"The World Our Circuit"
Elder John Longden
- Assistant to the Council of the Twelve Apostles
📅 0
📖 general conference
The speaker describes the dedication of the Pesega chapel in Western Samoa, attended by the prime minister, and how the Church influenced the lives of the local people.
Just a week ago tonight it was my opportunity and privilege to dedicate the Pesega chapel in Upolu, Western Samoa. The prime minister of Western Samoa was in attendance and spoke at the services, commending our people because he saw lives that had been changed into something worthwhile as they put away the material things of life, put away the pitfalls and the snares of the adversary, and were willing to cling to truth, having a vision which this Church offers to all the world of their possibili ... (continued)
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"The World Our Circuit"
Elder John Longden
- Assistant to the Council of the Twelve Apostles
📅 0
📖 general conference
In New Zealand, the speaker meets a young woman who traveled at her own expense to help paint a church building, demonstrating her commitment to the gospel.
About five weeks ago in New Zealand, in Christchurch, we went into a lovely building that is being constructed, entirely different from the one I have referred to at Faaoue in Tahiti. That is a glorious spot. Here was a young woman—many working—but one young woman all wrapped up, it seemed, with two or three sweaters because Christchurch can be very cold in winter and early spring, and there is nothing colder than a new building under construction without any heat, as you workmen k ... (continued)
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"Them That Honour Me I Will Honour"
President James E. Faust
- Second Counselor in the First Presidency
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📖 general conference
Elder LeGrand Richards' father expressed trust in him and his brother, which instilled in them a strong desire not to disappoint him.
When Elder LeGrand Richards left to attend college, his father, George F. Richards, said to him and his brother, George F. Jr., 'I would trust you two to go anywhere I would go myself.' Their hearts swelled with love and pride in his words. LeGrand later said, 'They put rods of steel in our spines, and we couldn’t do anything that would disappoint him.'
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"Them That Honour Me I Will Honour"
President James E. Faust
- Second Counselor in the First Presidency
📅 0
📖 general conference
After Jesus' resurrection, Peter and the disciples went fishing but caught nothing until Jesus instructed them to cast their nets on the right side of the ship, resulting in a large catch.
After the Resurrection of the Savior, Peter and some of the disciples were at the Sea of Tiberias. Peter announced to them that he was going fishing. The disciples agreed to go with him. They seemed to have forgotten that they were called to be fishers of men. They fished through the night but caught nothing. In the morning Jesus, standing on the shore, told them to cast their nets on the right side of the ship, and the nets were filled with fish. Jesus told them to bring in the fish they had ca ... (continued)
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"Them That Honour Me I Will Honour"
President James E. Faust
- Second Counselor in the First Presidency
📅 0
📖 general conference
A father promised his son he would always be there for him and, after an earthquake, dug through rubble for 38 hours until he found his son and other survivors.
In 1989 there was a terrible earthquake in Armenia that killed over 30,000 people in four minutes. A distraught father went in frantic search of his son. He reached his son’s school only to find that it had been reduced to a pile of rubble. But he was driven by his promise to his son, 'No matter what, I’ll always be there for you!' He visualized the corner where his son’s classroom would be, rushed there, and started to dig through the debris, brick by brick. Others came on ... (continued)
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"Them That Honour Me I Will Honour"
President James E. Faust
- Second Counselor in the First Presidency
📅 0
📖 general conference
An elder who thought his mission was a failure for only baptizing one person later discovered that the person he baptized became an Apostle, Charles A. Callis.
Those of us who have served missions have seen the miracle in the lives of some we have taught as they have come to realize that they are sons and daughters of God. Many years ago an elder who served a mission in the British Isles said at the end of his labors, 'I think my mission has been a failure. I have labored all my days as a missionary here and I have only baptized one dirty little Irish kid. That is all I baptized.' Years later, after his return to his home in Montana, he had a visitor c ... (continued)
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"Then Will I Make Weak Things Become Strong"
By Elder Kevin S. Hamilton
- Of the Seventy
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📖 general conference
Warden Clinton Duffy was known for rehabilitating prisoners and believed that men could change, unlike leopards which cannot change their spots.
President Thomas S. Monson once shared the story of prison warden Clinton Duffy. "During the 1940s and 1950s, [Warden Duffy] was well known for his efforts to rehabilitate the men in his prison. Said one critic, "˜You should know that leopards don"™t change their spots!"™
"Replied Warden Duffy, "˜You should know I don"™t work with leopards. I work with men, and men change every day."™"1[Thomas S. Monson, "See Others as They May Become,"EnsignorLiahona, Nov. 2012, 69.]
