Stand up to outside influences

As we go about living from day to day, it is almost inevitable that our faith will be challenged. We may at times find ourselves surrounded by others and yet standing in the minority or even standing alone concerning what is acceptable and what is not. Do we have the moral courage to stand firm for our beliefs, even if by so doing we must stand alone? As holders of the priesthood of God, it is essential that we are able to face—with courage—whatever challenges come our way. (Thomas S. Monson, Dare to Stand Alone, October 2011)

Through the years we learn that challenges to our faith are not new, and they aren’t likely to disappear soon. But true disciples of Christ see opportunity in the midst of opposition. (Elder Robert D. Hales, Christian Courage: The Price of Discipleship, October 2008)

 

God has given us more than enough help to banish fear and give us courage, whatever we may face in life. As we reach out for His help, He can lift us toward that eternal life we seek. (Henry B. Eyring, Moral Courage, Ensign, March 2010)



 Some lives have already been scarred and scorched in your teenage years—too soon, too sadly, too tragically—lives foolishly damaged almost before they have begun. Please don’t reinvent the moral wheel! Don’t feel that you have to learn every tragic lesson in life personally. (Jeffrey R. Holland, We Want the Best for You, New Era, January 2010)

"Some people mistakenly think responses such as silence, meekness, forgiveness, and bearing humble testimony are passive or weak. But to 'love [our] enemies, bless them that curse [us], do good to them that hate [us], and pray for them which despitefully use [us], and persecute [us]' (Matthew 5:44) takes faith, strength, and, most of all, Christian courage." (Elder Robert D. Hales, That Is Christian Courage, New Era, July 2009)

"As an exceptional son or daughter of God, you are sorely needed. There is an urgent need for men and women who will stand for principles against the growing pressures to compromise those very principles. Men and women are required who will act nobly and courageously for what the Lord has defined as right, not for what is politically correct or socially acceptable. We need individuals who have the spiritual, righteous influence that will motivate others to enduring good." (Elder Richard G. Scott, Living Right, Ensign January 2007)

“My young friends, be strong. . . . You know what is right and what is wrong, and no disguise, however appealing, can change that [truth]. If your so-called friends urge you to do anything you know to be wrong, you be the one to make a stand for right, even if you stand alone.” (Thomas S. Monson, Video Presentation: I Have a Purpose, Ensign May 2010)

 

"We must live courageously in accordance with the light and testimony that we have received. We are promised, 'He that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day' (D&C 50:24). It takes real effort and sacrifice to live the gospel courageously. (Elder David A. Bednar, The Power of Light and Truth, Ensign, May2008)

"I ask everyone within the sound of my voice to take heart, be filled with faith, and remember the Lord has said He 'would fight [our] battles, [our] children's battles, and [the battles of our] children's children' (D&C 98:37; emphasis added). And what do we do to merit such a defense? We are to 'search diligently, pray always, and be believing. [Then] all things shall work together for [our] good, if [we] walk uprightly and remember the covenant wherewith [we] have covenanted' (D&C 90:24). The latter days are not a time to fear and tremble. They are a time to be believing and remember our covenants." (Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, The Ministry of Angels, Ensign, November 2008)

 

In this work there must be commitment. There must be devotion. We are engaged in a great eternal struggle that concerns the very souls of the sons and daughters of God. We are not losing. We are winning. We will continue to win if we will be faithful and true. We can do it. We must do it. We will do it. There is nothing the Lord has asked of us that in faith we cannot accomplish. (Gordon B. Hinckley, An Unending Conflict, a Victory Assured, June 2007)

 

 

As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we have committed to walk in the path of discipleship. We have committed to follow the example of our Savior. Imagine how the world will be blessed and transformed for good when all members of the Lord’s Church live up to their true potential—converted in the depth of their souls and committed to building the kingdom of God. (Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Brother, I'm Committed, First Presidency Message, July 2011)

 

 

 

 

Required is the courage to hold fast to our standards despite the derision of the world. (Thomas S. Monson, Three Goals to Guide You, October 2007)

Pure Love of Christ

Joseph B. Wirthlin said: "Nothing you do makes much of a difference if you do not have charity. You can speak with tongues, have the gift of prophecy, understand all mysteries, and possess all knowledge; even if you have the faith to move mountains, without charity it won't profit you at all....

