5 principles to live by…

1. Preach the Gospel: It seems like in almost every single section of the D&C that we read this semester it was mentioned somewhere in the section how important spreading the gospel is and how missionaries are so important to the work. This early emphasis on sharing the gospel is surely important and the Lord made it clear that it was something that the Lord thought to be very important. I have learned from the prophets and apostles, as well as multiple member of the faculty during religion classes that any time something is repeated in the scriptures, it is something that should be paid attention to, and the Lord repeated more than once to more than one person how important the spreading of the gospel is to Him. (42:48)

2. The other thing is the early teachings of how the Lord is constantly warning the saints of Pride. Let me be clear, I am not suggesting right now that we as members of the Church are pride-less, but because of the constant admonition from the Lord, I think in general we can be relatively humble. I think it may have something to do with the fact that the early members of the church were literally beaten into humility, but it was nonetheless something that was very important to the Lord that we be humble. (23:1)

3. I noticed in the sections studied that the Lord mentions how important the family is. We have been taught that no matter what the success we have outside our home, it will never make up for the failure we may have inside the home. We know that Satan is attacking our families on every angle and that if he can successfully destroy a temple marriage or a family then he has pretty well won. The Lord even wanted the early saints to make sure that they tending to their families and making sure they were taken care of spiritually and temporally. Families also are an enormous part of the success of the church today. Our emphasis on the family sets us apart from many other religions is how important the family is in the gospel. As an eternal unit it leads us to do good and as we do good, we set a good example for those around us which inevitably proliferates our message of happiness and love. (20:47)

4. One thing that has absolutely made clear is that we need to pray. I don’t know that any other single aspect of the gospel has contributed more to the growth of the church. We are commanded to pray always, to carry a prayer in our heart and to communicate constantly with the Lord. At the end of the Book of Mormon there is the challenge that has come to be known as ‘Moroni’s Challenge’ where he asks those who read the Book of Mormon to ask in the name of the Lord if it isn’t true and if they as with sincere intent they will receive an answer. (10:5)

5. The last thing I would mention is faith. So much of what we preach and ask those who are new to the church to have is faith. We ask them to have faith in our words and then to pray about them so they can receive a witness of their own. Faith is also mentioned in the early church so many times as even after those saints had received a witness of the truthfulness of the gospel they still had to exercise faith that the Lord would guide them to Zion and that they would be safe, healthy, protected etc. The D&C proves how rough a time the early saints had in their quest for peace and safety and while members of the church don’t face such rough persecution anymore we still need to exercise faith in our leadership as they guide us with inspiration and have faith that we can endure to the end. (8:10)

Week 10 Assignment

1. If we do not repent of sign-seeking (without faith) and lusting our fate is sealed.

2. Sign-seeking as well as lust both start off in thought and then move subsequently to actions and a way of life

3. Both of these stem from our own weakness and lack of strength. If we do not have faith enough to believe without a sign then chances are that even with a sign we wouldn’t change our ways and with lust we allow temptation into our lives and give place for the destroyer to move us.

4. As we learn from Matthew, it is a wicked and adulterous generation that seeks after signs which is a very similar description to those that lust after things; they feel that they have to have ‘it’ now and that they shouldn’t have to wait to be happy or satisfied.

5. Neither one of these sins disqualifies you from the Kingdom of our Father. The fact is both of these can be repented of and the presence of the Spirit can once again be felt if they take the steps needed to feel the Spirit.

First off let me say that Holland is incredible and I officially feel like I have so much to repent for. As for the question as to what sign seeking and lusting have in common I think there is a lot to think about here. This talk was absolutely amazing! I love how Elder Holland can make you feel so humble while giving you such great hope that you can accomplish what the Lord has told you to do. One thing that he said that really stuck out to me is ‘True love means permanence’. The fact is this has everything to do with sign-seeking as well. I honestly believe that there are signs to be seen every single day when it comes to the Gospel, but they are very, very rarely obvious ones that are big and flashy. In order to recognize these signs of love you need to stick around a while so you can recognize them when they happen.

