We Have Kept the Faith
Elder Eduardo Ayala
- Of the Seventy
📅 0
📖 general conference
The speaker recounts visiting a stake in the Peruvian highlands that had not been visited by a General Authority for over two years due to dangers, where he met with local leaders who had kept the faith despite suffering and the loss of two missionaries.
On one occasion, I received the assignment to visit a stake located in the beautiful mountains of the Peruvian highlands. This unit of the Church had not been visited by a General Authority for more than two years because of the dangers involved in traveling there. After obtaining proper authorization, and with the help of the mission president, we commenced the five-hour trip that took us to the beautiful Mantaro River valley.
When we arrived at the stake center, the president and his counselor ... (continued)
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We Lay Our Coats Away
Elder Clifford E. Young
- Assistant to the Council of the Twelve Apostles
📅 0
📖 general conference
The speaker reflects on his deep affection and understanding with his colleague, Brother Thomas E. McKay, and relates it to a story about Franklin K. Lane's desire to converse with Abraham Lincoln.
I have thought a lot about my colleague, Brother Thomas E. McKay, by whom I have sat for seventeen years. I had a deep affection for him and he for me. We understood each other. This understanding of which I speak is impressively expressed in the Letters of Franklin K. Lane published after his death. He was the Secretary of the Interior under Woodrow Wilson, and a man from the West. He was ill in the Mayo Hospital. It was his last illness. He wrote his memoirs, or Letters, and as he conclu ... (continued)
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We Lay Our Coats Away
Elder Clifford E. Young
- Assistant to the Council of the Twelve Apostles
📅 0
📖 general conference
The speaker shares Catherine Marshall's reflection on the pain and refining nature of her husband's passing, which helped her understand the biblical concept of God's love as a refiner's fire.
I want to read these lines from Catherine Marshall, who wrote so feelingly after her husband's passing. Peter Marshall had been Chaplain of the U. S. Senate and was widely known for his faith and integrity. For the first time I understood why the Bible speaks of God's love as a refiner's fire, which burns us clean but does not consume. The pain of parting was like a burning flame in my heart, but it was a cleansing, refining action, consuming the dross and leaving the imperishable part of me int ... (continued)
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We Look to Christ
President Gordon B. Hinckley
📅 0
📖 general conference
The story of Joseph Smith's vision of God the Father and Jesus Christ, which is the foundation of the speaker's faith.
Our faith, our knowledge comes of the witness of a prophet in this dispensation who saw before him the great God of the universe and His Beloved Son, the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ. They spoke to him. He spoke with Them. He testified openly, unequivocally, and unabashedly of that great vision. It was a vision of the Almighty and of the Redeemer of the world, glorious beyond our understanding but certain and unequivocating in the knowledge which it brought.
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We Look to Christ
President Gordon B. Hinckley
📅 0
📖 general conference
The life and mission of Jesus Christ, who was a man of miracles, faced rejection, and sacrificed for humanity's sins.
He is the Son of the living God, the Firstborn of the Father, the Only Begotten in the flesh, who left the royal courts on high to be born as a mortal in the most humble of circumstances. Of the loneliness of His living He said, "The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head"Matt. 8:20He "went about doing good"Acts 10:38 He was a man of miracles. He reached out to those in distress. He healed the sick and raised the dead. Yet for ... (continued)
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We Look to Christ
President Gordon B. Hinckley
📅 0
📖 general conference
The story of the War in Heaven and the Father's plan for human agency and accountability, with Jesus Christ as the central figure.
When the great War in Heaven was fought, Lucifer, the son of the morning, came forth with a plan that was rejected. The Father of us all, with love for us, His children, offered a better plan under which we would have freedom to choose the course of our lives. His Firstborn Son, our Elder Brother, was the key to that plan. Man would have his agency, and with that agency would go accountability. Man would walk the ways of the world and sin and stumble. But the Son of God would take upon Himself f ... (continued)
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We Need Men of Courage
President Marion G. Romney
- Second Counselor in the First Presidency
📅 0
📖 general conference
Joseph Smith showed moral and physical courage when he insisted on the truth of his First Vision despite persecution and ridicule.
