The Apostle Song

This one came out first: in 2008

This one came out in 2009

This one came out in 2016

Day of Faith

Day of Faith - Personal Quests for a Purpose

Rachel Esplin, Panelist at Harvard 

See article HERE, with complete video

or watch segments below:

A 20-year-old Harvard junior from Idaho has captured the attention

of Mormondom with the slow viral spread of a six-month-old video

in which she explains her faith to journalist Sally Quinn. 

She does an excellent job in front of many . . .

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Pray Always

David A. Bednar talks on Prayer

in beautiful visual format

Worlds Without Number

The Hubble Ultra Deep Field

The War In Heaven Continues on the Earth Today

Messages from LDS Mormon Prophets 

and Apostles in the 70's

and current Apostles

Great Trials Ahead - Apostles Quoted in Video

GREAT TRIALS LIE AHEAD

 BE PREPARED FOR TRIBULATIONS 

AND DESTRUCTION THAT SOON SHALL BE

If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear..

Missionary Sees Mom After Two Years

This missionary hasn't seen his family for 2 years.  Watch his reaction to seeing his mom when she shows up late.

Video of the longest hug captured on video!

Things That I Learned From Hurricane Sandy

Hi Family – I have close family friends who live in the DC area.  The stakes in the DC area have been active in helping the survivors of Hurricane Sandy, both by donations and by hands-on help.  Many people were bussed in on a regular basis to aid in the clean-up.  Our friends emailed my parents the following list.  It was used in a Relief Society lesson in their ward.  The list was made by a church member who didn’t lose his house in the hurricane but who went without power for several weeks.  I found this list VERY motivating and powerful.  I hadn’t seen a list compiled quite like it concerning emergency preparedness.  Perhaps this list will help inspire us to continue to prepare.  Definitely worth the time to read.    

Things that I learned from Hurricane Sandy
1. The excitement and coolness wears off around day 3.

2. You are never really prepared to go weeks without power, heat, water etc.
Never!

3. Yes it can happen to you.

4. Just because your generator runs like a top, does not mean it is
producing electricity.

5. If you do not have water stored up you are in trouble.  A couple of cases of bottled water is “NOT” water storage.

6. Should have as much fuel as water
        a. Propane
        b. Gas
        c. Kerosene
        d. Firewood
        e. Firestarter, (kindling, paper, etc)

7. Even the smallest little thing that you get from the store should be stocked up (spark plug for the generator, BBQ lighter, etc).

8. If you are not working, chances are nobody else is either.

9. I was surprised how quickly normal social behavior goes out the window.
I am not talking about someone cutting in line at the grocery store.
        a. 3 people were killed at gas stations within 50 miles of my home.
        b. I did not say 3 fights broke out, 3 people were killed.

10. Cash is king (all the money in your savings account means nothing).

11. Stored water can taste nasty.

12. You eat a lot more food when you are cold.

13. You need more food than you think if your kids are out of school for 2 weeks.

14. Kids do not like washing their face in cold water.

15. Your 1972 honda civic gets to the grocery store as well as your 2012 Escalade…but the Honda allows money left over for heat, food, water, a generator, fire wood, a backup water pump, you get the idea.

16. The electrical grid is way more fragile than I thought.

17. Think of the things that are your comfort, your escape, a cup of hot chocolate, a glass of milk and a ding-dong before bed, etc.  Stock up on those too.  You will need that comfort after day 3.

18. You quickly become the guy in the neighborhood who knows how to wire a generator to the electrical panel, directly wire the furnace to a small generator, or get the well pump up and running on inverter power OR you are the guy whose Master’s degree in Accounting suddenly means nothing. (Love you Steve!)

19. A woman who can cook a fine meal by candle light over the BBQ or open fire is worth her weight in gold.  And women, whose weight in gold would not add up to much, usually die off first.

20. It takes a lot of firewood to keep a fire going all day and into the evening for heat.

21. All the food storage in the world means nothing if your kids won’t eat it.

22. You might be prepared to take care of your children and their needs, but what about when the neighborhood children start to show up at your door?

23. Some people shut down in an emergency.  There is nothing that you can do about that.

24. Your town, no matter how small is entirely dependent on outside sources of everything.  If supply trucks stop rolling in due to road damage, gas shortages or anything else, you could be without for a long time.

