Your Jericho Road
Elder Thomas S. Monson
- Of the Council of the Twelve
📅 0
📖 general conference
Louis Jacobsen, a small boy and son of a poor widow, was mocked for his appearance at Sunday School and ran away, but was comforted and brought back by the Sunday School superintendent, George Burbidge.
Some years ago there went to his eternal reward one of the kindest and most loved men to grace the earth. I speak of Louis C. Jacobsen. He ministered to those in need, he assisted the immigrant to find employment, and he delivered more sermons at more funeral services than any other I have known.
One day while in a reflective mood, Louis Jacobsen told me of his boyhood. He was the son of a poor Danish widow. He was small in stature, not comely in appearance—easily the object of his classm ... (continued)
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Your Jericho Road
Elder Thomas S. Monson
- Of the Council of the Twelve
📅 0
📖 general conference
The speaker recounts his childhood Christmas when he selfishly kept an oil tanker car from a train set meant for a less fortunate boy, Mark Hansen, but later felt guilt and returned it along with another car, experiencing joy in the act of giving.
May I relate to you my first journey along a personal Jericho Road. In about my tenth year, as Christmas approached, I yearned as only a boy can yearn for an electric train. My desire was not to receive the economical and everywhere-to-be-found wind-up model train, but rather one that operated through the miracle of electricity.
The times were those of economic depression, yet Mother and Dad, through some sacrifice, I am sure, presented to me on Christmas morning a beautiful electric train. For ... (continued)
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Your Light in the Wilderness
Sharon G. Larsen
- Second Counselor in the Young Women General Presidency
📅 0
📖 general conference
Emily, a Laurel class president, receives a strong revelation about choosing her counselor after praying.
Emily, a Laurel class president wanting to know the Lord"™s will for one of her counselors, describes how this light feels. She said: "I prayed about a certain girl, and I had such a strong revelation"”it"™s like when your heart and mind make connection and everything is so clear. So I knew without a doubt that she was to be my counselor" (letter in possession of Young Women office).
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Your Light in the Wilderness
Sharon G. Larsen
- Second Counselor in the Young Women General Presidency
📅 0
📖 general conference
Lehi and his family's journey in the wilderness without fire, relying on the Lord's guidance.
Knowing what you may or may not know, what would you think of an eight-year camping trip in the wilderness"”no trips to town, no light, not even a fire? This describes the experience Father Lehi and his family had when they were told by the Lord to leave Jerusalem. I"™ll bet there was some murmuring in the camp"”and not a lot of volunteers! There were undoubtedly young women like you on this marathon trip.
The Lord warned them not to make any fires. Then He taught them, "I will "¦ be your ... (continued)
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Your Light in the Wilderness
Sharon G. Larsen
- Second Counselor in the Young Women General Presidency
📅 0
📖 general conference
Sunny, a Korean exchange student, finds comfort and help through reading the Book of Mormon and praying.
Sunny is an exchange student from Korea. She is living in a strange new land with a new language and a new family. School was hard and she had no friends to eat with or talk with or go to school activities with. She said: "I felt so miserable. Then I started thinking about praying. I had not thought about praying for help to Heavenly Father and for comfort and faith in myself. Then I began to read the Book of Mormon every morning and pray before I went to school. School began to be much easier. ... (continued)
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Your Light in the Wilderness
Sharon G. Larsen
- Second Counselor in the Young Women General Presidency
📅 0
📖 general conference
The speaker learned the importance of staying focused on a goal while plowing a field with her father.
When I was about your age, I learned the importance of a straight and narrow path and how difficult it was to be focused and stay on it. I grew up in a very small town in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies. My dad was a farmer, and I learned to work! Every summer I drove the tractor for him, mowing and raking hay, hauling hay bales, and plowing fields. I remember when I first started to learn to plow and cultivate a field. Dad explained the importance of plowing a straight furrow or a straigh ... (continued)
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Your Light in the Wilderness
Sharon G. Larsen
- Second Counselor in the Young Women General Presidency
📅 0
📖 general conference
A young friend challenges the speaker's avoidance of vulgar and violent movies, questioning if it leads to naivety.
