Preparing Members and Prospective Missionaries to Share the Gospel.
Disclaimer: I Have No Calling Or Authority and Cannot Speak for the LDS Church. I Write Only from My Perspective as a Returned Missionary. Any and All Mistakes are Mine Alone.
I have been thinking for a while now that I have done as much as I could with the missionary focus of this blog.The inspiration for The Whole Missionary came during the priesthood session of the October 2012 General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. That was the same conference where the announcement was made regarding the change in the age of eligibility for young men and women for serving full time missions.
A midst the excitement the announcement generated among family and friends, I listened to the first talks of that priesthood session which seemed to focus on what it meant to be men. I had a thought I had had many times before, that we could do a better job of preparing our young people to serve missions. Among the missionaries I served with on my mission there were various reasons why these young men and women had accepted the call to serve, some well thought out, others rather silly. I had accepted my call out of gratitude for the blessings God had given me and out of a desire to serve him, and I could think of no better reason.
So I started a blog dedicated to helping people prepare to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. While focusing on missionary work, most of the time, I posted on many different topics, and soon accumulated 170 posts. But I think I first realized I might have been running out of steam when I started posting edited versions of letters I sent home from my mission all those years ago. At the same time, I have been posting more and more on topics that had little if anything to do with preparing for and serving a full time mission. So, I have started another blog, Good Tidings For Us. I may still have an occasional idea for a missionary focused post, but I also have other ideas. I might continued posting those letters from the mission field of the late 1980s, but I have also been thinking about posting more stories about my great great great grandfather Frederick G. Williams. I might post other stories from LDS Church history. The more I ponder this, it occurs to me that the sky may really be the limit.
The inspiration for the name of this new blog comes from the fourth verse of the LDS hymn Redeemer of Israel:
As children of Zion, Good tidings for us. The tokens already appear. Fear not, and be just, For the kingdom is ours. The hour of redemption is near. Recent events at home and abroad have reminded us that the world is a dangerous place. It may seem at times that we are surrounded by fire on every side, or that we may, in fact, be living in a world on fire. Yet there really are "good tidings for us." No matter how dark things get, there will always be good news; in the gospel of Jesus Christ we may find peace and strength, and the courage to press forward during these latter days.
There is difficulty in the world around us, but there is often also difficulty in our day to day lives. No matter how much we may struggle, or how weak we may feel ourselves to be, we can always humble ourselves and exercise faith in God and the Son he sent to die for us. We have his promise that His grace is sufficient to make weak things become strong if we truly will humble ourselves and have faith in Him.
I have a confession to make, I am a John Bytheway fan. In fact, I have been wishing for years that I could have similar success as an inspirational writer and speaker. That's one reason I started this blog, to inspire others, especially youth who are preparing to serve, or who may considering serving a mission. I am not John Bytheway, I have a completely different personality. but that's a good thing. We already have a John Bytheway, and we really don't need another. That reminds me of a quote by Dwight David Eisenhower, the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe during World War II, and later the President of the United States. Before the war, Eisenhower had served as chief of staff to General Douglas MacArthur who, though a brilliant commander, was given to too much self-promotion. After the war started, but before Eisenhower was ordered to Europe, he worked for another brilliant commander, General George Marshall, the Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army. In October 1942, Eisenhower is supposed to have said to an assistant, "I wouldn't trade one Marshall for fifty MacArthurs." A moment later he added, "That would be a lousy deal. What would I do with fifty MacArthurs!" The point of that little aside is that we should always be ourselves. In this blog I have often included tidbits from military history or from contemporary military affairs that I thought I could use to make a point. I have done so because that is who I am. Ever since I was in high school I have been interested in military history, principally of the U.S. Navy during World War II. That interest taught me how to think and analyze as I studied and tried to learn from history.
There may be value in observing the better traits in others and seeking to emulate them, but we should never lose sight of who we are as individuals. God gave us talents and interests for a reason, and by developing those talents and interests we can become the best of our unique selves. Also, as the humorist, author, actor, pianist and composer Oscar Levant once said, "It'd be nice to please everyone but I thought it would be more interesting to have a point of view."
This is a rather long way of introducing the subject of this post. John Bytheway recently wrote in his blog (we both have blogs!) that the best we to make friends was to control the things we can control and not worry about the things we can't control. He proposed that we should be curious, be clean, and be Christlike.
I would add, be assertive. Don't wait around waiting for people to befriend you, take the initiative, be outgoing. If this suggestion seems daunting, just think how simple it can be to smile and greet someone in a friendly way, then recall Alma's words to Helaman, "By small and simple things are great things brought to pass." I can testify of the truth of those words. I had a few friends my sophomore year in high school, which was a few more than I had had in my 9th grade year, when I was so shy that I could only manage a smile when someone said "hi" to me. As a sophomore I could say "hi" back, and by the end of the year I could even have short conversation. I set a goal for my junior year to take the initiative, to be the first to say "hi". It was such a small and simple thing, and yet the results far exceeded my expectations. Suddenly, it seemed, I had more friends than I ever though it was possible to have, because being assertive allowed me to meet more people with which I could then take the initiative. Another suggestion, be willing to open up a little. We allow people to get to know us better by inviting them in. At the same time, however, remember that less is more. We don't want to build walls to separate us from others, but at the same time, we don't want to leave ourselves wide open. Take risks, yes, but make them calculated risks. Finally, treat others the way you would want to be treated. The Golden Rule is so simple, and yet it is so amazing. If you want respect, give it. If you want kindness, spread it. While there will be some who might be tempted to take advantage, others will appreciate the respect and kindness you show, and will want to return it themselves. At the same time, remember that nothing in the Gospel means that you have to be a doormat. Being meek does not mean being a victim; stand up for yourself and for others when appropriate. Before I go, I wanted to share another article, this time from the Deseret News. 9 things I wish I had known before my mission Number two is particularly relevant to this blog: I wish I had known the importance of preparing early.
Preparing for a mission can begin as early as elementary school with your neighborhood lawn-mowing business. Parents can help their children begin early in planning financially for their missions by opening a mission fund like those available through Deseret First Credit Union. Even if the child chooses not to serve a mission, learning to save money is never a bad idea.
Other helpful preparations involve learning to talk with people from different backgrounds, practicing bicycle safety, getting a driver’s license (this is a real problem) and attending seminary. Lastly, teenagers may want to take the opportunity to practice “unplugging” from technology and social media. Otherwise, it will be a long 18 months or two years. I would only add, get a copy of Preach My Gospel, learn how to make lesson plans, and then teach some mock discussions to family, friends and other members.