"Without charity—or the pure love of Christ—whatever else we accomplish matters little. With it, all else becomes vibrant and alive.

"When we inspire and teach others to fill their hearts with love, obedience flows from the inside out in voluntary acts of self-sacrifice and service" (Joseph B. Wirthlin, The Great Commandment, Ensign, November 2007)



Dallin H. Oaks said: "We are challenged to move through a process of conversion toward that status and condition called eternal life. This is achieved not just by doing what is right, but by doing it for the right reason—for the pure love of Christ. The Apostle Paul illustrated this in his famous teaching about the importance of charity (see 1 Cor. 13). The reason charity never fails and the reason charity is greater than even the most significant acts of goodness he cited is that charity, 'the pure love of Christ' (Moro. 7:47), is not an act but a condition or state of being. Charity is attained through a succession of acts that result in a conversion. Charity is something one becomes." (Dallin H. Oaks, The Challenge to Become, Ensign November 2000)


"We need to be kinder with one another, more gentle and forgiving. We need to be slower to anger and more prompt to help. We need to extend the hand of friendship and resist the hand of retribution. In short, we need to love one another with the pure love of Christ, with genuine charity and compassion and, if necessary, shared suffering, for that is the way God loves us....

Howard W. Hunter said: ""We need to be kinder with one another, more gentle and forgiving. We need to be slower to anger and more prompt to help. We need to extend the hand of friendship and resist the hand of retribution. In short, we need to love one another with the pure love of Christ, with genuine charity and compassion and, if necessary, shared suffering, for that is the way God loves us....
We need to walk more resolutely and more charitably the path that Jesus has shown. We need to 'pause to help and lift another' and surely we will find 'strength beyond [our] own.' If we would do more to learn 'the healer's art,' there would be untold chances to use it, to touch the 'wounded and the weary' and show to all 'a gentle[r] heart.'" (Howard W. Hunter, A More Excellent Way, Ensign, May 1992)



M. Russell Ballard said: "Working together, these three eternal principles will help give us the broad eternal perspective we need to face life's toughest challenges, including the prophesied ordeals of the last days. Real faith fosters hope for the future; it allows us to look beyond ourselves and our present cares. Fortified by hope, we are moved to demonstrate the pure love of Christ through daily acts of obedience and Christian service." (M. Russell Ballard, The Joy of Hope Fulfilled, Ensign, November 1992)


Robert D. Hales said: "There is one gift I would like to focus on—the gift of charity. Use charity, 'the pure love of Christ' (Moro. 7:47), and give service for the right reasons. Charity is the ability to make life more meaningful for others....

"There are times when we need to be lifted. There are times when we need to be strengthened. Be that kind of friend and that kind of person who lifts and strengthens others. Never make someone have to choose between your ways and the Lord's ways. And always make sure that you're making it easier to live God's commandments for those who are by your side and who are your friends. Then you will understand whether you have charity." (Robert D. Hales, Gifts of the Spirit, Ensign, February 2002)



President Henry B. Eyring said: "Charity, the pure love of Christ, is part of the mighty change of heart which the Lord promises to His faithful disciples."


Elder Jeffrey R. Holland said:

“When something is over and done with, when it

has been repented of as fully as it can be repented

of, when life has moved on as it should and a lot of

other wonderfully good things have happened since

then, it is not right to go back and open some

ancient wound that the Son of God Himself died to

heal. Let people repent. Let people grow. Believe

that people can change and improve. Is that faith?

Yes! Is that hope? Yes! Is that charity? Yes! Above

all, it is charity, the pure love of Christ. If something

is buried in the past, leave it buried. Don’t keep

going back with your little sand pail and beach

shovel to dig it up, wave it around, and then throw

it at someone, saying, “Hey! Do you remember

this?” Splat!” (Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, The Best is Yet to Be, Liahona, January 2010)


Elder D. Todd Christofferson said:

“It is by the Holy Ghost in you that others may feel

the pure love of Christ and receive strength to press

forward.”(Elder D. Todd Christofferson, The Power of Covenants, Ensign, May 2009)


Elder Russell M. Nelson said:  

