Pray to Meet Someone To Share the Gospel With

“I have a friend who prays every day to meet someone who is prepared to receive the gospel. He carries with him a copy of the Book of Mormon. The night before a short trip, he decided not to take a copy with him but instead a spiritual impression came to him: “Take a Book of Mormon with you.” He put on in his bag.

“When a woman he knew sat next to him on the trip, he wondered, “Is this the one?” She rode with him again on the return trip. He thought, “How should I bring up the gospel?”

“Instead, she said to him, “You pay tithing to your church, don’t you? He said he did. She said she was supposed to pay tithing to her church but didn’t. Then she asked, “What can you tell me about the Book of Mormon?”

“He explained that the book is scripture, another witness of Jesus Christ, translated by the Prophet Joseph Smith. She seemed interested, so he reached into his bag and said, “I was impressed to bring this book with me. I think it is for you.”

“She began to read it. As they parted, she said, “You and I are going to have more conversations about this.”

“What my friend could not know—but what God did know—was that she was looking for a church. God knew she had watched my friend and wondered why his church made him so happy. God knew she would ask about the Book of Mormon and that she would be willing to be taught by the missionaries. She was prepared. So was my friend. You and I can also be prepared.”

President Henry B. Eyring, “Sharing the Gospel Heart To Heart,” Ensign Sept 2012, 4. 

Prepared for Missionary Work

“God will put prepared people in the way of His prepared servants who want to share the gospel. You have had that happen in your own life. How often it happens depends on the preparation of your mind and your heart.”

President Henry B. Eyring, “Sharing the Gospel Heart To Heart,” Ensign Sept 2012, 4. 

Change the World

 “Remember who you are.” “Work hard.” “Train for adversity.” “Dream big.” “Winners do not always finish first.” “Run into your marathon of faith and life. Don’t get discouraged by the hills, but see that opportunity in adversity. Go with a sure foot and a sure knowledge that you are never alone. . . . I truly believe that one virtuous young man or young woman led by the Spirit can change the world.”

Elaine S. Dalton, Young Women general president, BYU-Hawaii graduation commencement address, April 14, 2012.

Give Service

Elder D. Todd Christofferson stressed the need for students to give service throughout their lives. “Service will be your antidote against selfishness and the sense of entitlement that more and more afflict societies around the world. . . . Your service will bless others, but it will also protect you,” he said.

Graduation Commencement address at LDS Business College in Salt Lake City on April 13, 2012. 

Martin's Faithfulness

“What do we learn from this example? (1) Witnesses are important, and the testimony of the Three Witnesses to the Book of Mormon is impressive and reliable. (2) Happiness and spiritual progress lie in following the leaders of the Church. (3) There is hope for each of us, even if we have sinned and strayed from a favored position.

“The Lord’s invitation is warm and loving. ‘Come back and feast at the table of the Lord, and taste again the sweet and satisfying fruits of fellowship with the saints.’”

Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, “The Witness: Martin Harris,” Ensign, May 1999, 37. 

How Do We Coupe With Grief?

Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin (1917-2008) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles addressed this question in his October 2006 general conference address:

“I think that of all the days since the beginning of this world’s history, that Friday [when the Savior was crucified] was the darkest.

“But the doom of that day did not endure.

“The despair did not linger because on Sunday, the resurrected Lord burst the bonds of death. He ascended from the grave and appeared gloriously triumphant as the Savior of all mankind.

“And in an instant the eyes that had been filled with ever-flowing tears dried. The lips that had whispered prayers of distress and grief now filed the air with wondrous praise, for Jesus the Christ, the Son of the living God, stood before them as the firstfruits of the Resurrection, the proof that death is merely the beginning of a new and wondrous existence. . . .

“Because of the life and eternal sacrifice of the Savior of the world, we will be reunited with those we have cherished.”

“Sunday Will Come,” Ensign, Nov. 2006, 30. 

But If Not

“The faithful will not be totally immune from the events on this planet. Thus the courageous attitudes of imperiled Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego are worthy of emulation. They knew that God could rescue them. ‘But it not,’ they vowed, they would still serve God anyway (see Daniel 3:16-18).”

Elder Neal A Maxwell (1926-2004) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, “Encircled in the Arms of His Love,” Ensign, Nov. 2002, 17.