Something else I noticed is that Elder Holland mentioned the story where he and his wife met three women at the airport and how they were all divorced because their husbands did something that ruined or hurt their marriage. Sign seeking in and of itself is the same as these sins that were committed in that I think it breeds a lack of self-worth and value. It is hard to be happy if every little thing you do requires physical/tangible proof. If everything has to be shown what will you do if something true or wonderful is available without said proof, you would miss out on a beautiful opportunity to be a part of something wonderful.

I was reminded of another similarity when Elder Holland mentioned using the computer to do good things. Sometimes signs are given and they are wonderful spiritual experiences for those that are there to witness it, that being said sometimes these things are misunderstood or when there is a lack of faith and someone does not see a sign they assume it is because there is no God. It is amazing how wonderful things (like signs, or technology) can be such wonderful things and things that are used against the work of God at the same time.

Week 9 Student Choice

John Murdock: Was at one point bound by the devil but it was cast out by Joseph. He was also ordained to be a high priest by Joseph. This was also the man that gave Joseph and Emma twins to raise after his wife died during child-birth.

Lyman Wight: Was told by the prophet that he would meet and see the Lord. He also received a blessing from the prophet Joseph. Cast out the devil at Joseph’s request. After being ordained a high priest, he was filled with the spirit and prophesied. He was bold, strong, “fearless”. He left the Church after Joseph died and moved to Texas.

John Corrill – Nothing on him in the book.

Ezra Thayre: Was to be the traveling companion of Thomas Marsh. He was not as diligent in preparation as Marsh was. He later served as a member of the 70.

Isaac Morley: Accompanied by Ezra Booth to Missouri but quickly changed his mind and ended up fighting against the church.

Thomas B. Marsh: Was to serve a mission with Ezra Thayre. Thomas fulfilled a mission when Newel Knight could not. He was quick to put his affairs in order upon receiving his mission call and ended asking Joseph for help.

Harvey Whitlock: Was ordained a High Priest by Joseph directly after Joseph had a vision of the Father and the Son. He also had a devil cast out of him.

Zebedee Coltrin: He served his mission to the Hoosiers! He established a few strong branches out there. Due to the infection of Levi’s feet, Coltrin ended up continuing his mission by himself.

Levi W. Hancock: He was Coltrin’s mission companion to Indiana, but was unable to continue with Zebedee because of a foot infection. He accepted his mission call without hesitation even though it meant much travel on foot.

Heman Basset: This man was deceived by other spirits. He was ordained an elder of the church but only three days after that had lost his mission call. His call was given to Simonds Ryder.

I learned from these folks mentioned in the D&C that they really aren't all that different than us. There are those that received their calls, took them and worked hard to make sure that they did everything that the prophet wanted them to do. There are also those that received calls and wandered off without having made their calling and elections made sure. I find it incredibly interesting that while there were more devils cast out literally, back then, the saints face the same challenges now that the early saints did then. Persecution, intolerance, being taken out of context, indifference, misunderstanding and these things all happen in and outside of the church! It is saddening to me that the Lord has blessed these generations of saints with incredible things to help us return to him but we are, essentially, still fighting the same battles with each other that saints were 200 years ago. It is no surprise to me thinking about it now that whenever we go to conference we are still taught to have faith, repent, be baptized and seek the spirit. I suspect when we start making progress and progress in these areas we will start to receive further revelation.

Week 8's Student Choice Assignment

Answer the following questions:

• What are some of the “red flags” that you should be careful about regarding what this person is doing?

• How does D&C 43:2, 5–6 help us discern and act towards this individual?

• What are some reasons Latter-day Saints buy into revelations and commandments that come from other sources besides the president of the Church and how do Elder Oaks’ remarks help us to avoid such a mistake?

• Why do we gather? (43:8–14) Please give three meaningful answers.

• What three additional principles would God like you to understand about the gathering from 43:15–35?

1. First of all, after watching the video, this person is basically taking away the two-way communication. He is saying that he is receiving revelation on behalf of other people when it is revelation/communication that each person should have for himself or herself. It is also important because he is saying that he received the revelation and was given authority to share it when in truth that comes from people with authority.

