:56.980 --> 43:02.980]  It's nourished as we pray daily, study the scriptures daily,
[43:02.980 --> 43:09.660]  reflect on the goodness of God daily, repent daily,
[43:09.660 --> 43:15.180]  and follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost daily.
[43:15.180 --> 43:18.540]  Just as it's not healthy to defer eating all our food
[43:18.540 --> 43:23.260]  until Sunday and then binge our weekly allotment of nutrition,
[43:23.820 --> 43:26.860]  it's not spiritually healthy to restrict
[43:26.860 --> 43:28.780]  our testimony-nourishing behavior
[43:28.780 --> 43:30.580]  to one day in the week.
[43:30.580 --> 43:34.980]  When we assume responsibility for our own testimonies,
[43:34.980 --> 43:39.100]  we gain spiritual momentum and gradually develop
[43:39.100 --> 43:43.700]  bedrock faith in Jesus Christ, and the doctrine of Christ
[43:43.700 --> 43:47.340]  becomes central to the purpose of life.
[43:47.340 --> 43:49.620]  Momentum likewise builds as we strive
[43:49.620 --> 43:52.340]  to obey the laws of God and repent.
[43:52.860 --> 43:55.740]  Repentance is joyful and allows us
[43:55.740 --> 43:58.220]  to learn from our mistakes, which
[43:58.220 --> 44:00.860]  is how we progress eternally.
[44:00.860 --> 44:06.020]  We'll undoubtedly have times when we flip over in our kayaks
[44:06.020 --> 44:08.580]  and find ourselves in deep water.
[44:08.580 --> 44:11.900]  Through repentance, we can get back on top
[44:11.900 --> 44:16.500]  and continue, no matter how many times we've fallen off.
[44:17.180 --> 44:22.740]  The important part is that we do not give up.
[44:22.740 --> 44:25.420]  The next element in the doctrine of Christ
[44:25.420 --> 44:29.660]  is baptism, which includes the baptism of water
[44:29.660 --> 44:33.700]  and, through confirmation, the baptism of the Holy Ghost.
[44:33.700 --> 44:37.380]  While baptism is a singular event,
[44:37.380 --> 44:41.060]  we renew our baptismal covenant repeatedly
[44:41.060 --> 44:43.500]  when we partake of the sacrament.
[44:44.100 --> 44:47.300]  The sacrament doesn't replace baptism,
[44:47.300 --> 44:49.700]  but it links the initial elements
[44:49.700 --> 44:51.420]  in the doctrine of Christ, faith,
[44:51.420 --> 44:55.620]  and repentance with reception of the Holy Ghost.
[44:55.620 --> 44:59.100]  As we conscientiously partake of the sacrament,
[44:59.100 --> 45:01.740]  we invite the Holy Ghost into our lives,
[45:01.740 --> 45:05.460]  just like when we were baptized and confirmed.
[45:05.460 --> 45:08.620]  As we keep the covenant described in the sacrament
[45:08.620 --> 45:12.940]  prayers, the Holy Ghost becomes our companion.
[45:12.940 --> 45:17.300]  As the Holy Ghost exerts a greater influence in our lives,
[45:17.300 --> 45:21.860]  we progressively and iteratively develop
[45:21.860 --> 45:23.660]  Christlike attributes.
[45:23.660 --> 45:25.740]  Our hearts change.
[45:25.740 --> 45:29.460]  Our disposition to do evil diminishes.
[45:29.460 --> 45:33.860]  Our inclination to do good increases until we only
[45:33.860 --> 45:36.460]  want to do good continually.
[45:37.140 --> 45:39.700]  And we thereby access the heavenly power
[45:39.700 --> 45:42.220]  needed to endure to the end.
[45:42.220 --> 45:45.300]  Our faith has increased, and we're
[45:45.300 --> 45:50.540]  ready to repeat the powerful virtuous cycle again.
[45:50.540 --> 45:52.980]  Forward spiritual momentum also propels
[45:52.980 --> 45:56.260]  us to make additional covenants with God
[45:56.260 --> 45:58.140]  in the house of the Lord.
[45:58.140 --> 46:02.380]  Multiple covenants draw us closer to Christ
[46:02.380 --> 46:05.460]  and connect us more strongly to Him.
[46:06.140 --> 46:10.340]  Through these covenants, we have greater access to His power.
[46:10.340 --> 46:14.660]  To be clear, baptismal and temple covenants
[46:14.660 --> 46:19.780]  are not, in and of themselves, the source of power.
[46:19.780 --> 46:23.860]  The source of power is the Lord Jesus Christ
[46:23.860 --> 46:26.060]  and our Heavenly Father.
[46:26.060 --> 46:30.500]  Making and keeping covenants create a conduit
[46:30.500 --> 46:33.100]  for their power in our lives.
[46:33.660 --> 46:35.980]  As we live according to these covenants,
[46:35.980 --> 46:39.180]  we eventually become inheritors to all
[46:39.180 --> 46:41.260]  that Heavenly Father has.
[46:41.260 --> 46:44.900]  The momentum produced by living the doctrine of Christ
[46:44.900 --> 46:48.220]  not only powers the transformation
[46:48.220 --> 46:51.860]  of our divine nature into our eternal destiny,
[46:51.860 --> 46:57.980]  but it also motivates us to help others in appropriate ways.
[46:57.980 --> 46:59.820]  Consider how the expedition guide
[46:59.820 --> 47:03.300]  helped me after I flipped over in the kayak.
[47:03.300 --> 47:07.620]  He didn't shout from afar an unhelpful question,
[47:07.620 --> 47:13.180]  such as, Mr. Renlund, what are you doing in the water?
[47:13.180 --> 47:17.180]  He didn't paddle up and chide me, saying, Mr. Renlund,
[47:17.180 --> 47:19.100]  you wouldn't be in this situation
[47:19.100 --> 47:21.260]  if you were more physically fit.
[47:21.260 --> 47:24.220]  He didn't start towing my kayak while I was just
[47:24.220 --> 47:25.980]  trying to get on top of it.
[47:26.620 --> 47:29.780]  And He didn't correct me in front of the group.
[47:29.780 --> 47:33.260]  Instead, He gave me the help I needed
[47:33.260 --> 47:35.420]  at the time I needed it.
[47:35.420 --> 47:38.420]  He gave me advice when I was receptive,
[47:38.420 --> 47:42.980]  and He went out of His way to encourage me.
[47:42.980 --> 47:45.380]  As we minister to others, we don't
[47:45.380 --> 47:49.140]  need to ask unhelpful questions or state the obvious.
[47:49.140 --> 47:53.420]  Most people who are struggling know that they're struggling.
[47:54.260 --> 47:55.980]  We shouldn't be judgmental.
[47:55.980 --> 48:00.380]  Our judgment is neither helpful nor welcome,
[48:00.380 --> 48:04.940]  and it is most often ill-informed.
[48:04.940 --> 48:07.580]  Comparing ourselves to others can lead us
[48:07.580 --> 48:12.540]  to make pernicious errors, especially if we conclude
[48:12.540 --> 48:15.580]  that we are more righteous than those who are struggling.
[48:15.580 --> 48:18.900]  Such a comparison is like drowning hopelessly
[48:18.900 --> 48:22.220]  in three meters of water, seeing someone else drowning
[48:22.260 --> 48:26.180]  in four meters of water, judging him a greater sinner,
[48:26.180 --> 48:28.540]  and feeling good about yourself.
[48:28.540 --> 48:32.780]  After all, we are all struggling in our own way.
[48:32.780 --> 48:35.420]  None of us earns salvation.
[48:35.420 --> 48:36.940]  We never can.
[48:36.940 --> 48:38.980]  Jacob, in the book of Mormon, taught,
[48:38.980 --> 48:43.220]  remember, after we are reconciled unto God,
[48:43.220 --> 48:46.060]  that it is only in and through the grace of God
[48:46.060 --> 48:47.420]  that we're saved.
[48:48.060 --> 48:51.900]  We all need the Savior's infinite Atonement,
[48:51.900 --> 48:54.620]  not just part of it.
[48:54.620 --> 48:59.260]  We do need all our compassion, empathy, and love
[48:59.260 --> 49:01.940]  as we interact with those around us.
[49:01.940 --> 49:04.980]  Those who are struggling need to experience
[49:04.980 --> 49:07.380]  the pure love of Jesus Christ reflected
[49:07.380 --> 49:09.420]  in our words and actions.
[49:09.420 --> 49:13.540]  As we minister, we encourage others frequently
[49:13.540 --> 49:15.260]  and offer help.
[49:15.900 --> 49:19.420]  Even if someone isn't receptive, we continue
[49:19.420 --> 49:22.300]  to minister as they allow.
[49:22.300 --> 49:27.580]  The Savior taught that unto such shall ye continue to minister,
[49:27.580 --> 49:31.460]  for ye know not but what they will repent and return,
[49:31.460 --> 49:34.060]  and come unto me with full purpose of heart,
[49:34.060 --> 49:36.940]  and I shall heal them, and ye shall
[49:36.940 --> 49:41.220]  be the means of bringing salvation unto them.
[49:41.220 --> 49:44.580]  The Savior's job is to heal.
[49:44.580 --> 49:51.500]  Our job is to love, to love and minister in such a way
[49:51.500 --> 49:54.860]  that others are drawn to Jesus Christ.
[49:54.860 --> 50:00.020]  This is one of the fruits of the powerful, virtuous cycle
[50:00.020 --> 50:03.580]  of the doctrine of Christ.
[50:03.580 --> 50:07.060]  I invite you to live the doctrine of Christ
[50:07.420 --> 50:11.700]  repeatedly, iteratively, and intentionally
[50:11.700 --> 50:14.140]  and help others on their way.
[50:14.140 --> 50:16.860]  I testify that the doctrine of Christ
[50:16.860 --> 50:19.900]  is central to Heavenly Father's plan.
[50:19.900 --> 50:23.220]  It is, after all, His doctrine.
[50:23.220 --> 50:27.460]  As we exercise faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement,
[50:27.460 --> 50:30.620]  we are propelled along the covenant path
[50:30.620 --> 50:34.460]  and motivated to help others become faithful disciples
[50:34.460 --> 50:35.860]  of Jesus Christ.
[50:36.220 --> 50:39.180]  We can become heirs in Heavenly Father's kingdom,
[50:39.180 --> 50:42.220]  which is the culmination of faithfully living
[50:42.220 --> 50:43.740]  the doctrine of Christ.
[50:43.740 --> 50:46.580]  In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
[50:56.860 --> 51:01.300]  Good morning, dear friends, sisters, and brothers.
[51:01.300 --> 51:04.100]  In the Piper family, we sometimes
[51:04.100 --> 51:08.700]  play a game we call the crazy trust exercise.
[51:08.700 --> 51:10.940]  You may have played it, too.
[51:10.940 --> 51:13.740]  Two people stand a few feet apart,
[51:13.740 --> 51:16.140]  one with their back toward the other.
