You Can Get There From Here
Elder Marvin J. Ashton
- Assistant to the Council of the Twelve
📅 0
📖 general conference
Roger Locke, a prisoner, finds hope and a sense of family through the Church's social services program, despite having no family relationships before.
Roger Locke, a friend of mine, is presently confined in the Utah State Prison. (Incidentally, I have visited with Roger within the past few days and have his and Warden John Turner"™s permission to share his name and thoughts.) ... Let"™s get back to Roger. He said: "I don"™t want to blame anyone back home for my being in prison today, but it is factual that I had no family relationships. I am involved in the family home evening program at the prison. Without the parents who have been assi ... (continued)
Forgiveness
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You Can Get There From Here
Elder Marvin J. Ashton
- Assistant to the Council of the Twelve
📅 0
📖 general conference
An elder in the mission field, with little support from his parents, is determined to succeed in his mission because of his own decision and desire to go.
A few weeks ago, I was visiting with an elder in the mission field. During our interview, I inquired, "Is your father a member of the Church?" ... "Who influenced you most in your decision to go?" Without hesitation he said, "I did. I"™ve always wanted to go, and I knew I could make a success of it." ... This wonderful missionary knows the importance of going forward and has the courage to continue in the paths that lead to happiness. He admitted to me that he once was lost, but now he d ... (continued)
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You Can Get There From Here
Elder Marvin J. Ashton
- Assistant to the Council of the Twelve
📅 0
📖 general conference
A ten-year-old girl in a juvenile detention home, feeling unwanted by her parents, wonders if someone will come to take her home, and later finds a loving family through Church social services.
During a visit to a juvenile detention home some months ago, my attention was drawn to three young girls who were visiting with each other just prior to our religious service. ... I was moved when I heard one of the girls raise this question to her friends: "I wonder if someone will come today who will want to take me home. It would be fun to live with someone who wants me." ... What a pleasure it was later to learn she had been placed by licensed social services agents of the Church in a new ... (continued)
Forgiveness
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You Can Get There From Here
Elder Marvin J. Ashton
- Assistant to the Council of the Twelve
📅 0
📖 general conference
A young woman lost to drugs finds hope and encouragement after a sincere conversation, and with support, she is determined to finish her teaching certificate.
Many drug abusers are desperately trying to find their way back today. ... After visiting with one of our young women who has been lost to drugs for many months, her only encouraging remark after more than three hours of sincere communication was, "Thanks for not chewing me out." Two visits later she asked, "Do you think I would make a good schoolteacher?" To a sincere yes, she said, "Thanks, I"™ll try. I"™m only three semesters away from getting my teaching certificate." This girl is ... (continued)
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You Can"™t Pet a Rattlesnake
Elder David E. Sorensen
- Of the Presidency of the Seventy
📅 0
📖 general conference
The speaker witnessed men in India charming cobras with flutes, and was told that snakebite is a major cause of death in that province.
Some years ago, Sister Sorensen and I had the privilege of visiting India. At one airport I remember walking across the landing strip and seeing some men sitting in front of wicker baskets, playing flutes. As they started to play the music, they would take the top off the basket and a cobra would appear! As the music continued, the snake would rise higher and higher, nearly reaching its full length until the cobra would collapse back into the basket. Once I noticed a cobra fall outside the baske ... (continued)
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You Can"™t Pet a Rattlesnake
Elder David E. Sorensen
- Of the Presidency of the Seventy
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📖 general conference
As a youth, the speaker found a rattlesnake in the hay on his farm, and his father warned him not to pet it.
My mind raced back to the days of my youth on the farm. In the summertime one of our responsibilities was to haul hay from the fields into the barn for winter storage. My dad would pitch the hay onto a flatbed wagon. I would then tromp down the hay to get as much as possible on the wagon. One day, in one of the loose bundles pitched onto the wagon was a rattlesnake! When I looked at it, I was concerned, excited, and afraid. The snake was lying in the nice, cool hay. The sun was glistening on its ... (continued)
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You Can"™t Pet a Rattlesnake
Elder David E. Sorensen
- Of the Presidency of the Seventy
📅 0
📖 general conference
The speaker's granddaughter, Jennifer, refused to watch an R-rated movie with her friends, despite their pressure, and felt lonely but empowered by her decision.
Recently my granddaughter Jennifer was invited to go with several of her school friends to a dinner and a movie. The girls all agreed on the movie they were going to see, and Jennifer was comfortable attending. However, the girl who left dinner to buy the movie tickets for the group returned with tickets to a different movie than was planned! She said, "It is a great show, and it"™s R-rated."