2. Well first of all in verse 2, we are told that we will receive revelation from those that the Lord calls, not just from anyone. I also love how in these verses the Lord gives us the ways that we can recognize when someone is and equally as important, isn’t from the Lord giving us revelation.

3. a. We are to instruct one another: Teaching each other is so important because it can add perspective to the principles that we are already familiar with.

b. We are to edify one another: Helping each other to feel the spirit and build testimony is so important as it allows us to grow closer as members of a ward and closer to our heavenly Father.

c. We are to help each other purge evil out from among us: Purging evil and iniquity from among us is important because it lessens the influence of the destroyer on us. Lessening his influence will indeed make the other two points more effective. We will have a great abundance of the Spirit.

4. a. v. 35: This is really simple council from the Lord. Be Sober. This doesn’t mean that we aren’t allowed to have a sense of humor, have fun or enjoy each other’s company, but we have to do what the Lord needs us to do without hesitation and in the right places.

b. v. 29: The Lord is coming, but no one doesn’t know when he is coming, and something that is also applicable to this lesson. We know that the Lord will only reveal his secrets to his servants the Prophets.

c. v. 32: Those that live righteously will be blessed for their righteousness by being changed in the twinking of an eye when the Lord comes again.

The law of Consecration

I will be honest, when I saw the introduction of this film, I really thought it was going to be one that I wasn’t going to enjoy that I just wanted to watch it and get through it. I’m not sure why I was in this mood but I didn’t want to enjoy it.

I think one of the biggest things I learned is that the quicker I learn what is actually important in this world, the happier I will be. I feel like John Tanner learned this lesson far faster than the average person and maybe because of the situation he was looking at before joining the church but he learned quickly that if you can’t take it with you out of this world than it isn’t worth worrying about.

The John Tanner film taught me that it is possible to live the law of consecration. The film said that all in all he probably invested more than $50,000 to help the saints and the early church to make it. Because of his generosity, he allowed the church to make it but ended up having to beg for the well being of his family. This is something I don’t know that I could do. I would like to sit here and say that I know I could do the same thing that he did and I would like to think that if the Lord needed me to do that I could but I don’t think it would be easy. Literally being reduced from riches to rags would be so difficult, but I think it says a lot about his wife that she was willing to do what she had to her husband to answer the calls that were issued.

I know in my heart of hearts, I would do the same things he did. I have been through the temple and made covenants with the Lord to do so. The law of consecration requires so much faith. We discussed in our group meeting this morning how we already live so many different laws that almost, collectively, make the law of consecration. We are taught that the law of consecration is being able and willing to give/donate of your time, talents, abilities and resources to the Church of Jesus Christ. We already pay tithing (which is admittedly only 10% of what the law of consecration requires), we hold callings (which is definitely consecrating our time and resources), we (if you own a house…) allow missionaries to live in them and we have the opportunity to share our talents in church meetings.

Daniel, the young man in my group brought up a good point this morning; He said that even though we are not currently required to live the law of consecration, those of us who have been in the temple have already covenanted with the Lord to live it when the time comes. From what I understand, this means that I need to be living the law of consecration spiritually now so that when the time comes to live it temporally I am ready to do what needs to be done.

Words: 521

Week 6

10 Things Sections 30-40 have in common.:

1. The thing that I notice first is simple and it is something that 98% the sections in the D&C have, but the first part is in the introduction and summaries of the sections. They are all revelations given through the prophet Joseph. This may seem trivial because it is something shared by most of the sections in the D&C, but I think this is a significant thing. If it weren’t significant, why would the prophet put it in every time that it was a revelation from Joseph? The other important aspect is that Joseph wasn’t just a prophet of the modern days; he is our dispensation head. He is our restorer.

2. The next thing I noticed was how all of these revelations are directly for someone or about someone. I think this would have been such a wonderful thing to be able to take part of. While these are different than patriarchal blessings, it would be incredible to have the prophet receive a revelation just for you.