25. In an emergency Men stock up on food, Women stock up on toilet paper.

26. I was surprised how many things run on electricity!

27. You can never have enough matches.

28. Although neighbors can be a great resource, they can also be a huge drain on your emergency storage.  You need to know how you are going to handle that.  It is really easy to be the guy who shares on Day 3, not so easy on Day 11.  Just reality.

29. Give a man a fish, he eats for that day.  Teach a man to fish and he will never be hungry again.  Now I get it.

30. All of the expensive clothes in the closet mean nothing if they don’t keep you warm.

31. Same goes for shoes…Love you Honey!!!!

32. You cannot believe the utility companies.  They are run by politicians!! Or so it seems,

33. Anything that you depend on someone else for is not available anymore.

34. Quote “A man with a chainsaw and knows how to use it is a thing of beauty” hahaha

35. Most folks don’t have any emergency storage.  They run to Wal-Mart and get water and batteries and then fill their tubs with water.  That is it.  A lucky few will get a case of ramen and a box of pop-tarts.  That will be your neighbor’s supply. (especially if you live outside of Utah)

36. Fathers, all the money you have ever made means nothing if you can’t keep your kids warm.

37. Mothers, everything you have ever done for your kids is forgotten if your kids are hungry.

38. You really do not want to be the “Unprepared Parents.”  The kids turn on you pretty quick.

39. Small solar charging gadgets will keep you in touch.  Most work pretty well it seems.

40. Most things don’t take much power to operate.
        a. Computers,
        b. Phones
        c. Radios
        d. TV
        e. lights

 41. Some things take a ton of power to operate.
        a. Fridge
        b. Toaster
        c. Freezer
        d. Hot plate
        e. Microwave

42. When it gets dark at 4:30 pm the nights are really long without power.

43. Getting out of the house is very important.  Even if it is cold.  Make your home the semi-warm place to come home to…not the cold prison that you are stuck in.

44. Someone in your family must play or learn to play the guitar.

45. Things that disappear never to be seen again for a very long time.
        a. Fuel, of all kinds
        b. Matches, lighters of any kind, etc.
        c. Toilet paper
        d. Paper plates, plastic forks and knives
        e. Batteries, didn’t really see a need for them.  (flashlights???  I guess)
        f. Milk
        g. Charcoal
        h. Spark plugs (generators)
        i. 2 stroke motor oil, (chainsaws)
        j. Anything that could be used to wire a generator to the house
        k. Extension cords
        l. Medicines (Tylenol, Advil, cold medicine, etc)

 46. There was a strange peace to knowing all I had to do each day was keep my family safe, warm, and fed, but my peace was someone else’s panic.  There were also many things that were not learned from hurricane Sandy, but reinforced.  Those things were the importance of my family and their love and support, especially my lovely wife, that my Heavenly Father is really in charge, period, and finally that I am very thankful for the upbringing and experiences that have taught me and brought me to where I am. Wherever that is.

God Bless!!!

 Frantz Ostmann
  

Gordon B. Hinckley Quotes

Gordon B. Hinckley - Love This Man!

 Without hard work, 

nothing grows but weeds.

Gordon  B. Hinckley

Stop looking for the storms and enjoy more fully the sunlight.

Gordon B.  Hinckley

 Give  expression to the noble desires 

that lie in your heart.

Gordon  B. Hinckley

 

Forget yourself and get to work.
Gordon B. Hinckley

 I am totally in the hands of the Lord.

Gordon B. Hinckley

Be believing, be happy, 

don't get discouraged.
Things will work out.
Gordon B. Hinckley

A prominent judge was asked what we, 

as citizens of the countries of the world,
could do to reduce crime and 
disobedience to law
and to bring peace and contentment
into our lives and into our nations.
He thoughtfully replied,
"I would suggest a return 
to the old-fashioned 
practice of family prayer."
Gordon B. Hinckley

 

"Get on your knees and pray, 

then get on your feet and work."
Gordon B. Hinckley

Believe in Jesus Christ, 

our Savior and our Redeemer,
the Son of God, who came to earth
and walked the dusty roads of Palestine -
the Son of God-to teach us 

the way of truth and light and salvation,
and who, in one great and glorious 

act offered an atonement for each of us.
He opened the way of salvation 

and exaltation for each of us,
under which we may go forward 

in the Church and kingdom of God.
Be not faithless, 

but believe in the great and wonderful
and marvelous blessings of the Atonement.
Gordon B. Hinckley

Our kindness may be the most persuasive argument for that which we believe.
Gordon B. Hinckley

"If Life Gets Too Hard To Stand, Kneel."
Gordon B. Hinckley

The time has come for us 
to stand a little taller,
to lift our eyes and stretch our minds
to a greater comprehension 
and understanding of the grand 
millennial mission of this,
The Church of Jesus Christ 
of Latter-day Saints.
Gordon B. Hinckley

Truly, my dear young friends, 

you are a chosen generation. 

