Homecoming Talk

Intro…Back from my mission, best experience for my life, of my life up until now (funny). Book of Mormon, among other things, had a significant role in my conversion, high school the Lord starts preparing His warriors, His soldiers. Topic: Book of Mormon. I feel like I’ve always had a testimony of this church, goodly parents etc, always wanted to serve a mission, going through the motions. Experience from high school, 10 pages a day Although my family was dear to be, I felt that the cause of truth, the gospel of Christ, outweighed everything else. D&C 64:33-34 

- Intro to topic… 

● I love the Book of Mormon so much. It has saved my life and it has changed my life. Because of the Book of Mormon, I have a personal relationship with my Savior. PMG states that "those who know little or nothing about the Savior will come to know Him by reading, pondering, and praying about the Book of Mormon". Because of the Book of Mormon, I have a testimony of the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. . 

● Elder Hugh B. Brown. "Some people will not agree, but I submit to you that the Prophet Joseph Smith in translating the Book of Mormon did a superhuman work. I ask you … to undertake to write a story on the ancient inhabitants of America. Write as he did without any source of material. Include in your story 54 chapters dealing with wars, 21 historical chapters, 55 chapters on visions and prophecies, and, remember, when you begin to write on visions and prophecies you must have your record agree meticulously with the Bible. You write 71 chapters on doctrine and exhortation, and, here too, you must check every statement with the scriptures or you will be proven to be a fraud. You must write 21 chapters on the ministry of Christ, and everything you claim He said and did and every testimony you write in your book about Him must agree absolutely with the New Testament. 

● For over 100 years, some of the best students and scholars of the world have been trying to prove from the Bible that the Book of Mormon is false, but not one of them has been able to prove that anything he wrote was not in strict harmony with the scriptures, with the bible, with the word of God. 

● 3 months… 20 yrs old, other things 

● while these evidences and other sources may help somebody to know by intellectual conviction, it is only through the whisperings of the Holy Ghost that one may come to know the things of God. ● Mormon 8:22 "For the eternal purposes of the Lord shall roll on, until all his promises shall be fulfilled". ● Examples of Lehi, Nephi, Sam, Alma the younger and the four sons of Mosiah, Moroni hiding the places in the Hill Cumorah and then Joseph Smiths family moving time and time again until was close to where the plates were laid. The purposes of God cannot and will not be frustrated. He is in every detail, and that is how the Book of Mormon came about. 

Examples of two very different people having similar experiences with the Book of Mormon. Artemio and Luz. 

- Artemio – was about to give up. 

● "12 But I was racked with eternal torment, for my soul was harrowed up to the greatest degree and racked with all my sins.13 Yea, I did remember all my sins and iniquities, for which I was tormented with the pains of hell; yea, I saw that I had rebelled against my God, and that I had not kept his holy commandments" 

● 18 Now, as my mind caught hold upon this thought, I cried within my heart: O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me, who am in the gall of bitterness, and am encircled about by the everlasting chains of death. 

● 19 And now, behold, when I thought this, I could remember my pains no more; yea, I was harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more. 20 And oh, what joy, and what marvelous light I did behold; yea, my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain!" 

● Luz 

"The Lord doesn't do the work for us, he works through us" importance of studying and knowing the material. The Lord is able to do his own work. 2 Nephi 28.

D&C 33: 2 For verily, verily, I say unto you that ye are called to lift up your voices as with the sound of a trump, to declare my gospel unto a crooked and perverse generation. 3 For behold, the field is white already to harvest; and it is the eleventh hour, and the last time that I shall call laborers into my vineyard 

Alma 6:6 – 6 Nevertheless the children of God were commanded that they should gather themselves together oft, and join in fasting and mighty prayer in behalf of the welfare of the souls of those who knew not God. 

"If this were the work of man, it would fail. But it is the work of the Lord. And he does not fail". - Joseph Fielding Smith. 

In all my life and experience in the church, I got nearer to the Lord and accomplished more and had more joy in the mission field than ever before or ever since. 

- Trying my best to have similar spiritual experiences, continue progressing, building the kingdom 

"A man is, that he might have joy. And the joy that I experienced in the mission field was superior to any I had ever felt elsewhere". 

- I love this work so much. It is true. It is indeed the Lords work. And when I say "work” – members… - The Church is the kingdom… 

● Examples of the doctrine of Christ in 2 Nephi 31, Alma 7, 3 Nephi 18 & 27. 

● Has been teaching this since the beginning, during his ministry, here in the Americas, and TODAY through revelation 

Matthew 28: 

18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19 ¶Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. 

3 Nephi 11: 

19 And Nephi arose and went forth, and bowed himself before the Lord and did kiss his feet. 20 And the Lord commanded him that he should arise. And he arose and stood before him. 21 And the Lord said unto him: I give unto you power that ye shall baptize this people when I am again ascended into heaven. 

22 And again the Lord called others, and said unto them likewise; and he gave unto them power to baptize. And he said unto them: On this wise shall ye baptize; and there shall be no disputations among you. 

- That commission hasn’t changed…

- Brothers and sisters, we have a great work to do. The restoration was not a single event - Are we sleeping during the restoration? The windows of heaven are OPEN - Eternal perspective. We will do what it takes to help our fellow brothers and sisters come to this 

knowledge. WE WERE ALL THERE. WE HAVE TO HELP THEM REMEMBER. Faith is believing in something that we felt ions ago. 

- Espanol… 

Truth has been restored, we have the power of god on the earth again, book of Mormon, we have sealing ordinances that bind us together for eternity, EVERYTHING. It is our responsibility and our privilege to spread this cause and fight for the cause of Zion. 

- I know that Jesus is the Christ. He lives… 

- Shall we not go on in so great a cause…?