Jan morning 2014

In the Oct. 2013 General Conference, Sister Stephens - 1st counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency gave a talk entitled "Do we know what we have?" It was a wonderful talk and I recommend it all of you -  I was especially intrigued with the title.

When each of us contemplate such a question - "Do we know what we have" - we would all have a different perspectives. Those of you with hair probably wouldn't give a second thought about what it would be like if you were to loss it.

Those of us with good health - don't worry about it as much as we should, until it is threatened or difficulties arise. Sadly many of us don't show as much love or appreciation for loved ones as we should until they have move away or worse, pass on to the other side of the veil. Others of us are offended when things don't go the way we think that they should, giving up blessing for something that at the time seems big - but later could be viewed as trivial or unimportant compared to the blessing we have lost.

Thankfulness and gratitude for our blessings - too often takes a back seat to the concerns of our immediate needs or desires.

In Moroni's great promise to find out the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon -  is a formula not only for the Book of Mormon, but to answer any question that we need revelation to receive. The first step in that formula is too remember - remember how merciful The Lord has been unto the children of men from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things and ponder it in your hearts.

Brother and sisters, do we remember or understand how blessed we really are?

All of us know that there are a lot of problems or difficulties in the world - trials, many of which are of our own making, others that we have no control over or are just thrust upon us. Many of these become more difficult when those with whom we love make mistakes or abandon the principles of happiness that make up the gospel of Jesus Christ. Despite these situations we are an extremely blessed people and need to understand how much the Lord is looking out for us and helping us along the way.

In the Old Testament one of the greatest examples of enduring and gratitude is that of the life of Job.  Even the Savior to the unjustly imprisoned Joseph Smith, who suffered so much himself, said "Thou art not yet as Job, they friends do not content against thee, neither charge thee with transgression as they did Job." He lost basically  everything but his life, but it was still said of him, "he was a perfect and upright man." He lived his life to the point that he was likened unto the Savior - yes he made mistakes, as the Savior was the only sinless being to ever live on the earth. But Job continued to praise and thank God during his time of trial and loss. He became a perfect and upright man despite or maybe because of his trials.

Looking at the end result, maybe we should pray for more trials or difficulties in our life. No, I don't plan on doing that - but perhaps I should be more patient during me trials and look for the lessons I can learn from the experiences. Or what I can do to worthy to receive forgiveness or additional assistance.

Do we really know what we have? We are a covenant making people - given promises that are guaranteed to be ours if we keep our end of the agreements. After entering the waters of baptism we were given the opportunity to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. With this gift we have access to the constraint companionship of the spirit, which can get us through our difficulties.

Talking about the spirit, Sister Stephens quoted President Wilfred Woodruff when he said:

“Every man or woman that has ever entered into the church of God and been baptized for the remission of sins has a right to revelation, a right to the Spirit of God, to assist them in their labors, in their administrations to their children, in counseling their children and those over whom they are called upon to preside. The Holy Ghost is not restricted to men, nor to apostles or prophets; it belongs to every faithful man and woman, and to every child who is old enough to receive the gospel of Christ.”

Not only do we as members of the church have access to the spirit, but the counsel and voice of living prophets to guide and direct us.

The themes of our Stake and Ward conferences have been President Monson's  plea for us to  "Hasten the Work of Salvation." Hastening is to quicken our pace or resolve. Making it a greater priority in our lives. This has increased the urgency of doing the things we know we should have always been doing in the first place, as we follow the counsel of a living prophet.

But even with our obedience we will have trials and difficulties - some of which could be some of the greatest blessings we will ever receive, others hopefully we can just get through.

A number of years ago, I told the story of my father and how he joined the church.  I would like to do so again. His mother Nell Nunheimer Champlin died because of complication relating to his birth. A short time latter his dad married another woman that was unwilling to raise my father for a number of reasons. My grandfather would make arrangements for my father to be put in a foster home close to where ever he was stationed in the military. Those early years he was considered more of a servant or house boy than a child that needed nurturing and affection. During those years my grandfather was transferred to Hill Air Force Base. He put an add in the Salt Lake papers - "home needed for young boy." That add was misplaced and put in real estate for sale. There was a family in Box Elder County that was looking for a piece of land to add to their small farm. The mother read the add and said she couldn't  sleep for a number of days - she knew she needed to answer the add. When my father was placed in the Turner home, he said it was the first time in his life that he had felt loved and had had the opportunity to feel the power of the spirit. A short time later he was once again up-rooted and taken to Florida. Years latter he was able to come back to Utah and live with the Turners - then joining the church, going on a mission and meeting and then marrying my mother in the Logan Temple. These events, as cruel or as hard as they may seem - led my father to the gospel of Jesus Christ to an eternal family and the blessings that followed.