[51:16.140 --> 51:18.580]  On a signal from the person behind,
[51:18.580 --> 51:20.300]  the person in front falls backward
[51:20.300 --> 51:23.060]  into the waiting arms of their friend.
[51:23.060 --> 51:28.340]  Trust is the foundation of all relationships.
[51:28.340 --> 51:31.780]  A threshold question to any relationship
[51:31.780 --> 51:35.500]  is, can I trust the other person?
[51:35.500 --> 51:38.580]  A relationship forms only when people
[51:38.580 --> 51:41.220]  are willing to place trust in each other.
[51:41.220 --> 51:46.300]  It is not a relationship if one person trusts completely
[51:46.300 --> 51:49.540]  but the other does not.
[51:49.540 --> 51:53.580]  Each of us is a beloved spirit son or daughter
[51:53.580 --> 51:56.100]  of a loving Heavenly Father.
[51:56.100 --> 51:59.460]  But while that spiritual genealogy provides
[51:59.460 --> 52:02.340]  the foundation, it does not of itself
[52:02.340 --> 52:05.180]  create a meaningful relationship with God.
[52:05.180 --> 52:11.580]  A relationship can only be built when we choose to trust Him.
[52:11.580 --> 52:15.820]  Heavenly Father desires to build a close, personal relationship
[52:15.820 --> 52:18.500]  with each of His spirit children.
[52:18.500 --> 52:22.660]  Jesus expressed that desire when He prayed,
[52:23.180 --> 52:27.820]  "...that they all may be one, as Thou, Father, art in me,
[52:27.820 --> 52:34.620]  and I in Thee, that they also may be one in us."
[52:34.620 --> 52:38.260]  The relationship God seeks with each spirit child
[52:38.260 --> 52:42.020]  is one so close and personal that He
[52:42.020 --> 52:46.260]  will be able to share all He has and all He is.
[52:46.260 --> 52:49.980]  That kind of deep, enduring relationship
[52:49.980 --> 52:55.660]  can develop only when built upon perfect, total trust.
[52:55.660 --> 52:58.540]  For His part, Heavenly Father has
[52:58.540 --> 53:00.740]  worked from the beginning to communicate
[53:00.740 --> 53:04.500]  His absolute trust in the divine potential of each
[53:04.500 --> 53:05.780]  of His children.
[53:05.780 --> 53:08.660]  Trust underlies the plan He presented
[53:08.660 --> 53:12.660]  for our growth and progression prior to coming to earth.
[53:12.660 --> 53:17.100]  He would teach us eternal laws, create an earth,
[53:17.420 --> 53:20.260]  provide us with mortal bodies, give us
[53:20.260 --> 53:22.220]  the gift to choose for ourselves,
[53:22.220 --> 53:26.860]  and permit us to learn and grow by making our own choices.
[53:26.860 --> 53:29.980]  He wants us to choose to follow His laws
[53:29.980 --> 53:35.900]  and return to enjoy eternal life with Him and His Son.
[53:35.900 --> 53:38.900]  Knowing that we would not always make good choices,
[53:38.900 --> 53:43.220]  He also prepared a way for us to escape from the consequences
[53:43.220 --> 53:44.740]  of bad choices.
[53:45.300 --> 53:49.180]  He provided us a Savior, His Son, Jesus Christ,
[53:49.180 --> 53:52.300]  to atone for our sins and make us clean again
[53:52.300 --> 53:54.660]  on condition of repentance.
[53:54.660 --> 53:58.780]  He invites us to use the precious gift of repentance
[53:58.780 --> 54:01.220]  regularly.
[54:01.220 --> 54:03.340]  Every parent knows how difficult it
[54:03.340 --> 54:05.460]  is to trust a child enough to let
[54:05.460 --> 54:09.900]  them make their own decisions, especially when the parent knows
[54:09.900 --> 54:12.660]  the child is likely to make mistakes
[54:12.660 --> 54:15.100]  and suffer as a result.
[54:15.100 --> 54:19.140]  Yet Heavenly Father allows us to make
[54:19.140 --> 54:24.340]  the choices that will help us reach our divine potential.
[54:24.340 --> 54:29.860]  As Elder Dale G. Renlund taught, his goal in parenting
[54:29.860 --> 54:32.740]  is not to have his children do what is right.
[54:32.740 --> 54:36.660]  It is to have his children choose to do what is right
[54:36.940 --> 54:42.100]  and ultimately become like him.
[54:42.100 --> 54:44.460]  Notwithstanding God's trust in us,
[54:44.460 --> 54:48.380]  our relationship with Him will grow only to the degree
[54:48.380 --> 54:53.900]  we are willing to place our trust in Him.
[54:53.900 --> 54:56.620]  The challenge is that we live in a fallen world
[54:56.620 --> 54:59.540]  and have all experienced a betrayal of trust
[54:59.540 --> 55:03.620]  as the result of dishonesty, manipulation, coercion,
[55:03.620 --> 55:06.900]  or other circumstances.
[55:06.900 --> 55:12.060]  Once betrayed, we may struggle to trust again.
[55:12.060 --> 55:17.380]  These negative trust experiences with imperfect mortals
[55:17.380 --> 55:21.820]  may even impact our willingness to trust
[55:21.820 --> 55:26.020]  in a perfect Heavenly Father.
[55:26.020 --> 55:29.420]  Several years ago, two friends of mine, Leonid and Valentina,
[55:29.420 --> 55:32.900]  expressed interest in becoming members of the Church.
[55:33.660 --> 55:36.380]  As Leonid began to learn the gospel,
[55:36.380 --> 55:39.260]  he found it difficult to pray.
[55:39.260 --> 55:43.420]  Earlier in his life, Leonid had suffered from manipulation
[55:43.420 --> 55:46.460]  and control by superiors and had developed
[55:46.460 --> 55:48.940]  a distrust of authority.
[55:48.940 --> 55:53.500]  These experiences affected his ability to open his heart
[55:53.500 --> 55:58.100]  and express personal feelings to Heavenly Father.
[55:58.100 --> 56:01.260]  With time and study, Leonid gained a better understanding
[56:01.300 --> 56:05.740]  of God's character and experienced feeling God's love.
[56:05.740 --> 56:09.420]  Eventually, prayer became a natural way
[56:09.420 --> 56:13.020]  for him to express thanks and the love he
[56:13.020 --> 56:14.940]  was feeling for God.
[56:14.940 --> 56:17.820]  His increasing trust in God eventually
[56:17.820 --> 56:20.900]  led him and Valentina to enter into sacred covenants
[56:20.900 --> 56:26.340]  to strengthen their relationship with God and each other.
[56:26.340 --> 56:31.060]  If prior loss of trust is keeping you from trusting God,
[56:31.060 --> 56:34.100]  please follow Leonid's example.
[56:34.100 --> 56:38.060]  Patiently continue to learn about Heavenly Father,
[56:38.060 --> 56:42.860]  His character, His attributes, and His purposes.
[56:42.860 --> 56:47.220]  Look for and record experiences feeling His love and power
[56:47.220 --> 56:48.780]  in your life.
[56:48.780 --> 56:51.900]  Our living prophet, President Russell M. Nelson,
[56:51.900 --> 56:55.460]  has taught that the more we learn about God,
[56:55.620 --> 57:00.740]  the easier it will be for us to trust Him.
[57:00.740 --> 57:03.980]  Sometimes the best way to learn to trust God
[57:03.980 --> 57:07.020]  is simply by trusting Him.
[57:07.020 --> 57:10.300]  Like the crazy trust exercise, sometimes we
[57:10.300 --> 57:14.580]  just need to be willing to fall backward and let Him catch us.
[57:14.580 --> 57:17.940]  Our mortal life is a test.
[57:17.940 --> 57:21.540]  Challenges that stretch us beyond our own capacity
[57:21.540 --> 57:23.100]  come frequently.
[57:23.820 --> 57:27.100]  When our knowledge and understanding are inadequate,
[57:27.100 --> 57:30.540]  we naturally seek for resources to help us.
[57:30.540 --> 57:33.700]  In an information-saturated world,
[57:33.700 --> 57:38.020]  there is no shortage of sources promoting their solutions
[57:38.020 --> 57:39.740]  to our challenges.
[57:39.740 --> 57:43.700]  However, the simple, time-tested counsel in Proverbs
[57:43.700 --> 57:45.780]  provides the best advice.
[57:45.780 --> 57:51.380]  Trust in the Lord with all thine heart.
[57:51.380 --> 57:54.660]  We show our trust in God by turning to Him first
[57:54.660 --> 57:59.740]  when confronted with life's challenges.
[57:59.740 --> 58:01.780]  After I finished law school in Utah,
[58:01.780 --> 58:04.140]  our family faced the important decision of where
[58:04.140 --> 58:06.100]  to work and make our home.
[58:06.100 --> 58:08.620]  After counseling with each other in the Lord,
[58:08.620 --> 58:10.420]  we felt directed to move our family
[58:10.420 --> 58:15.700]  to the eastern United States, far from parents and siblings.
[58:15.700 --> 58:17.940]  Initially, things went well, and we
[58:17.940 --> 58:20.140]  felt confirmed in our decision.
[58:20.740 --> 58:22.420]  But then things changed.
[58:22.420 --> 58:25.020]  There was downsizing at the law firm,
[58:25.020 --> 58:28.980]  and I faced the prospect of no job or insurance
[58:28.980 --> 58:31.020]  at the very time our daughter, Dora,
[58:31.020 --> 58:33.740]  was born with serious medical challenges
[58:33.740 --> 58:37.420]  and long-term special needs.
[58:37.420 --> 58:39.380]  While confronting these challenges,
[58:39.380 --> 58:41.740]  I was extended a call to serve that
[58:41.740 --> 58:44.900]  would require significant time and commitment.
[58:44.900 --> 58:49.580]  I had never faced such a challenge and was overwhelmed.
[58:50.140 --> 58:52.540]  I began to question the decision we had made
[58:52.540 --> 58:54.900]  and its accompanying confirmation.
[58:54.900 --> 58:57.740]  We had trusted in the Lord, and the things
[58:57.740 --> 58:59.700]  were supposed to work out.
[58:59.700 --> 59:03.020]  I had fallen backwards, and it now
[59:03.020 --> 59:07.820]  appeared that no one was going to catch me.
[59:07.820 --> 59:11.260]  One day, the words, don't ask why,
[59:11.260 --> 59:14.340]  ask what I want you to learn, came distinctly
[59:14.340 --> 59:16.260]  into my mind and heart.
[59:16.940 --> 59:19.380]  Now I was even more confused.
[59:19.380 --> 59:21.860]  In the very moment I was struggling
[59:21.860 --> 59:25.180]  with my earlier decision, God was inviting
[59:25.180 --> 59:29.020]  me to trust Him even more.
[59:29.020 --> 59:32.660]  Looking back, this was a critical point in my life.
[59:32.660 --> 59:36.780]  It was a moment when I realized that the best way
[59:36.780 --> 59:42.220]  to learn to trust God was simply by trusting Him.