3. In most of these sections, the Lord asks those reading/listening to go out and preach the gospel. We can learn how important missionary work is to the Lord by reading the D&C. He wants us to share with those around us that which is most important to him and us. The Lord wants the Gospel shared as much as possible and with as many of His children as possible.

4. A theme that is slightly less common theme is the fact that the Lord wants us (and those that are mentioned specifically) to have faith in him, in the plan and in our Leaders (or in the case of these sections in Joseph). As I mentioned before in one of my journals, the set up of the Church is perfect, the church leaders are called under perfect revelation that however, does NOT mean that the leaders that are called are perfect, but we have to exercise faith that they will make the best decision possible based on the revelation they are given.

5. Another one of the themes I noticed was baptism. So many of the revelations given are to those that are on the edge of joining the church or to those that are about to go serve a mission. Much like Point #4, the Lord wants the Gospel shared and his children brought to the gates of baptism where they can be washed clean of their sins and start making covenants with their heavenly Father.

6. Repentance. This is funny; I hadn’t realized that the last three sound a lot like the 4^th article of faith. The Lord does want us to repent of our sins, trespasses and shortcomings. The other thing is I think its important for Church leaders to hear from the Lord occasionally that they aren’t perfect and that they need to repent of their sins as well.

7. A few of these sections are related to location. At this time the Lord needed his Saints together (safety and strength in numbers). The Church was establishing Zion where the Saints were. While there was a lot of persecution at the time, the Saints needed to help each other using their specific skills. Location was more important then. Back then in order for a leader to communicate with all of those he lead, it would take longer to communicate with 500 people in his city than it takes for me to communicate with thousands of people that live on the other side of the world.

8. Chastening is a common theme in these sections. I kind of danced around this one a little bit in the other parts of this, but the D&C seems to have a lot of sections devoted to the Lord Chastening his disciples.

9. Many of these sections are also dedicated or partially dedicated to testifying of the divine calling of Joseph. This was specifically important back in the early days of the Church. Joseph had so many people that seemed to be skeptical of his divine calling and the Lord often needed to assure his children and followers of the diving calling of their leader. This wasn’t an easy time for the saints for the saints or for Joseph.

10. The other thing that these sections have in common and teaches me is that they testify as to how personally the Lord knows his children. The fact that the Lord can teach each of us so personally and know us on such a manner that makes us trust him more than anyone else in the world shows me how much he loves us.

Student Choice #3 Week 5

Creation:

29:25: And not one hair, neither mote, shall be lost, for it is the workmanship of mine hand.

The connection here to this is at the very root of the creation. It isn’t just the creation of the world but the creation (physical and spiritual) of us, His children. We are known to him and as this scripture says, not one part of our body shall pass without him knowing. I think this scripture also applies to the atonement.

29:31: For by the power of my Spirit created I them; yea, all things both spiritual and temporal-

This lets us know of our divine origin and how we were created by our Heavenly Father both spiritually and temporally. We are his Children. I know a little better than I did 6 weeks ago the love our Heavenly Father has for us. He wants us to succeed.

Fall:

29:35: Behold, I gave unto him that he should be an agent unto himself; and I gave unto him commandment, but no temporal commandment gave I unto him, for my commandments are spiritual; they are not natural nor temporal, neither carnal nor sensual.

This verse is talking about the first doctrine of the gospel. It refers how the Lord gave Adam (and all men) agency. Agency brought the fall and because of the fall we have the ability to be here. Before agency and the fall we weren’t here.

29:43: And thus did I, the Lord God, appoint unto man the days of his probation—that by his natural death he might be raised in immortality unto eternal life, even as many as would believe;

This gives us more information as to what our goal is here on earth (through the fall). It is a time for us to learn, grow and to enjoy immortality as we do what we need to, to make it back to heaven with our Heavenly Father

Atonement:

29:47 Wherefore, they cannot sin, for power is not given unto Satan to tempt little children, until they begin to become accountable before me;

This is one of my very favorite scriptures. This doctrine makes differentiates our church from many others and I think it is one of the sweetest, most tender scriptures in the entire standard works. The fact of the matter is the Lord loves all of his children and that includes babies that haven’t reached the age of accountability.