I hope you will never forget it.
I hope you will never take it for granted.
I hope there will grow in your hearts an overpowering sense of gratitude to God,
who has made it possible for you 

to come upon the earth in this 

marvelous season of the world's history.
Gordon B. Hinckley

Our lives are the only meaningful 

expression of what we believe and in 

Whom we believe.
And the only real wealth, 

for any of us, lies in our faith.
Gordon B. Hinckley

"When I say do your best, 

I mean you're very best.
You are capable of so much more."
Gordon B. Hinckley

This cause will roll on in majesty 

and power to fill the earth. 

Doors now closed to the 

preaching of the gospel 

will be opened.
The Almighty, if necessary, 

may have to shake the nations
to humble them and cause them 

to listen to the servants of the living God.
Whatever is needed will come to pass.
Gordon B. Hinckley

"Life is to be enjoyed, not endured"
Gordon B. Hinckley

 

Respect for self is the beginning 

of cultivating virtue in 

men and women.
Gordon B. Hinckley

 

"You can be smart and happy 

or stupid and miserable . . .  

it's your choice"
Gordon B. Hinckley

 

"Good books are as friends,
willing to give to us 

if we are willing 

to make a little effort."
Gordon B. Hinckley

Those who grieve frequently f

ind themselves alone.
Missed is the laughter of children, 

the commotion of teenagers,
 and the tender, loving concern 

of a departed companion.
The clock ticks more loudly, 

time passes more slowly,
and four walls can indeed 

a prison make.
I extol those who, 

with loving care and 

compassionate concern,
feed the hungry, 

clothe the naked, 

and house the homeless.
He who notes the sparrow's fall 

will not be unmindful of such service
Gordon B. Hinckley

Faith in something greater 

than ourselves enables us to do 

what we have said we'll do,
to press forward when 

we are tired or hurt or afraid,
to keep going when the 

challenge seems overwhelming
and the course is entirely uncertain.
Gordon B. Hinckley

"Try a little harder to be a little better."
Gordon B. Hinckley

Great Thoughts By Sister Hinckley

Latter-day Preparations: What We Learned at Conference

By Gary C. Lawrence
Remember (past) General Conferences when we were told to grow gardens, put in a supply of food, prepare 72-hour kits, get out of debt, and put our houses in order by preparing every needful thing?
The Church's instructions on provident living still stand, of course, and there are wonderful resources available to help us. But when was the last time such counsel received significant attention in General Conference?
As best I can recall, there was a turning point when President Hinckley, after an extensive sermon in a priesthood session on financial preparations, said, "Now that's all I'm going to say about that." It may have been the last time he mentioned physical preparations in a General Conference address.
During the five sessions of conference just completed, I attempted to write down every admonition, instruction, exhortation, suggestion or recommendation given by the speakers. I collected 430 items of counsel in all, but -

 No one talked about food storage
 No one advised putting together emergency kits
 No one exhorted us to get out of debt
 No one said to grow a garden 

There were only three references to financial  matters (Elder Watson, Bishop Burton and Elder Christofferson) and all of them  were warnings against excesses and greed, not about preparations. 

Many sense that things could  soon break loose - that it wouldn't take much to put many prophesied events  about the last days into motion. At this time of turmoil throughout the world,  a roller coaster economy, crime, thugocracies, natural disasters, looming  inflation and even nuclear threats, it would seem a natural time for our  leaders to talk about nuts-and-bolts preparation - to tell us what we should  do next. 

Well,  they did. But not in a direction some may have expected. 

We've been hearing about food storage and other preparations since  1936. The way I see the talks this conference, those days are over. Members  who haven't prepared physically are not very likely to start now simply  because two or three more General Authorities plead with them.