[59:42.220 --> 59:46.660]  In the subsequent weeks, I watched with amazement
[59:46.660 --> 59:49.260]  as the Lord miraculously unfolded
[59:49.260 --> 59:53.940]  His plan to bless our family.
[59:53.940 --> 59:57.980]  Good teachers and coaches know that intellectual growth
[59:57.980 --> 01:00:00.460]  and physical strength can happen only when
[01:00:00.460 --> 01:00:03.980]  minds and muscles are stretched.
[01:00:03.980 --> 01:00:08.180]  Likewise, God invites us to grow by trusting
[01:00:08.180 --> 01:00:13.340]  His spiritual tutoring through soul-stretching experiences.
[01:00:13.340 --> 01:00:18.220]  Therefore, we can be sure that whatever
[01:00:18.220 --> 01:00:21.700]  trust we may have demonstrated in God in the past,
[01:00:21.700 --> 01:00:27.580]  another trust-stretching experience lies yet ahead.
[01:00:27.580 --> 01:00:30.580]  God is focused on our growth and progress.
[01:00:30.580 --> 01:00:34.100]  He is the Master Teacher, the complete coach,
[01:00:34.380 --> 01:00:38.260]  who is always stretching us to help us realize
[01:00:38.260 --> 01:00:41.020]  more of our divine potential.
[01:00:41.020 --> 01:00:44.860]  That will always include a future invitation
[01:00:44.860 --> 01:00:50.540]  to trust Him just a little bit more.
[01:00:50.540 --> 01:00:52.380]  The Book of Mormon teaches the pattern
[01:00:52.380 --> 01:00:54.820]  God uses to stretch us in order to build
[01:00:54.820 --> 01:00:57.220]  strong relationships with us.
[01:00:57.220 --> 01:01:00.100]  In Come, Follow Me, we recently studied
[01:01:00.100 --> 01:01:03.220]  about how Nephi's trust in God was tested when he
[01:01:03.220 --> 01:01:06.700]  and his brothers were commanded to return to Jerusalem
[01:01:06.700 --> 01:01:09.100]  to obtain the brass plates.
[01:01:09.100 --> 01:01:12.180]  After their initial attempts failed,
[01:01:12.180 --> 01:01:15.500]  his brothers gave up and were ready to return
[01:01:15.500 --> 01:01:17.460]  without the plates.
[01:01:17.460 --> 01:01:22.340]  But Nephi chose to place his complete trust in the Lord
[01:01:22.340 --> 01:01:26.020]  and was successful in obtaining the plates.
[01:01:26.020 --> 01:01:30.220]  That experience likely strengthened Nephi's confidence
[01:01:30.220 --> 01:01:34.900]  in God when his bow broke and the family was facing starvation
[01:01:34.900 --> 01:01:36.300]  in the wilderness.
[01:01:36.300 --> 01:01:42.820]  Again, Nephi chose to trust in God, and the family was saved.
[01:01:42.820 --> 01:01:46.340]  These successive experiences gave Nephi even stronger
[01:01:46.340 --> 01:01:50.980]  confidence in God for the enormous trust-stretching task
[01:01:50.980 --> 01:01:55.220]  he would soon face of building a ship.
[01:01:55.220 --> 01:01:58.820]  Through these experiences, Nephi strengthened his relationship
[01:01:58.820 --> 01:02:04.220]  with God by consistently and continuously trusting Him.
[01:02:04.220 --> 01:02:07.740]  God uses the same pattern with us.
[01:02:07.740 --> 01:02:10.180]  He extends us personal invitations
[01:02:10.180 --> 01:02:12.980]  to strengthen and deepen our trust in Him.
[01:02:12.980 --> 01:02:17.100]  Each time we accept and act on an invitation,
[01:02:17.100 --> 01:02:19.140]  our trust in God grows.
[01:02:19.140 --> 01:02:22.100]  If we ignore or decline an invitation,
[01:02:22.100 --> 01:02:25.620]  our progress stops until we are ready to act
[01:02:25.620 --> 01:02:28.540]  on a new invitation.
[01:02:28.540 --> 01:02:31.220]  The good news is that, regardless of the trust
[01:02:31.220 --> 01:02:35.500]  we may or may not have chosen to place in God in the past,
[01:02:35.500 --> 01:02:42.140]  we can choose to trust God today and every day going forward.
[01:02:42.140 --> 01:02:48.780]  I promise that each time we do, God will be there to catch us,
[01:02:48.780 --> 01:02:54.380]  and our relationship of trust will grow stronger and stronger
[01:02:54.580 --> 01:02:58.980]  until the day that we become one with Him and His Son.
[01:02:58.980 --> 01:03:02.700]  Then we can declare, as Nephi,
[01:03:02.700 --> 01:03:09.420]  O Lord, I have trusted in Thee, and I will trust in Thee
[01:03:09.420 --> 01:03:10.580]  forever.
[01:03:10.580 --> 01:03:13.260]  In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
[01:03:14.020 --> 01:03:14.520]  Amen.
[01:03:18.700 --> 01:03:24.420]  As directed, the congregation will join the choir
[01:03:24.420 --> 01:03:27.980]  in singing Redeemer of Israel.
[01:03:27.980 --> 01:03:33.820]  After the singing, we will hear from Elder Patrick
[01:03:33.820 --> 01:03:37.820]  Kieran, who was ordained an Apostle
[01:03:37.820 --> 01:03:42.260]  and set apart as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve
[01:03:42.260 --> 01:03:47.660]  Apostles on December 7, 2023.
[01:03:47.660 --> 01:03:54.140]  He will be followed by Elder Brian K. Taylor of the Seventy.
[01:04:05.060 --> 01:04:07.420]  This is the Sunday morning session
[01:04:07.420 --> 01:04:11.220]  of the 194th Annual General Conference
[01:04:11.220 --> 01:04:14.540]  of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
[01:04:41.500 --> 01:04:52.220]  Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
[01:04:52.220 --> 01:05:06.020]  o'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
[01:05:06.020 --> 01:05:17.020]  Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
[01:05:17.020 --> 01:05:31.020]  o'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
[01:05:31.020 --> 01:05:41.020]  Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
[01:05:41.020 --> 01:05:51.020]  o'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
[01:05:51.020 --> 01:06:01.020]  Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
[01:06:01.020 --> 01:06:11.020]  o'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
[01:06:11.020 --> 01:06:21.020]  Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
[01:06:21.020 --> 01:06:31.020]  o'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
[01:06:32.020 --> 01:06:41.020]  Give pause and rejoice, for the King abides with us.
[01:06:41.020 --> 01:06:48.020]  We love thee and so do we.
[01:07:01.020 --> 01:07:08.020]  I would like to express gratitude for your prayers
[01:07:08.020 --> 01:07:12.060]  as I have started the process of adjusting to the call
[01:07:12.060 --> 01:07:15.980]  through President Nelson to serve as an Apostle of the Lord
[01:07:15.980 --> 01:07:17.540]  Jesus Christ.
[01:07:17.540 --> 01:07:21.420]  You can probably well imagine how humbling this has felt
[01:07:21.420 --> 01:07:24.220]  and that it has been a time of extraordinary upheaval
[01:07:24.220 --> 01:07:27.620]  and sobering self-examination.
[01:07:28.340 --> 01:07:32.220]  It is, however, and indeed a great honor
[01:07:32.220 --> 01:07:35.660]  to serve the Savior in any capacity
[01:07:35.660 --> 01:07:39.980]  and to be engaged with you in sharing the good news
[01:07:39.980 --> 01:07:43.980]  of His gospel of hope.
[01:07:43.980 --> 01:07:48.860]  Beyond that, it has been said that behind every new Apostle
[01:07:48.860 --> 01:07:51.860]  stands an astonished mother-in-law.
[01:07:51.860 --> 01:08:01.020]  I don't know if that has actually been said,
[01:08:01.020 --> 01:08:04.180]  but in this case, it certainly could be.
[01:08:04.180 --> 01:08:07.700]  And I suspect that the fact that my mother-in-law is no longer
[01:08:07.700 --> 01:08:10.380]  with us does nothing to reduce her astonishment.
[01:08:14.260 --> 01:08:16.740]  Several months ago, when my wife and I
[01:08:16.740 --> 01:08:19.620]  were visiting another country for various Church assignments,
[01:08:19.660 --> 01:08:22.820]  I woke up early one morning and blearily looked
[01:08:22.820 --> 01:08:24.980]  outside the hotel window.
[01:08:24.980 --> 01:08:28.380]  Down below on the busy street, I saw
[01:08:28.380 --> 01:08:30.420]  that a roadblock had been set up,
[01:08:30.420 --> 01:08:32.660]  with a policeman stationed nearby
[01:08:32.660 --> 01:08:36.140]  to turn cars around as they reached the barrier.
[01:08:36.140 --> 01:08:40.020]  At first, only a few cars traveled along the road
[01:08:40.020 --> 01:08:41.500]  and were turned back.
[01:08:41.500 --> 01:08:45.180]  But as time went by and traffic increased,
[01:08:45.180 --> 01:08:47.620]  queues of cars began to build up.
[01:08:48.020 --> 01:08:51.300]  From the window above, I watched as the policeman
[01:08:51.300 --> 01:08:54.340]  seemed to take satisfaction in his power
[01:08:54.340 --> 01:08:57.460]  to block the flow of traffic and turn people away.
[01:08:57.460 --> 01:09:00.380]  In fact, he seemed to develop a spring in his step
[01:09:00.380 --> 01:09:04.820]  as if he might start doing a little jig as each car approached
[01:09:04.820 --> 01:09:07.300]  the barrier.
[01:09:07.300 --> 01:09:11.020]  If a driver got frustrated about the roadblock,
[01:09:11.020 --> 01:09:13.700]  the policeman didn't appear helpful or sympathetic.
[01:09:13.700 --> 01:09:16.380]  He just shook his head and repeatedly pointed
[01:09:16.460 --> 01:09:17.620]  in the opposite direction.
[01:09:20.540 --> 01:09:25.460]  My friends, my fellow disciples on the road of mortal life,
[01:09:25.460 --> 01:09:30.980]  our Father's beautiful plan, even His fabulous plan,
[01:09:30.980 --> 01:09:38.340]  is designed to bring you home, not to keep you out.
[01:09:38.340 --> 01:09:42.660]  No one has built a roadblock and stationed someone there
[01:09:42.860 --> 01:09:46.500]  to turn you around and send you away.
[01:09:46.500 --> 01:09:50.260]  In fact, it's the exact opposite.
[01:09:50.260 --> 01:09:56.140]  God is in relentless pursuit of you.
[01:09:56.140 --> 01:10:00.700]  He wants all of His children to choose to return to Him,
[01:10:00.700 --> 01:10:07.260]  and He employs every possible measure to bring you back.