A young friend who did not understand the importance of having the light, having the Spirit, was trying to explain to me why he thought it was important to see some of the vulgar and violent movies on the market today. He said, "If you don"™t see these things, you will be naive and uninformed and the world will take advantage of you."
I asked my young friend, "Would you rather expose yourself to what the world has to offer to be informed and then left on your own to make decisions, or would ... (continued)
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Your Light in the Wilderness
Sharon G. Larsen
- Second Counselor in the Young Women General Presidency
📅 0
📖 general conference
The brother of Jared seeks light for his barges and receives it after much prayer and effort, with the Lord touching the stones he prepared.
The brother of Jared in the Book of Mormon knew about this process. He had built eight barges, or ships, under the direction of the Lord, but they had no light in them. He called upon the Lord for help (and that"™s our opportunity too). But the answer did not come in the way he was expecting. The Lord could have easily put light in those barges, but He wanted the light"”the light of the Spirit"”in the brother of Jared.
What do you think the brother of Jared was doing from the time he reali ... (continued)
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Your Light"”a Standard to All Nations
President James E. Faust
- Second Counselor in the First Presidency
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📖 general conference
Mary Elizabeth Rollins and her sister Caroline saved pages of revelations from an angry mob in Independence, Missouri, by hiding them in a cornfield.
This same light led the way for 15-year-old Mary Elizabeth Rollins and her 13-year-old sister, Caroline, on a dark and chilling day in Independence, Missouri. It was 1833, and an angry mob roared through the streets of Independence, burning property and wreaking havoc. In their path was the home of Brother William W. Phelps, where the printing press was kept. He had been printing revelations received by the Prophet Joseph Smith. The mob demolished the printing press and threw the wreckage into t ... (continued)
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Your Light"”a Standard to All Nations
President James E. Faust
- Second Counselor in the First Presidency
📅 0
📖 general conference
Joan of Arc, guided by the Light of Christ, led the French army and made a significant impact on her country's history before her tragic end.
A few years ago I stood on the spot where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake in 1431. Young Joan of Arc, one of the great heroines in history, became the unlikely standard-bearer for the French army in the Dark Ages, long before the gospel was restored. Joan had the Light of Christ and also the courage to follow its promptings and make a difference. Joan was a peasant girl who could neither read nor write, but she was bright. Long years of war with the English had impoverished and divided her c ... (continued)
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Your Light"”a Standard to All Nations
President James E. Faust
- Second Counselor in the First Presidency
📅 0
📖 general conference
Vicki, a young girl who smiled and waved at a man driving past her bus stop, indirectly led to his family's conversion to the Church through her friendliness and missionary efforts.
We can let the light within us show in many different ways. It may be as simple as a smile. I recently read the account of a man in the northwest United States who used to drive past a bus stop on his way to work. He began to notice a young girl among some children waiting for the school bus. Even when it was raining, she would smile and wave as he drove by. He said: 'The young girl was tall and slim and about 13 years old. She wore a mouthful of braces and I could see them glisten in the glare ... (continued)
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Your Mission Preparation
President A. Theodore Tuttle
- Of the First Council of the Seventy
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📖 general conference
The speaker recounts a conversation with a young man who did not want to go on a mission, emphasizing the need for missionaries and the importance of being needed.
I talked with a young man about a mission. He said, "I don"™t want to go." I asked, "What has that got to do with it? We need you."
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Your Mission Preparation
President A. Theodore Tuttle
- Of the First Council of the Seventy
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📖 general conference
The speaker shares an anecdote about a young man who regularly visits the church to maintain a good relationship with the Lord, humorously suggesting that he does so to be recognized by the Lord when he is finally carried in.
Like the young man who said: "Whenever I pass the church, I always stop to visit; so when I"™m finally carried in, the Lord won"™t ask, "˜Who is it?"™"
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Your Mission Preparation
President A. Theodore Tuttle
- Of the First Council of the Seventy
📅 0
📖 general conference
The speaker talks about fathers getting emotional when their old mission fields are mentioned, highlighting the lasting impact of missionary service.