Jennifer, caught by surprise, couldn"™t believe the situation had changed so quickly. But fortunat ... (continued)
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You Have a Noble Birthright
Julie B. Beck
- First Counselor in the Young Women General Presidency
📅 0
📖 general conference
A friend of the speaker, who joined the Church at age 16, shares how they learned about their identity and heritage through their patriarchal blessing.
A friend of mine said: "When I joined the Church at age 16, I began to learn about my identity. I received my patriarchal blessing and was told I was of the house of Israel. At the time, I did not know what that meant, but over the years I have come to learn that I have a great privilege to be directly descended from the prophets. I have a precious heritage and the best opportunities."
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You Have a Noble Birthright
Julie B. Beck
- First Counselor in the Young Women General Presidency
📅 0
📖 general conference
The speaker reflects on the light of God they have seen in young women during various activities and emphasizes their divine nature and destiny.
This past year I have seen the light of God shining in the faces of you young women so many times. I have seen it in large devotionals from Brazil to the Dominican Republic. I have seen it as you have pulled handcarts on pioneer treks. I have seen your light as I have sung and played games with you at camp. I have seen that light of God shining in the faces of girls in the baptistries of temples from Mexico to Utah. Your light has made a difference to me and many others. You have light because y ... (continued)
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You Have a Noble Birthright
Julie B. Beck
- First Counselor in the Young Women General Presidency
📅 0
📖 general conference
The speaker shares their personal experience of receiving a patriarchal blessing and how it provided comfort and a shift in perspective from popularity to eternity.
You are never too young to start learning about patriarchal blessings.5[See "Teaching Children about Patriarchal Blessings,"Ensign,Oct. 1987, 54. President Spencer W. Kimball taught: "Do you prepare your children for [their patriarchal blessings], or do you let them just happen on to it? "¦ I would think that every mother would begin to talk about patriarchal blessings to her children when they get just a few years old, so that they will be prepared for it" (in Conference Report, Manchester ... (continued)
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You Have a Noble Birthright
Julie B. Beck
- First Counselor in the Young Women General Presidency
📅 0
📖 general conference
The speaker recounts how they were discouraged from pursuing college by a counselor, but their patriarchal blessing gave them hope and confidence, leading to success and a university diploma.
When I was in high school, a counselor read the results of my test scores and told me she did not think I would do well in college. But after I prayerfully studied my patriarchal blessing, I felt I should not abandon my lifelong goal. So, because I had insight into the Lord"™s plan for me, I had hope in my heart, and I was able to move ahead confidently. I discovered that I was successful in that setting, and I earned a university diploma. When we know who we are and what we are supposed to do ... (continued)
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You Know Enough
Elder Neil L. Andersen
- Of the Presidency of the Seventy
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📖 general conference
The speaker recounts feeling inadequate and unprepared before his mission, but after praying, he felt reassured that he knew enough to proceed.
Nearly 40 years ago as I contemplated the challenge of a mission, I felt very inadequate and unprepared. I remember praying, “Heavenly Father, how can I serve a mission when I know so little?†I believed in the Church, but I felt my spiritual knowledge was very limited. As I prayed, the feeling came: “You don’t know everything, but you know enough!†That reassurance gave me the courage to take the next step into the mission field.
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You Know Enough
Elder Neil L. Andersen
- Of the Presidency of the Seventy
📅 0
📖 general conference
The speaker shares a story of a missionary who wanted to go home due to challenges and doubts about God's love for him, but after a conversation, the missionary felt reassured and decided to stay.
I once visited a mission in southern Europe. I arrived on the day a new missionary was preparing to return home at his own insistence. He had his ticket to leave the next day.
We sat together in the mission president’s home. The missionary told me about his challenging childhood, of learning disorders, of moving from one family to another. He spoke sincerely of his inability to learn a new language and adapt to a new culture. Then he added, “Brother Andersen, I don’t even kno ... (continued)
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You Know Enough
Elder Neil L. Andersen
- Of the Presidency of the Seventy
📅 0
📖 general conference
The speaker tells of a friend who lost his daughter in an accident and began to doubt his faith, but through a blessing and a decision to choose faith, he regained his spiritual balance.