[01:10:07.260 --> 01:10:11.460]  Our loving Father oversaw the creation of this very earth
[01:10:11.500 --> 01:10:14.460]  for the express purpose of providing an opportunity
[01:10:14.460 --> 01:10:18.580]  for you and for me to have the stretching and refining
[01:10:18.580 --> 01:10:21.940]  experiences of mortality, the chance
[01:10:21.940 --> 01:10:25.980]  to use our God-given moral agency to choose Him,
[01:10:25.980 --> 01:10:30.500]  to learn and grow, to make mistakes, to repent,
[01:10:30.500 --> 01:10:36.780]  to love God and our neighbor, and to one day return to Him.
[01:10:36.780 --> 01:10:40.860]  He sent His precious Beloved Son to this fallen world
[01:10:40.860 --> 01:10:43.700]  to live the full range of human experience,
[01:10:43.700 --> 01:10:46.700]  to provide an example for the rest of His children
[01:10:46.700 --> 01:10:51.060]  to follow and to atone and redeem.
[01:10:51.060 --> 01:10:56.700]  Christ's great atoning gift removes every roadblock
[01:10:56.700 --> 01:11:00.900]  of physical and spiritual death that would separate us
[01:11:00.900 --> 01:11:04.580]  from our eternal home.
[01:11:04.580 --> 01:11:08.940]  Everything about the Father's plan for His beloved children
[01:11:08.980 --> 01:11:15.740]  is designed to bring everyone home.
[01:11:15.740 --> 01:11:18.260]  What do God's messengers, His prophets,
[01:11:18.260 --> 01:11:21.180]  call this plan in Restoration scripture?
[01:11:21.180 --> 01:11:26.620]  They call it the plan of redemption, the plan of mercy,
[01:11:26.620 --> 01:11:32.380]  the great plan of happiness, and the plan of salvation,
[01:11:32.380 --> 01:11:38.460]  which is unto all through the blood of mine Only Begotten.
[01:11:38.460 --> 01:11:43.100]  The intent of the Father's great plan of happiness
[01:11:43.100 --> 01:11:47.980]  is your happiness right here, right now,
[01:11:47.980 --> 01:11:50.300]  and in the eternities.
[01:11:50.300 --> 01:11:53.220]  It is not to prevent your happiness
[01:11:53.220 --> 01:11:56.580]  and cause you instead worry and fear.
[01:11:56.580 --> 01:12:01.020]  The intent of the Father's plan of redemption
[01:12:01.020 --> 01:12:04.940]  is, in fact, your redemption.
[01:12:05.540 --> 01:12:09.060]  You are being rescued through the sufferings and death
[01:12:09.060 --> 01:12:13.460]  of Jesus Christ, freed from captivity of sin and death.
[01:12:13.460 --> 01:12:16.140]  It is not to leave you as you are.
[01:12:16.140 --> 01:12:20.140]  The intent of the Father's plan of mercy
[01:12:20.140 --> 01:12:25.500]  is to extend mercy as you turn back to Him
[01:12:25.500 --> 01:12:28.740]  and honor your covenant of fidelity to Him.
[01:12:29.620 --> 01:12:35.860]  It is not to deny mercy and inflict pain and sorrow.
[01:12:35.860 --> 01:12:41.100]  The intent of the Father's plan of salvation
[01:12:41.100 --> 01:12:47.220]  is, in fact, your salvation in the celestial kingdom of glory
[01:12:47.220 --> 01:12:49.940]  as you receive the testimony of Jesus Christ
[01:12:49.940 --> 01:12:52.260]  and offer your whole soul to Him.
[01:12:52.260 --> 01:12:56.540]  It is not to keep you out.
[01:12:56.540 --> 01:13:00.900]  Does this mean anything goes with regard
[01:13:00.900 --> 01:13:03.700]  to how we live our lives, that the way we
[01:13:03.700 --> 01:13:05.940]  choose to use our agency doesn't matter,
[01:13:05.940 --> 01:13:08.980]  that we can take or leave God's commandments?
[01:13:08.980 --> 01:13:10.820]  No, of course not.
[01:13:10.820 --> 01:13:14.460]  Surely one of Jesus's most consistent invitations
[01:13:14.460 --> 01:13:16.380]  and pleas during His mortal ministry
[01:13:16.380 --> 01:13:20.740]  was that we change and repent and come unto Him.
[01:13:20.740 --> 01:13:24.140]  Fundamentally implicit in all of His teachings
[01:13:24.140 --> 01:13:26.540]  to live on a higher plane of moral conduct
[01:13:26.540 --> 01:13:29.380]  is a call to personal progression,
[01:13:29.380 --> 01:13:32.100]  to transformative faith in Christ,
[01:13:32.100 --> 01:13:34.820]  to a mighty change of heart.
[01:13:34.820 --> 01:13:39.620]  God wants for us a radical reorientation
[01:13:39.620 --> 01:13:42.620]  of our selfish and prideful impulses,
[01:13:42.620 --> 01:13:49.420]  the eviction of the natural man, for us to go and sin no more.
[01:13:49.420 --> 01:13:54.100]  If we believe the intent of the Father's all-reaching plan
[01:13:54.260 --> 01:13:58.100]  is to save us, redeem us, extend mercy to us,
[01:13:58.100 --> 01:14:01.020]  and thereby bring us happiness, what
[01:14:01.020 --> 01:14:04.740]  is the intent of the Son through whom the great plan is brought
[01:14:04.740 --> 01:14:05.900]  about?
[01:14:05.900 --> 01:14:08.980]  The Son tells us Himself,
[01:14:08.980 --> 01:14:13.500]  "'For I came down from heaven not to do mine own will,
[01:14:13.500 --> 01:14:16.500]  but the will of him that sent me.'"
[01:14:16.500 --> 01:14:20.460]  Jesus's will is the benevolent Father's will.
[01:14:20.700 --> 01:14:25.220]  He wants to make it possible for every last one of His Father's
[01:14:25.220 --> 01:14:28.380]  children to receive the end goal of the plan,
[01:14:28.380 --> 01:14:31.020]  eternal life with them.
[01:14:31.020 --> 01:14:37.100]  None is excluded from this divine potential.
[01:14:37.100 --> 01:14:40.740]  If you are prone to worry that you will never measure up
[01:14:40.740 --> 01:14:45.180]  or that the loving reach of Christ's infinite Atonement
[01:14:45.180 --> 01:14:48.820]  mercifully covers everyone else but not you,
[01:14:49.220 --> 01:14:51.100]  then you misunderstand.
[01:14:51.100 --> 01:14:54.740]  Infinite means infinite.
[01:14:54.740 --> 01:14:59.420]  Infinite covers you and those you love.
[01:14:59.420 --> 01:15:02.860]  Nephi explains this beautiful truth,
[01:15:02.860 --> 01:15:06.380]  "'He doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world.
[01:15:06.380 --> 01:15:09.740]  For he loveth the world, even that he layeth down
[01:15:09.740 --> 01:15:13.100]  his own life, that he may draw all men unto him.
[01:15:13.100 --> 01:15:16.340]  Wherefore, he commandeth none that they shall not
[01:15:16.340 --> 01:15:19.620]  partake of his salvation.'
[01:15:19.620 --> 01:15:23.980]  The Savior, the Good Shepherd, goes in search of His lost
[01:15:23.980 --> 01:15:28.460]  sheep until He finds them.
[01:15:28.460 --> 01:15:31.460]  He is not willing that any should perish.
[01:15:31.460 --> 01:15:34.380]  "'Mine arm of mercy is extended towards you,
[01:15:34.380 --> 01:15:38.780]  and whosoever will come, him will I receive.
[01:15:38.780 --> 01:15:41.380]  Have ye any that are sick among you?
[01:15:41.380 --> 01:15:42.180]  Bring them hither.
[01:15:42.180 --> 01:15:46.300]  Have ye any that are lame, or blind, or halt, or maimed,
[01:15:46.300 --> 01:15:49.460]  or leprous, or that are withered, or that are deaf,
[01:15:49.460 --> 01:15:53.260]  or that are afflicted in any manner?
[01:15:53.260 --> 01:15:57.100]  Bring them hither, and I will heal them,
[01:15:57.100 --> 01:16:01.540]  for I have compassion upon you.'
[01:16:01.540 --> 01:16:04.780]  He did not cast away the woman with the issue of blood.
[01:16:04.780 --> 01:16:06.780]  He did not recoil from the leper.
[01:16:06.780 --> 01:16:09.740]  He did not reject the woman taken in adultery.
[01:16:09.740 --> 01:16:13.500]  He did not refuse the penitent, no matter their sin.
[01:16:13.660 --> 01:16:16.780]  And He will not refuse you or those
[01:16:16.780 --> 01:16:20.300]  you love when you bring to Him your broken hearts
[01:16:20.300 --> 01:16:22.020]  and contrite spirits.
[01:16:22.020 --> 01:16:28.140]  That is not His intent or design, nor His plan, purpose,
[01:16:28.140 --> 01:16:30.820]  wish, or hope.
[01:16:30.820 --> 01:16:34.980]  No, He does not put up roadblocks and barriers.
[01:16:34.980 --> 01:16:37.460]  He removes them.
[01:16:37.460 --> 01:16:39.980]  He does not keep you out.
[01:16:39.980 --> 01:16:41.540]  He welcomes you in.
[01:16:41.700 --> 01:16:46.340]  His entire ministry was a living declaration of this intent.
[01:16:46.340 --> 01:16:50.100]  Then, of course, there is His atoning sacrifice
[01:16:50.100 --> 01:16:53.100]  itself, which is harder for us to understand,
[01:16:53.100 --> 01:16:56.060]  beyond our mortal capacity to comprehend.
[01:16:56.060 --> 01:16:59.340]  But, and this is an important but,
[01:16:59.340 --> 01:17:03.260]  we do understand, can comprehend,
[01:17:03.260 --> 01:17:11.500]  the holy, saving intent of His atoning sacrifice.
[01:17:11.540 --> 01:17:15.380]  The veil of the temple was rent in twain
[01:17:15.380 --> 01:17:19.940]  when Jesus died upon the cross, symbolizing
[01:17:19.940 --> 01:17:23.140]  that access back to the presence of the Father
[01:17:23.140 --> 01:17:27.900]  had been ripped wide open to all who will turn to Him,
[01:17:27.900 --> 01:17:31.100]  trust Him, cast their burdens on Him,
[01:17:31.100 --> 01:17:35.540]  and take His yoke upon them in a covenant bond.
[01:17:35.540 --> 01:17:41.340]  In other words, the Father's plan is not about roadblocks.
[01:17:42.340 --> 01:17:44.140]  It never was.
[01:17:44.140 --> 01:17:45.660]  It never will be.
[01:17:45.660 --> 01:17:48.540]  Are there things we need to do, commandments to keep,
[01:17:48.540 --> 01:17:50.220]  aspects of our natures to change?
[01:17:50.220 --> 01:17:50.820]  Yes.
[01:17:50.820 --> 01:17:54.300]  But with His grace, those are within our reach,
[01:17:54.300 --> 01:17:56.300]  not beyond our grasp.
[01:17:56.300 --> 01:17:58.780]  This is the good news.
[01:17:58.780 --> 01:18:02.660]  I am unspeakably grateful for these simple truths.