“Faith is rooted in Jesus Christ. Hope centers in the

Atonement. Charity is manifest in the ‘pure love of

Christ.’ These three attributes are intertwined like

strands in a cable and may not always be precisely

distinguished. Together they become our tether to

the celestial kingdom” (Elder Russell M. Nelson, A More Excellent Hope, Ensign February 1997)

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf said: “If you listen for the voice of the Father, He will lead

you on a course that will allow you to experience

the pure love of Christ.” (Dieter F. Uchtdorf, The Love of God, Ensign, November 2009)



President Thomas S. Monson said:

“I consider charity—or “the pure love of Christ”—to

be the opposite of criticism and judging... I have in

mind the charity that manifests itself when we are

tolerant of others and lenient toward their actions,

the kind of charity that forgives, the kind of charity

that is patient… There is a serious need for the

charity that gives attention to those who are

unnoticed, hope to those who are discouraged, aid

to those who are afflicted. True charity is love in

action. The need for charity is everywhere… Life is

perfect for none of us. Rather than being

judgmental and critical of each other, may we have

the pure love of Christ for our fellow travelers in

this journey through life. May we recognize that

each one is doing her best to deal with the

challenges which come her way, and may we strive

to do our best to help out.” (Thomas S. Monson, Charity Never Faileth, Ensign November 2010)

Temple promises/ covenants

 The Holy Spirit of Promise, through our obedience and sacrifice, must seal our temple covenants in order to be realized in the world to come. President Harold B. Lee explained what it means to be sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise by quoting Elder Melvin J. Ballard: “We may deceive men but we cannot deceive the Holy Ghost, and our blessings will not be eternal unless they are also sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise. The Holy Ghost is one who reads the thoughts and hearts of men, and gives his sealing approval to the blessings pronounced upon their heads. Then it is binding, efficacious, and of full force. (Elder Henry B. Eyring - Families under Covenant, May 2012)

"Worthiness to hold a temple recommend gives us the strength to keep our temple covenants. How do we personally gain that strength? We strive to obtain a testimony of Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, the Holy Ghost, the reality of the Atonement, and the truthfulness of the Prophet Joseph Smith and the Restoration. We sustain our leaders, treat our families with kindness, stand as a witness of the Lord’s true Church, attend our Church meetings, honor our covenants, fulfill parental obligations, and live a virtuous life. You may say that sounds like just being a faithful Latter-day Saint! You are right. The standard for temple recommend holders is not too high for us to achieve. It is simply to faithfully live the gospel and follow the prophets." Elder Robert D. Hales (Coming to Ourselves: The Sacrament, the Temple, and sacrifice in Service - May 2012)

"Relationships can be strengthened through the veil with people we know and love. That is done by our determined effort to continually do what is right. We can strengthen our relationship with the departed individual we love by recognizing that the separation is temporary and that covenants made in the temple are eternal. When consistently obeyed, such covenants assure the eternal realization of the promises inherent in them." Elder Richard G. Scott ( How to Obtain Revelation and Inspiration for Your Personal Life - May 2012)

"The attributes by which we shall be judged one day are all spiritual. These include love, virtue, integrity, compassion, and service to others. Your spirit, coupled with and housed in your body, is able to develop and manifest these attributes in ways that are vital to your eternal progression. Spiritual progress is attained through the steps of faith, repentance, baptism, the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end, including the endowment and sealing ordinances of the holy temple." Elder Russel M. Nelson ( Thanks be to God - May 2012)

Elder Boyd K. Packer said: “When you come to the temple and receive your endowment, and kneel at the altar and be sealed, you can live an ordinary life and be an ordinary soul—struggling against temptation, failing and repenting, and failing again and repenting, but always determined to keep your covenants. … Then the day will come when you will receive the benediction: ‘Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things; enter thou into the joy of thy lord’" (Elder Boyd K. Packer, Endowment from on High: Temple Preparation Seminar Teacher's Manual/ Let not your heart be troubled, 1991)

President Howard W. Hunter invited us to go to the temple often “for the personal blessing of temple worship, for the sanctity and safety which is provided within those hallowed and consecrated walls. The temple is a place of beauty, it is a place of revelation, it is a place of peace. It is the house of the Lord. It is holy unto the Lord. It should be holy unto us.” (Howard W. Hunter, Endowment from on High: Temple Preparation Seminar Teacher's Manual/ Ensign, July 1994)