My father has made some mistakes like all of us do - but he is the closest person I have ever associated with that I could say, he became a perfect and upright man - in spite of / or because of his trials or difficulties. His ten children, fifty-eight grandchildren, and sixty great-grandchildren have a rich heritage of faith and dedication to the gospel of Christ. Because of his experiences, he did everything in his power to share his love and testimony with his family and those with whom he came in contact with.

Very few people are asked to go through the type of experiences that my father did - the complete contrast of those different homes and circumstances made the feeling of love and the spirit easier for him to recognize. All of us have situations that may be difficult or challenging. One problem that many of us have is that we were raised with the spirit in our homes with blessings that very few generations have had - and too often we take these many blessing for granted, not realizing and appreciating what we have and how blessed we are.

When we are able to remember or realize what we are a part of - we have a greater desire to express our gratitude and to be obedient to the commandment and promises we have made - the more we come to this realization we can feel the love of the Savior, our thoughts and desire turn from ourselves to God and what we can do to further his kingdom. We are more concerned with and what we can do to bring all of his children to the happiness and love of the gospel.

This is exactly what happened to the sons of Mosiah as they came to a knowledge of the truth.

Mosiah 28:

 Now it came to pass that after the sons of Mosiah had done all these things, they took a small number with them and returned to their father, the king, and desired of him that he would grant unto them that they might, with these whom they had selected, go up to the land of Nephi that they might preach the things which they had heard, and that they might impart the word of God to their brethren, the Lamanites—

 That perhaps they might bring them to the knowledge of the Lord their God, and convince them of the iniquity of their fathers; and that perhaps they might cure them of their hatred towards the Nephites, that they might also be brought to rejoice in the Lord their God, that they might become friendly to one another, and that there should be no more contentions in all the land which the Lord their God had given them.

Now they were desirous that salvation should be declared to every creature, for they could not bear that any human soul should perish; yea, even the very thoughts that any soul should endure endless torment did cause them to quake and tremble.

Brothers and sisters, Indeed they had desires to "Hasten the Work of Salvation." They had felt the redeeming Love of the Savior and wanted to share it with those that needed it the most. No longer were they more concern with their own problems and difficulties -  but, they turned their attention to helping Gods children who didn't have the blessings of the gospel.

Very few people that knew my father, know the things that he was asked to go through as a child. In similar fashion, I have no idea what difficulties each of you have been asked to endure. I believe that many of you have passed though situations that I could not have done. A least not without the help of a Loving Savior - strengthening and guiding me along the way.

It's interesting to me that when we go through such difficulties many of us turn closer to the Savior and his teaching, depending on that assistance and direction. Then there are others that turn the other way, either blaming God or questioning their beliefs and how a loving God could allow such a thing to take place. Perhaps some of us do both at the same time. My heart and prayers go out to all of Gods children in their time of pain, because I do not understand what they are going through.

But there is someone that does.

 And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.

 And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.

The Savior is the only person that can truly understand and succor or help us in our time of need.

Sunday morning 2013

Good morning brothers and sisters, I want to especially welcome all the young men,  young woman and the members of the primary. Isn't this a neat old building - I was baptized in the basement of this great building. Now that was a few years ago. At that time I had hair and was a little smaller. But I remember coming here many times.

Now because I'm getting older I don 't remember all of the things that happen to me as a kid. I remember my friends and I use to ride our bikes down temple hill and go to a the royal bakery, which was located about a half block from here, to get the best donuts in the world. Now we didn't have a lot of money so we wouldn't do it very often, but when we did, it was worth every penny. I remember most of my primary teaches and bishops - I don't always remember what they told me but I remember that they loved me and made me feel special.

I grew up in a ward that was located right by the temple were there were a lot of widows and temple workers. As a young man my father and church leaders would take me to help those that needed help or couldn't get out to church because of their health - so we would take them the sacrament. I remember how great I felt when I did something for someone that couldn't do it for themselves.

Brothers and sisters, we as Latter-day Saints have a rich and wonderful history and heritage. The early saints sacrificed basically all that they had to pursue Zion. All of us, converts or posterity of those early saints, have inherited the results of their great faith and dedication. Even today all of us have sacrifices and challenges that those that follow us will be thankful for our dedication and faithfulness. Many of our testimonies are build on foundations of great faith and selfless service spanning back for many generations.

As the prophet Joseph Smith left Nauvoo for the last time on his way to what he knew was his death - he paused when they got to the Temple, and looked with admiration first on that, and then on the city, and remarked, “This is the loveliest place and the best people under the heavens; little do they know the trials that await them.” We also don't know what trials we will need to pass through - but I would echo his other word. The saints of today and in our stake are "the best people under heaven."

