General Conference Sat am ReCap 31 Mar 2012

Pres. Thomas S Monson

No cause, no force in the world can stop the Work of God!  Words of Joseph Smith:  “the standard of truth has been erected: no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing, persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished and the great Jehovah shall say the work is done.” (History of the Church, 4:540).    

There is much that is good and uplifting! 13th Article of Faith: “We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.”

I thank-you for your Faith and Devotion to the Gospel….for the service you provide…helps to accomplish the purposes of the Lord on earth.

We’ve come to be instructed and inspired. Our Heavenly Father is mindful of each of us and our needs.

Pres. Boyd K Packer

Repentance and the lasting hope that Forgiveness brings will always be the answer.

If in this life we only have hope in Christ, we of all men are most miserable.

I can understand the feelings expressed by the Savior towards little children.

The Gospel is a powerful influence. I hope to be judged as good as the man of my father.

In all that we do, we must be “Family Friendly”. Family Time is sacred and should be protected. We have the willingness and the witness that our Families can be Forever. The Family is the basic organization in Time and Eternity.

Sis. Cheryl A Esplin

“The Lord has clearly commanded that parents are to teach their children to do good (see Alma 39:12 ) and to teach them ‘the doctrine of repentance, faith in Christ the Son of the living God, and of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of the hands, when eight years old, [or] the sin [shall] be upon the heads of the parents. . . .’” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1992, 105; or Ensign, Nov. 1992, 75–76 ).

The Lord instructs parents to teach their children to UNDERSTAND the Doctrine.

Help our children to get Doctrine into their hearts and the very fiber of their beings. Help our children to feel the Spirit and then recognize what they are feeling.

Be alert and recognize teaching moments. If we are ready, and let the Spirit guide, our children will be taught the Doctrine.

All learning is best understood where the Spirit is present.

Elder Donald L Hallstrom

This is a MAGNIFICENT Church! Beautiful meetinghouses; Majestic Temples; Missionaries serving through-out the world; Humanitarian Service; Welfare; Community of Saints willing to serve one another. There is nothing like it!

As a youth, I saw Pres. David O McKay. I remember what I saw and felt.

Activity in the Church is a highly desirable goal; but is insufficient and is outwardly expressed. The things of the Gospel are spiritually discerned: our Faith, our Repentance, our Covenants.

Focus on the Gospel:

1. Deepen our foundation of Deity. Mindfully to pray to the Father in the name of Son, and seek the Holy Ghost.

2. Focus on the Ordinances and Covenants.  Intently prepare to receive them. Use the weekly gift of the Sacrament.

3. Unite the Gospel with the Church. Concentration on the Gospel, the Church will become more and not less in our lives.

The Lord wants the members of His Church to be converted to His Gospel!

Elder Paul E Koelliker

How can we help others to know that we love them?

Army of righteous disciples return and become key contributors to the Work of the Church.

We can learn from Nephi who said, “I, Nephi, having heard all the words of my father, concerning the things which he saw in a vision, and also the things which he spake by the power of the Holy Ghost, which power he received by faith on the Son of God—and the Son of God was the Messiah who should come—I, Nephi, was desirous also that I might see, and hear, and know of these things, by the power of the Holy Ghost, which is the gift of God unto all those who diligently seek him, as well in times of old as in the time that he should manifest himself unto the children of men.” (1 Nephi 10:17)

Patterns are templates; guides; repeating steps to enable to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit.

When we yield to His Will and Live His Pattern, we will Know His Doctrine and be blessed by Spirit of the Holy Ghost.

Faithful disciples of Jesus Christ follow the Pattern taught by the Savior to Love One Another. Heavenly Father’s arms are constantly extended to say “I love you”.

Elder Dallin H Oaks

“His precious blood he freely spilt;
His life he freely gave,
A sinless sacrifice for guilt,
A dying world to save.”  (How Great the Widsom and the Love, by Eliza R Snow, Hymn #195)

That Sacrifice, the Atonement of Jesus Christ, is the Center of His Gospel and His Church.

As members of the Church, we offer a small imitation of His own sacrifice by offering our time, talents and love in serving one another.

“Sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven.”

No group makes more sacrifices than the members of His Church.

Our lives and service most appropriately show our sacrifice in following our Savior.  Serving a mission is a small sacrifice for disciples of Christ.

Acts of volunteering and service remind us of the Savior’s words as He taught His disciples, 'For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it' (Luke 9:24).

We, followers of Christ, must make our own Sacrifices to prepare for our Destiny.

Pres. Henry B Eyring

Give me this mountain. Give me the challenges.

I felt a desire to be more like Him and prayed for help. My prayer was answered.

Emotional and physical challenges can cause us to cry out, “Why has this happened to me?”

The Lord answered this to the Prophet Joseph Smith:

“ And if thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and the sentence of death passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the deep; if the billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good.

The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?

Therefore, hold on thy way, and the priesthood shall remain with thee; for their bounds are set, they cannot pass. Thy days are known, and thy years shall not be numbered less; therefore, fear not what man can do, for God shall be with you forever and ever.”  (Doctrine and Covenants 122: 7-9)

No better answer as to why trials come.

The Savior suffered for us. Said He:  “Therefore I command you to repent—repent, lest I smite you by the rod of my mouth, and by my wrath, and by my anger, and your sufferings be sore—how sore you know not, how exquisite you know not, yea, how hard to bear you know not.

“For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent;

“But if they would not repent they must suffer even as I;

“Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit—and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink—

“Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men.

“Wherefore, I command you again to repent, lest I humble you with my almighty power; and that you confess your sins, lest you suffer these punishments of which I have spoken, of which in the smallest, yea, even in the least degree you have tasted at the time I withdrew my Spirit.”  (Doctrine and Covenants 19:15-20)

You and I have Faith that the way to rise above trials is to believe that there is indeed Balm in Gilead and in the Lord’s promise that  He will not forsake us.  If the foundation of Faith is not embedded in our hearts then we will crumble.

Serving others and God, persistently, turns trials into unshakeable Faith. Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Faith and words of testimony, “I Know that My Redeemer Lives”, Repentance and Forgiveness brings Peace and Hope.  His Love is Unfailing!