Thomas S. Monson said: "Those who understand the eternal blessings which come from the temple know that no sacrifice is too great, no price too heavy, no struggle too difficult in order to receive those blessings. There are never too many miles to travel, too many obstacles to overcome, or too much discomfort to endure. They understand that the saving ordinances received in the temple that permit us to someday return to our Heavenly Father in an eternal family relationship and to be endowed with blessings and power from on high are worth every sacrifice and every effort." (Thomas S. Monson, The Holy Temple - a Beacon To The World, April 2011)

President Gordon B. Hinckley said: "Do those things which will make you eligible to serve in the house of the Lord. It has been built for you, my brothers and sisters, that you might have the opportunity of coming here and receiving the wonderful blessings that can be had nowhere else in all the world, except in other temples, where you may be sealed together as husband and wife, where your children may be sealed to you, where you may work in behalf of your forebears, who have gone beyond. That great and marvelous and wonderfully unselfish work occurs in the house of the Lord. Come to the temple.” (Gordon B. Hinckley, Inspirational Thoughts September 2007/ meeting, Aba, Nigeria, August 2005)

The highest covenants we can make are in the temple. That is where we make our most solemn promises to our Father in Heaven and where He opens to us more fully the real meaning of His promises to us. Once again, these are individual experiences, even as we go to the temple to be sealed to other individuals. (Jeffrey R. Holland, Keeping Covenants: A Message for Those Who Will Serve a Mission, January 2012)

To me it symbolizes the way temple work crosses worldly boundaries to bring eternal blessings to all the inhabitants of the earth. The temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are truly built for the benefit of all the world. (Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Temple Blessings, Ensign, August 2010)

For these reasons we do family history research, build temples, and perform vicarious ordinances. For these reasons Elijah was sent to restore the sealing authority that binds on earth and in heaven. We are the Lord’s agents in the work of salvation and exaltation that will prevent “the whole earth [from being] smitten with a curse” (D&C 110:15) when He returns again. This is our duty and great blessing. (Elder David. A Bednar, The Hearts of the Children Shall Turn, October 2011)

Forgiveness

The Miracle of Forgiveness

"Don't put your eternal life at risk. Keep the commandments of God. If you have sinned, the sooner you begin to make your way back, the sooner you will find the sweet peace and joy that come with the miracle of forgiveness. Happiness comes from living the way the Lord wants you to live and from service to God and others." (Thomas S. Monson, "Preparation Brings Blessings," Ensign, May 2010)

Repentance and Forgiveness

"The fruit of true repentance is forgiveness, which opens the door to receive all of the covenants and ordinances provided on this earth and to enjoy the resulting blessings. When a repentant soul is baptized, all former sins are forgiven and need not be remembered. When repentance is full and one has been cleansed, there comes a new vision of life and its glorious possibilities. How marvelous the promise of the Lord: 'Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more.' The Lord is and ever will be faithful to His words." (Richard G. Scott, "Finding Forgiveness," New Era, Mar. 2010)

Divine Forgiveness

“I testify that the Savior is able and eager to forgive our sins. Except for the sins of those few who choose perdition after having known a fulness, there is no sin that cannot be forgiven (see Boyd K. Packer, “The Brilliant Morning of Forgiveness,” Ensign, Nov. 1995, 19). What a marvelous privilege for each of us to turn away from our sins and to come unto Christ. Divine forgiveness is one of the sweetest fruits of the gospel, removing guilt and pain from our hearts and replacing them with joy and peace of conscience. Jesus declares, ‘Will ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you?’ (3 Nephi 9:13).” (Neil L. Andersen, “Repent . . . That I May Heal You,” Ensign, Nov. 2009)

The Need to Forgive

“Is there someone in your life who perhaps needs forgiveness? Is there someone in your home, someone in your family, someone in your neighborhood who has done an unjust or an unkind or an unchristian thing? All of us are guilty of such transgressions, so there surely must be someone who yet needs your forgiveness.” (Jeffrey R. Holland, “Amazed at the Love Jesus Offers Me,” New Era, Dec. 2008)

We Show Love through Our Actions

“When we truly love our Heavenly Father and His children, we demonstrate that love through our actions. We forgive one another and seek to do good, for ‘our old [self] is crucified with [Christ].’ We ‘visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction,’ and we keep ourselves ‘unspotted from the vices of the world.’ ” (Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “We Are Doing a Great Work and Cannot Come Down,” Ensign, May 2009)

Of One Heart and One Mind

"As we consider the unity required for Zion to flourish, we should ask ourselves if we have overcome jarrings, contentions, envyings, and strifes (see D&C 101:6). Are we individually and as a people free from strife and contention and united 'according to the union required by the law of the celestial kingdom'? (D&C 105:4). Forgiveness of one another is essential to this unity. Jesus said, 'I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men' (D&C 64:10).