I have this old friend (and if you think you know who it is, do us both a favor and tell yourself that you don't) that I have seen all of three times since I left on my mission. The first two times were at high school reunions; the third time was just a few weeks ago at a funeral, and it was surreal. It was surreal because for the last few years she has been shutting me out in social media.
For several years I have been connecting with old high school friends via social media, and I was rather excited when this old friend showed up one day. Perhaps I was too enthusiastic when I sent her a message saying that it was great to see her on social media. She did not respond to my message and, in fact, it seemed that she disappeared. But a few months later I saw another old friend refer to her in a post. It appeared that she was still active at that social media site, but that she had blocked me.
This was a startling revelation. Why would she block me? What could I have done that would lead her to do that? As I often do, I spent too much time thinking about this, trying to figure out what, if anything, I might have done that could have upset her. This started a downward spiral that would take a long time to recover from.
After a few months I asked a mutual friend on social media to pass a message to this old friend that I was sorry. I left it alone for a few months but felt that I was sinking deeper into depression. Then I had the idea of writing her a letter; this seemed like a really bad idea, but the thought persisted and I have learned to pay attention any time an idea persists. I prayed about it, and about what I might say in the letter. When I had finished it, I prayed again about whether I should actually send the letter. Throughout it all I felt good about it, despite my continuing concern that it wasn't actually a good idea.
Several more months went by. I was having a very hard time, and not just regarding whatever was going on with this old friend. I was in the middle of a long period of unemployment, and there were a number of other issues going on. Many problems defied simple explanation, or a simple solution.
One day in the spring, I went for a walk in Salt Lake City, taking photographs, something I loved to do, and which often made me feel better. The beauty of spring led me to call out to God in prayer and express gratitude for this beautiful earth and the opportunity I had to photograph it. As I communed with God, I soon began to pray about the several challenges I was then experiencing -- including this situation with my old friend that really did seem to be the least of my problems. As I continued to pray, as I took more pictures of nature, I felt impressed to ask a mutual friend to act as an intermediary.
I was not sure that asking for mediation was a good idea but, again, the idea persisted. So I reached out to a friend, who agreed to act as an intermediary. Through this my old friend answered to say that I was forgiven and that she harbored no ill feelings. This was good news, but what came next was surprising as she said it would be best not to open any doors of friendship and that I should move on.
Move on? From what? Ironically, though she said that she prayed for my peace, she was doing something which would actually deny me that peace. Instead of making things better, her response actually made things more difficult. At the same time, I was now experiencing some emotions that up to that point I had been deferring. Before she let me know that she had forgiven me, my focus had been on what I must of have done, and I gave little thought to her silence beyond my frustration at being in the dark. After she said she forgave me, I started having feelings about how she had left me twisting in the wind. “Moving on,” turned out to be harder than I had expected, and I thought it was a hard thing I was being asked to do. From what I was "moving on" I still didn't know. When she said that she forgave me, I replied that I also forgave her, but now I found it next to impossible to stop thinking about her, and I could not find peace. Each time I thought of her I started countering those thoughts by saying "who?" "How could she do that to me?" "Who?" "How could she shut me out like that and leave me in the dark?" "Who?" The mutual friend who had acted as an intermediary suggested that the next time I saw this old friend that I should act normal and be polite. But that actually left me wondering just how I would react if I ran into her. Everywhere I went I seemed to anticipate the possibility that I might run into her, and wondered what would I do and what she would do. This was crazy, because I had seen this person all of twice in the previous 25 years! So I leaped on that little fact and started telling myself that the odds of my running into her was about a million to one. The more I did that, the more it helped. Then one sleepless night, I thought about what I might say to her. As I ran through it in my mind, trying to explain, I found myself comparing my friendship with her to my friendships with others. I thought about how I had written a friend from the mission field before he entered the MTC, how I went by his house when I got home to talk to his mother and find out how he was doing, and how I went by his house the day he came home. As I thought about this friend and some others, I began to realize how unique my relationship with each was. Suddenly I had these feelings of peace wash over me. Then I concluded that though there were things I could say to this old friend, there wasn't anything that I needed to say to her. With that I finally found peace. That night was almost two years ago. Though I had found peace, there was still a challenge. Finding peace did not remove the wall that she had placed between us. Even as I was able to hang on to that peace, I also could not help but be aware of that wall. It would not go away, and I continued to tell myself that the odds of running into her were a million to one -- and in some situations, probably a lot higher, even 5 million to 1. The say that time heals all wounds but that may or may not be true. While some wounds appear to be remarkably resistant, even to time, things do seem to get at least a little easier. I thought about her less and less and I didn't have to keep reminding myself of the odds. Meanwhile, in other areas of my life, things were also getting better. All was well, and then I went to a funeral. The service was for the father of a mutual friend, and I fully expected to see my old friend that day. But how things played out was unexpected, and rather surreal. My wife went in to the
chapel to get a seat while I parked the car. I went in and sat
beside my wife and saw two rows ahead of me, in my direct line of site,
this old friend. Throughout the entire service, which lasted two hours, she
was right there, so close yet so far away. I had expected that it could
be a difficult situation even before I went to the service, but this
made it harder than I could have imagined. I prayed for help, and I got
through it. After the service she walked out of the chapel; I don't
think she ever saw me.
In the days since the funeral I have felt almost that I am back at square one. The wall, which I had stopped being constantly aware of, is again glowing like a neon sign. I can't help but think of Ronald Reagan speaking in a divided Berlin, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall." My old friend, I don't need an explanation and there is nothing that I need to say. I would ask only for a small ray of light to drive away the shadows.
I did what you asked me to do. Now, please, have mercy on me, grant me that small ray of light and tear down this wall.