29:49:

And, again, I say unto you, that whoso having knowledge, have I not commanded to repent?

This is how the atonement works. The Lord provided us away to make it back to the Celestial Kingdom provided we do our part. We need to live the best way we can and then repent when we fall short of perfection (every time…)

Week 4

Clark Stanfill

Student Choice Assignment #2

D&C 21:4–7: When we are given inspiration from the prophet, it is the same as receiving the same inspiration from our Heavenly Father. It is the same. When we receive this inspiration, and receive it properly, we are shutting down the power of the gates of hell in our lives.

Mosiah 8:16-18: I think this scripture is really important for a couple of reasons. At the beginning of this section we learn that a seer is a prophet as well as a revelator. We also learn that the power a Prophet has is given him from God, and that there is no greater power on earth than this power.

Amos 3:7: This scripture shows us the importance of our modern day prophets. The fact of the matter is the Lord isn’t going to do anything big/church wide without telling the Prophet and his councilors first. This also sets the precedent for how the Lord reveals important inspiration for the Church.

2 Samuel 24:11: Much like the scripture in Amos, this shows that the Lord reveals things to his prophets. The fact is, the Lord has a set-up system of hierarchy of communication. It is the most effective and powerful way to communicate in the world. We talk to the Lord through prayer, and he then responds through his prophets, who can communicate to the Quorum of the 12, to the 70, to local leadership back down to us. It’s a perfect.

Alma 13:26: This scripture gives a few of the qualifications the Lord has for the Church Leadership: They are to be just, holy, people that have the power of the tongue of angels (Aaronic Priesthood) and they are to have the spirit of prophecy.

D&C 21:1: We learn in this scripture a few more of the responsibilities of a prophet; He is to be a Prophet, a Seer, a Translator, an Apostle of Jesus Christ, an Elder of the Church. These things among others are all responsibilities of the Prophet.

1 Corinthians 13:2: While some may view this as a minor thing I think it is hugely pertinent to the requirements of a Prophet. This verse lists a few things that a prophet who is worthy of the spirit will have (understanding of all mysteries, all knowledge, all faith even to moving mountains), if he doesn’t have charity he is nothing. The fact is the Prophet must be the most charitable person in the world. They are basically giving their total will to the Father for the rest of their lives. They travel, work every day, and are about the busiest people in the world all for the sake of everyone else.

How has the Prophet blessed my life?

I remember when the Boston Temple was dedicated. My family lived there for many years, and the temple was dedicated on my 16^th birthday. Not only did I have the opportunity to work ‘booty duty’ during the temple open house, but I was also blessed to sing in the temple choir. We sang for President and Sister Hinckley when he came to dedicate that beautiful building. I gained a very important piece of my testimony then that I knew he was a Prophet, I knew he was called of God, and I knew that his Priesthood power was real.

I know that the Lord is mindful of me in a very personal way. I know that He loves me and wants me to be happy. I also know and understand that if I understand his gospel that there must always be a Prophet on the earth. This knowledge alone has blessed my life so much. I understand that the Lord gives me us a Prophet, because He loves us.

Choice #3

“The worth of a soul is its capacity to become as God.” (President Thomas S. Monson, “The Service That Counts,” Ensign, November 1989, 45)

What do you learn in these revelations that helps you better understand the worth of a soul in the eyes of the Lord? Please describe five meaningful scriptures in these revelations that increase your understanding of the worth of a soul.

Verse 11: I think reading President Monson’s quote about the worth of souls really changed the way I view this verse. The fact is we know that Christ atoned for our sins. We know that he went on the cross for us and in a very individual manner, but something I don’t think I’ve really thought about is what he bought with his blood and life. He bought us opportunity. He bought us the opportunity to repent and change so that we could realize the full capacity of our souls.