"We will become of one heart and one mind as we individually place the Savior at the center of our lives and follow those He has commissioned to lead us." (D. Todd Christofferson, "Come to Zion," Ensign, Nov. 2008)

Forgiveness Comes in and through Jesus Christ

"Of all the necessary steps to repentance, the most critically important is for you to have a conviction that forgiveness comes in and through Jesus Christ. It is essential to know that only on His terms can you be forgiven. You will be helped as you exercise faith in Christ. That means you trust Him and His teachings. Satan would have you believe that serious transgression cannot be entirely overcome. I testify that the Savior gave His life so that through repentance the effects of all sin can be put behind you, save the shedding of innocent blood and the denial of the Holy Ghost." (Richard G. Scott, "Peace of Conscience and Peace of Mind," Ensign, Nov. 2004)

" Somehow forgiveness, with love and tolerance, accomplishes miracles that can happen in no other way." (Gordon B. Hinckley, October 2005)

Dieter F. Uchtdorf: "When our hearts are filled with the love of God, we become "kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving." (The Merciful Obtain Mercy, April 2012 General Conference)



President Spencer W. Kimball said, “If we have been wronged or injured, forgiveness means to blot it completely from our minds. To forgive and forget is an ageless counsel. ‘To be wronged or robbed,’ said the Chinese philosopher Confucius, ‘is nothing unless you continue to remember it.’”

(Ensign, Nov. 1977)

Forgiveness in Marriage is Essential

"Don't treasure up past wrongs, reprocessing them again and again. In a marriage relationship, festering is destructive; forgiving is divine (see D&C 64:9-10). Plead for the guidance of the Spirit of the Lord to forgive wrongs . . . , to overcome faults, and to strengthen relationships."(Dallin H. Oaks, "Divorce," Ensign, May 2007)

Experiencing the Sweet Peace of Forgiveness

"Sometimes we carry unhappy feelings about past hurts too long. We spend too much energy dwelling on things that have passed and cannot be changed. We struggle to close the door and let go of the hurt. If, after time, we can forgive whatever may have caused the hurt, we will tap 'into a life-giving source of comfort' through the Atonement, and the 'sweet peace' of forgiveness will be ours ("My Journey to Forgiving," Ensign, Feb. 1997. 43). Some injuries are so hurtful and deep that healing comes only with help from a higher power and hope for perfect justice and restitution in the next life. . . . You can tap into that higher power and receive precious comfort and sweet peace." (James E. Faust, "Instruments in the Hands of God," Ensign, Nov. 2005)

If there is a marriage or family in need of rescue—perhaps even our own—let’s not just wait and see. Rather, let us thank God for the plan of happiness that includes faith, repentance, forgiveness, and new beginnings. Applying priesthood doctrine will qualify us as husbands, as fathers, as sons who understand the why of the priesthood and its power to recapture and secure the beauty and holiness of eternal families. (Dieter F. Uchtdorf, The Why of Priesthood Service, General Conference April 2012)

Family History

Salvation of the Dead and the Living

"If we can look back through the generations, we see those who helped us to get where we are now—those who forged the way before us, whether they were members of the Church or not. And in the restored gospel we realize even more deeply our responsibility to link them to us through the ordinances of the temple. In a letter from the Prophet Joseph Smith to the members of the Church, we read: 'These are principles in relation to the dead and the living that cannot be lightly passed over. . . . For their salvation is necessary and essential to our salvation, . . . they without us cannot be made perfect—neither can we without our dead be made perfect'

(Neil L. Andersen, "Looking back and looking forward," New Era, Aug. 2009)

Family Connections

"Consider the spiritual connections that are formed when a young woman helps her grandmother enter family information into a computer or when a young man sees the name of his great-grandfather on a census record. When our hearts turn to our ancestors, something changes inside us. We feel part of something greater than ourselves. Our inborn yearnings for family connections are fulfilled when we are linked to our ancestors through sacred ordinances of the temple."

