23 April 2018 - Monday

23 April 2018 - Monday

Mom and I like to go to the cafeteria early in the morning.  It opens at 7:00am, so we need to get up by 5:00am to workout in the exercise room.  I finally got smart yesterday and turned on General Conference on my phone and the workout goes so much faster!  This morning we listened to Hugh B. Brown's "Profile of a Prophet".  I went 3 miles and burned 500 calories during that 45 minute presentation!

At breakfast we had the MTC Mission President and his wife join us at our table.  This past week we have just said hello to either him or her, but this morning they chose to sit by us, and we had a wonderful conversation.  He has been a mission president in the Philippines and now at the MTC.  He was pleading with us to recommend any senior couples that might consider serving a senior mission.  He and his wife seemed to be very warm and sincere and it was a real treat to visit with them.

This day began the first of two days of Visitor Center/Historic Site training.  With the uniqueness of being  in the Wyoming Mormon Handcart Mission, we have the guests coming to us rather than seeking out individuals to share the messages of the Gospel.  We traveled to Temple Square this morning with Elder and Sister Roberts and got pretty much what we expected with the young sister missionaries presentations.  They were told to treat us as investigators and they did an excellent job with that!

However, I took some significant pictures on Temple Square of the beautiful flowers and the Tabernacle, and the Assembly Hall.  After I post the pictures, I have some additional information to share;

Beautiful flowers on Temple Square

Going into the Visitors Center for training

3rd generation Assembly Hall

Inside the 3rd generation Assembly Hall

We took these pictures on Temple Square this morning.  We wanted to take the beautiful budding trees and flowers home with us!  But the big reason I took the pictures of the Assembly Hall was to help you understand the time period of 5 October 1856.  Brigham Young had just received work from Franklin D. Richards that there were still about 1,000 immigrating Saints on the plains.  He was in a General Conference when he made the comments below.

It was in a smaller building on this spot of ground or in a covered tent area on this spot of ground that he called for the rescuers to gather food, clothing and medical supplies for the starving and struggling pioneers.  He had no idea that they were still immigrants so late in the season heading for Zion!

 “Many of our brethren and sisters are on the plains with handcarts, and probably many are now seven hundred miles from this place, and they must be brought here, we must send assistance to them. …

“I shall call upon the Bishops this day. I shall not wait until tomorrow, nor until the next day, for 60 good mule teams and 12 or 15 wagons. I do not want to send oxen. I want good horses and mules. They are in this Territory, and we must have them. Also 12 tons of flour and 40 good teamsters, besides those that drive the teams. … First, 40 good young men who know how to drive teams, to take charge of the teams that are now managed by men, women and children who know nothing about driving them. Second, 60 or 65 good spans of mules, or horses, with harness, whipple trees, neck-yokes, stretchers, lead chains, &c. And thirdly, 24 thousand pounds of flour, which we have on hand. …

“I will tell you all that your faith, religion, and profession of religion, will never save one soul of you in the Celestial Kingdom of our God, unless you carry out just such principles as I am now teaching you. Go and bring in those people now on the plains. And attend strictly to those things which we call temporal, or temporal duties. Otherwise, your faith will be in vain. The preaching you have heard will be in vain to you, and you will sink to Hell, unless you attend to the things we tell you.”

It is so interesting to picture where the rescuers came from and the immediate attention  Brigham Young gave to the rescue effort.  Had they not started the next day, the deaths would have increased significantly.

Back to the murals -

Joseph Smith in his youth

Add caption

Points to Ponder:

• What does the mural tell you about the kind of upbringing that Joseph had?
• What do you see in Joseph's face?

Read together Joseph Smith History 1:28

• How did Joseph align himself with the Lord's will?
• What do I need to change in my life to align myself to the Lord's will for me?
• How will that change help me to represent Jesus Christ?

What does it mean to me to represent Jesus Christ?

Nephi praying 

Points to Ponder:

• How do you think Nephi is feeling in this mural?
• How do the living conditions of Lehi's family contrast with the living conditions that they had in Jerusalem?

Now read together 1 Nephi 2:16

• How has Nephi prepared himself for this moment?
• How would you have reacted if you experienced what Nephi has experienced?
• How does Nephi show gratitude for this experience?

Have I inquired of the Lord?

Alma the Younger

Points to Ponder:

• What could the light symbolize in this mural?
• What does this mural tell us about the kind of setting that conversion would most often come in?

As a side note, we learned last week that about 40% of the returned missionaries go inactive after their missions.  It is a heartbreaking statistic that tells us that too many missionaries have testimonies without actually being converted.  Conversion to the Gospel of Jesus Christ is what will keep us clinging to the iron rod and always moving toward the Light of Jesus Christ!

Now read together Alma 5:46

• How does the Doctrine of Christ relate to this mural?
• What is required for true conversion?
• What is the difference between being a member of the Church, and being converted?

Have I personally experienced a mighty change of heart?

As I type these messages to my precious family, I can't help but think how much more prepared our grandchildren will be if you have these kinds of discussions with them.  We think about our precious family every single day and include you in every prayer!  We love you and are privileged to be serving this mission!