This is not to suggest we'll  never hear counsel about physical preparations again in General Conference,  but rather it appears the emphasis is shifting from physical preparation to  spiritual preparation - to build strength of heart, mind and spirit for  whatever is coming, and especially to become more proficient at receiving  personal revelation. 

Those who watched conference hoping  for a fish found  that they instead were instructed how to fish. Of the 29 individuals  who addressed us, 16 of them spoke about the Holy Ghost - how we can cultivate  the gift of the Holy Ghost, how to improve our sensitivity to promptings, how  to purify our lives so we can hear gentle spiritual communications, and  related counsel - in other words, how we can gain personal instruction to  guide us through coming events from the Source that knows everything. In  speaking order:

 Elder Scott: Consistently strive to recognize  and follow the feelings prompted by the Spirit.
 Sister Matsumori: Help others become more  familiar with promptings of the Spirit.
 Elder Clayton: Be humble so you can hear the  word of the Lord.
 President Uchtdorf: Listen for the Father's  voice for it leads to the ministration of the Holy Spirit.
 Elder Oaks: Listen and feel of God's  love.
 Elder Hales: Yield to the influence of the  Holy Ghost.
 Elder Watson: Be temperate in all things as  guided by the Holy Ghost.
 Elder Anderson: Turn away from pride, anger  and impure thoughts.
 President Packer: The Holy Ghost communicates  to our spirit with promptings and impressions.
 President Eyring: Learn to follow  inspiration.
 President Monson: Refrain from anger so you  will have the Spirit with you.
 Elder Perry: Listen to the Spirit for  guidance.
 Bishop Burton: Let virtue garnish your  thoughts.
 Sister Dibb: Use the safety equipment of  scriptures, prophets, and the Holy Ghost.
 Elder Nelson: Cultivate spiritual  discernment.
 Elder Ringwood: Be sensitive to the Holy  Ghost.
The emphasis on  these basic principles suggests that we haven't been following them as we  should. Which brings to mind the well-known story of Vince Lombardi, legendary  coach of the Green Bay Packers. Every season, even after the Packers had won  two Super Bowls, Lombardi would address his players and start with the basics:  "Gentlemen, this is a football." (And Max McGee, the team's star receiver who  scored the first touchdown in Super Bowl history, would say, "Not so fast,  coach, not so fast.")
There wasn't a  player who didn't already know what Lombardi would say - blocking, tackling,  mental alertness. But he said it over and over because they fell short on  execution. Our leaders are obviously telling us it's time to execute the  basics better and bulk up our spiritual preparations to match whatever we've  prepared for our physical survival.
Having a house full of wheat, beans and rice will be insufficient if we  are not strong in spirit and mind as we face prophesied events. 

If anyone knows what year and month this conference is - please let me know. 

The Bill Carpenter Conversion Story

You’ll want to take some time to listen to this wonderful conversion story. 
It is so awesome.  It’s about an hour, but well worth it.

I have this on my ipod and listened to it last night for the first time.  
I found it on youtube, so you could also enjoy this talk.

Here's the whole story in one video with pictures while he talks

In Spanish -
The youtube video (below) is talking in English and the video part is the same talk subtitled into Spanish (you have to read it for the spanish speaking).

Maybe you might want to make this a FHE activity and just listen . . .   
This really is one incredibly awesome conversion story.  
You will be glad you took the time to listen.


Bill Carpenter Conversion Story Part 1

Bill Carpenter Conversion Story Part 2

Bill Carpenter Conversion Story Part 3

Bill Carpenter Conversion Story Part 4

Bill Carpenter Conversion Story Part 5

Mitt Is So Mormon . . .

Of course, this was flying around while he was running for president!


Stemberger’s ludicrous assessment of Mitt Romney’s Mormonism inspired an eighteen-hour-stream of “Mitt Romney is so Mormon jokes” 

on Twitter at @askmormongirl. I’m reprinting the best here,

(Just a note: for some of these, you may have to be Mormon to understand.)

So, how Mormon is Mitt Romney?

Mitt Romney is so Mormon that he’s afraid to join the Tea Party because of Doctrine & Covenants Section 89.

Mitt is so Mormon he’s related to the other Mormon presidential candidate and half of his own campaign volunteers as well.

Mitt is so Mormon his campaign bus is a pioneer handcart.

Mitt is so Mormon he’d call 19-year-old boys to serve as US ambassadors.