(Russel M. Nelson, "Generations Linked in Love", Ensign May 2010)

Forge a Continuous Chain

"In the great vision in the Kirtland Temple, Elijah the prophet appeared to the Prophet Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery and committed the keys of temple work and the sealing power into Joseph Smith's hands. This fulfilled Malachi's prophecy that Elijah would be sent 'to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the children to the fathers, lest the whole earth be smitten with a curse' (see D&C 110:14–15).

"So what does this mean? To turn our hearts to our fathers is to search out the names of our deceased ancestors and to perform the saving ordinances in the temple for them. This will forge a continuous chain between us and our forefathers eventually all the way back to Father Adam and Mother Eve.

"The heart of an 11-year-old boy was turned to his fathers during a family home evening when the children assembled personal books of remembrance. Young Jeff wanted to accompany his mother to the National Archives. She was afraid he might disturb the other researchers there. But he persisted, and she relented and took him with her. Four hours into their research, he exclaimed, 'Mama, I've found Grandpa!' Indeed, he had found his great-great-great-grandfather. However, it doesn't always work that way. In a letter to the Family History Department, someone wrote: 'We lost our grandmother. Will you please send us a copy?' "

(James E. Faust, "The Phenomen That Is You," Ensign, Nov. 2003)

Morning of the Resurrection

"I quote a letter dated January the 17th, 1889. . . . It concerns my great-grandfather, who was the first of our line in the Church, and who died a few days later, Jonathan Taylor Packer. This letter was written by a daughter-in-law to the family.

"After describing the distress and difficulty he had suffered for several weeks, she wrote:

" 'But I will do all I can for him for I consider it my duty. I will do for him as I would like someone to do for my dear mother, for I am afraid I shall never see her again in this world.'

"And then she wrote this: 'Your father says for you all to be faithful to the principles of the gospel and asks the blessings of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob upon you all, and bids you all goodbye until he meets you in the morning of the resurrection.

" 'Well, Martha, I can't hardly see the lines for tears, so I will stop writing. From your loving sister, Mary Ann Packer.'

"I know that I shall see this great-grandfather beyond the veil, and my grandfather, and my father. And I know that I shall there also meet those of my ancestors who lived when the fulness of the gospel was not upon the earth; those who lived and died without ever hearing His name, nor having the invitation to be baptized."

(Boyd K. Packer, "The Redemption of the Dead," Ensign, November 1975)

Provide Ordinances for Ancestors

"In [an] epistle, written one hundred and fifty years ago, Joseph Smith stated: 'The Saints have the privilege of being baptized for . . . their relatives who are dead . . . who have received the gospel in the spirit . . . through . . . those who have been commissioned to preach to them. . . . Those saints who neglect it in behalf of their deceased relatives, do it at the peril of their own salvation.' (History of the Church, 4:231; italics added.)

"The prophet Elijah committed the keys for vicarious work to Joseph Smith in the Kirtland Temple (see D&C 110:13–16) to fulfill the Lord's promise that 'he shall plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers' (D&C 2:2).

"Through further revelation to Joseph Smith and subsequent prophets, there has come an understanding of and provision for temple work and the family history effort that supports it. Every prophet since Joseph Smith has emphasized the imperative need to provide all ordinances for ourselves and our deceased ancestors."

(Richard G. Scott, "Redemption: The Harvest of Love," Ensign, Nov. 1990)

The Visitor in the Night

"The Perry family history records [a] remarkable event:

" 'On a beautiful farm in the state of New York, Gustavus Adolphus Perry and his good wife, Eunice Wing, with their three sons, Orrin Alonzo, Lorenzo, and Henry Elisha, and their four daughters, Rosalie Alvira, Alvina, Amanda, and Lucy, were living very peacefully and happily. Close to the year of 1830 (we do not know the exact date) one evening after a light snow had fallen, the family was all in for the night. It was dark and the latchstring was drawn in so no one could enter the house. Then suddenly without warning, a stranger walked into the home and greeted them with these words: "God bless you." He spent the night with them explaining the principles of the gospel and told them of a new book called the Book of Mormon and quoted passages from the same. He then told them on what pages they were to find the quotations and that elders would soon visit them. The messenger disappeared in the morning just as suddenly as he had appeared the night before, leaving no tracks in the freshly fallen snow. They inquired of their neighbors to see if anyone had seen him. They had not, and no trace of him could be found.'