Verse 15: This scripture brings me a lot of hope. I served in the Croatia-Slovenia mission, which has long been thought of as a ‘non-baptizing’ mission. While this isn’t altogether true, my brother, who served in Mexico City, baptized more people by himself in two years than my entire mission did in the year 2005., in fact the highest baptizing missionary I can think of baptized 5 people, and about 60% of them were inactive by the time he had been home for one year. My point here is some missionaries don’t have the opportunity to baptize hundreds of people and are able to write home every week about how their group baptism of 20 converts went, but hard work on behalf of your fellow brothers and sisters will always pay off. I also understand that this verse isn’t just directed towards the missionaries that wear a tag. We can do so much in our daily lives to be missionaries to those that we work with, associate with or just spend an airplane ride next to.

Verse 13: I have decided that I love this verse. It helps me understand how much our Heavenly Father loves us. I am a classically trained cellist. I have played the cello since I was 3.5 years old. I have also been in the elite choir of BYU-Idaho, and enjoyed a lot of musical success in my life. During my first semester in the Collegiate Singers a far more experienced singer than myself (as well as a dear friend) once helped me get over some pretty bad stage fright I was dealing with. He told me that, ‘the audience wants you to do well. They would not come here hoping that you were going to fail or sound terrible or anything like that. They want you to do well more than you do.’ I believe this is the same perspective our Heavenly Father has with us. Why would a loving, caring and concerned Father in Heaven send us here hoping or expecting us to fail? He wouldn’t.

Verse 12: I love how straight-forward this verse it. There is no beating around the bush with this one. It teaches three very important pieces of pure doctrine. First of all the verse teaches that Christ did die for us, and he broke the bands of death through his resurrection. Secondly, it teaches that He intends to save as many of us as He possibly can (our agency being the key factor there). Thirdly, we can learn that there is only one way that we can get achieve the lofty goal of eternal life and salvation and that is through repentance. The Lord has set conditions of entry for the Kingdom of Heaven. They aren’t secret conditions or require anything beyond our current capability; he spells them out for us. The Lord wants us to repent, and if we do fully, he will allow us to enter his Kingdom.

Verse 14: I love this verse. This verse hearkens back to some of the prior sections that we have gone over already but, again, I love the simplicity involved here. The Lord has a church-wide calling given to every member of the Church and that is to cry repentance to our generation. I also like the word ‘cry’ here. I don’t think the Lord means the way my two year old niece cries (for attention and honestly is faking it 99% of the time) but the way my two week old daughter does it. My daughter cries with her entire body and it is usually over something as important as something that will sustain her life better than the love and affection of her parents; food. She doesn’t just screaming either, she starts off with a face of intense emotion, letting us know that there is something highly important to her that I am neglecting to see, if her need is ignored further this face of emotion becomes far more intense and she will start to squirm and wiggle further trying to get my attention to the ever-pressing matter. Eventually, if she is ignored further, she will start to cry loudly letting us know that she means business.

Doctrine and Covenants 4

When I was a young man, going to church in a small suburb of Boston, the entire body of Priesthood brethren would start off opening exercises reciting Section 4 of the Doctrine and Covenants of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe that the Doctrine and Covenants are revelations from our Heavenly Father, given through the Prophet, Joseph Smith. We believe that while these revelations were given over one hundred years ago and often times they were given for specific individuals. That being said, we believe that the lessons taught in these sections are still very applicable to us, in our day. This is especially applicable to Section 4 of the Doctrine and Covenants.

"Now behold, a marvelous work is about to come forth among the children of men. Therefore, O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day. Therefore, if ye have desires to serve God ye are called to the work; For behold the field is white already to harvest; and lo, he that thrusteth in his sickle with his might, the same layeth up in store that he perisheth not, but bringeth salvation to his soul; And faith, hope, charity and love, with an eye single to the glory of God, qualify him for the work. Remember faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, brotherly kindness, godliness, charity, humility, diligence. Ask and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. Amen."

This is the entire section. While it is not lengthy in duration or flowery in it's speech, it is deep, powerful and very potent in it's language. Having had this memorized, perhaps longer than I have had almost anything else memorized, I have had the chance to think long and deeply about what this means in my life. There is no wasted language in this verse, no superfluous words or phrases. I'd like to think that this is because the Lord is busy enough answering our prayers, making miracles come to pass and loving us, his children, that candy-coating things just isn't in our best interest. For example, look at what the Lord says qualifies us to do his work, " This boggles my mind, and is something that I feel is so misused and under-appreciated. The fact is, the Lord wants us to do his work, if He didn't, there would be a lot more to qualify whether or not someone was able to do the work. He allows us, mere mortals, to do godly work as long as we have the desire to do so! This is incredible to me.