Mitt is so Mormon his Israel policy will be centered on Jackson County, Missouri.

Mitt is so Mormon he’ll make the income tax a flat 10% and collect fast offerings to fund Medicaid.

Mitt is so Mormon he doesn’t do Pilates, he does golden Pilates.

Mitt is so Mormon that his campaign “oppo” team has done all the other candidates’ genealogy.

Mitt is so Mormon he’d make the Book of Mormon required reading at the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Mitt is so Mormon he’d commission a presidential motorcade built entirely of 10-passenger family vans.

Mitt is so Mormon, he will actually hang the Constitution up by a thread, just so he can save it.

Mitt is so Mormon, he will ask members of Congress to go home and pray about his
economic plan.

Mitt is so Mormon he’d ask the Elders Quorum to move him into the White House.

Mitt is so Mormon that his first act will be to make July 24 a national holiday.

Mitt is so Mormon, he asks donors to stack chairs after fundraising dinners.

Mitt is so Mormon he’ll award Ty Detmer, Steve Young, and Jimmer Fredette the Congressional
Medal of Honor.

Mitt is so Mormon he refers to expatriates as “apostates” and non-US citizens as “Gentiles.”

Mitt is so Mormon that his campaign slogan is “What do you know about Mitt Romney? Would you like to know more?”

Mitt is so Mormon he’ll reroute the Freedom Trail through Palmyra, New York, Nauvoo, Illinois, and Winter Quarters, Iowa.

Mitt is so Mormon he’ll rename the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms the Word of Wisdom squad.

Mitt is so Mormon he’d do an ad for the LDS Church: “I’m a husband, father, and leader of the free world. And I’m a Mormon.”

Mitt is so Mormon he isn’t as concerned about getting American youth jobs as he is about getting them married.

Mitt is so Mormon he tried to convince CNN to let him bring a visual aid to the debate so he could turn it into an object lesson.

Mitt is so Mormon that he refers to Congress as “The Great and Spacious Building.”

Mitt is so Mormon he’ll end every address with “hope you all get home without any harm or accidents.”

Mitt is so Mormon he’ll assign a friend to every new member of Congress.

Mitt is so Mormon he’s already picked out a room in the White House for his year’s supply of wheat and beans, and he’ll require the White House Chef to rotate the food storage.

Mitt is so Mormon his Secret Service codename will be Mahonri Moriancumr.

Mitt is so Mormon he thinks Harvard is the BYU of the east.

Mitt is so Mormon, he doesn’t campaign: he “fellowships.”

Mitt is so Mormon that he’s installing two basketball hoops at the inaugural ball so there’s a place to hang decorations.

Mitt is so Mormon that he’ll change the name of “Cabinet Meeting” to “Correlation Meeting.”

Mitt is so Mormon that if he got elected all of the White House Pyrex 9x13 pans would have a piece of masking tape on them with his name written in Sharpie.

Mitt is so Mormon that he’s going to rename the 101st Airborne as “The Stripling Warriors.”

Mitt is so Mormon, he won’t deport illegal aliens, he’ll just disfellowship them.

Mitt is so Mormon, he’ll rename FEMA the Federal Relief Society.

Mitt is so Mormon that if elected he’ll require every state to have an Official Casserole.

Mitt is so Mormon that he’ll appoint Lavell Edwards head of the Department of Defense.

Mitt is so Mormon that he’ll rename the weekly presidential address “Politics and the Spoken Word.”

Mitt is so Mormon that his cabinet would consist entirely of unqualified volunteers.

Mitt is so Mormon he’d outsource the department of education to the Boy Scouts.

Mitt is so Mormon he’d convene a linger-longer after cabinet meetings.

Mitt is so Mormon he’d hang a copy of the Proclamation on the Family and a picture of the Washington, D.C. LDS temple in the White House.

Mitt is so Mormon he has volunteers combing through old GOP voter rolls for less actives he can reactivate.

Mitt is so Mormon he’d ask the Chief Justice to use a SCRIPTURE QUAD at his inauguration

A Special Type of Soldier

A Special Type of Soldier

-Hugh B. Brown

 

At the request of the First Presidency, I had gone to England as coordinator for the LDS servicemen.  One Saturday afternoon in 1944, I sent a telegram from London to the base chaplain near Liverpool letting him know that I would be in camp the next morning to conduct Mormon church services at 10:00 a.m. 