In our last General Conference, Elder Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve talked about service and working together as followers of Christ to help those in need. He used an example that many of you will remember. He talked about the honeybee and what it takes for a hive of bees to make enough honey to survive and then also to make enough so we also can enjoy some honeys as well.

Here are some of the details he gave at that time:  

Honeybees are driven to pollinate, gather nectar, and condense the nectar into honey. It is their magnificent obsession imprinted into their genetic makeup by our Creator. It is estimated that to produce just one pound of honey, the average hive of 20,000 to 60,000 bees must collectively visit millions of flowers and travel the equivalent of two times around the world. Over its short lifetime of just a few weeks to four months, a single honeybee’s contribution of honey to its hive is a mere one-twelfth of one teaspoon. (End Quote)

For you young people that don't know how big a teaspoon is - it's like the small spoon that you use to eat your cereal. Then it would take twelve bees life's work to fill that one spoon.

The only way that these hives survive is that thousands of bees work together to make the necessary food or honey to feed the hive. Now luckily for each of us they are able to make more than they need so that we can enjoy some honey as well. These bees must work together to make it possible for everyone to survive.

During the Savior ministry he was asked what were the most important commandments.

The Savior taught that the first and great commandment is:

“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. …

“And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.

“On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets”

About this scripture, Elder Ballard continued:

The Savior’s words are simple, yet their meaning is profound and deeply significant. We are to love God and to love and care for our neighbors as ourselves. Imagine what good we can do in the world if we all join together, united as followers of Christ, anxiously and busily responding to the needs of others and serving those around us—our families, our friends, our neighbors, our fellow citizens.

Elder Ballard than likened these commandments to what would happen if we as saints worked together like the honey bees.

We read of the service Church members provide around the world and especially the humanitarian service given in times of crisis—fires and floods and hurricanes and tornadoes. These much-needed and much-appreciated emergency responses should certainly continue as a way of bearing one another’s burdens. But what about our everyday lives? What would be the cumulative effect of millions of small, compassionate acts performed daily by us because of our heartfelt Christian love for others? Over time this would have a transformative effect upon all of our Heavenly Father’s children through the extension of His love to them through us. Our troubled world needs this love of Christ today more than ever, and it will need it even more in the years ahead.

These simple, daily acts of service may not seem like much in and of themselves, but when considered collectively they become just like the one-twelfth teaspoon of honey contributed by a single bee to the hive. There is power in our love for God and for His children, and when that love is tangibly manifest in millions of acts of Christian kindness, it will sweeten and nourish the world with the life-sustaining nectar of faith, hope, and charity. (End Quote)

Just like the small amount of honey from one bee doesn't seem like much - small acts of kindness done by one individuals may seem like it doesn't make much of a difference - but added to many acts through multiple individuals can become like a great wave of love, caring, hope and faith. This uniting through acts of service also brings the spirit of Christ into our lives.

This is brought to light by King Benjamin's great words -

And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.

Sometimes this act of service can be as simple as a smile, a hello or a caring act of listening to those that need support and love. Each of us can think of ways to do this individually - we should take time as families to make goals and plans how to do these things for each other and those that we come in contact with.

Other times we can make these type of plans as a quorum, group, ward or stake. This coming summer we as a stake will be replicating such an event that we did four years ago. We are going to have a service youth conference. Last time we fixed up, painted, roofed and cleaned up more than thirty different projects for individuals or family that couldn't do the work for themselves. These individuals were chosen because of their need. We had close to four hundred youth and adult leaders, selflessly giving their time, love and resources to the projects.

This year we are teaming up with another stake in the area - making the number of participants and projects much larger. Like the honey bees - each of the youth from our stake giving their small time and talent is multiplied with hundreds of other youth.

Indeed the Savior words ring clear -
 
Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

Our preliminary estimates are that there could be more that six hundred people working on the chosen projects. Wards will be asked to participate by feeding the participants, making quilts and donating funds through the other category to help  pay for the needed repairs. Through each of these avenues all members of the stake can participate if they desire. We are asking the wards to make this project their ward humanitarian service project for the first half of the year.

All of the youth in our stake will be asked to participate - it will be hard work, but your efforts added with the other youth, adults and professionals will become miracles of love to those with whom you serve.

Those not asked to work on the projects - we ask for you prayers that we will be able to accomplish our objectives, that everything will come together with such a large group. If possible we need your financial assistance - like the honey bees, if many give some the overall result will be sufficient. You young people should consider giving some of your hard earned money to the projects you will be working on.