"This good family was ready for the gospel when it came to them, and they joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1832."

(L. Tom Perry, "The Value of a Good Name," New Era, Feb. 2009)

History of Sacrifices

"The Perrys were like other families who joined the Church in the early 1800s. They moved from their home in upstate New York to Ohio, and then on to the gathering in Missouri. Forced from their Missouri home, they moved to Illinois. Again driven from their home, in the very cold winter of 1846, they made the painful trip across Iowa to settle in the Lake Branch at Winter Quarters. Here Gustavus served as a counselor in the bishopric until they were instructed in 1852 by Brigham Young to close the ward, join a wagon train, and make the long trek across the plains. . . .

"Each of us has these special accounts in our family histories of the sacrifices that were made for us to be blessed with a knowledge of the gospel. In some families, you may be the first member to join. You become its pioneer family. Therefore you have the obligation to record in your history who brought the converting power of the gospel to you."

(L. Tom Perry, "The Value of a Good Name," New Era, Feb. 2009)

Trace Your Genealogies As Far Back As You Can.

"Among the first in this dispensation to sow seeds of interest in family history were the brothers Orson and Parley P. Pratt, members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Their efforts resulted in a Pratt family genealogy and the performance of temple ordinances for about 3,000 of their ancestors.

"Yet there were many Church members who did not fully understand the responsibility for their own kindred. President Wilford Woodruff was so concerned that he made the issue a matter of fervent prayer. Then, at April 1894 general conference, he presented a revelation to the membership of the Church. From it I quote: 'We want the Latter-day Saints from this time to trace their genealogies as far as they can, and to be sealed to their fathers and mothers. Have children sealed to their parents, and run this chain through as far as you can get it. . . . This is the will of the Lord to his people'

(Russel M. Nelson, "A New Harvest Time," Ensign, May 1998)

“Very simply, the Spirit of Elijah is the Holy Ghost. The Spirit of Elijah will influence anyone who is involved in this work. That, for a young person in the wickedness in the world in which we live today, is one of the greatest safeguards against the temptations of the adversary. The Spirit of Elijah will not only bless you, it will protect you.” —David A. Bednar (lds.org, experiences)

“We are here to participate in the work of salvation. That’s who we are, that’s why we’re here on the earth. ... You were prepared for this day. The time is now.”—Elder David A. Bednar (lds.org, Family History-Home)

"In my own family, some of our most sacred and treasured experiences have occurred when we have joined together in the temple to perform sealing ordinances for our deceased ancestors. . . . The all-important and crowning blessings of membership in the Church are those blessings which we receive in the temples of God." Thomas S. Monson (Ensign May 2011)

 Religious Educator, vol. 6, no. 2 (2005))

"If I were a bishop again, my approach would be to charge the high priests group leader with the responsibility to lead out in the ward council on this subject. I would ensure that we had one or more . . . family history consul-tants who were ‘people persons’ who could work under his direction. . . . I imagine that in the course of a year we could help at least ten families. In five years, we could have a corps of fifty families active at some level in family history and its attendant temple work. That to me would be a successful, well-run program." Elder D. Todd Christofferson (

President BoydK. Packer of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explained the role of ordinances and covenants:

“Ordinances and covenants become our credentials for admission into [God’s] presence. To worthily receive them is the quest of a lifetime; to keep them thereafter is the challenge of mortality. Once we have received them for ourselves and for our families, we are obligated to provide these ordinances vicariously for our kindred dead, indeed for the whole human family.” (Ensign, May 1987)

Elder Boyd K. Packer, who was then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, said: “One day while pondering prayerfully on [the enormity of the task of redeeming the dead,] I came to a realization that there is something that any one of us can do for all who have died.