[01:18:02.660 --> 01:18:07.340]  The Father's design, His plan, His purpose, His intent,
[01:18:07.340 --> 01:18:10.900]  His wish, and His hope are all to heal you.
[01:18:11.180 --> 01:18:12.940]  All to give you peace.
[01:18:12.940 --> 01:18:16.020]  All to bring you and those you love home.
[01:18:16.020 --> 01:18:23.500]  Of this I am a witness, in the name of Jesus Christ, His Son.
[01:18:23.500 --> 01:18:24.000]  Amen.
[01:18:37.020 --> 01:18:38.860]  We love you, Elder Kieran.
[01:18:39.460 --> 01:18:41.780]  May I borrow that accent for 10 minutes?
[01:18:47.820 --> 01:18:51.140]  In the New Testament, we learn of blind Bartimaeus,
[01:18:51.140 --> 01:18:54.500]  who cried out to Jesus, desiring a miracle.
[01:18:54.500 --> 01:18:59.740]  Jesus said unto him, Go thy way, thy faith hath made thee whole.
[01:18:59.740 --> 01:19:03.980]  And immediately he received his sight.
[01:19:03.980 --> 01:19:08.820]  On another occasion, a man in Bethsaida longed for healing.
[01:19:08.980 --> 01:19:12.860]  In contrast, this miracle did not come instantly.
[01:19:12.860 --> 01:19:19.180]  Rather, Jesus blessed him twice before he was restored.
[01:19:19.180 --> 01:19:21.500]  In a third example, the Apostle Paul
[01:19:21.500 --> 01:19:24.340]  besought the Lord thrice in his affliction,
[01:19:24.340 --> 01:19:27.020]  and yet, to our knowledge, his earnest supplication
[01:19:27.020 --> 01:19:28.820]  was not granted.
[01:19:28.820 --> 01:19:34.540]  Three different people, three unique experiences.
[01:19:34.860 --> 01:19:36.420]  Thus a question.
[01:19:36.420 --> 01:19:40.060]  Why do some receive their yearn for miracles quickly
[01:19:40.060 --> 01:19:44.580]  while others patiently endure, waiting upon the Lord?
[01:19:44.580 --> 01:19:48.220]  We may not know the why, yet gratefully we
[01:19:48.220 --> 01:19:52.780]  know He who loveth us and doeth all things for our welfare
[01:19:52.780 --> 01:19:54.300]  and happiness.
[01:19:54.300 --> 01:19:58.740]  God, who sees the end from the beginning, reassures,
[01:19:58.740 --> 01:20:01.220]  Thine adversity and Thine affliction
[01:20:01.220 --> 01:20:04.540]  shall be but a small moment, and they shall
[01:20:04.540 --> 01:20:08.260]  be consecrated for thy gain.
[01:20:08.260 --> 01:20:10.860]  Helping us find further meaning in our trials,
[01:20:10.860 --> 01:20:14.980]  Elder Orson F. Whitney taught, no pain that we suffer,
[01:20:14.980 --> 01:20:17.860]  no trial that we experience is wasted.
[01:20:17.860 --> 01:20:20.700]  It ministers to our education.
[01:20:20.700 --> 01:20:24.300]  All that we patiently endure builds up our characters,
[01:20:24.300 --> 01:20:26.940]  purifies our hearts, expands our souls,
[01:20:26.940 --> 01:20:30.140]  and makes us more tender and charitable.
[01:20:30.580 --> 01:20:33.900]  It is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation,
[01:20:33.900 --> 01:20:36.300]  that we gain the education that we come here
[01:20:36.300 --> 01:20:39.340]  to acquire and which will make us more like our Heavenly
[01:20:39.340 --> 01:20:42.140]  Parents."
[01:20:42.140 --> 01:20:44.380]  Understanding that the power of Christ
[01:20:44.380 --> 01:20:46.660]  would rest upon him in his afflictions,
[01:20:46.660 --> 01:20:49.340]  the Apostle Paul said humbly,
[01:20:49.340 --> 01:20:53.780]  For when I am weak, then am I strong.
[01:20:53.780 --> 01:20:56.300]  Life's trials prove us.
[01:20:56.300 --> 01:20:58.660]  Even the Savior learned obedience by
[01:20:58.700 --> 01:21:01.580]  and was made perfect through sufferings,
[01:21:01.580 --> 01:21:05.060]  and one day He will compassionately declare,
[01:21:05.060 --> 01:21:09.700]  Behold, I have refined thee, I have chosen thee
[01:21:09.700 --> 01:21:12.820]  in the furnace of affliction.
[01:21:12.820 --> 01:21:15.580]  Coming to trust in God's divine purposes
[01:21:15.580 --> 01:21:20.140]  breathes hope into weary souls and kindles determination
[01:21:20.140 --> 01:21:24.660]  in seasons of anguish and heartache.
[01:21:24.660 --> 01:21:27.020]  Years ago, President Russell M. Nelson
[01:21:27.020 --> 01:21:29.460]  shared this valuable insight.
[01:21:29.460 --> 01:21:32.660]  As we look at all things with eternal perspective,
[01:21:32.660 --> 01:21:36.100]  it will significantly lighten our load.
[01:21:36.100 --> 01:21:40.500]  My wife, Jill, and I recently witnessed this truth
[01:21:40.500 --> 01:21:44.220]  in the faithful lives of Holly and Rick Porter,
[01:21:44.220 --> 01:21:50.580]  whose 12-year-old son, Trey, passed away in a tragic fire.
[01:21:50.580 --> 01:21:54.940]  With hands and feet severely burned in a heroic attempt
[01:21:54.940 --> 01:21:56.780]  to save her dear son, Holly later
[01:21:56.780 --> 01:21:59.420]  testified in ward sacrament meeting
[01:21:59.420 --> 01:22:02.940]  of the great peace and joy the Lord had poured out
[01:22:02.940 --> 01:22:05.580]  upon her family in their anguish,
[01:22:05.580 --> 01:22:12.260]  using words such as miraculous, incredible, and amazing.
[01:22:12.260 --> 01:22:15.100]  This precious mother's unbearable grief
[01:22:15.100 --> 01:22:19.220]  was replaced by surpassing peace with this thought,
[01:22:19.660 --> 01:22:23.420]  My hands are not the hands that save.
[01:22:23.420 --> 01:22:27.700]  Those hands belong to the Savior.
[01:22:27.700 --> 01:22:30.780]  Instead of looking at my scars as a reminder of what
[01:22:30.780 --> 01:22:37.060]  I was not able to do, I remember the scars my Savior bears.
[01:22:37.060 --> 01:22:40.500]  Holly's witness fulfills our prophet's promise.
[01:22:40.500 --> 01:22:45.500]  As you think celestial, you will view trials and opposition
[01:22:45.500 --> 01:22:47.580]  in a new light.
[01:22:47.580 --> 01:22:50.180]  Elder D. Todd Christofferson stated,
[01:22:50.180 --> 01:22:53.420]  I believe that the challenge of overcoming and growing
[01:22:53.420 --> 01:22:55.700]  from adversity appealed to us when
[01:22:55.700 --> 01:22:57.900]  God presented His plan of redemption
[01:22:57.900 --> 01:22:59.780]  in the premortal world.
[01:22:59.780 --> 01:23:03.020]  We should approach that challenge now
[01:23:03.020 --> 01:23:06.100]  knowing that our Heavenly Father will sustain us,
[01:23:06.100 --> 01:23:11.020]  but it is crucial that we turn to Him.
[01:23:11.020 --> 01:23:13.580]  Without God, the dark experiences
[01:23:13.580 --> 01:23:17.220]  of suffering and adversity tend to despondency, despair,
[01:23:17.260 --> 01:23:19.260]  and even bitterness.
[01:23:19.260 --> 01:23:22.860]  To avoid the darkness of discontent
[01:23:22.860 --> 01:23:26.420]  and instead find greater peace, hope, and even joy
[01:23:26.420 --> 01:23:29.060]  during life's difficult challenges,
[01:23:29.060 --> 01:23:33.980]  I share three divine principles as invitations.
[01:23:33.980 --> 01:23:40.300]  One, stronger faith comes by putting Jesus Christ first.
[01:23:40.300 --> 01:23:43.580]  Look unto me in every thought, he declares.
[01:23:43.580 --> 01:23:45.980]  Doubt not, fear not.
[01:23:46.340 --> 01:23:49.900]  President Nelson teaches, our eternal life
[01:23:49.900 --> 01:23:53.980]  is dependent upon our faith in Christ and in His Atonement.
[01:23:53.980 --> 01:23:57.140]  As I have wrestled with the intense pain caused
[01:23:57.140 --> 01:24:01.660]  by my recent injury, I have felt even deeper appreciation
[01:24:01.660 --> 01:24:05.420]  for Jesus Christ and the incomprehensible gift
[01:24:05.420 --> 01:24:07.140]  of the Atonement.
[01:24:07.140 --> 01:24:08.820]  Think of it!
[01:24:08.820 --> 01:24:12.980]  The Savior suffered pains and afflictions and temptations
[01:24:12.980 --> 01:24:18.260]  of every kind so that He can comfort us, heal us,
[01:24:18.260 --> 01:24:21.180]  and rescue us in times of need.
[01:24:21.180 --> 01:24:24.500]  He continued, my injury has caused
[01:24:24.500 --> 01:24:27.860]  me to reflect again and again on the greatness of the Holy One
[01:24:27.860 --> 01:24:28.780]  of Israel.
[01:24:28.780 --> 01:24:33.340]  During my healing, the Lord has manifested His divine power
[01:24:33.340 --> 01:24:38.300]  in peaceful and unmistakable ways.
[01:24:38.300 --> 01:24:41.100]  In the world ye shall have tribulation,
[01:24:41.100 --> 01:24:44.740]  but be of good cheer, our Savior encourages.
[01:24:44.740 --> 01:24:48.620]  I have overcome the world.
[01:24:48.620 --> 01:24:52.220]  Two, brighter hope comes by envisioning
[01:24:52.220 --> 01:24:54.260]  our eternal destiny.
[01:24:54.260 --> 01:24:57.220]  In speaking of the power inherent in keeping
[01:24:57.220 --> 01:25:00.340]  a vision of our Father's incredible promised blessings
[01:25:00.340 --> 01:25:05.540]  before our eyes every day, Sister Linda Reeves testified,
[01:25:05.860 --> 01:25:09.380]  I do not know why we have the many trials that we have,
[01:25:09.380 --> 01:25:13.180]  but it is my personal feeling that the reward is so great,
[01:25:13.180 --> 01:25:15.540]  so joyful, and beyond our understanding
[01:25:15.540 --> 01:25:18.020]  that in that day of reward we may
[01:25:18.020 --> 01:25:21.100]  feel to say to our merciful, loving Father,
[01:25:21.100 --> 01:25:25.060]  was that all that was required?
[01:25:25.060 --> 01:25:29.140]  What will it matter what we have suffered here
[01:25:29.140 --> 01:25:33.620]  if, in the end, those trials qualify us for eternal life
[01:25:33.980 --> 01:25:35.620]  in the kingdom of God?