This is only one large project that we will be doing this coming year - the results of our efforts will not just be the physical improvements that will be easy for all of us to see. Indeed we are serving God by helping those in need. The results upon our hearts, spirit and testimonies will be much larger.

In the first chapter of James vs 27 it says:

 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

Service to others is the very definition of pure religion. The Savior spent his whole life and ministry helping those in need. His atoning sacrifice opened the gate, provided a way for us to return to our heavenly home. He paid the price for our sins - for my sins and shortcomings. He then challenged us to follow him, to do the things we have seen him do. We have been told that, Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. The Savior did something for us that we could not do for ourselves - he paid the price, answered the ends of the law. He did it willingly because of His love for each of us.

It's our opportunity to help those that are struggling amount us. It's earlier to find those that need their house painted or a new roof - but there are thousands of people that need our assistance and love in areas that aren't so easily recognized. So with the big projects we also need to  follow the counsel given by Elder Ballard and become part of the millions of small, compassionate acts performed daily because of heartfelt Christian love for others.

Many of these people don't know where to turn for help or assistance, they come in all sizes, nationalities, religions and economic standing. But The Lord knows who they are and what they need. The question is are we willing to reach out and help them.

Brothers and sisters, I think I have mentioned three times in my remarks that I am getting older. During my opportunities for church service the majority of those opportunities have come while working with the youth. I have spent many hours planning or participating in youth conferences, treks, camps and weekly activities. For the most part I have loved every one of them. But the event that made the largest impact on me over all of those many years - was the project that we are about embark on again.

All of the projects became very special to everyone involved. I would like to single out a couple of projects. One home had a number of things that needed to be done. Before it was completed it had a new roof, was painted and the yard was cleaned up and landscaped. There were more than thirty people that worked on this project alone. Near it's completion I remember coming to the project where the  home owner came up to me with tears in his eyes thanking us for what had been done. He then continued, we are the ones that so desperately needed these thing repaired and the young people are coming up to us - and thanking us for the opportunity to work on our home.

Another project desperately needed new windows and some insulation - a new front porch and steps were constructed, all of this was completed before the actual youth conference started. When the kids came to the house it was then scraped and painted. One of youth that worked on this project said it was great, she met a lot of kids she hadn't known before. To this day every time she drives by  - she is excited and let's everyone know that this was her house that she had worked on. The finishing touches were a new planter and flowers that made it look like it was complete.

Brothers and sisters, each of us have been given great blessings and opportunities in our lives. Each of us have gone through challenges and difficulties that sometimes seem larger than what we are able to bare. Each of us have been given the greatest gift possible - the atoning sacrifice of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. With these blessings we are also given the opportunity to chose.

Chose a life of righteousness and selfless service or wickedness and personal gratification and greed. Now the choses aren't that defined, we are usually somewhere in the middle of the two. But the closer we are to righteousness and selfless service, the closer we are to the Savior Jesus Christ and his love and happiness.

Looking back at his life, King Benjamin talked about his blessings and the chances he had to serve, he then put it all in perspective.

Mosiah 2: 27 it reads -
I say unto you that if ye should serve him who has created you from the beginning, and is preserving you from day to day, by lending you breath, that ye may live and move and do according to your own will, and even supporting you from one moment to another—I say, if ye should serve him with all your whole souls yet ye would be unprofitable servants.

Brothers and sisters, God lives - He loves each of us to an extent and magnitude that's hard to understand.  He is aware of our individual needs and challenges. There is no difficulty, challenge, pain or suffering that he has not experienced or felt. We are told in the scriptures that he experienced all of these things so that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities. He is willingly reaching out his love and assistance to all those that are willing to take it. He is asking us to be instruments in his hands to accomplish this great work - to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.  It's our responsibility be to clean and in tune enough to receive his guidance and direction.

No matter how much or what we do - we will never be able to repay him for the blessings he has given us.

Saturday night jan. 2013

Welcome brothers and sisters - I would like to thank all of you for coming tonight, I would also like to thank everyone that will be participating in our conference over the next two days, the music, prayers and speakers. None of these individuals that will speak have received a topic or assignment - what they will talk about hopefully comes from their hearts and the inspiration of the Holy Ghost.

In my case the topic I have chosen is one that is very personal - and there is no one in this congregation that should heed this counsel more than I should. So as I'm counseling myself I would invite you to listen and use it in your own lives if possible. Thankfully I will be using some wonderful quotes from Prophets of God.

In 1964 in preparation for the New York Worlds Fair the church introduced it's first film made and directed to non-members of the church. More than 5 million people watched the film at that time. It continued in wide use for more than 15 years when I used it as a  missionary and who knows how much longer. It was called "Man's Search for Happiness." I believe, It's popularity stems from an innate longing each of us have to feel the love and happiness we felt in our preexistence.