When I arrived at the camp, there were 75 Mormon boys, all in uniform and quite a number in battle dress.  The chaplain to whom I had sent the wire proved to be a Baptist minister from the southern U. S.  He, too, was waiting for my arrival.  As these young men ran out to greet me not because it was I, but because of what I represented, and as they literally threw their arms around me, knowing I was representing their parents as well as the Church, the minister said, "Please tell me how you do it." 

         

"Do what?" 

          

"Why," he said, "I did not get your wire until late this morning.  I made a hurried search.  I found there were 76 Mormon boys in this camp.  I got word to them.  75 of them are here.  The other is in the hospital.  I have more than 600 Baptists in this camp, and if I gave them 6 months notice, I could not get a response like that." 

          

And then he repeated, "How do you do it?" 

          

I said, "Sir, if you will come inside, perhaps you will see." 

            

We went in to the little chapel.  The boys sat down.  I asked, "How many here have been on missions?"  I think a full 50% raised their hands. 

            

I said, "Will you and you and you" and I pointed to six of them "please come and administer the sacrament?  And will you and you and you" and I pointed to six others "please come and sit here and be prepared to speak." 

            

Then I said, "who can lead the music?" A number of hands were raised. "Will you come and lead the music?  And who can play this portable organ?"  There were several more hands, and one was selected.  Then I said, "What would you like to sing, fellows?"  With one voice they replied, "Come, Come Ye Saints!" 

            

We had no hymnbook.  The boy sounded the chord:  they all arose.  I have heard "Come, Come Ye Saints" sung in many lands and by many choirs and congregations.  Without reflecting adversely on what we usually hear I think I have only heard "Come, Come Ye Saints" sung that once when every heart seemed to be bursting.  They sounded every verse without books. 

        

When they came to the last verse, they didn't mute it; they didn't sing it like a dirge but throwing back their shoulders, they sang out until I was fearful the walls would burst.  "And should we die before our journey's through, happy day, all is well"; I looked at my minister friend and found him weeping.  

          

Then one of the boys who had been asked to administer the sacrament knelt at the table, bowed his head, and said, "Oh, God, the Eternal Father."  He paused for what seemed to be a full minute, and then he proceeded with the rest of the blessing on the bread.  At the close of that meeting, I sought that boy out.  I put my arm around his shoulders, and said, "Son, what's the matter?  Why was it so difficult for you to ask the blessing on the bread?" 

         

He paused for a minute and said, rather apologetically, "Well, Brother Brown, it hasn't been two hours since I was over the continent on a bombing mission.  As we started to return, I discovered that my tail assembly was partly shot away, that one of my engines was out, that three of my crew were wounded, and that it appeared absolutely impossible that we could reach the shore of England. 

          

Brother Brown, up there I remembered Primary and Sunday School and MIA, and home and church, and up there when it seemed all hope was lost, I said, 'Oh, God the eternal Father, please support this plane until we reach a landing field.'  He did just that, and when we landed, I learned of this meeting and I had to run all the way to get here.  I didn't have time to change my battle dress, and when I knelt there and again addressed the Lord, I was reminded that I hadn't stopped to say thanks. 

          

 Brother Brown, I had to pause a little while to tell God how grateful I was." 

          

Well, we went on with the meeting.  We sang.  Prayers were offered, and these young men, with only a moment's notice, each stood and spoke, preached the gospel of Jesus Christ to their comrades, bore their testimonies, and again I say with due respect-to the various ones with whom I have associated and labored-they were among the finest sermons I have ever heard. 

          

Then the time was up and I said, "Fellow, it's time for chow.  We must dismiss now, or you will miss your dinner."  With almost one voice they cried, "We can eat grub any time. Let's have a testimony meeting!" 

         

So we stayed another hour and a half while every man bore witness to the truthfulness of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.  Each one in turn, and in his own way, said, "I know that God lives.  I know that the gospel is restored.  I know that Joseph was a prophet of God."  Again I looked at my friend, and he was weeping unashamedly. 

          

 At the close of that meeting, this minister said, "I have been a minister for more than 21 years, and this has been the greatest spiritual experience of my life." 

 

 -- Harriet Bateman

West Point, Utah 

BE the change you want to see...