[01:25:35.620 --> 01:25:40.340]  President Nelson shared this insight.
[01:25:40.340 --> 01:25:43.540]  Consider the Lord's response to Joseph Smith
[01:25:43.540 --> 01:25:46.300]  when he pleaded for relief in Liberty Jail.
[01:25:46.300 --> 01:25:50.460]  The Lord taught the prophet that his inhumane treatment would
[01:25:50.460 --> 01:25:53.420]  give him experience and be for his good.
[01:25:53.420 --> 01:25:56.500]  If thou endure it well, the Lord promised,
[01:25:56.500 --> 01:26:00.140]  God shall exalt thee on high.
[01:26:00.140 --> 01:26:03.140]  The Lord was teaching Joseph to think celestial
[01:26:03.140 --> 01:26:05.140]  and to envision an eternal reward
[01:26:05.140 --> 01:26:09.380]  rather than focus on the excruciating difficulties
[01:26:09.380 --> 01:26:11.620]  of the day.
[01:26:11.620 --> 01:26:15.700]  Joseph's change in perspective brought deepening sanctification
[01:26:15.700 --> 01:26:18.500]  as reflected in this letter to a friend.
[01:26:18.500 --> 01:26:21.900]  After having been enclosed in the walls of a prison
[01:26:21.900 --> 01:26:26.260]  for five months, it seems to me that my heart will always
[01:26:26.260 --> 01:26:30.300]  be more tender after this than it was than ever before.
[01:26:30.900 --> 01:26:33.620]  I think I never could have felt as I do now
[01:26:33.620 --> 01:26:38.660]  if I had not suffered the wrongs that I have suffered.
[01:26:38.660 --> 01:26:44.020]  Three, greater power comes by focusing on joy.
[01:26:44.020 --> 01:26:48.540]  During eternity's most crucial, agonizing hours,
[01:26:48.540 --> 01:26:53.420]  our Savior did not shrink but partook of the bitter cup.
[01:26:53.420 --> 01:26:55.580]  How did He do it?
[01:26:55.580 --> 01:26:59.380]  We learn, for the joy that was set before Him,
[01:26:59.380 --> 01:27:03.540]  Christ endured the cross, His will being swallowed up
[01:27:03.540 --> 01:27:05.860]  in the will of the Father.
[01:27:05.860 --> 01:27:09.980]  This phrase, swallowed up, deeply moves me.
[01:27:09.980 --> 01:27:11.900]  My interest was heightened when I
[01:27:11.900 --> 01:27:13.900]  learned that in Spanish, swallowed up
[01:27:13.900 --> 01:27:18.940]  is translated as consumed, consumidas, in German
[01:27:18.940 --> 01:27:21.980]  as devoured, and in Chinese as engulfed.
[01:27:21.980 --> 01:27:26.620]  Thus, when life's challenges are most painful and overwhelming,
[01:27:26.620 --> 01:27:28.820]  I remember the Lord's promise that we
[01:27:28.820 --> 01:27:30.780]  should suffer no manner of affliction
[01:27:30.780 --> 01:27:36.060]  save it be swallowed up, consumed, devoured,
[01:27:36.060 --> 01:27:40.180]  and engulfed in the joy of Christ.
[01:27:40.180 --> 01:27:43.460]  I see in so many of you this joy which
[01:27:43.460 --> 01:27:47.460]  defies mortal comprehension, even though your bitter cups
[01:27:47.460 --> 01:27:48.820]  have not yet been removed.
[01:27:52.940 --> 01:27:55.700]  Thank you for keeping your covenants
[01:27:56.020 --> 01:27:58.700]  and standing as witnesses for God.
[01:27:58.700 --> 01:28:02.060]  Thank you for reaching out to bless us
[01:28:02.060 --> 01:28:06.340]  all while in your quiet heart is hidden sorrow
[01:28:06.340 --> 01:28:08.500]  that the eye can't see.
[01:28:08.500 --> 01:28:12.260]  For when you bring the Savior's relief to others,
[01:28:12.260 --> 01:28:15.580]  you will find it for yourselves, taught President Camille
[01:28:15.580 --> 01:28:16.700]  Johnson.
[01:28:16.700 --> 01:28:19.420]  Now return with me to the sacrament meeting
[01:28:19.420 --> 01:28:23.940]  where we witnessed the miracle of Holly Porter's family being
[01:28:23.940 --> 01:28:26.500]  succored by the Lord.
[01:28:26.500 --> 01:28:28.700]  On the stand, while pondering what
[01:28:28.700 --> 01:28:31.660]  I might say to offer comfort to this remarkable family
[01:28:31.660 --> 01:28:34.300]  and their friends, this thought came.
[01:28:34.300 --> 01:28:37.180]  Use the Savior's words.
[01:28:37.180 --> 01:28:42.180]  So I close today, as I did on that Sabbath,
[01:28:42.180 --> 01:28:48.100]  with His words, which healeth the wounded soul.
[01:28:48.100 --> 01:28:52.460]  Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden,
[01:28:52.980 --> 01:28:56.340]  and I will give you rest.
[01:28:56.340 --> 01:28:58.020]  I will also ease the burdens which
[01:28:58.020 --> 01:29:00.900]  are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them
[01:29:00.900 --> 01:29:04.620]  upon your backs, even while you are in bondage,
[01:29:04.620 --> 01:29:09.260]  that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God,
[01:29:09.260 --> 01:29:14.660]  do visit my people in their afflictions.
[01:29:14.660 --> 01:29:16.780]  I will not leave you comfortless.
[01:29:16.780 --> 01:29:19.940]  I will come to you.
[01:29:19.940 --> 01:29:23.380]  With joyful reverence, I witness our Savior lives
[01:29:23.380 --> 01:29:27.300]  and His promises are sure, especially
[01:29:27.300 --> 01:29:32.020]  for you who are troubled or who are afflicted in any manner.
[01:29:32.020 --> 01:29:34.660]  I testify that our Heavenly Father hears
[01:29:34.660 --> 01:29:36.900]  your tearful pleadings and will always
[01:29:36.900 --> 01:29:39.300]  respond in perfect wisdom.
[01:29:39.300 --> 01:29:43.460]  May God grant unto you, as He has done for our family
[01:29:43.460 --> 01:29:47.740]  in times of great need, that your burdens may be light,
[01:29:48.060 --> 01:29:52.740]  even swallowed up in the joy of Christ.
[01:29:52.740 --> 01:29:56.180]  In the holy name of Jesus Christ, amen.
[01:30:04.060 --> 01:30:08.060]  We are grateful to those who have spoken
[01:30:08.060 --> 01:30:13.460]  and are grateful to the Tabernacle Choir at Temple
[01:30:13.460 --> 01:30:17.500]  Square for the beautiful music they
[01:30:17.500 --> 01:30:21.020]  have provided this morning.
[01:30:21.020 --> 01:30:30.500]  The choir will now favor us with His Eye is on the Sparrow.
[01:30:30.500 --> 01:30:35.140]  Our concluding speaker for this session
[01:30:35.140 --> 01:30:40.980]  will be President Dallin H. Oaks, First Counselor
[01:30:40.980 --> 01:30:44.180]  in the First Presidency.
[01:30:44.180 --> 01:30:49.940]  Following his remarks, the choir will close this meeting
[01:30:49.940 --> 01:30:55.540]  by singing, Lord, I Would Follow Thee.
[01:30:55.540 --> 01:31:00.900]  The benediction will then be offered by Elder Adrian
[01:31:00.900 --> 01:31:02.900]  Ochoa of the Seventy.
[01:31:11.900 --> 01:31:15.900]  Why should I feel discouraged?
[01:31:15.900 --> 01:31:20.900]  Why should the shadows come?
[01:31:20.900 --> 01:31:32.900]  Why should my heart be lonely and long for heaven and earth?
[01:31:33.300 --> 01:31:43.780]  Why should my heart be lonely and long for heaven and all?
[01:31:43.780 --> 01:31:55.260]  When Jesus is my portion, my constant friend is He.
[01:31:55.580 --> 01:32:07.060]  His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.
[01:32:07.060 --> 01:32:17.540]  His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.
[01:32:26.020 --> 01:32:34.020]  Let not your heart be troubled.
[01:32:34.020 --> 01:32:40.020]  His tender word I hear.
[01:32:40.020 --> 01:32:50.500]  And resting on His goodness, I lose my doubts and fears.
[01:32:50.740 --> 01:33:02.220]  Though by the path He leadeth, by one step I may see.
[01:33:02.220 --> 01:33:14.220]  His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.
[01:33:14.420 --> 01:33:26.900]  His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.
[01:33:26.900 --> 01:33:32.900]  I sing because I'm happy.
[01:33:32.900 --> 01:33:38.900]  I sing because I'm free.
[01:33:38.900 --> 01:33:49.060]  For His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.
[01:34:09.500 --> 01:34:19.500]  Whenever I am tempted, whenever clouds arise,
[01:34:19.500 --> 01:34:31.500]  and songs give place to sighing, when hope within me dries,
[01:34:32.100 --> 01:34:38.100]  I draw the closer to Him.
[01:34:38.100 --> 01:34:44.100]  From care He sets me free.
[01:34:44.100 --> 01:34:56.100]  His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.
[01:34:56.700 --> 01:35:08.700]  His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.
[01:35:08.700 --> 01:35:14.700]  I sing because I'm happy.
[01:35:14.700 --> 01:35:20.700]  I sing because I'm free.
[01:35:21.300 --> 01:35:31.300]  For His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.
[01:35:31.300 --> 01:35:47.300]  His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.
[01:35:51.300 --> 01:35:59.300]  He watches me.
[01:35:59.300 --> 01:36:05.300]  He watches me.
[01:36:20.700 --> 01:36:32.540]  How does your Church differ from others?
[01:36:32.540 --> 01:36:35.580]  My answer to this important question
[01:36:35.580 --> 01:36:40.340]  has varied as I have matured and as the Church has grown.
[01:36:40.340 --> 01:36:46.340]  When I was born in Utah in 1932, our Church membership
[01:36:46.340 --> 01:36:50.700]  was only about 700,000, clustered mostly
[01:36:50.700 --> 01:36:53.460]  in Utah and nearby states.
[01:36:53.460 --> 01:36:57.260]  At that time, we had only seven temples.
[01:36:57.260 --> 01:37:00.820]  Today, the membership of The Church of Jesus Christ
[01:37:00.820 --> 01:37:04.900]  of Latter-day Saints numbers more than 17 million
[01:37:04.900 --> 01:37:09.900]  in about 170 nations.
[01:37:09.900 --> 01:37:16.740]  As of this April 1, we have 189 dedicated temples
[01:37:16.740 --> 01:37:25.780]  in many nations and 146 more in planning and construction.
[01:37:25.780 --> 01:37:29.180]  I have felt to speak about the purpose of these temples
[01:37:29.180 --> 01:37:33.740]  and the history and role of covenants in our worship.