Alma talking about the resurrection and what would happen to the righteous, stated that the righteous would be "raised to endless happiness to inherit the kingdom of God." He continued in the next verse saying they were "raised to happiness according to (their) desires of happiness."

I would assume that all of us want to be happy. As Alma stated we can be raised to happiness according to our desires of happiness. This would insinuate that ones happiness is a conscious decision. Given according to our desires.  Could someone actually desire to be unhappy? Apparently so, as Alma continued with the famous words "wickedness never was happiness." He goes on to say that anything that is contrary to the nature of God can not and will not bring us happiness - but misery. How many times do we put the things of the world or the honors of men ahead of the teaching of the Savior. Many of these things we believe can bring us a temporary satisfaction or joy, but eventually they will be fleeting - true happiness can only be achieved through righteousness.  

In our last general conference President Uchtdorf stated -

The older we get, the more we look back and realize that external circumstances don’t really matter or determine our happiness.`

You and I are ultimately in charge of our own happiness.

So often we get caught up in the illusion that there is something just beyond our reach that would bring us happiness: a better family situation, a better financial situation, or the end of a challenging trial.

We shouldn’t wait to be happy until we reach some future point, only to discover that happiness was already available—all the time! Life is not meant to be appreciated only in retrospect. “This is the day which the Lord hath made … ,” “Rejoice and be glad in it.

Brothers and sisters, no matter our circumstances, no matter our challenges or trials, there is something in each day to embrace and cherish. There is something in each day that can bring gratitude and joy if only we will see and appreciate it. (End Quote)

Brothers and sisters - this quote should be tattooed in my brain so it would be easier for me to remember. We should focus on the positive things that have happened in our lives. Even in my darkest moments there are areas of joy and satisfaction. When I have a difficult day at work - I know that I have a loving family at home. It would be impossible to list all of the areas of difficulty and concerns that we each have - but no matter how dark they may seem, we know that those infirmities, pains or sorrows have been felt by the Savior and that he understands what we are going through and He will give us the support that we need.

More than thirty years ago I was serving as a missionary in Santa Fe New Mexico. I was told that at the time it was one of the richest cities per-capita in the United States. On a daily basis we would track among some of the most beautiful homes I had ever seen - with very few exceptions when someone would answer the door they were not receptive to our message. Like every city there were also some less fortunate. During one such day of tracking - there must have been some type of full moon or something as we were greeted by some of the rudest, unhappy people I had ever met. I can not repeat or explain what they said to us that day, to say the least, we were discouraged and not excited to continue. As we walked down a hill into a lower income area we came upon a small humble home - a beautiful elderly woman answered the door and asked us to come in. Like the others we had met that morning she wasn't interested in the message we had to share - but that is where the similarities ended.  She was pleasant and wanted to know about our families and why we had decided to go on a mission. The walls in her small living room were covered with photos of numerous posterity - she offered us something to drink and thanked us for our visit when we left. Her circumstances were humble at best.

As we walked away - we were invigorated, renewed and the words of the Savior came to my mind - "when ye have done it unto the least of these my brethren ye have done it unto me."  She had in reality taught me that day, a discussion or lesson that I still need to remember.

Brothers and sisters, Satan is a master of discouragement and despair. He tries to tell us what will bring us happiness, he tries to convince us that our trials are to hard and that we should give up. In our relationships and experiences - all of us make mistakes, Satan tries to remind us of these faults and mistakes and doesn't want us to forgive those that have wronged us, and especially not to forgive ourself's for our own mistakes and shortcomings. This lack of forgiveness is contrary to the nature of God - so as Alma stated, it will bring us misery.

We as a nation were shocked a few weeks ago about the senseless shooting of elementary school children in Connecticut.  Bobbie Parker, a member of the church and a father of one of those children. In an act of forgiveness, extended his prayers to the family of the shooter.

"it is a horrific tragedy and we want everybody to know that our prayers go out to them. This includes the family of the shooter," he said.

During one of the hardest things that I could ever imagine, he reached out to others including those that were close to the cause of his suffering. Doesn't this sound familiar?  During the Saviors death and suffering on the cross he said: "Father forgive them; for they know not what they do." His thoughts and prayers turned to those that someday would realize what they had been part of. Can you imagine the pain and guilt that you would feel when such a realization would come to your understanding.

Brothers and sisters, there are so many things or challenges that can bring us despair and cause us to worry about the future. There will always be discouragements, fiscal cliffs, Mayan calendars, political unrest, wars and rumors of wars. These thing we have been told are part of the Last Days - prophets have spoken of them for thousands of years.