“I came to see that any one of us, by himself, can care about them, all of them, and love them. That came as a great inspiration, for then I knew there was a starting point.
“Whatever the number, we can love them, and desire to redeem them. Any one of us has within us the power to expand our concern to include them all. If a billion more are added, we can care for them also.
“If the numbers seem staggering, we will move ahead. If the process is tedious, we will move ahead anyway. If the records have been lost, if the obstacles and opposition are overwhelming, we will move ahead anyway” (That They May Be Redeemed [address delivered at regional representatives’ seminar, Apr. 1, 1977)



“Our efforts to promote temple and family history work should be such as to accomplish the work of the Lord, not to impose guilt on his children. . . .
“. . . We should understand that in the work of redeeming the dead there are many tasks to be performed, and that all members should participate by prayerfully selecting those ways that fit their personal circumstances at a particular time. This should be done under the influence of the Spirit of the Lord and with the guidance of priesthood leaders. . . . Our effort is not to compel everyone to do everything, but to encourage everyone to do something” Elder Dallin H. Oaks ( “Family History: ‘In Wisdom and Order,’” Ensign, June 1989)


 “This work, unselfishly given in behalf of those on the other side, comes nearer to the unparalleled vicarious work of the Savior than any other of which I know. The great and important work of teaching the gospel of Christ to the people of the world is incomplete, at best, if it does not also provide for that teaching to those in another sphere and making available to them those gospel ordinances required of all if they are to move forward on the way of eternal life” Gordon B. Hinckley  (Ensign, Nov. 1985)


Elder Henry B. Eyring counseled: “You begin by doing simple things. Write down what you already know about your family. You will need to write down the names of parents and their parents with the dates of birth or death or marriage. When you can, you will want to record the places. Some of that you will know from memory. But you can also ask relatives. They may even have some certificates of births, marriages, or deaths. Make copies and organize them. If you learn stories about their lives, write them down and keep them. You are not just gathering names. Those you never met in life will become friends you love. Your heart will be bound to theirs forever.
“You can start searching in the first few generations going back in time. From that you will identify many of your ancestors who need your help. Someone in your own ward or branch of the Church has been called to help you prepare those names for the temple. There they can be offered the covenants which will free them from their spirit prisons and bind them in families—your family—forever”. (Ensign, May 2005)



Elder David B. Haight: “A nonmember in Wisconsin, with other family members, has been stymied by lack of information on her great-grandfather. She decided to try [one of the Church’s family history databases] and, after some searching, discovered her great-grandfather, the very one she had been looking for for many years. Shortly she had transferred to her disk several thousand additional names and over 1,300 marriages on this previously ‘dead-end’ line. She too is entering thousands of additional names on other lines to contribute to [the Church’s database]” (Ensign, May 1991)


Elder Richard G. Scott said: “Recently a friend of the Church, tenderly holding a five-inch-high stack of information, said with obvious gratitude, ‘The Church placed my life’s work in a computer where it will be permanently recorded and available for others to use.’ That spirit is spreading throughout the world, where friends who wish to show their gratitude for using Church resources are now generously donating their laboriously compiled family history information to share with others”. (Ensign, Nov. 1990)

1. Elder Russell M. Nelson said: “I remember vividly an experience I had as a passenger in a small two-propeller airplane. One of its engines suddenly burst open and caught on fire. The propeller of the flaming engine was starkly stilled. As we plummeted in a steep spiral dive toward the earth, I expected to die. Some of the passengers screamed in hysterical panic. Miraculously, the precipitous dive extinguished the flames. Then, by starting up the other engine, the pilot was able to stabilize the plane and bring us down safely.

“Throughout that ordeal, though I ‘knew’ death was coming, my paramount feeling was that I was not afraid to die. I remember a sense of returning home to meet ancestors for whom I had done temple work. I remember my deep sense of gratitude that my sweetheart and I had been sealed eternally to each other and to our children, born and reared in the covenant. I realized that our marriage in the temple was my most important accomplishment. Honors bestowed upon me by men could not approach the inner peace provided by sealings performed in the house of the Lord”. ( Ensign, May 1992)

Starting my personal Quote Book

I love Quotes, and this new assignment will be a challenge but also a wonderful tool for the future. I am grateful, that because of a class assignment, I get to search even more for quotes that touch my life and will hopefully help me to better follow Jesus Christ and to become a more humble, kind and greater person.