Dear Missionaries,

 

What a tremendous opportunity to hear and experience the testimony of an Apostle of God. Elder Oaks was very impressed with all of you and the amazing things we have accomplished in this Mission. I bragged about what wonderful, diligent, obedient, and hard working missionaries you all are. Some of the things he taught us:

·         Hardest thing to do is to meet the expectation of the members

Man is nothing unless we have the Lord to guide us

·         We can answer questions others cannot

·         No better remedy to emotional issues and depression than consistent physical exercise

·         The Temple and Eternity with our families is the ultimate goal

·         The Temple is where we are taught, we make covenants, and are promised blessings

·         Challenge and commit, if not, we are not keeping our covenants

·         The importance of our testimony

Elder Oaks also taught us that the Book of Mormon is the converting agent in bringing people to Christ. The best way to get others to read it is when we read it and increase our testimony of it. We can then testify and explain its precious teachings in a better and more prepared way.

I love the Book of Mormon!!! From the first time I read it as a young man, to recently it continues to change my life. I have increased my love, testimony, faith, knowledge, and relationship with God and our Savior from this wonderful volume of scripture. It gives me peace, comfort, inspiration, and direction as I consume the words of these amazing inspired prophets of God. It is so true what Joseph Smith said in the introduction to the Book of Mormon:

“I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.”

Then the invitation to the World is given:

“We invite all men everywhere to read the Book of Mormon, to ponder in their hearts the message it contains, and then to ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ if the book is true. Those who pursue this course and ask in faith will gain a testimony of its truth and divinity by the power of the Holy Ghost. (See Moroni 10:3–5.) Those who gain this divine witness from the Holy Spirit will also come to know by the same power that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world, that Joseph Smith is His revelator and prophet in these last days, and that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Lord’s kingdom once again established on the earth, preparatory to the Second Coming of the Messiah.” (Book of Mormon: Introduction)

The Book of Mormon references Jesus Christ 3,925 times. On average it mentions Jesus Christ every 1.7 verses. This focus on Jesus Christ is substantial in helping others to get close to Him and to come unto Him:

“The Book of Mormon is powerful evidence of the divinity of Christ. It is also proof of the Restoration through the Prophet Joseph Smith. An essential part of conversion is receiving a witness from the Holy Ghost that the Book of Mormon is true. As a missionary, you must first have a personal testimony that the Book of Mormon is true. This testimony can lead to a deep and abiding faith in the power of the Book of Mormon during the conversion process. Have confidence that the Holy Ghost will testify to anyone who reads and ponders the Book of Mormon and asks God if it is true with a sincere heart, real intent, and faith in Christ. This witness of the Holy Ghost should be a central focus of your teaching… The Book of Mormon, combined with the Spirit, is your most powerful resource in conversion. It is the most correct of any book on the earth. It teaches the doctrine of Christ plainly, especially in the lessons you teach investigators. Use it as your main source for teaching the restored gospel… A central purpose of the Book of Mormon is to convince all people that Jesus is the Christ. It testifies of Christ by affirming the reality of His life, mission, and power. It teaches true doctrine concerning the Atonement—the foundation for the plan of salvation… Those who know little or nothing about the Savior will come to know Him by reading, pondering, and praying about the Book of Mormon.” (PMG p. 103-105)

The Book of Mormon will solidify our investigators stronger in the Gospel as they prepare for baptism:

“One great experience happened with our investigator…  He had been really nervous about his baptism that was supposed to be this past Sunday. He kept asking questions about sinning after his baptism, and things like that. We have answered that question in many different ways before, but mainly from our own words. We took out a member that day who started teaching him the plan of salvation…  So our investigator kept asking questions about where we go after we die. We told him we’d answer all his questions next time because we had to go. We decided to give him Alma 40 to read. We came back later and asked him how his reading went. We were happy that he read. He taught back to us everything about the resurrection and spirit world. We asked him if he had any questions and he said they were all answered, and that he was ready to be baptized! I learned from that experience the importance of teaching doctrine especially from the Book of Mormon.”

The Book of Mormon is the very next “spiritual experience” after your blessing that will help them come to Christ:

“There was a car running on the side of the road, as … we got closer the driver jumps out and says, ‘You came by the other day and I said I was too busy, but now I’m not too busy for the prayer.’ I remembered this man and he wasn’t exactly the nicest when we stopped by before, so I was a little skeptical.  I see some more people get out of the car… it was his son and wife… he asks if we are just going to say it there in the parking lot… ‘No, we want to go to your house.’ So he runs and turns the car off and we go inside his home.  We leave the blessing and the spirit was so strong. They mention that their son was baptized last Sunday in their church, so we, naturally, invite them to do it again.  They accept and want us to come back.  The father of the family was even trying to persuade his wife to let them go to church the next day! Just as we are leaving the Dad surprises us again by asking if we have any special books… ‘Why yes we do!’ They loved the Book of Mormon. It was fantastic!”

Our investigators are looking for the truths that the Book of Mormon teaches. It is the one thing that no other religion can explain where it comes from. They are praying for it and even dreaming about it:

“We taught a family the restoration on our next visit and they ate it up as if they were starving for the truth. The husband was asking us during the lesson the same question that Joseph Smith had. We excitedly taught them and introduced the Book of Mormon to them, and the wife, who had been pretty quiet yet receptive, opened up to us and told us about a dream she had a few nights ago. It was about her neighbor, the one who referred the family, and she had offered her a bible but this one was different. She said she didn’t recognize the book until we pulled it out and gave it to her. She quickly said ‘that’s the book!!’”

President Benson taught the importance of this great Book:

“Perhaps there is nothing that testifies more clearly of the importance of this modern book of scripture than what the Lord Himself has said about it. By His own mouth He has borne witness (1) that it is true (D&C 17:6), (2) that it contains the truth and His words (D&C 19:26), (3) that it was translated by power from on high (D&C 20:8), (4) that it contains the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ (D&C 20:9, D&C 42:12), (5) that it was given by inspiration and confirmed by the ministering of angels (D&C 20:10), (6) that it gives evidence that the holy scriptures are true (D&C 20:11), and (7) that those who receive it in faith shall receive eternal life (D&C 20:14). A second powerful testimony to the importance of the Book of Mormon is to note where the Lord placed its coming forth in the timetable of the unfolding Restoration. The only thing that preceded it was the First Vision. In that marvelous manifestation, the Prophet Joseph Smith learned the true nature of God and that God had a work for him to do. The coming forth of the Book of Mormon was the next thing to follow. Think of that in terms of what it implies. The coming forth of the Book of Mormon preceded the restoration of the priesthood. It was published just a few days before the Church was organized. The Saints were given the Book of Mormon to read before they were given the revelations outlining such great doctrines as the three degrees of glory, celestial marriage, or work for the dead. It came before priesthood quorums and Church organization. Doesn’t this tell us something about how the Lord views this sacred work?” (President Ezra Taft Benson, October, 1986, General Conference)

Teaching and committing others to read and pray about the Book of Mormon will enhance our teaching and commitments to all those we invite to “Come unto Christ”. Let us strengthen our testimonies of this amazing Book. Let us help others to love and live it like we do.