I have not been posting as much in this blog lately because a few months ago I started a new job in, of all places, a call center. The client is a health insurance company and I am helping members answer
questions about their medical plans. A call center was the absolute
last place I ever wanted to work, yet here I am and, perhaps even more
surprising, I might actually be good at it. This past week I completed my first full week of 8 hour shifts on the phone. I started training back in June. One of the things that put my mind at ease when I started was that the training course would last 11 weeks. To answer the concerns and questions of the customers, agents need to have a strong understanding of health insurance and the resources they use to find answers. In addition to learning about the business, I had to prepare myself for the idea of answering phones all day, every day. I have done phone work before, mostly reception work, and it has never been something I have enjoyed. Part of the preparation for this aspect would include role plays and presentations made before the class. Then one night, several weeks into the training, I had an unexpected opportunity. Spending eight hours a day studying health insurance can be tedious, and so the trainers would often try to break things up with different activities. The day before we had did paper survival exercise; what do you do after a plane crash in the country in the dead of winter, with a list of available supplies. It was interesting -- first rule, stay by the crashed airplane. In any case, the next day, after several hours of study, the trainer asked what we wanted to do to break things up. I said I had an idea for a presentation that was sort of like the survival exercise, and could relate to active listening, and the trainer gave me the go ahead. One thing that has interested me for many years is air combat, particularly dog fights between fighter aircraft. My presentation dealt with basic fighter combat maneuvers. Two planes, Ford 1 and Ford 2, are flying in a loose formation, which allows them to support each other; the wingman spots an enemy aircraft approaching from the left rear of his leader. The leader can respond to the approach by breaking into or away from enemy, by diving or by pulling up. Breaking into the approach is the best option, as the other three would still allow the enemy to approach and attack. It is the wingman's job to war the leader, and to do so in as few words as possible. If you are the wingman, what do you say over the radio to your leader? Read that paragraph again, if you need to, because it contains the answer to the question. Still not sure? Okay, here is the answer: "Ford 1, break left." The class enjoyed the presentation, and I really enjoyed giving it. When I sat back down, it occurred to me that something remarkable had just happened. I thought to myself that as recently as a year ago I probably would not have been able to do that -- well, I think I could have given the presentation, but I doubt that I would have been able to suggest the idea to the trainer in the first place.
Several times since then, as I have started taking phone calls, first a few weeks of two hours of calls a day, then an eight hour day, then a week full of eight hour days, I have been struck by the idea that I have been on a remarkable path for some time now, and not just since I started this new job. A year ago I was working in Small As Is production at Deseret Industries. I had been out of work for a long time, and I didn't have much confidence in myself. In Small As Is, I learned to sort and price donations to the DI, including books, shoes and electronics. While I was at the DI, I learned to do everything on the Small As Is line, which restored at least some confidence. I also had the chance to interact with the people who were working with me. I needed the confidence the DI gave me because my last few jobs had robbed me of confidence. Years before I had left the family business, after 10 years, because it was starting to fail. Working for companies owned by other people was kind of a culture shock, and somewhere along the way I got the idea that I had a communication problem -- I sometimes get tongue tied, but more significantly, I rarely have much to say. Thinking I had a problem was one thing, but then I started telling people in job interviews that I had this problem -- hey, I thought that I had to be honest when they asked about weaknesses. I took a job selling knives, not because I liked sales, but because I wanted to prove whether I could do it or not. What I learned is that stumbling over my words occasionally did not get in the way of making sales. If anything, it put the customer more at ease, which may then have led to sales. I also learned that I do not have a communication problem. From there I went to a temp agency and was assigned to a medical transcription company doing quality control. I went in with the attitude that I had something to prove, and that attitude paid off. I must have impressed my supervisors at the transcription company because they hired me to work from home. I thought that I had successfully started over, but after one year that company laid me off -- last one hired, first one fired. I went back to the temp agency and was placed with two more companies. At the first I again appeared to impress my supervisors -- they said I was special. But then there was a miscommunication regarding an important project, and my supervisor threw me under the bus. She said that I had misunderstood the directions she gave, but she had failed to be clear in her directions. Still, the lesson was that I should have asked for specifics. Within a week my assignment ended with that company. At the next company I made a couple of silly mistakes, and that assignment, too, was short lived. I didn't get any more assignments from the temp agency, though I kept pestering them to let them know I was available. It didn't help that the economy was struggling. The temp agency had worked once for me, but now I couldn't even get an assignment. It appeared that no company would hire me. I went back to school for a year, studying history, but I wasn't sure if it was worth the debt I was incurring. Finally, I went to the DI, where I started rebuilding my confidence. The only problem was, I didn't want to leave Small As Is. I got to be too comfortable there, besides, I still wasn't sure if any company would hire me. Because of this, I might have stayed at the DI longer than necessary. Eventually, however, they put me into a program called Accelerated Job Search, which basically meant that they paid me to job hunt. The daily goals of AJS are 15, 10 & 2. That is, 15 resources, 10 contacts and 2 face to face meetings with a hiring manager. Getting the resources and the contacts is the easy part, but the face to face meetings are more difficult. I spent 6 weeks in the AJS program, and got several interviews. In the end, however, I only got one job offer. And that is how I ended up in a call center. It has been a long and difficult journey, and it isn't over yet. But I am on a good path, and I am willing to see where that path leads. Throughout this journey I have often reflected on a quote by Eleanor Roosevelt: "You must do the thing you think you cannot do."
If we are willing to do that thing, we may be surprised to learn that we can actually do it, and even do it well. But even if that doesn't turn out to be the case, we will still have learned something valuable. As the poet Robert Frost wrote, we will profit more by taking the road less travelled.
My wife and I spoke last Sunday in our ward's sacrament meeting; she spoke on the subject of pride while I spoke on character and integrity. A good portion of what I said ought to be familiar with regular readers of this blog, but there was some new stuff, as well:
I recently came across a TED talk given
by a retired Navy admiral named James Stavridis. TED, which stands
for Technology, Entertainment, Design, is a global set of conferences
run by a private non-profit organization, under the slogan "Ideas
Worth Spreading". Admiral Stavridis is a name I recognized,
since I have been following Navy and military issues for a number of
years now.
The title of Stavridis's autobiography
is “The Accidental Admiral.” He attended to the U.S. Naval
Academy at Annapolis for the same reason many others have done
throughout history, to get a free, quality education. He didn't plan
on making the Navy his career and as his commitment neared its end,
he was looking at opportunities for continuing his education. His
mentor was an officer named Mike Mullen, who would later become the
Chief of Naval Operations and then the Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs
of Staff.
Mullen recommended that instead of
getting stuck with a huge law school bill, Stavridis should accept a
scholarship he could arrange to the Fletcher School of Law &
Diplomacy at Tufts University in Medford, Mass. While this would
only add three years to Stavridis's original commitment, it ended up
paving the way to a career. After commanding a destroyer, which won
an award as the best-run ship in the Atlantic fleet, Stavridis went
on to command a destroyer squadron and a carrier battle group.