[01:37:33.740 --> 01:37:37.740]  This will supplement the inspired teachings
[01:37:37.740 --> 01:37:41.100]  of earlier speakers.
[01:37:41.100 --> 01:37:43.980]  A covenant is a commitment to fulfill
[01:37:43.980 --> 01:37:46.260]  certain responsibilities.
[01:37:46.260 --> 01:37:50.100]  Personal commitments are essential to the regulation
[01:37:50.100 --> 01:37:56.020]  of our individual lives and to the functioning of society.
[01:37:56.020 --> 01:37:59.580]  This idea is currently being challenged.
[01:37:59.580 --> 01:38:04.780]  A vocal minority oppose institutional authority
[01:38:05.220 --> 01:38:07.580]  and insist that persons should be
[01:38:07.580 --> 01:38:12.300]  free from any restrictions that limit their individual freedom.
[01:38:12.300 --> 01:38:16.700]  Yet we know from millennia of experience
[01:38:16.700 --> 01:38:20.860]  that persons give up some individual freedoms
[01:38:20.860 --> 01:38:25.980]  to gain the advantages of living in organized communities.
[01:38:25.980 --> 01:38:30.020]  Such relinquishments of individual freedoms
[01:38:30.020 --> 01:38:34.340]  are principally based on commitments or covenants
[01:38:34.620 --> 01:38:37.180]  expressed or implied.
[01:38:37.180 --> 01:38:41.420]  Here are some examples of covenant responsibilities
[01:38:41.420 --> 01:38:43.060]  in our society.
[01:38:43.060 --> 01:38:52.860]  Judges, military, medical personnel, and firefighters.
[01:38:55.740 --> 01:38:59.620]  All of those involved in these familiar occupations
[01:38:59.620 --> 01:39:04.980]  make a commitment, often formalized by oath or covenant,
[01:39:04.980 --> 01:39:08.580]  to perform their assigned duties.
[01:39:08.580 --> 01:39:13.700]  The same is true of our full-time missionaries.
[01:39:13.700 --> 01:39:16.700]  Distinctive clothing or name tags
[01:39:16.700 --> 01:39:21.580]  are intended to signify that the wearer is under covenant
[01:39:21.580 --> 01:39:25.100]  and therefore has a duty to teach and serve
[01:39:25.100 --> 01:39:29.260]  and should be supported in that service.
[01:39:29.260 --> 01:39:34.220]  A related purpose is to remind the wearers of their covenant
[01:39:34.220 --> 01:39:35.980]  responsibilities.
[01:39:35.980 --> 01:39:40.700]  There is no magic in their distinctive clothing or symbols,
[01:39:40.700 --> 01:39:45.180]  only a needed reminder of the special responsibilities
[01:39:45.180 --> 01:39:47.340]  the wearers have assumed.
[01:39:47.340 --> 01:39:52.340]  This is also true of the symbols of the engagement
[01:39:52.340 --> 01:39:57.180]  and wedding rings and their role in giving notice
[01:39:57.180 --> 01:40:00.620]  to observers or reminding wearers
[01:40:00.620 --> 01:40:02.980]  of covenant responsibilities.
[01:40:05.540 --> 01:40:07.540]  What I have said about covenants being
[01:40:07.540 --> 01:40:11.420]  a foundation for the regulation of individual lives
[01:40:11.420 --> 01:40:16.020]  applies particularly to religious covenants.
[01:40:16.020 --> 01:40:20.860]  The foundation and history of many religious affiliations
[01:40:20.860 --> 01:40:24.620]  and requirements are based on covenants.
[01:40:25.180 --> 01:40:28.220]  For example, the Abrahamic covenant
[01:40:28.220 --> 01:40:33.460]  is fundamental to several great religious traditions.
[01:40:33.460 --> 01:40:38.500]  It introduces the holy idea of God's covenant promises
[01:40:38.500 --> 01:40:39.380]  with His children.
[01:40:42.140 --> 01:40:45.780]  The Old Testament frequently refers to God's covenant
[01:40:45.780 --> 01:40:50.100]  with Abraham and his seed.
[01:40:50.100 --> 01:40:52.020]  The first part of the Book of Mormon,
[01:40:52.020 --> 01:40:55.300]  which was written during the Old Testament period,
[01:40:55.300 --> 01:40:58.700]  clearly demonstrates the role of covenants
[01:40:58.700 --> 01:41:02.100]  in the Israelite history and worship.
[01:41:02.100 --> 01:41:05.900]  Nephi was told that the Israelite writings
[01:41:05.900 --> 01:41:07.700]  of that period were, quote,
[01:41:07.700 --> 01:41:10.980]  "...a record of the Jews, which contains
[01:41:10.980 --> 01:41:14.420]  the covenants of the Lord, which he hath made unto
[01:41:14.420 --> 01:41:15.340]  the house of Israel."
[01:41:15.340 --> 01:41:17.700]  End of quote.
[01:41:17.700 --> 01:41:20.300]  The books of Nephi make frequent reference
[01:41:20.300 --> 01:41:23.620]  to the Abrahamic covenant and to Israel
[01:41:23.620 --> 01:41:27.820]  as the covenant people of the Lord.
[01:41:27.820 --> 01:41:32.140]  The practice of covenanting with God or religious leaders
[01:41:32.140 --> 01:41:35.260]  is also recorded in the Book of Mormon writings
[01:41:35.260 --> 01:41:40.780]  about Nephi, Joseph in Egypt, King Benjamin, Alma,
[01:41:40.780 --> 01:41:41.780]  and Captain Moroni.
[01:41:45.500 --> 01:41:47.540]  When the time came for the Restoration
[01:41:47.580 --> 01:41:50.820]  of the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ,
[01:41:50.820 --> 01:41:54.500]  God called a prophet, Joseph Smith.
[01:41:54.500 --> 01:41:59.580]  We do not know the full content of the angel Moroni's
[01:41:59.580 --> 01:42:04.100]  early instructions to this maturing young prophet.
[01:42:04.100 --> 01:42:09.900]  We do know he told Joseph that God had a work for him to do
[01:42:09.900 --> 01:42:14.460]  and that the fulness of the everlasting gospel
[01:42:14.820 --> 01:42:19.220]  must be brought forth, including the promises made
[01:42:19.220 --> 01:42:22.220]  to the fathers.
[01:42:22.220 --> 01:42:25.900]  We also know that the scriptures young Joseph read most
[01:42:25.900 --> 01:42:31.100]  intensively, even before he was directed to organize a Church,
[01:42:31.100 --> 01:42:34.300]  were the many teachings about covenants
[01:42:34.300 --> 01:42:37.540]  he was translating in the Book of Mormon.
[01:42:37.540 --> 01:42:42.100]  That book is the Restoration's major source
[01:42:42.340 --> 01:42:45.420]  for the fulness of the gospel, including
[01:42:45.420 --> 01:42:49.300]  God's plan for His children, and the Book of Mormon
[01:42:49.300 --> 01:42:54.420]  is filled with references to covenants.
[01:42:54.420 --> 01:42:56.860]  Being well read in the Bible, Joseph
[01:42:56.860 --> 01:43:00.460]  must have known of the book of Hebrews' reference
[01:43:00.460 --> 01:43:03.100]  to the Savior's intent to, quote,
[01:43:03.100 --> 01:43:06.140]  make a new covenant with the house of Israel
[01:43:06.140 --> 01:43:09.740]  and with the house of Judah, end of quote.
[01:43:09.740 --> 01:43:14.340]  Hebrews also refers to Jesus as the mediator
[01:43:14.340 --> 01:43:16.300]  of the new covenant.
[01:43:16.300 --> 01:43:19.740]  Significantly, the biblical account
[01:43:19.740 --> 01:43:24.460]  of the Savior's mortal ministry is titled the New Testament,
[01:43:24.460 --> 01:43:27.820]  a virtual symbol for the new covenant.
[01:43:30.740 --> 01:43:35.100]  Covenants were foundational in the Restoration of the gospel.
[01:43:35.100 --> 01:43:38.140]  This is evident in the earliest steps
[01:43:38.140 --> 01:43:40.580]  the Lord directed the prophet to take
[01:43:40.580 --> 01:43:43.340]  in organizing his Church.
[01:43:43.340 --> 01:43:46.260]  As soon as the Book of Mormon was published,
[01:43:46.260 --> 01:43:48.420]  the Lord directed the organization
[01:43:48.420 --> 01:43:51.660]  of His restored Church, soon to be named
[01:43:51.660 --> 01:43:56.260]  the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
[01:43:56.260 --> 01:44:00.740]  Revelation given in April 1830 directs
[01:44:00.740 --> 01:44:04.780]  that persons shall, quote, be received by baptism
[01:44:04.780 --> 01:44:10.140]  into His Church, unquote, after they witness,
[01:44:10.140 --> 01:44:14.300]  which means solemnly testify, quote,
[01:44:14.300 --> 01:44:18.220]  that they have truly repented of all their sins
[01:44:18.220 --> 01:44:22.380]  and are willing to take upon them the name of Jesus Christ,
[01:44:22.380 --> 01:44:28.660]  having a determination to serve Him to the end, end of quote.
[01:44:28.660 --> 01:44:31.740]  This same revelation directs that the Church, quote,
[01:44:31.740 --> 01:44:36.580]  meet together often to partake of bread and wine, water,
[01:44:36.580 --> 01:44:41.980]  in the remembrance of the Lord Jesus Christ, end of quote.
[01:44:41.980 --> 01:44:45.820]  The importance of this ordinance is evident in the words
[01:44:45.820 --> 01:44:51.500]  of covenants specified for the elder or priest who officiates.
[01:44:51.500 --> 01:44:54.300]  He blesses the emblems of the bread
[01:44:54.300 --> 01:44:58.620]  for the souls of all those who partake of it that they,
[01:44:58.620 --> 01:45:03.700]  quote, witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father,
[01:45:03.700 --> 01:45:08.100]  that they are willing to take upon them the name of thy Son
[01:45:08.100 --> 01:45:12.940]  and always remember Him and keep His commandments which
[01:45:12.940 --> 01:45:17.380]  He has given them, end of quote.
[01:45:17.380 --> 01:45:21.540]  The central role of covenants in the newly restored Church
[01:45:21.540 --> 01:45:25.420]  was reaffirmed in the preface the Lord gave
[01:45:25.700 --> 01:45:29.740]  for the first publication of His revelations.
[01:45:29.740 --> 01:45:34.140]  There, the Lord declares that He has called Joseph Smith
[01:45:34.140 --> 01:45:37.860]  because the inhabitants of the earth, quote,
[01:45:37.860 --> 01:45:40.860]  have strayed from mine ordinances
[01:45:40.860 --> 01:45:46.460]  and have broken mine everlasting covenant, end of quote.
[01:45:46.460 --> 01:45:50.540]  This revelation further explains that His commandments are being
[01:45:50.540 --> 01:45:56.300]  given, that mine everlasting covenant might be established.