Several years ago a friend of mine had a young daughter die in a tragic accident. Hopes and dreams were shattered. My friend felt unbearable sorrow. He began to question what he had been taught and what he had taught as a missionary. The mother of my friend wrote me a letter and asked if I would give him a blessing. As I laid my hands upon his head, I felt to tell him something that I had not thought about in exactly the same way before. The impression that came to me was: Faith is not only a fe ... (continued)
Forgiveness
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You Know Enough
Elder Neil L. Andersen
- Of the Presidency of the Seventy
📅 0
📖 general conference
The speaker recounts a story of Hadley Peay, a young girl with hearing impairment, who comforted a boy without legs by sharing her belief that Jesus will make everything right.
Hadley Peay is now seven years old. Hadley was born with a very serious hearing impairment requiring extensive surgery to bring even limited hearing. Her parents followed with tireless training to help her learn to speak. Hadley and her family have cheerfully adapted to the challenge of her deafness.
Once, when Hadley was four, she was standing in the checkout line at the grocery store with her mother. She looked behind her and saw a little boy sitting in a wheelchair. She noticed that the boy d ... (continued)
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You Make a Difference
President Thomas S. Monson
- Second Counselor in the First Presidency
📅 0
📖 general conference
Alexander the Great, after defeating Darius, attempts to heal him with a promise of sincerity, to which Darius responds skeptically about Alexander's ability to 'touch heaven' with his hands.
Looking backward in time through the pages of history, we glean a lesson of worthiness from the words of the dying King Darius.
"Darius, through the proper rites had been recognized as legitimate King of Egypt. His rival Alexander the Great had been declared legitimate son of Ammon. He, too, was Pharaoh. Alexander, finding the defeated Darius on the point of death, laid his hands upon his head to heal him, commanding him to arise and resume his kingly power, concluding, "I swear unto thee, Dari ... (continued)
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You Make a Difference
President Thomas S. Monson
- Second Counselor in the First Presidency
📅 0
📖 general conference
An article in the Church News compares sins to barnacles on a ship, which increase drag and must be removed, likening the process to repentance in fresh water where barnacles cannot survive.
An inspiring lesson is learned from a "Viewpoint" article which appeared recently in theChurch Newssection of theDeseret News.May I quote:
"To some it may seem strange to see ships of many nations loading and unloading cargo along the docks at Portland, Oregon. That city is 100 miles from the ocean. Getting there involves a difficult, often turbulent passage over the bar guarding the Columbia River and a long trip up the Columbia and Willamette Rivers.
"But ship captains like to tie up at Po ... (continued)
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You Make a Difference
President Thomas S. Monson
- Second Counselor in the First Presidency
📅 0
📖 general conference
The speaker shares a personal experience where he was asked to speak about the Mormons during a bus tour in Dallas, Texas, and took the opportunity to share his testimony.
You never know when your turn will come to comply with the admonition of Peter to "be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you"1 Pet. 3:15
Some years ago I had the opportunity to address a business convention in Dallas, Texas, sometimes called "the city of churches." After the convention, I took a sightseeing bus ride about the city"™s suburbs. Our driver would comment, "On the left you see the Methodist church," or "There on the rig ... (continued)
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You Make a Difference
President Thomas S. Monson
- Second Counselor in the First Presidency
📅 0
📖 general conference
The speaker recounts a call from Leonardo Gambardella, who was first visited by missionaries years ago and later found the truth and was baptized, expressing gratitude for the missionaries' testimonies.
The seeds of testimony frequently do not at once take root and flower. Bread cast upon the water returns, at times, only after many days [seeEccl. 11:1
I answered the ring of my telephone one evening to hear a voice ask, "Are you related to an Elder Monson who years ago served in the New England Mission?" I answered that such was not the case. The caller introduced himself as a Brother Leonardo Gambardella and then mentioned that an Elder Monson and an Elder Bonner called at his home long ago ... (continued)
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You Matter to Him
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf
- Second Counselor in the First Presidency
📅 0
📖 general conference
Moses, after being raised in the splendor of Egypt, has a humbling realization of human insignificance when God shows him the universe.
Moses, one of the greatest prophets the world has ever known, was raised by Pharaoh"™s daughter and spent the first 40 years of his life in the royal halls of Egypt. He knew firsthand the glory and grandeur of that ancient kingdom.
Years later, on the top of a distant mountain, far removed from the splendor and magnificence of mighty Egypt, Moses stood in the presence of God and spoke to Him face to face as a man speaks with his friend.1[SeeMoses 1:2During the course of that visitation, God sh ... (continued)
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