In 2006 he became the commander in
chief of the U.S. Southern Command, and it was about this time that I
first heard of him. About that time I came across an article he had
written for the periodical of the U.S. Naval Institute titled “Read,
Think, Write, and Publish.” As an aspiring writer, this article
interested me. Ben Franklin is credited as saying that we should
either do something worth writing about, or write about something
worth reading, Stavridis argued that we should do both.
In 2009, Stavridis became the Supreme
Allied Commander Europe, which is the commander of NATO, the North
Atlantic Treaty Organization. He once gave a presentation in which
he talked about having a profile on Facebook, and he said that anyone
could friend him at the social media website. A few newspapers
picked up the story with the headline: “NATO admiral needs
friends.” This led to a number of friendship requests, as well as
several comments including one which said, “I heard you needed
friends. By the way, what is NATO?”
After retiring in 2013, Stavridis
returned to the Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy to become its
dean. In his TED talk, Stavridis showed an image from the World War
I battlefield of Verdun. Referring to the trenches of the Great War,
the Maginot Line of World War II, and the battle of Stalingrad during
the same war, he argued that “walls don't work.” Despite this
fact, he noted that we have continued to build walls, including the
Iron Curtain and the Berlin Wall of the Cold War.
This lesson that “walls don't work,”
could have been learned as far back as the 14th Century
when the Great Wall of China was built. In the first 100 years of
that wall's existence, China was invaded three times, but the wall
itself was neither dismantled nor scaled. Instead, the invading
armies entered through the gates, each time bribing a gatekeeper.
The Chinese had put their emphasis on the physical integrity of the
stone structure, but neglected the importance of insuring the moral
integrity of their soldiers.
In his TED talk, Admiral Stavridis
talked about about security threats we face in the 21st
century from piracy in the Straits of Malacca, the Gulf of Guinea and
across the world's oceans – in 2011, 20 ships and 500 people were
held hostage by pirates – to threats on the cyber-sea, the world
wide web – the admiral spoke of two men who committed credit-card
fraud worth $10 billion – to the trafficking of illegal drugs and
illegal weapons.
There are other threats, to society,
and to us as individuals. Many of us have probably felt concern for
the moral integrity of society as we have followed the news in recent
years. A 2006 Gallup Poll showed that 80 percent of Americans rated
the moral condition of our country as fair or poor and thought it was
worsening." As this decline in the moral condition has
occurred, there have been some who have called for new laws and new
regulations. While new laws may be appropriate, by themselves they
will not be enough; even the greatest of walls, as we have seen, can
be undermined by a lack of character and integrity.
Another wall that did not work, was the
“hedge” or “fence” which Jewish leaders built around the Law
of Moses. By building this “wall” the elders hoped to develop a
system of rules and interpretations that would keep people as far
from sin as possible. The Law of Moses was intended to point the
Children of Israel toward the Savior, but instead, with additions, it
became extremely burdensome.
Even Latter-day Saints can struggle
with issues of character and integrity as we seek to serve God with
all our heart, might, mind and strength, and with an eye single to
His glory. Missionaries, too, can struggle with these issues. It
is often said that 20 percent of missionaries do 80 percent of the
work while 80 percent do 20 percent of the work. Many missionaries
also struggle to live the mission rules; some may find specific rules
difficult or even pointless, still others think it is cool to break
the rules.
As with the Chinese and their soldiers, our first
line of defense is not the "walls" of commandments, rules
or laws, but is rather our personal integrity and character. A
number of years ago I read another article in the U.S. Naval
Institute's Proceedings
titled “The Whole Sailor.” In it the authors argued that
character underpins our humanity; ultimately it defines us as
individuals and has a significant impact on motivation and
performance. Indeed, character is the foundation of all
decision-making.
Further, the authors
stated that integrity is a vital component of an individual's
character; the word comes from the Latin integritas,
which referred to the quality of a Roman Legionnaire's armor. With
integrity, all was possible in battle and all was whole. Absent
integrity, there was vulnerability; indeed, there would be a
"disintegrity" or disintegration.
President Thomas S. Monson
has often said that “decisions determine destiny.” In May 1968,
he said, “Perhaps the word 'character' best describes one who is
true to himself. For character takes no account of what you are
thought to be, but what you are.” President Monson went on to say,
“Character is having an inner light and the courage to follow its
dictates. One who is true to himself develops the attributes needed
to survive errors, to keep marching on the road that seems to be
without end, and to rise above disappointment and distress.”
In his TED talk, Admiral
Stavridis argued that “We will not deliver security solely from the
barrel of a gun.” Neither can we strengthen the moral condition of
society solely by passing laws or writing new regulations, and
neither can we strengthen our personal character and integrity by
relying solely on commandments and rules.
While commandments and
laws are important, and should be kept and obeyed, there are other
opportunities for strengthening our character and integrity. In
Moroni chapter 7, Mormon gave us counsel on how we can have “every
good thing.” The recipe is simple: Faith, Hope and Charity. If we
come unto Christ, humble ourselves and have faith in him, that we
might be lifted by his grace, then we must have hope, and if we have
faith and hope, then we must have charity. Charity is the pure love
of Christ, it endures forever, and without it we are nothing.
Mormon counseled us that
when we pray that we should pray to be filled with this love. It is
never too early to start, and we should continue to pray that we may
continue to be filled with charity, that we may be purified and that
we may truly be like Jesus. We must be careful to always have faith
and hope, and to always pray and study the scriptures, so that we may
never lose this charity once we have been filled with it.
If we are filled with
charity, then might our character and integrity be strong, then, like
the barges built by the brother of Jared, might we be “tight like
unto a dish.” These barges were not unlike submarines in that they
at times needed to be able to withstand being completely submerged
under water. The phrase they use on a modern submarine is
“watertight integrity.”
Even if we are praying
regularly to be filled with charity, there will still be threats to
our character and integrity and constant vigilance may be the price
we pay. Yet we can also be assured that the Atonement is there for
us. The Lord said to Moroni that He gives us weaknesses so that we
may be humble; He also said that "my grace is sufficient for all
men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves
before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become
strong unto them.”
This is open to all of us;
if we come unto Him he will show us our weaknesses, and if we humble
ourselves before Him and exercise faith in Him, He will lift us with
His grace and make "weak things become strong". If we
desire to increase the strength of our character and integrity, we
need only come unto Christ and humble ourselves.