Have you ever noticed your father when his old mission field is mentioned? He always gets that wistful look, brightens up, and has to take his glasses off and wipe something out of his eye.
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Your Mission Preparation
President A. Theodore Tuttle
- Of the First Council of the Seventy
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📖 general conference
The speaker warns young men about the financial responsibility of a mission and the importance of saving and working hard, while cautioning against squandering funds.
Young man, it now costs about $130 (U.S.) per month for a mission. By the time you are ready to go it may be even higher. That means you will need between three and four thousand dollars to complete your mission. Some of you don"™t have enough. You"™ll have to get it. The Lord will help you and your family. You must start early. Counsel with your father. Get a job. Work hard. Save your money. Too many boys play too much, watch TV, and are idle. Open an account where you save by mail. I cauti ... (continued)
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Your Mission Preparation
President A. Theodore Tuttle
- Of the First Council of the Seventy
📅 0
📖 general conference
The speaker tells the story of a young man named Gary who was unexpectedly called to bear his testimony and did so, despite initially claiming he didn't have one.
In a stake conference we called on a young lady to speak. She had just returned from the Hill Cumorah pageant. She bore a fervent testimony. After she finished we called on 17-year-old Gary. He looked surprised when his name was called. He unwound his full six feet and came to the pulpit. His first words were, "I don"™t know why the president called on me; I don"™t even have a testimony" (referring, evidently, to the testimony borne by the young lady). For several minutes he spoke about se ... (continued)
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Your Mission Preparation
President A. Theodore Tuttle
- Of the First Council of the Seventy
📅 0
📖 general conference
The speaker imagines the profound experience of a missionary baptizing a family and recording the event in their diary.
Imagine standing in the baptismal font withyourconvert, raising your right arm to the square, and saying these words: "Having been commissioned of Jesus Christ, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost."D&C 20:73
You may make the winning touchdown, cross the finish line first, swish down the mountain on perfect powder, drive "a beauty" to the left-field stands, or pitch a no-hitter. You may do and thrill to many things. But you will experience few feelin ... (continued)
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Your Mission Will Change Everything
Elder David F. Evans
- Of the Seventy
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📖 general conference
The speaker recounts a time when he observed missionaries going out into a winter storm to perform their duties with joy and dedication, despite the harsh weather.
A few years ago, I was interviewing missionaries. A winter storm was blowing in as missionaries came and went throughout the day. The storm changed from icy rain to snow and back again. Some missionaries arrived by train from nearby cities and walked to the church through the storm. Others rode their bicycles. Almost without exception they were cheerful and happy. They were the Lord"™s missionaries. They had His Spirit and felt joy in His service regardless of their circumstances.
As each comp ... (continued)
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Your Mission Will Change Everything
Elder David F. Evans
- Of the Seventy
📅 0
📖 general conference
The speaker describes an experience at a priesthood meeting where two missionaries arrived in heavy winter gear, yet were happy and filled with the Spirit of the Lord.
Later that night, I attended a priesthood meeting in the same city. The storm had continued and was now mostly snow. During the opening song, the branch president of the smallest and farthest branch and his two missionary counselors, Elder Warner and Elder Karpowitz, came into the chapel. As they got ready to sit down, these two wonderful missionaries took off their winter hats and gloves. They took off their outer coats. Then they each took off a second winter coat and sat down. Like the missio ... (continued)
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Your Mission Will Change Everything
Elder David F. Evans
- Of the Seventy
📅 0
📖 general conference
The speaker shares a profound experience where he felt the pure love of Christ for faithful missionaries and understood the importance of raising the bar for missionary service.
As I watched these great young missionaries that evening, I had a remarkable experience. In my mind"™s eye, I saw missionaries throughout the mission going out into that winter night. Some were knocking doors and facing rejection as they sought to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ. Some were in homes or apartments teaching individuals and families. In spite of the conditions they faced, they were doing what they could to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ to those who would listen, and they were ... (continued)
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