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"Then Will I Make Weak Things Become Strong"
By Elder Kevin S. Hamilton
- Of the Seventy
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📖 general conference
James B. Keysor, who had strayed from the Church and developed bad habits, experienced a powerful change of heart while reading the Book of Mormon and praying for forgiveness.
My wife"™s grandfather James B. Keysor has always impressed me with his own mighty change of heart.22[SeeMosiah 5:2Alma 5:14]Born of faithful Latter-day Saint pioneer ancestors in the Salt Lake Valley in 1906, he lost his mother at a young age and struggled throughout his youth. His teenage and young adult years were spent away from the Church, during which time he acquired a number of bad habits. Nevertheless, he met and married a faithful woman, and together they raised five children.
I ... (continued)
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"There Am I in the Midst of Them"
Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin
- Assistant to the Council of the Twelve
📅 0
📖 general conference
The speaker and Sister Wirthlin traveled across Europe, Scandinavia, and Finland, meeting with missionaries who radiated the truth that Jesus was with them, and servicemen who found great strength in the gospel.
Since last October, Sister Wirthlin and I have traveled many thousands of miles over central Europe, Scandinavia, and Finland, working with the eleven mission presidents and the eight stake presidents who preside in those areas. Here we have learned to know over 1,500 missionaries who radiate and communicate the reality of the truth that Jesus is in their midst. They have asked me to express their great love and appreciation for you at home. If you could hear them bear their testimonies, you wou ... (continued)
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"There Am I in the Midst of Them"
Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin
- Assistant to the Council of the Twelve
📅 0
📖 general conference
The story of James Covill, a former Baptist minister, who was charged with the responsibility to accept the gospel and preach it, illustrating the commitment expected from all members.
The charge and the responsibility these unselfishly committed saints have taken upon themselves have evolved as portrayed in a revelation given through the Prophet Joseph Smith to James Covill, who had been a Baptist minister for forty years. The first step in the process of becoming a Latter-day Saint, Brother Covill was told, as recorded in the Doctrine and Covenants, is truly to accept the gospel, of which the Lord says, "And this is my gospel"”repentance and baptism by water, and then come ... (continued)
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"There Am I in the Midst of Them"
Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin
- Assistant to the Council of the Twelve
📅 0
📖 general conference
The contrasting experiences of two sisters, one who married outside the Church and remained faithful, and the other who married within the Church but became less active, demonstrate the importance of personal commitment and example.
What I mean when I say Jesus meant his presence to be felt in the intimate circle of each of our families may be depicted in the lives of two sisters, friends of ours, who live in two widely separated stakes. One sister married out of the Church. She had hoped to convert her husband and then be married and sealed in the temple. She had developed one of the most lovely and spiritual personalities. Her husband, however, has never caught the spirit nor acknowledged the truth of the gospel and has b ... (continued)
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"There Am I in the Midst of Them"
Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin
- Assistant to the Council of the Twelve
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📖 general conference
The Saints' concern about the permanence of their settlements and Joseph Smith's advice to build as if they would stay forever reflects the enduring nature of their faith and commitment.
I recall that when the Saints settled in a new area, they were troubled about how permanently they were to build their houses. They had often moved from place to place. When they asked the Prophet Joseph Smith about this, he said, "Build as if you are going to stay forever." The founders of our country"”as we believe, divinely inspired"”built our nation to endure. And our Church leaders today never for a moment lose sight of their sacred mission. They are building for us, for those to foll ... (continued)
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"There Are Many Gifts"
Elder Marvin J. Ashton
- Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
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📖 general conference
The speaker recounts a story about a ward reunion where a 'Best Scouter Ever' award was presented to Sister Jennie Verl Keefer, who had served for thirty-seven years and had never had a 'bad boy'.
Recently, during a twenty-fifth anniversary ward reunion in the Salt Lake Valley, a 'Best Scouter Ever' award was presented. The special evening in the cultural hall, which included dinner as well as a fine program, drew many people back to the ward event because of the good feelings created over the past twenty-five years.
The person acting as master of ceremonies introduced a young man to make this special award. He looked to be about six feet four inches tall and well over two hundred pounds. ... (continued)
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"There Can Be Nothing So Exquisite and Sweet as Was My Joy"
By Elder Craig C. Christensen
- Of the Seventy
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📖 general conference
A powerful but humble king in the Book of Mormon was willing to give up all his possessions and forsake his kingdom to be born of God and filled with joy.