The part that is most likely surprising to my wife right now, is that I have chosen this topic, she knows that I am a worrier. Thus, occasionally I let my emotions get out of control - this then effects my demeanor and the spirit in our home. I need to be better at choosing happiness.

President Uchtdorf - continued
 
"The more we devote ourselves to the pursuit of holiness and happiness, the less likely we will be on a path to regrets. The more we rely on the Savior’s grace, the more we will feel that we are on the track our Father in Heaven has intended for us." (End Quote)

If then we are closer to the Savior and know that he is guiding and directing us, our faith will increase - driving out the feeling of despair and hopelessness that all of us feel on occasion.  

Last spring speaking to the the graduating Seniors at BYU-IDAHO Elder Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve talked about the faith and hopefulness that they should feel. Now remember that these are young men and women that have just graduated - many of which have been unable to find jobs in a struggling economy. I would assume that many of them are married and supporting a small family. I would recommend this talk to all of us.

Elder Ballard stated;

What I believe the Lord wants me to tell you is that you should replace fear with faith—faith in God and the power of the Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ...

As you think about your future, you should be filled with faith and hope. Always remember that Jesus Christ, the creator of the universe, the architect of our salvation, and the head of this Church is in control. He will not permit His work to fail...

Face the future with optimism. I believe we are standing on the threshold of a new era of growth, prosperity, and abundance... I think the next few years will bring a resurgence in the economy as new discoveries are made.

Many of these discoveries, as in the past, will be the result of the Spirit whispering insights into and enlightening the minds of truth-seeking individuals. Many of these discoveries will be made for the purpose of helping to bring to pass the purposes and work of God and the quickening of the building of His kingdom on earth today. With these discoveries and advances will come new employment opportunities and prosperity for those who work hard and especially to those who strive to keep the commandments of God. This has been the case in other significant periods of national and international economic growth.

 -(possible commentary)

Before the Savior’s second coming—and based on His divine timetable—the gospel must be taken to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people until it fills the whole earth...

As the gospel is carried to the billions of spiritually hungry souls, miracles will be performed by the hand of the Lord. Missionaries of many nationalities will serve the Lord throughout the earth. New chapels and many more temples will be built to bless the Saints as pre-millennial growth has been prophesied.

You may ask, “Where will the financial resources come from to fund this growth?” The resources will come from faithful members like you through your tithes and offerings. As you.. do your part, the Lord will bless you with prosperity and the wisdom to keep your mind focused on what matters most in your life: “But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:13). (End Quote)

These are amazing quotes. Is it a coincidence that six months later the prophet announced the changes in the missionary program that they are estimating could double the number of missionaries in the field within the coming year. One of those new missionaries is my 18 year old daughter that received her call two weeks ago.

Brothers and sisters - these are words of hope and prosperity, not of panic, dome and gloom. The key is that we seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. But as in all times - there will be those among us that need our assistance, friendship and prayers. No matter our economic or social circumstances there will still be challenges and difficulties. These times will require us to seek more earnestly the companionship of the spirit and the guidance of the Holy Ghost.

The powers of evil will not let these events happen without resistance, social out cry and persecution. With the doubling of missionaries, increased buildings and temples - the growth and blessings of the gospel will be unprecedented, at least in this dispensation.  This is one of the greatest times to be a on the earth and a member of the Church of Jesus Christ.

Elder Ballard mentioned that during these events miracles would be performed by the hand of the Lord. Miracles and revelation have always followed the righteous.

Brothers and sisters, the past few years have been difficult for many. Working in the financial industry, these past few years have been unlike any that I have seen. Many times I have plead with The Lord for support, assistance or perhaps even a miracle in my life.

In Moroni 10: 3-5, is the great promise of the Book of Mormon. It is the formula to know if the Book of Mormon is true. But it's not just for the Book of Mormon - but for all revelation. One of the first steps is to remember how merciful The Lord has been to each of us. We need to show gratitude for our blessings. When I look back over my life I can see so many times that The Lord has helped, guided and protected me. He has made sure that my family has the things that we needed. Why do I then question my future so much?

Our decision or search for happiness - requires faith that God is in-charge of our lives, that he wants us to be happy.  We need to be more positive, loving and serving one another. We need to spend less time being critical and feeling sorry for our-self's.

This all sounds good - but what can we do to make it a reality now? 1st - we need to Forgive those that have offend you, forgive yourself for your short comings, tell and show others that you love them. Live the commandments more faithfully so The Lord can bless and inspire you. Thrust yourselves into the scriptures and the teachings of e prophets.