There are many little tidbits that I love about D&C 4, but when looking at the entire section as a whole brings an entirely different perspective on the awesome nature of it. When speaking specifically about the fourth section, President Joseph Fielding Smith said, “This revelation is very short, only seven verses, but it contains sufficient counsel and instruction for a lifetime study. No one has yet mastered it. It was not intended as a personal revelation to Joseph Smith, [Sr.] but to be of benefit to all who desire to embark in the service of God. It is a revelation to each member of the Church, especially to all who hold the Priesthood. Perhaps there is no other revelation in all our scriptures that embodies greater instruction pertaining to the manner of qualification of members of the Church for the service of God, and in such condensed form than this revelation. It is as broad, as high, and as deep as eternity. No elder of the Church is qualified to teach in the Church, or carry the message of Salvation to the world, until he has absorbed, in part at least, this heaven-sent instruction.” (President Joseph Fielding Smith, CHMR, Vol. 1, pp. 32-33) The fact that a prophet of God said that no one has fully taken advantage of the wealth of knowledge presented in just seven verses. The other thing that I think about is the fact that if a Prophet has said that this section is so important, we as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are over-looking and not appreciating the pearl we have here.

I served my mission in the former Yugoslavia. While there, I learned that missions are difficult. While I don’t want to get into the specific challenges that missionaries in my mission have to deal with, I do want to say that there are specific traits that every missionary needs. Every mission has different challenges, but the Missionary Handbook has laid out many rules and regulations that most missionaries are expected to follow. When a missionary follows these rules and regulations, one can expect to be met with success in his mission. While there are different definitions as to what success is, we’ll use the satisfaction of being very tired spiritually, physically, emotionally and mentally as our definition today. So, what else does a missionary need other than obedience to the rules established in the Missionary Handbook to succeed? All of the traits and strengths a missionary needs, or needs to develop are listed in section 4. Faith, Hope, Charity, Love, Focus on the Glory of God, desire, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, brotherly kindness, godliness, charity, humility, diligence and to remember to pray to our Heavenly Father and ask him for success, and for the blessings that we know he wants to pour out onto us.

I would like to touch on a few of these aspects. It is worth mentioning that the attribute “faith” is cited twice in the section. Faith is one of those things that you cannot have too much of in missionary work. I remember when I had been in Croatia for four months, I didn’t speak the language well (even in comparison to the missionaries I came to the country with) and I didn’t feel prepared to do much but sit there and learn from a senior companion. My mission president put me in as a District leader over a very young district and in a city that had seen one baptism in five years. Looking at the situation on paper it didn’t look like a small group of very young missionaries would be able to make much of a difference in that small city, but collectively, I was working with one of the best sets of sister missionaries in the world, as long as one the very best senior couples in the world, them coupled with my two wonderful companions (I was in a group of three at the time) make it so much easier to have a little faith in what we were doing. Not only did we all have faith that the work would go forth despite the fact that we were a very young group of missionaries who, in general spoke the language quite poorly at the time, and we also had great faith in one another. Since that district started working in that city, it has seen over 50 baptisms in the last few years. Not only were we met with great success but we also set a precedent for how the work should be conducted throughout the rest of the mission. Faith is a tool that is greatly underestimated in the work of missionaries and by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The other attribute that I would like to mention is ‘godliness’. As members of the church we believe that our Heavenly Father allows us to participate in his work, which is by His own definition is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of us, his children. We believe that he loves us, and wants us to return to him some day. How much closer to godliness does helping our godly Father do His work make us? I would submit that second only to parenthood, Missionary is the closest we can be to godly in this lifetime. Because of His great power and omnipotence, God does not necessarily need our help, but allows us to take part in his work so we can gain a better understanding of what it is like to truly be selfless and love someone that may have difficulty helping themselves without us.