Sources:
Stavridis, J. (2012): A Navy Admiral's Thoughts on Global Security (Video):
Lille, B (2012). "Open-source security: James Stavridis at TEDGlobal 2012." TED Blog, accessed at:
Today I came across a blog post by Jason F. Wright, a bestselling author and motivational speaker, which included a letter to his daughter, who recently entered the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah. Letter to my daughter — A mission isn’t for you No, he isn't saying that a mission is a bad idea, or that is daughter isn't up to the task. Rather, he is saying that a mission isn't about you, it's about the Lord, and about the people you will teach and serve. I wanted to post a link to Wright's post because I whole heartedly agree with it. One of my first posts in this blog quoted remarks Elder Jeffrey R. Holland gave at the Provo MTC on August 24, 2010 (as witnessed by my nephew, who was then an elder in the MTC): He said that a mission comes once, so
"give it all you have." Missionaries should be dedicated to the work
"every hour, every day, every minute, all the way." Elder Holland made
the point that this is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,
it is His church, His gospel, His work, and HIS MISSION. This is not
your mission, it is the Lord's mission, he argued. Elder Holland also
said that a mission is not Burger King, "We don't hold the pickles,"
making the point that missions are not tailored to the needs of the
missionary. "Don't do this your way," Elder Holland added, "do this the
Lord's way." Pray to be Filled with Charity and Give it All You Have To repeat: "This is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, it is His church, His gospel, His work, and HIS MISSION. This is not your mission, it is the Lord's mission." Wright also had some advice for his daughter regarding her companions:
Speaking of prayer, invest many of them in your companions. They’ll be different than you, but no less wonderful. Some will be more knowledgeable, some less so. Some more confident, others may struggle. Many will teach with great power and authority, others with a soft, humble voice. Celebrate and embrace those differences. God gives us all different
talents, and as long as they all have arrows pointing to Him, it doesn’t
matter what they look like. Love them all. Serve them endlessly. Put the Savior first and your
companion second. Do that, and you’ll never be forgotten nor left behind
by either one. I had some similar comments in my early blog post:
In
my mission, there were missionaries for whom it took everything they had
to get 25 hours of teaching and tracting each week, there were others
for whom 25 hours wasn’t really a challenge, and still others who easily
did more. . . .
There
are . . . realities that each missionary must deal with: realities
about himself, about his companions, about his areas, and about life in
general. In these realities are to be found opportunity -- the
opportunity to develop charity. With charity we can have compassion and
understanding towards those missionaries who at first glance look like
buckets (the term in my mission for a lazy missionary), but with another
glance might be seen as those who are giving their all even if they are
doing less. . . .
If
we have charity, we might be instruments in the hands of the Lord in
helping others to become stronger. In dealing with the realities about
ourselves and others, while humbling ourselves before God, and while
praying to be filled with the pure love of Christ, we can become
powerful tools in the service of the Lord.
I had many different companions on my mission; some were confident, others less so. Some were willing to work hard, while some lacked motivation. Some were good at teaching, but a few seemed to be little more than warm bodies. But as I try to have charity, I can see that, despite their weaknesses, these elders were doing the best they could and, in their own way, giving it all they had.
L. Tom Perry served as an LDS missionary in the Northern States Mission during 1942-1944, after which he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. During his military service, he was sent to the Pacific, to the island of Saipan and later to Japan as part of the occupation force. His recent passing has prompted me to share the following story: I was among the first wave of Marines to go
ahsore in Japan after the signing of the peace treaty following World
War II. Entering Nagasaki was one of the
saddest experiences of my life. A large part of the city had been
totally destroyed. Some of the dead had not yet been buried. As
occupation troops, we set up
headquarters and went to work.
The situation was very bleak, and a few of us wanted to give more. We
went to our division chaplain and requested permission to help rebuild
the Christian
churches. Because of government restrictions during the war, these
churches had almost ceased to function. Their few buildings were badly
damaged. A group of
us volunteered to repair and re-plaster these chapels during our off-duty
time so they would be available for the holding of Christian services
again.
We had no command of the language. All we could accomplish was the
physical labor of repairing the buildings. We found ministers who had
been unable to serve
during the war years and encouraged them to return to their pulpits. We
had a tremendous experience with these people as they again experienced
the freedom to
practice their Christian beliefs.
An event occurred as we were leaving Nagasaki to return home that I will
always remember. As we were boarding the train that would take us to
our ships to
return home, we were teased by a lot of the other Marines. They had
their girlfriends with them saying good-bye to them. They laughed at us
and indicated that
we had missed the fun of being in Japan. We had just wasted our time
laboring and plastering walls.
Just as they were at the height of their teasing, up over a little rise
near the train station came about two hundred of these great Japanese
Christians from
the churches we had repaired, singing "Onward, Christian Soldiers." They
came down and showered us with gifts. Then they all lined up along the
railroad track, and as the train started down the tracks, we reached out
and just touched their fingers as we left. We couldn't speak; our
emotions were
too strong. But we were grateful that we could help in some small way in
reestablishing Christianity in a nation after the war.
Source: Saints At War: Experiences of Latter-day Saints in World War II, Robert C. Freeman and Dennis A. Wright (Covenant Communications: American
Fork, Utah, 2001) pgs 380-381.
A popular American television show recently ended its 2014-2015 season with a story that involved the recruitment of kids by a terrorist group via the Internet. While this was a fictional story, it was based at least in part on news stories which appeared this past winter regarding the use of the Internet for the recruitment of teenagers by ISIS. See: ISIS Recruiting U.S. Terrorists on Social Media "Through the Internet and social media they can reach these kids and
there is a small percentage of disaffected Muslim youth in America that,
for a variety of reasons, feel alienated from this society," said former CIA analyst Patrick Skinner.
"Groups like ISIS have a very sophisticated propaganda machine, in fact
the most sophisticated propaganda we've seen from any terrorist
organization," said Matt Olsen, former director of the National
Counterterrorism Center. "There are vultures on social media who try to take advantage of our children," said Omer Mozaffar, a Muslim chaplain at Loyola University.