A powerful but humble king in the Book of Mormon understood this. “What shall I do,†he asked, “that I may be born of God, having this wicked spirit rooted out of my breast, and receive his Spirit, that I may be filled with joy … ? Behold, said he, I will give up all that I possess, yea, I will forsake my kingdom, that I may receive this great joy.â€9[Alma 22:15]
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"There Can Be Nothing So Exquisite and Sweet as Was My Joy"
By Elder Craig C. Christensen
- Of the Seventy
📅 0
📖 general conference
Alma found great joy in being an instrument of God to bring souls to repentance and remembered the merciful arm of the Lord extended to him.
“This is my glory,†he said, “that perhaps I may be an instrument in the hands of God to bring some soul to repentance; and this is my joy.
“And behold, when I see many of my brethren truly penitent, and coming to the Lord their God, then is my soul filled with joy; then do I remember what the Lord has done for me, … yea, then do I remember his merciful arm which he extended [to] me.â€21[Alma 29:9–10]
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"There Can Be Nothing So Exquisite and Sweet as Was My Joy"
By Elder Craig C. Christensen
- Of the Seventy
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📖 general conference
The Savior anticipated great joy as He endured the cross, knowing His suffering would enable us to experience the joy of returning with Him to God's presence.
We speak often of the pain and suffering of Gethsemane and Calvary, but seldom do we speak of the great joy the Savior must have anticipated as He offered His life for us. Clearly, His pain and His suffering were for us, that we might experience the joy of returning with Him to the presence of God.
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"There Can Be Nothing So Exquisite and Sweet as Was My Joy"
By Elder Craig C. Christensen
- Of the Seventy
📅 0
📖 general conference
Alma in the Book of Mormon experienced extreme torment due to his sins, but upon turning to the Savior, his pain was replaced with exquisite and sweet joy.
Consider the experience of Alma in the Book of Mormon. He was “racked with eternal torment,†and his soul was “harrowed up†because of his sins. But once he turned to the Savior for mercy, he “could remember [his] pains no more.â€14[Alma 36:12, 19]
“And oh, what joy,†he declared, “and what marvelous light I did behold; yea, … there can be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was my joy.â€15[Alma 36:20–21see alsoverses 12â� ... (continued)
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"There Can Be Nothing So Exquisite and Sweet as Was My Joy"
By Elder Craig C. Christensen
- Of the Seventy
📅 0
📖 general conference
After teaching the people in ancient America, the Savior expressed His fulness of joy because of them, and He rejoiced with the Father and all the holy angels.
After teaching the people in ancient America, the Savior expressed His great love for them by saying:
“Now, behold, my joy is great, even unto fulness, because of you … ; yea, and even the Father rejoiceth, and also all the holy angels. …
“… In [you] I have [a] fulness of joy.â€26[3 Nephi 27:30–31Three of the Savior’s Nephite disciples desired to remain in mortality with the sole purpose of bringing souls to Him. To these loyal disci ... (continued)
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"There Is the Light"
Elder John H. Groberg
- Of the First Quorum of the Seventy
📅 0
📖 general conference
The speaker recounts an experience from his time as a young missionary in the South Pacific, where he and others sailed through a storm to get a very ill missionary to a hospital, guided by a calm and experienced captain who saw the light through the darkness, leading them to safety.
As a young missionary I was assigned as a district president to administer the affairs of the Church and preach the gospel in a group of fifteen small, scattered islands. We traveled almost exclusively by sailboat and learned to rely not only on the winds and the currents of the usually friendly seas, but especially on the love of our Father in heaven, as we sailed week after week and month after month from island to island to island. It was a glorious time, full of the normal challenges of seas ... (continued)
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"Therefore I Was Taught"
Elder L. Tom Perry
- Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
📅 0
📖 general conference
The speaker humorously notes the coincidence of Elder Hales moving cities in sync with his own relocations, welcoming him to the Council of the Twelve.
Elder Hales, we welcome you as a member of the Council of the Twelve. Our friendship goes back, I guess, over three decades. Of course, I"™ve always wondered why when I moved to New York, you moved to Boston. And then when I moved to Boston, you moved back to New York. No longer can you escape! You join the greatest quorum that you can possibly belong to because of the brotherhood and fellowship that is there. Welcome, Elder Hales!
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