Then as trials and difficulties come - trust in The Lord and his infinite love and assistance. Then as we ask for guidance and strength he will manifest the answer or truth unto us by the power of the Holy Ghost.

Brothers and sisters - as I look back over my life, there are so many times The Lord has been there for me. I still have challenges as do each of you - I still don't know what the outcome will be for some of my trials.

The apostle Paul talked about his thorn in the flesh that he had to go through.

This is found in 2 Cor 12:

And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.

For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.

And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

Brothers and sisters, I don't know if I am spiritually strong enough, yet, to take pleasure in my trials. But I do believe that they will be only for a short moment and I have faith that The Lord can make me a better person for enduring them.

Testimony -

Jan - Saturday night

Brothers and Sisters - I love the Saturday evening session of conference, thank you for being here. I'm especially thankful for the young people that are here - the First Presidency in a letter to the Stake President invited you to participate in this meeting. In that same letter they also asked us to talk about "Hastening the Work of Salvation" - this is a phrase that is becoming very familiar to the members of the church. The church has even set up a web site under that same name. But, what does that mean?

According to Webster dictionary -  to Hasten means,

: to cause (something) to happen more quickly
: to move or act quickly

I think most of us know what the Work of Salvation is.

Moses 1: 39

For behold, this is my work and my glory -- to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.

God's work and glory is to help us become as he is and regain his presence. To obtain that level of exaltation - there are multiple steps, lessons and promises that we need to make or fulfill in order to obtain that reward. These promises are called covenants.

All of us in this room have made promises and covenants with our loving and wonderful Father in Heaven. We all should remember the covenants we made in the waters of baptism - and that we renew each week as we partake of the sacrament. We promise to take upon us His name, to always remember him, keep his commandments, bare another's burdens that they may be light.

All these covenants are two way promises - and The Lord  in return has promised to forgive us of our sins, to give us the Gift of the Holy Ghost and promises us that if we live righteously that he will always have His spirit to be with us.

Ancient and modern Prophets have also told us that there are other promises and covenants we have made that we don't remember.

Jeremiah 1:5

Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

Brothers and sisters - All of us have a personal relationship with our Heavenly Father, before we came to this earth we made promises and covenants with him - can you envision your time of sanctification and ordination under the hands, or the direction of your loving Father in Heaven as you were about to leave his presence and come to this earth to learn and be tested. I imagine that most of us were a little scared or apprehensive, but I'm also sure we were excited to finally have our turn or opportunity to come to the earth. All of us, had already proved ourselves worthy and faithful to receive this opportunity and then to be blessed enough to have the gospel of Jesus Christ in our lives. I'm sure we each promised him we would do what ever we could to return to his presence and I'm sure he reassured us that he would give us every possible opportunity to pass the tests we would be asked to accomplish.

I would envision a loving hug and kiss as any parent would give their child as they are leaving on a long journey.

This is similar to a family sending one of their children on a mission - yes we are all sad and going to miss them, but we know that the experiences they are about to undertake will be worth the time apart.  Then when that time is done - what a great and wonderful event happens as we see them coming down the escalators at the airport. Tears are shed - hugs and expressions of excitement and love are shared. Then shortly it's as if they had never left our presence and they are just a better version of those with whom we have always loved and cherished.

I'm order for us to become the person we need to be - we need to remember or understand who we are and where we come from. We are children of a loving "Eternal Father in Heaven." Indeed our prayer should be that he will "lead us, guide us, walk beside us, help us find the way - teach us all that we should do to live with him someday."

Then we need to get back to the reality at hand - all of us have difficulties and hardships, all of us make mistakes and get discouraged or depressed. All of us need the Atonement of the Savior and Redeemer Jesus Christ in our lives.

Speaking to the youth of the church - Elder Quentin L. Cook said:

"In my view, those of you in the rising generation are better prepared than any previous generation. Your knowledge of the scriptures is particularly impressive. However, the challenges your generation faces as you prepare for service are similar to those faced by all members of the Church. We are all aware the culture in most of the world is not conducive to righteousness or spiritual commitment....."

All of us would agree that the culture of the world in general is not in keeping with the principles of righteousness, indeed the natural man is an enemy to God. We can not allow ourselves to be fooled into believing the lie - that if it is widely accepted or popular that it must be OK.

Elder Cook continued:

"Local leaders across the world report that when viewed as a whole, Church members, especially our youth, have never been stronger. But they almost always raise two concerns: first, the challenge of increased unrighteousness in the world and, second, the apathy and lack of commitment of some members. They seek counsel about how to help members to follow the Savior and achieve a deep and lasting conversion."