This idea of terrorist groups recruiting teenagers via the Internet is astonishing. We can add yet another threat to the many facing the youth of today. While these groups are primarily targeting Muslim teenagers, the Adversary has plenty of tricks up his sleeve to endanger today's youth. The Internet, through smart phones, tablets and other devices, is full of other dangers, from pornography, sexting, cyberbullying, gaming, social networks to, of course, predators hiding behind fake personas to "befriend" children. See: 7 Dangers of the Internet for Kids It may seem that the youth of today is surrounded by fire on every side, or that we may, in fact, be living in a world on fire. How can we protect ourselves and our children from the flames? Recall, if you will, the story of Daniel and his friends, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who were carried away as captives from Jerusalem to Babylon. The four young men were trained as members of the kings court, and were provided meat and wine for nourishment. But the four refused to partake, and Daniel proposed that they be allowed for ten days to eat "pulse" and drink water. After ten days, the king saw that "their countenances appeared fairer and fatter in flesh than all the children which did eat the portion of the king’s meat." (See Daniel chapter 1.)
Not long after this, however, the king decreed that anyone who did not worship an image of gold that he had had created would be cast into a fiery furnace. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refused to worship the idol and "certain Chaldeans" went to the king to accuse the three of not worshiping according to the decree. The king commanded that the three be brought before him, and when they were, he challenged them on the matter of worshiping the golden idol, adjuring them to do so lest he order them thrown into a fiery furnace in that same hour. "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up" (Daniel 3:16-18). True to his word, the king ordered the three young men to be cast into a furnace so hot that the servants who threw them in were killed by the heat. "And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste, and
spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound
into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O
king. He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God" (Daniel 3:23-25). Instead of being burned by the fire, or harmed be the heat, the three young men were protected by their God because of their faith in him. "Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, came forth of the midst of the fire. And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king’s counsellors,
being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them. Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God" (Daniel 3:26-28). The king was so impressed that he issued a new decree which forbade anyone from speaking anything amiss regarding the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Elder Neal A. Maxwell said: “We will [not] always be rescued from
proximate problems, but we will be rescued from everlasting death!
Meanwhile, ultimate hope makes it possible to say the same three words
used centuries ago by three valiant men. They knew God could rescue them
from the fiery furnace if He chose. ‘But if not,’ they said,
nevertheless, they would still serve Him!” See: A Brightness of Hope But as President Gordon B. Hinckley said, “The Lord would want you to be successful. He would. You are His sons and His daughters. He has the same kind of love and ambition for you that your earthly parents have. They want you to do well and you can do it.” (See: Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley (1997), 614 Additionally, as Nephi said when he was commanded to return to Jerusalem to retrieve the Brass Plates, "I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them" 1 Nephi 3:7).
In facing the challenges of today, in staying clean, keeping his commandments, and preparing to serve a mission and marry in the temple, he wants us to succeed and he will prepare a way for us that we may accomplish that which he has commanded us if we humble ourselves before him and exercise faith in him. His grace is sufficient and he can make weak things become strong (see Ether 12:27). "Wherefore, let us be faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord" (1 Nephi 3:16).
Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostle of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has observed:
"The bedrock of character is integrity. Worthy character will strengthen your capacity to respond obediently to the direction of the Spirit. Righteous character is what you are becoming. It is more important that what you own, what you have learned, or what goals you have accomplished. It allows you to be trusted. Righteous character provides the foundation of spiritual strength. It enables you in times of trial and testing to make difficult, extremely important decisions correctly even when they seem overpowering." Earlier in the same talk, given at the April 2003 General Conference of the LDS Church, Elder Scott stated that:
"God
uses your faith to mold your character. Character is the manifestation
of what you are becoming. Strong moral character results from consistent
correct choices in the trials and testing of life. Your faith can guide
you to those correct choices. Clearly, it is what you do and what you
think about that determine what you are and what you will become.
Therefore, the choices you make need to be inspired by the Lord. Others
can encourage you to make the right decisions, but those choices must
not be prescribed by them. You need to ponder, pray, and exercise faith
to willingly make choices consistent with the teachings of the Master.
Such choices are made with trust in things that are believed and when
acted upon will be confirmed. Only enough guidance is given to lead you
aright and not to weaken your growing character. That guidance will
solidify your trust in Heavenly Father and the Savior.
Faith
will forge strength of character available to you in times of urgent
need. Such character is not developed in moments of great challenge or
temptation. That is when it is used. Character is woven patiently from
threads of principle, doctrine, and obedience. In James we read: 'The
trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect
work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing'" (James 1:3-4). See: The Sustaining Power of Faith in Times of Uncertainty and Testing How important do I think character and integrity are? They are among the first things I posted about in this blog: "Are character and integrity
important? The answer can be found in the fourth section of the
Doctrine and Covenants, which missionaries everywhere repeat in
groups as often as once a week – they did in my day, at least, and
in San Jose we also recited The Standard of Truth.
"'.
. . See that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind, and
strength, that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day.'
"What
do character and integrity demand of the missionary? They demand
hard work. I hope that you are not disappointed in the simplicity of
the answer. Actually, hard work might be an understatement when it
sits along side serving with all your heart, might, mind and
strength."
See:
A Blog is Born In another early post I used and analogy with the Great Wall of China: "'The Great Wall of China, built as an impenetrable defense against barbaric hordes to the north, is a magnificent structure. . . . Many believed the wall guaranteed
that no army could penetrate the country's borders" they continued.
"However, during the first hundred years of its existence, China was
invaded three times. Not once was [the wall] torn down or scaled by
invading armies. Rather, each time invaders entered by bribing a
gatekeeper and simply marching through the gates. The Chinese had so
relied on the physical integrity of the formidable stone walls that they
overlooked the importance of ensuring the moral integrity of their
soldiers.'"
I came back to the subject of character and integrity a few weeks later:
"Even missionaries can struggle with
issues of character and integrity as they seek to serve God with all
their heart, might, mind and strength, and with an eye single to His
glory. It is often said that 20 percent of missionaries do 80 percent
of the work while 80 percent do 20 percent of the work -- I always
thought the split was more like 90-10. Many missionaries also struggle
to live the mission rules; some may find specific rules difficult or
even pointless, still others think it is cool to break the rules. "As with the Chinese and their soldiers,
our first line of defense is not the "walls" of commandments, rules or
laws, but is rather our personal integrity and character. Character
underpins our humanity; ultimately it defines us as individuals and has a
significant impact on motivation and performance. Indeed, character is
the foundation of all decision-making."