Quote by Boyd K. Packer:

The virtue of tolerance has been distorted and elevated to a position of such prominence as to be thought equal to and even valued more than morality. It is one thing to be tolerant, even forgiving of individual conduct. It is quite another to collectively legislate and legalize to protect immoral conduct that can weaken, even destroy the family.  

There is a dangerous trap when tolerance is exaggerated to protect the rights of those whose conduct endangers the family and injures the rights of the more part of the people. We are getting dangerously close to the condition described by the prophet Mosiah, who warned: 

          “Now it is not common that the voice of the people desireth anything

           contrary to that which is right; but it is common for the lesser part of 

           the people to desire that which is not right; therefore this shall ye 

           observe and make it your law—to do your business by the 

           voice of the people. 

           And if the time comes that the voice of the people doth choose 

           iniquity, then is the time that the judgments of God will come 

           upon you; yea, then is the time he will visit you with great 

          destruction even as he has hitherto visited this land” 

                      (Mosiah 29:26–27). 

Tolerance can be a dangerous trap.

This address was given at the BYU Women’s Conference, May 5, 2006.

Missionary Moment: Emma-- I Was Too Tired to Go West

President Albright is the mission president in the DC South Mission and came out with us. He knows the publisher of the Meridian Magazine and recently started posting miracle missionary experiences. He just contacted me and President Matsumori of the DC North Mission and has asked us to start contributing articles as they are now being posted daily for Meridian Magazine. I have almost 200 pages of miracles I have collected in just the past few months. 
How wonderful it is that Joseph's descendants are accepting the Restored Gospel!  

Dear President Albright,  

I was the 108th direct descendant of the Prophet Joseph  Smith to be baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of  Latter-Day Saints (the Mormons).   I was the  2nd direct descendant of Joseph to be endowed  in the new Nauvoo Temple.  I think it is time to  share my story with a larger  audience.  

I was raised in the  Reorganized LDS church, now known as the Community of  Christ.  All of my life I had been taught to  distrust and fear the Mormon church which is  headquartered in Utah.  My journey to become a  Mormon started in the summer of 2005 when I ran across a  web site: JosephSmithJr.com.  I spent several hours  reading what was there. I e-mailed the site and  explained who I was.  I was contacted the next day  and was invited to visit Utah in August for a Joseph  Smith Family Reunion.   I was fearful to go, and  was actually concerned for my safety and well being.   I left thinking I was like a sheep being led to  the slaughter and I might be going out on a nice plane,  but I was coming back in a pine box!  But contrary  to my beliefs, it actually was a delightful  experience. My niece Kim Larson and I were picked  up at the airport by John and Gwen Smith, the  great-grandson of Hyrum Smith, Joseph’s brother.   They were our hosts for the next 3  days.   Elder M. Russell Ballard  of the Quorum of the Twelve, a Smith cousin as a  descendant of Joseph's brother Hyrum, addressed us.  About 200 descendants attended the gathering.   Most, like me, were not members of the Mormon church.   We were also hosted by descendants of Samuel  Smith, another of Joseph's brothers. Our reception was  totally awesome. The warmth shared will last a  lifetime.  The  last night we went to  a play at the Marriott Center at BYU celebrating  Joseph's 200th birthday.  I will never again in my  life have the feeling of total emotion I felt as I stood  in the middle of the stadium with my family as we  received a standing ovation from 23,000  people.  We were also guests of honor at the  Mormon Tabernacle Choir's weekly broadcast, during which  music director Craig Jessop welcomed us and paid tribute  to Joseph's wife, Emma, for her collection of hymns.   The choir sang hymns centered on Joseph, "Oh, How  Lovely Was the Morning," and "Praise to the Man."   When they sang “Joseph’s First Prayer,” I wept openly  for the first time in 50 years.  This had never  happened to me before, not even at the deaths of my  parents, wife or son. We were also shown displays of  Joseph and Emma Smith in the Joseph Smith Memorial  Building as the Church celebrated the 200th anniversary  of Joseph’s birth. Under the direction of descendants  Michael Kennedy and his wife, Darcy, and Gracia Jones —  the first Smith descendant to join the Church — we held  a family dinner in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building in  Salt Lake City.  The art department at BYU  presented me with a beautiful book about my Great Great  Grandfather Joseph Smith.  I was also presented  with an LDS Hymn Book in memory of Emma’s contributions  to Church music.  After I returned home to  Nebraska, I placed both of these new books in my living  room. At this point I was a total emotional wreck, but I  knew what I needed to do. For the next few months I did  much research and soul searching.  I looked back to  the Reorganized church only to find out they had changed  the church name, denounced the Book of Mormon, and  denounced Joseph Smith as the prophet--all of which I  was very opposed to.  I felt that the original  Church was the one to pursue.      