The Lord has saved the strongest of his spirits for this the last dispensation - we have been prepared and will be given all the information and assistance needed to accomplish the work we have been sent here too do. The second area that of apathy - sadly there isn't a soul here tonight that doesn't occasionally get a little lazy in our responsibilities. But what we do and how prepared we are - will dictate our actions and our possible return to our heavenly home.

In Matt 25: the Lord uses the parable of the Ten Virgins to bring this point to light. All ten know who the bride groom is - they all have committed to wait for his coming - The Lord uses the term virgins showing that they are basically righteous and a covenant making people. They have been told that he is coming and what they need to do in order to be prepared. But, despite these facts when the Savior finally did come they didn't have sufficient oil necessary to joint the wedding party. Then they tried to hurry and take care of the things that needed to be done - but it was too late.

Brothers and sisters - the question I would like to ask is what does The Lord mean NOW as he is asking us to "Hasten the Work of Salvation."  No matter what level of spirituality we currently have achieved - we are being asked to hasten or quicken our pace and dedication. We all know the areas that we need to work on - and as we go forward The Lord will help us understand what else we need to do.

Our Prophet has asked us to "Hasten the Work" in a number of areas - 1) Missionary work or taking the gospel to those that have not had the chance to accept it. - 2) Retention, we need to show love and concern for those that have recently started to make covenants and started on the path to exaltation. - 3) Activation and Fellowshipping, to help those that have either lost their way or who are apathetic to the covenants and promises they have made. - 4) Finding and redeeming those that have gone before us, genealogy and temple work for those beyond the vail. - 5) Teaching the saving principle of the Gospel of Christ. This is done at home and when ever possible to all of Gods children.

None of these five areas are new - or something we haven't been asked to do before. But now there is an urgency, is that urgency because the bridegroom is approaching or is it because we can't be apathetic any longer and be able to understand the teachings of a changing world and what God would like us too know. The answer to both of those questions is yes - we are the Holders of the Priesthood of God - we are his covenant people. He is asking us to be closer to the spirit and as we take upon us his name we need to be beacon or light to those who are looking for truth and righteousness, whom ever or wherever they may be.

As we hasten the work of Salvation, there will be times that those around us, perhaps even those that we love and cherish, will reject our message, argue and even persecute us for following the principles of righteousness. Even though its hard to do, the Savior continued to administer too and love his enemies.

Brothers and sisters, we need to understand that the fight between good and evil is real. Satan desires nothing more than to destroy your happiness and possible exaltation - he wants us to be miserable like he is. We are in a war for not only our salvation, but the salvation of all of God's children.

To help us understand this concept I would like to use an analogy from the scriptures that we have heard multiple times -

Please envision that you are walking down a long hall, at the end of that hall is the tree of life, the love of God, the ultimate goal - on each side of you are individuals or circumstances that trying to temp you or bring you down. In the scriptures they liken unto the fiery dart of the wicked. When we are hit by one of these darts - it drains us of our strength - it paralyzes our ability to receive guidance or help from our Heavenly Father. The more we are hit - it not only slows our progress, but eventually stops us.

We have the ability to pull those dart out - that is the process of repentance. But they will continue to be thrown at us at a greater pace the further we go down the hall.

We need to protect ourselves before the darts have a chance to hit us. In Eph. Chapter 6, the Apostle Paul talked about that preparation as putting on the Armor of God.

-  Girting our Loins with truth
-  Breastplate of righteousness
-  Feet shod with preparation
-  Shield of faith
-  Helmet of Salvation

These things will shield us that the darts cannot pierce us. Then he says we must have -

-  Sword of the Spirit - Word of God.

The Sword is different than the other pieces, it is not only used to shield - but can be used as a weapon to fight against the evil we encounter.  Even with the armor - we cannot complacently stroll through life, we need to fight for truth and righteousness.

D & C 27:

Wherefore, lift up your hearts and rejoice, and gird up your loins, and take upon you my whole armor, that ye may be able to withstand the evil day, having done all, that ye may be able to stand.....

 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of my Spirit, which I will pour out upon you, and my word which I reveal unto you, and be agreed as touching all things whatsoever ye ask of me, and be faithful until I come, and ye shall be caught up, that where I am ye shall be also. Amen.

Brothers and Sisters - I testify that without the preparation and the Armor of continual righteousness, truth, and the guidance of the spirit and living prophets - we will not make it to the end of the hall. Satan's influence poisons our resolve, it weakens our ability to know the will of God - replacing it will apathy, complacency and thinking the thing of righteousness really aren't that important.

Now is the time for us to "hasten" our resolve - to do what ever we need to do to get ourselves, our family and all of God's children to partake of the love and happiness the gospel brings.