July 27, 1988 After the excitement last week, this week was kind of dull. Though it did get off to a good start with a zone conference up in Salinas. On the way back down to Seaside, we hopped over to the the Robert Talbot tie store in Carmel Valley, where I bought six more ties for a dollar apiece.
While
I was cooking my dinner in the evening I suddenly remembered that we
had a dinner appointment with the Nesbits and with Brother Bartlett.
We were an hour late when we finally got there. I was so
embarrassed, but it all worked out. We went on team-ups after
eating.
It was back to work on Friday. We tracted a street in the morning and had a teaching appointment in the evening. We taught Victor in the home of a member family, the Syphuses, and it went well. The Syphus family is also working with another friend, James. We set up an appoint to show both James and Victor some videos. We did some more tracting on Saturday, and place two copies of the Book of Mormon. We had a teaching appointment scheduled with Robin for that evening, but it fell through. After church on Sunday, we had a dinner appointment out in Carmel Valley with the Higgenbothams. Brother Higgenbotham is a counselor to President Douglas in the mission presidency. That evening, another appointment with Reuben and Robin fell through. Instead, we went over to Monterey to attend a baptism for the sister missionaries in a member's swimming pool.
We
went to show Trudy Together
Forever
but found out that she had just had a kitchen fire. So we went and
showed the video to Sister Nesbit instead. We then talked about
Nancy Oaks with Sister Nesbit. In the afternoon we went tracting.
In
the evening we had a dinner appointment at the Crowley’s on Fort
Ord. Sister Crowley forgot to buy some food for the dinner so she
got out some Meals Ready to Eat (MREs) which is the modern equivalent
of the Army’s K Rations of World War II. We had spaghetti which
was actually pretty good. After dinner we did some member work at a
family home evening.
We
started tracting Yosemite on Tuesday morning. This street runs parallel to
Noche Buena which we had so much success on. Transfer calls came out that day and we got our call at 12:30 p.m. Elder Victor is being
transferred to Foster City and Elder Tango has been called as a
trainer. Elder Friend and I are staying. This was a five week
transfer period, usually transfer periods are just four weeks long.
We went on team-ups in the evening and Brother Miller and I stopped
by Trudy’s to help her move some furniture.
We
left early to get Elder Victor up to the transfer van in Salinas.
Since Tango is going to be a trainer, we didn’t have to wait
around for the van to come back. We stopped by the Clifford’s in
Toro Park on the way home and they invited us to stay for breakfast.
After that we went to Carmel by the Sea and bummed around. We did
some laundry and letter writing in the afternoon. In the evening we
had a dinner appointment on Fort Ord.
On April 24, 2015, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, the Second Counselor in the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, gave the keynote speech at the inaugural John A. Widtsoe Symposium at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. "Eighty years ago, the president of the University of Southern California extended an invitation to the President of the LDS Church in Salt Lake City to send someone to teach a class on Mormonism during the 1935–36 academic year," said President Uchtdorf. "Dr. John A. Widtsoe was asked to fulfill that assignment. . . . When Brother Widtsoe was teaching about Mormonism on this campus eight
decades ago, the Church he represented looked quite different from the
way it looks today. I hope you will allow me an opportunity to give a
short infomercial on how the Church and its people have changed over the
last 80 years. I do not wish to brag (even though it may sound like
it). I hope to establish an understanding of the path we have traveled
and where we are headed in the 21st century."
In the informercial portion of his talk, President Uchtdorf spoke of the Church moving from being “insular, concerned primarily with the well-being of its own members,” to its expanded reach to help people worldwide through its welfare and humanitarian efforts. “Today," said President Uchtdorf, "the LDS Church connects cultures, nationalities, languages, and people of every socioeconomic status,” he said. “It encourages people to be good citizens, to care for those who are in distress, to be kind to others, and to nurture and build loving, respectful families. Today, Church members seek to create goodwill among people of all religious beliefs, political persuasions, and of every race.” Following the infomercial, President Uchtdorf moved on to the meat of his talk, relating the experience he and his wife had in visiting Auschwitz, the concentration camp where millions of Jews were murdered as part of Adolf Hitler's "Final Solution." "One cannot visit such a place without coming away from it changed," reported President Uchtdorf. "We walked along the same paths that so many others had walked. One could almost see weary mothers holding the hands of terrified children, the hobbling steps of the elderly and the infirm, the despair in the eyes of those caught in a cold and terrible nightmare—the immeasurable sadness in the eyes of those who understood what was about to happen. I can imagine them looking at one another -- families, parents, children, loved ones, friends, and strangers -- their eyes filled with fear, grief, and resignation." He went on to say, "As Harriet and I walked away from that place that has been hallowed by the blood of so many innocents, we felt changed. We were different. We had learned and relearned important lessons that we must never forget." President Uchtdorf then discussed three insights that "forcibly" entered his heart during that visit to Auschwitz: 1. We Hate Those We Do Not Really Know 2. We Must Speak Up 3. Divine Love is the Answer "I am convinced that one of the major reasons these atrocities happened is because it is human nature to be suspicious, envious, distrustful, and even hateful of those we do not really know," said President Uchtdorf. "I suppose we are all guilty of this to one extent or another. Do we really know even our neighbors and colleagues—people we greet daily? It is one of the most disconcerting qualities of being human to distrust or dislike those who are different from us in a variety of elements. The great tragedy is that if only we could take the time to truly know a person, we would discover that perhaps we are not so different after all. He who once was our enemy can become our friend." Regarding the second insight, President Uchtdorf, a former pilot, used an example from aviation history. In 1990, an airliner crashed because not one member of its crew spoke out about the aircraft's dwindling fuel state as it circled, waiting its turn to enter the landing pattern. Then he said: "In a world where intolerance, meanness, and hatred are so easily accessible, we have a responsibility to speak up and defend what is good and right. We have all heard the profound statement attributed to Edmund Burke: 'The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.' "This applies to us today. We have a responsibility to speak up for goodness, for virtue, for kindness and understanding. We have an obligation to defend the weak and stand up for the downtrodden. In this age, perhaps more than any other since the beginning of time, we are exposed to bullies and braggarts—people who belittle others and preen themselves in prideful arrogance.