In our Church literature we find many examples of high courage. Consider, for example, a moment, the Prophet Joseph Smith. When he told the Protestant minister in his area about his First Vision, he was met with scorn and ridicule.
"It was nevertheless a fact," he wrote, "that I had beheld a vision. "¦
"I had actually seen a light, and in the midst of that light I saw two Personages, and they did in reality speak to me; and though I was hated and persecuted for saying that I had seen a vision ... (continued)
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We Need Men of Courage
President Marion G. Romney
- Second Counselor in the First Presidency
📅 0
📖 general conference
Joseph Smith demonstrated moral and physical courage by rebuking his guards' profane behavior while he was imprisoned, causing them to beg his pardon.
Eighteen years after the First Vision, the Prophet and others had been "penned up in a cold, open, unfinished court house" for several weeks.
"In one of those tedious nights [writes Parley P. Pratt] we had lain as if in sleep till the hour of midnight had passed, and our ears and hearts had been pained, while we had listened for hours to the obscene jests, the horrid oaths, the dreadful blasphemies and filthy language of our guards. "¦
"I had listened till I became so disgusted, shocked, horr ... (continued)
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We Need Men of Courage
President Marion G. Romney
- Second Counselor in the First Presidency
📅 0
📖 general conference
Nephi showed great courage by committing to retrieve the records from Laban and succeeding despite the dangers and challenges.
In the Book of Mormon we learn of Nephi"™s great courage. You will recall that while Lehi and his family were encamped in the valley of Lemuel, the Lord instructed him to send his sons back to Jerusalem and obtain from Laban the records. Laman and Lemuel murmured that it was "a hard thing"1 Ne. 3:5but Nephi, their younger brother, said: "I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a ... (continued)
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We Need Men of Courage
President Marion G. Romney
- Second Counselor in the First Presidency
📅 0
📖 general conference
Daniel showed courage by adhering to his religious principles in Babylon, interpreting dreams honestly regardless of consequences, and praying openly despite a decree that could lead to his death.
At the time Lehi and his family left Jerusalem, there was living in the area another young man by the name of Daniel who was to demonstrate great courage during his life. In 597B.C., which was just three years after Lehi left, Daniel was carried into Babylon captivity by Nebuchadnezzar. He began to demonstrate his courage soon after he got there when he and Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to "defile himself" with the king"™s meat and wine.Dan. 1:8That is, he refused to break the "Wor ... (continued)
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We Need Men of Courage
President Marion G. Romney
- Second Counselor in the First Presidency
📅 0
📖 general conference
The speaker reflects on his personal experiences of failing to stand up for his faith and missing opportunities to share it, which taught him the importance of courage.
I know that from my own experience. I remember when I was a boy of 15 and we had been expelled from Mexico in the revolution. My folks went to Los Angeles from El Paso, Texas. I got a job there among a bunch of Mormon-haters, and I didn"™t tell them that I was a Mormon. Sometime after that, President Joseph F. Smith came to Los Angeles and had dinner with my parents"”a very humble dinner; I can remember that it was very scant. He put his hand on my head and said, "My boy, don"™t ever be as ... (continued)
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We Need to Continue in Righteousness
President Rex D. Pinegar
- Of the First Council of the Seventy
📅 0
📖 general conference
A home teacher visits a family for seven years before the father responds to become actively involved in the Church.
A home teacher continued faithfully to visit a certain family for seven years before the father in that home responded to the invitation to become actively involved in the Church.
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We Need to Continue in Righteousness
President Rex D. Pinegar
- Of the First Council of the Seventy
📅 0
📖 general conference
A wife continues for 37 years to teach her children to honor their father, who eventually honors his priesthood and becomes a diligent follower of the Lord.
A noble wife continued for 37 years to teach her children to honor their father, for she promised that he would one day honor his priesthood. This promise was realized, and he became a diligent and faithful follower of the Lord.
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We Need to Continue in Righteousness
President Rex D. Pinegar
- Of the First Council of the Seventy
📅 0
📖 general conference
A recently returned missionary is faced with the dilemma of whether to join his family in hunting on Sundays, which conflicts with his desire to maintain his missionary spirit.