[01:45:59.460 --> 01:46:02.060]  Today we understand the role of covenants
[01:46:02.060 --> 01:46:06.300]  in the restored Church and the worship of its members.
[01:46:06.300 --> 01:46:10.460]  President Gordon B. Hinckley gave this summary
[01:46:10.460 --> 01:46:14.700]  of the effect of our baptism and our weekly partaking
[01:46:14.700 --> 01:46:16.180]  of the sacrament.
[01:46:16.700 --> 01:46:17.500]  He said,
[01:46:17.500 --> 01:46:21.540]  Every member of this Church who has entered the waters
[01:46:21.540 --> 01:46:26.700]  of baptism has become a party to a sacred covenant.
[01:46:26.700 --> 01:46:31.220]  Each time we partake of the sacrament of the Lord's Supper,
[01:46:31.220 --> 01:46:36.900]  we renew that covenant, end of quote.
[01:46:36.900 --> 01:46:40.740]  We have been reminded by many speakers at this conference
[01:46:40.740 --> 01:46:44.820]  that President Russell M. Nelson often refers
[01:46:45.020 --> 01:46:50.580]  to the plan of salvation as the covenant path that, quote,
[01:46:50.580 --> 01:46:55.660]  leads us back to God and is all about our relationship
[01:46:55.660 --> 01:46:58.820]  with God, end of quote.
[01:46:58.820 --> 01:47:01.820]  He teaches about the significance of covenants
[01:47:01.820 --> 01:47:05.220]  in our temple ceremonies and urges
[01:47:05.220 --> 01:47:08.180]  us to see the end from the beginning
[01:47:08.180 --> 01:47:10.380]  and to think celestial.
[01:47:10.380 --> 01:47:16.620]  Now I speak more of temple covenants.
[01:47:16.620 --> 01:47:19.500]  In fulfillment of his responsibility
[01:47:19.500 --> 01:47:23.420]  to restore the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ,
[01:47:23.420 --> 01:47:27.700]  the Prophet Joseph Smith spent much of his final years
[01:47:27.700 --> 01:47:32.660]  directing the construction of a temple in Nauvoo, Illinois.
[01:47:32.660 --> 01:47:37.380]  Through him, the Lord revealed sacred teachings, doctrine,
[01:47:37.420 --> 01:47:43.140]  and covenants for His successors to administer in temples.
[01:47:43.140 --> 01:47:46.780]  There, persons who were endowed were
[01:47:46.780 --> 01:47:49.900]  to be taught God's plan of salvation
[01:47:49.900 --> 01:47:54.140]  and invited to make sacred covenants.
[01:47:54.140 --> 01:47:57.260]  Those who lived faithful to those covenants
[01:47:57.260 --> 01:48:01.060]  were promised eternal life, wherein
[01:48:01.060 --> 01:48:04.900]  all things are theirs, and they shall
[01:48:04.940 --> 01:48:08.580]  dwell in the presence of God and His Christ forever.
[01:48:11.420 --> 01:48:13.940]  The endowment ceremonies in the Nauvoo Temple
[01:48:13.940 --> 01:48:18.540]  were administered just before our early pioneers were
[01:48:18.540 --> 01:48:22.020]  expelled to begin their historic trek
[01:48:22.020 --> 01:48:24.220]  to the mountains in the West.
[01:48:24.220 --> 01:48:28.220]  We have the testimonies of many pioneers
[01:48:28.220 --> 01:48:33.220]  that the power they received from being bound to Christ
[01:48:33.580 --> 01:48:36.660]  in their endowments in the Nauvoo Temple
[01:48:36.660 --> 01:48:40.180]  gave them the strength to make their epic journey
[01:48:40.180 --> 01:48:45.020]  and establish themselves in the West.
[01:48:45.020 --> 01:48:48.420]  Persons who have been endowed in a temple
[01:48:48.420 --> 01:48:53.940]  are responsible to wear a temple garment, an article of clothing
[01:48:53.940 --> 01:48:58.700]  not visible because it is worn beneath outer clothing.
[01:48:59.260 --> 01:49:03.500]  It reminds endowed members of the sacred covenants
[01:49:03.500 --> 01:49:06.580]  they have made and the blessings they have been
[01:49:06.580 --> 01:49:10.380]  promised in the holy temple.
[01:49:10.380 --> 01:49:13.020]  To achieve those holy purposes, we
[01:49:13.020 --> 01:49:17.260]  are instructed to wear temple garments continuously,
[01:49:17.260 --> 01:49:22.500]  with the only exceptions being those obviously necessary.
[01:49:22.500 --> 01:49:26.820]  Because covenants do not take a day off
[01:49:27.380 --> 01:49:30.580]  to remove one's garments can be understood
[01:49:30.580 --> 01:49:34.260]  as a disclaimer of the covenant responsibilities
[01:49:34.260 --> 01:49:36.060]  and blessings to which they relate.
[01:49:38.700 --> 01:49:42.660]  In contrast, persons who wear their garments faithfully
[01:49:42.660 --> 01:49:46.500]  and keep their temple covenants continually
[01:49:46.500 --> 01:49:53.500]  affirm their role as disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ.
[01:49:53.500 --> 01:49:56.300]  The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
[01:49:56.300 --> 01:49:59.900]  is constructing temples all over the world.
[01:49:59.900 --> 01:50:03.820]  Their purpose is to bless the covenant children of God
[01:50:03.820 --> 01:50:08.180]  with temple worship and with the sacred responsibilities
[01:50:08.180 --> 01:50:13.820]  and powers and unique blessings of being bound to Christ
[01:50:13.820 --> 01:50:18.060]  they receive by covenant.
[01:50:18.060 --> 01:50:20.500]  The Church of Jesus Christ is known
[01:50:20.500 --> 01:50:26.140]  as a Church that emphasizes making covenants with God.
[01:50:26.140 --> 01:50:29.580]  Covenants are inherent in each of the ordinances
[01:50:29.580 --> 01:50:35.580]  of salvation and exaltation this restored Church administers.
[01:50:35.580 --> 01:50:40.300]  The ordinance of baptism and its associated covenants
[01:50:40.300 --> 01:50:44.900]  are requirements for entrance into the celestial kingdom.
[01:50:44.900 --> 01:50:49.900]  The ordinances and associated covenants of the temple
[01:50:49.900 --> 01:50:55.420]  are requirements for exaltation in the celestial kingdom,
[01:50:55.780 --> 01:50:59.500]  which is eternal life, the greatest
[01:50:59.500 --> 01:51:02.740]  of all the gifts of God.
[01:51:02.740 --> 01:51:06.820]  That is the focus of The Church of Jesus Christ
[01:51:06.820 --> 01:51:08.900]  of Latter-day Saints.
[01:51:08.900 --> 01:51:14.180]  I testify of Jesus Christ, who is the Head of that Church,
[01:51:14.180 --> 01:51:17.660]  and invoke His blessings on all who
[01:51:17.660 --> 01:51:20.940]  seek to keep their sacred covenants.
[01:51:20.940 --> 01:51:24.180]  In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
[01:51:25.420 --> 01:51:25.920]  Amen.
[01:51:25.920 --> 01:51:26.420]  Amen.
[01:51:26.420 --> 01:51:26.920]  Amen.
[01:51:26.920 --> 01:51:27.420]  Amen.
[01:51:27.420 --> 01:51:27.920]  Amen.
[01:51:27.920 --> 01:51:28.420]  Amen.
[01:51:28.420 --> 01:51:28.920]  Amen.
[01:51:28.920 --> 01:51:29.420]  Amen.
[01:51:30.420 --> 01:51:31.320]  Thanks be to God.
[01:51:47.220 --> 01:51:53.720]  Thank you Lord, for your sacred covenants.
[01:51:53.720 --> 01:51:59.020]  Thank you Lord, for your sacred covenants.
[01:52:24.020 --> 01:52:31.520]  Savior, may I learn to love thee.
[01:52:31.520 --> 01:52:38.520]  Lord, I would follow thee.
[01:52:53.720 --> 01:53:19.620]  Who am I to judge another when I walk imperfectly?
[01:53:19.620 --> 01:53:31.520]  In the quiet heart is hidden sorrow that me I can't see.
[01:53:34.520 --> 01:53:42.520]  Who am I to judge another?
[01:53:42.920 --> 01:53:49.420]  Lord, I would follow Thee.
[01:53:49.420 --> 01:54:19.320]  I would be my brother's keeper, I would learn the healer's art.
[01:54:20.320 --> 01:54:34.320]  To the wounded and the weary I would show a gentle heart.
[01:54:34.320 --> 01:54:51.220]  I would be my brother's keeper, Lord, I would follow Thee.
[01:55:05.220 --> 01:55:23.220]  Savior, may I love my brother as I know Thou lovest me.
[01:55:24.120 --> 01:55:31.120]  Find in Thee my strength, my weakened,
[01:55:31.120 --> 01:55:36.120]  for Thy servant I would be.
[01:55:37.020 --> 01:55:57.020]  Savior, may I love my brother, Lord, I would follow Thee.
[01:55:57.920 --> 01:56:04.920]  Savior, may I love my brother as I know Thou lovest me.
[01:56:04.920 --> 01:56:14.920]  Lord, I would follow Thee.
[01:56:14.920 --> 01:56:16.820]  Amen.
[01:56:44.920 --> 01:56:58.420]  Amen.
[01:56:58.420 --> 01:57:07.020]  Our beloved Heavenly Father, we love Thee and Thy Son,
[01:57:07.020 --> 01:57:09.340]  Jesus Christ.
[01:57:10.240 --> 01:57:17.000]  We love and are grateful for our prophets, seers,
[01:57:17.000 --> 01:57:21.360]  and revelators and their guidance
[01:57:21.360 --> 01:57:27.360]  throughout this conference and throughout our life.
[01:57:27.360 --> 01:57:30.240]  We're grateful for all of those that
[01:57:30.240 --> 01:57:34.520]  are striving to help us move forward
[01:57:35.220 --> 01:57:39.940]  in this beautiful and joyous world where
[01:57:39.940 --> 01:57:43.500]  there is also confusion.
[01:57:43.500 --> 01:57:51.460]  We ask Thee, Heavenly Father, to help us go forward with joy
[01:57:51.460 --> 01:57:58.940]  and strive steadfast, hanging to the covenants
[01:57:58.940 --> 01:58:01.380]  that we have made.
[01:58:02.200 --> 01:58:04.120]  We're grateful for all the blessings
[01:58:04.120 --> 01:58:06.160]  that we're constantly receiving.
[01:58:06.160 --> 01:58:09.800]  We ask that we can stay steady, fast,
[01:58:09.800 --> 01:58:14.280]  and strong from the temptations of the world
[01:58:14.280 --> 01:58:19.560]  and the vanities that come with it.
[01:58:19.560 --> 01:58:24.280]  We love Thy Son, and in His name we
[01:58:24.280 --> 01:58:30.440]  thank Thee, Heavenly Father, even our Savior, Jesus Christ.
[01:58:30.440 --> 01:58:32.420]  Amen.