"We can and must stand and let our voices be heard. We don’t need to be provocative or belittling, but we must not allow our fears to prevent us from lifting our voices in defense of what is right and good and true." Finally, President Uchtdork spoke about the "one virtue -- one quality" that he believes could "solve all the world’s ills, cure all the hatred, and mend every wound": "If we only learned to loveGod as ourFather in Heaven, this would give us purpose in life. If we only learned to love ourfellowman as our brothers and sisters, this would give us compassion
"After all, these are God’s great commandments -- to love God and to love our fellowman. If we distill religion down to its essence, we nearly always
recognize that love is not merely the goal of religion, it is also the
path of true discipleship. It is both the journey and the destination.
"If we love as Christ loved, if we truly follow the path He practiced
and preached, there is a chance for us to avoid the echoing tragedies of
history and the seemingly unavoidable fatal flaws of man.
"Will compassion for others bring light into the darkness? Will it allow us to part the clouds and see clearly?
"Yes. For though we are all born blind, through the Light of Christ we
can see past darkness and illusion and understand things as they really
are."
President Uchtdorf concluded by saying, " It is my hope that we will look past our differences and, instead, see
each other with eyes that recognize who we truly are -- fellow travelers,
brothers and sisters, pilgrims walking the same path that leads to
becoming more enlightened and more refined, as our Father in Heaven
intends us to become."
I wrote recently that during Week 27 of my mission, my companion and I had a two and a half hour long teaching appointment. The couple we had the appointment with had come prepared with many concerns, and we spent the whole time trying to answer them. At the end I bore my testimony, and I started doing so by first talking about the Apostasy and the Restoration. This was an early attempt at what I would later call my Four Rs presentation. See these posts: Week 27: "My Weakness was Made Strong"
I was recently reading about Lehi's Dream and Nephi's vision in the Book of Mormon. Nephi saw "the church of the devil set up among the gentiles; the discovery and colonizing of America; the loss of many plain and precious parts of the Bible; the resultant state of gentile apostasy; the restoration of the gospel, the coming forth of latter-day scripture, and the building up of Zion" (see chapter heading to 1 Nephi 14).
Nephi wrote that he saw "a man among the gentiles . . . and I beheld the spirit of God, that it came down and wrought upon the man; and he went forth upon the many waters, even unto the seed of my brethren" (1 Nephi 13:12). "This man," said President Ezra Taft Benson, "of course, was Christopher Columbus, who testified that he was inspired in what he did.
"'Our Lord,' said Columbus, 'unlocked my mind, sent me upon the sea, and gave me fire for the deed. Those who heard of my enterprise called it foolish, mocked me, and laughed. But who can doubt but that the Holy Ghost inspired me.'"
At the October 1992 General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, President Gordon B. Hinckley discussed the importance of the role in history played by Columbus. "A host of critics have spoken out against [Columbus]," he said. "I do not dispute that there were others who came to this Western Hemisphere before him. But it was he who in faith lighted a lamp to look for a new way to China and who in the process discovered America. His was an awesome undertaking -- to sail west across the unknown seas farther than any before him of his generation. He it was who, in spite of the terror of the unknown and the complaints and near mutiny of his crew, sailed on with frequent prayers to the Almighty for guidance. In his reports to the sovereigns of Spain, Columbus repeatedly asserted that his voyage was for the glory of God and the spread of the Christian faith. Properly do we honor him for his unyielding strength in the face of uncertainty and danger."
President Joseph F. Smith acknowledged an important link between the establishment of the United States of America and the Restoration of the gospel: "This great American nation the Almighty raised up by the power of his omnipotent hand, that it might be possible in the latter days for the kingdom of God to be established in the earth. If the Lord had not prepared the way by laying the foundations of this glorious nation, it would have been impossible (under the stringent laws and bigotry of the monarchical governments of the world) to have laid the foundations for the coming of his great kingdom. The Lord has done this."
Religious freedom was necessary before the Restoration could begin, and the founders of the new American nation were inspired to establish a government in which church and state were separate. According to Elder Robert D. Hales of the twelve, when he spoke at the October 2005 General Conference, "Over a century [after the discovery of the Americas] such religious feeling guided the founders of a new nation on the American continent. Under God's hand they secured religious freedom for every citizen with an inspired Bill of Rights. Fourteen years later, on December 23, 1805, the Prophet Joseph Smith was born. The preparation was nearing its completion for the restoration."
An issue that remained unsettled at the time of the founding of the new American nation was that of slavery. This issue, among others, would lead to a great civil war, but there would first be a period of, if not tranquility, at least of relative calm on the issue of slavery. In March 1820, the Missouri Compromise was passed and signed into law. This was likely but a few weeks before the boy Joseph walked into the grove of trees near his home to seek wisdom from God through prayer.
In 1846 and 1847, as the Mormon pioneers made their way across the plains, the great compromise of 1820 began to unravel because the United States went to war with Mexico and acquired new territories in the west. The Missouri Compromise was effectively repealed in January 1854 by the Kansas-Nebraska Act. The quiet period of American history was at an end, and the arguments were underway that would lead, eventually, to the secession of the southern states and to the American Civil War. In 1836, the prophet Joseph had prophesied of the coming rebellion, that would begin in South Carolina, and that from that time forward, there would never really be peace on the face of the earth.
I have long thought that it was significant that the Restoration through Joseph Smith occurred in the period of relative calm between the Missouri Compromise and the War with Mexico. It could also be significant that the Saints enjoyed a relative isolation in the valley of the Great Salt Lake while the period of relative calm came to an end back east and the nation fought its great civil war. Following the end of that war, the transcontinental railroad would be built, which would end the isolation of the Saints in their mountain home.
As Joseph Smith said, “The Standard of Truth has been erected; no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing, persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny many defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited very clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done.”
The Great Jehovah, who showed to Nephi in a vision the discovery, colonization and the founding of a new nation on the American continent, is at the helm. He is guiding this Great and Marvelous work in this, the Dispensation of the Fulness of Times. It was He who commanded Nephi to keep a record on what came to be called the "smaller plates" for a wise purpose known only to God, and the record on those plates would be an important part of the coming forth of the Book of Mormon. It was He would inspire Columbus to "sail the ocean blue," and it was He who would inspire others to follow. He was the "angel in the whirlwind" who guided the founding of the new American nation. It was He who restored His gospel to His prophet. He is still at the helm to guide His church, this nation, and each of us through the momentous events that are unfolding and will continue to unfold until the day He comes again.
"Wherefore," as Nephi said to his brothers, "let us be faithful in keeping the commandments of the lord" (1 Nephi 3:16). Let us put our trust in Him. Let us seek His will, and then let us do it.