This privilege was even more keenly felt when one of my recently returned missionaries confided in me a dilemma at returning home. This fine young man had served well his entire mission. He had demonstrated faith and courage under difficult circumstances. Now he faces the challenge of maintaining his missionary zeal and spirit in the surroundings of home where more subtle opposition may exist.
After telling me what a great family he had and how well they had supported him during his missionary s ... (continued)
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We Need to Continue in Righteousness
President Rex D. Pinegar
- Of the First Council of the Seventy
📅 0
📖 general conference
Oliver Cowdery is reminded by the Lord that he failed in his translation efforts because he did not continue as he commenced.
The counsel I would give to my missionary, and to others who may be faced with the decision to continue or not to continue a righteous course, is to recall the experience of Oliver Cowdery. Oliver had begun his labors in the kingdom with a faithful and humble service. The Lord rewarded him by giving him the gift of translation. He told Oliver of marvelous contributions he could make toward enlightening the people if he would continue faithfully in his efforts. Later when Oliver attempted to tran ... (continued)
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We Need to Continue in Righteousness
President Rex D. Pinegar
- Of the First Council of the Seventy
📅 0
📖 general conference
Nephi, son of Helaman, decides to continue his labors in teaching and living righteously after being reminded by the Lord of the blessings that come from unwearying labor and obedience.
We could follow the example of Nephi, a son of Helaman, who after laboring diligently to teach and live righteously, had decided to give up and return home because the people refused to accept his counsel and to repent. As he approached his home, the voice of the Lord came to him. The Lord reminded Nephi of the blessings that would result from the unwearyingness with which he had labored and taught the people and with which he had kept the commandments of God. With renewed vigor and determinatio ... (continued)
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We Need to Continue in Righteousness
President Rex D. Pinegar
- Of the First Council of the Seventy
📅 0
📖 general conference
Enos prays fervently and continuously, building upon the teachings of his righteous father, and receives forgiveness and blessings from the Lord.
There is also the enlightening experience which Enos had. He helps us to understand the blessing of building upon and following the teachings of righteous parents. Enos described his father as a “just man—for he taught me in his language, and also in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, … and the words which I had often heard my father speak concerning eternal life, and the joy of the saints, sunk deep into my heart.†Enos 1:1, 3 The continual teachings of a just fath ... (continued)
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We Need to Continue in Righteousness
President Rex D. Pinegar
- Of the First Council of the Seventy
📅 0
📖 general conference
Lady missionaries face rejection and ridicule but continue their efforts, leading to a day where nearly every family welcomes their message.
A pair of lady missionaries spent an entire week striving to open the doors of people’s hearts in a small town. They met rejection and ridicule at almost every door. After a particularly difficult day, they returned to their apartment dejected and tired. They were not sure they could continue in the face of such opposition. After much discussion and prayer, they retired for the night, determined that on the morrow they would return once more to their area to continue their labors. The nex ... (continued)
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We Need to Continue in Righteousness
President Rex D. Pinegar
- Of the First Council of the Seventy
📅 0
📖 general conference
A young husband reads the Book of Mormon for ten evenings, prays, and eventually receives a testimony of its truthfulness.
One young husband decided to find out for himself if the Church were true. He had observed the uplifting changes brought into the lives of his wife and children, who had joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints six years previously. He obtained a copy of the Book of Mormon and began reading. At first he felt nothing, but he continued to read. He remembered that he should pray as he read—that was the counsel the missionaries had given. For the next six evenings he continued t ... (continued)
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We Never Walk Alone
President Thomas S. Monson
📅 0
📖 general conference
The speaker recounts his wife Frances' dedication to Relief Society and her service as the president of all the Relief Societies in Ontario and Quebec during their time in the Canadian Mission.
As I have contemplated my opportunity to address you, I have been reminded of the love my dear wife, Frances, had for Relief Society. During her lifetime she served in many positions in Relief Society. When she and I were both just 31 years of age, I was called to be president of the Canadian Mission. During the three years of that assignment, Frances presided over all of the Relief Societies in that vast area, which encompassed the provinces of Ontario and Quebec. Some of her closest friendship ... (continued)
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