In  January of 2006, two young Mormon Missionaries came  knocking on my door, Elder Batin and Elder Williams.    When I invited the elders to come inside, they  immediately noticed the LDS hymnal and the art book  about Joseph Smith on my table.   Needless to  say, when the missionaries discovered I was NOT a  Mormon, they stayed in my living room teaching me for  most of that day.  Our discussion was fascinating  for them and for me because I already knew so much about  their church history which intertwined with RLDS  history; however, many of the gospel principles were  different.  Over the following weeks I took all the  missionary lessons and struggled with the huge disparity  between what the elders were teaching me and what my  RLDS friends and family had taught me my entire  life.

The  conflict within my heart and soul grew to the point that  I finally told the missionaries that even though I  believed their message and all their LDS doctrines,   I could not join the Mormon Church until I could  find out for myself why Brigham Young had left Emma  behind in Nauvoo with five children to raise.    I was conflicted and could not come to a  resolution that would comfort me.  It did not make  sense to me that Emma had been left to fend for herself,  after being so instrumental in the Restoration. I also  spent several evenings in the home of David and Jodi  Edwards who were LDS friends of mine, and where Elder  Sandhu and Elder Johnson taught me further  doctrines.

In April of 2006,  I  was driving down the highway to work and singing along  loudly to a Southern gospel radio station.  I still  remember the song I was listening to was titled:   “Joy, Joy Wonderful Joy” by the gospel group Bill  and Gloria Gaithers.  Suddenly, to my dismay, the  radio went completely silent.  I was a bit  irritated at this since the car I was driving was almost  new.  How could the radio break so soon?  I  hit the dash and fiddled with the radio dials, but  finally gave up and just drove along the road alone and  in complete silence.  In the quiet I started to  ponder about my dilemma.  Should I join the Mormon  church as I wanted and enjoy fellowship with the  Saints?  Would this upset my family and the many  generations of Smiths who were angry that Emma  had not been taken West along with the  Saints?  Suddenly,  to my surprise,  I  clearly and distinctly heard a women’s voice speaking to  me.  It was as clear as if it had come through the  radio speakers.   The voice said:   “Robert, Follow your heart. I stayed in Nauvoo because I  was tired and could travel no further.”  

   

I knew instantly that the voice  belonged to Emma Smith, my Great, Great  Grandmother.   It was made clear to me at that  moment that Emma had just given me her permission to be  baptized into the Mormon Church!  My ancestors  would not be angry with my decision to join my new found  faith.   My last remaining concern and stumbling  block had just been miraculously removed.  I was  baptized on May 13th by my cousin Michael  Kennedy, the President of the Joseph Smith Family  organization, and the first descendant of Joseph to  receive the Melchezedic Priesthood. I was confirmed  by my good friend and stake president David  Edwards .  Also baptized at the same baptismal  service by Michael was Caleb, the son my good friends  David and Rebecca Denning.  David is the son of my  second cousin Gracia Jones and is stationed here in  Omaha. I was overwhelmed with emotion that the  great-great grandson and the great-great-great-great  grandson of Joseph were to be baptized during the same  service! It was a joyful occasion. Caleb’s and my  baptism was the first time that a descendant of Joseph  and Hyrum had worked together in the baptism of a family  member.  I could only imagine the rejoicing and  tears that were shed by the two brothers on the other  side of the veil.  Their families were being united  again after 150 years.  The beautiful dedicatory  prayer at the Kirtland Temple offered by Joseph,  especially D&C 109:70, is continuing to unfold, that  the prejudices of Joseph’s posterity “may be broken  up and swept away as with a flood."  Among  Joseph and Emma’s posterity are now some 125 living  adult descendants who are members of the Church, and of  them, at least seven have served full-time missions.   Our prejudices have indeed been swept away as if  by a flood!  Thanks for your efforts to spread the  light of truth!      

    

Warm  Regards,

   Bob  Smith

   Omaha,  Nebraska