Faith to Act ~ Come Unto Christ

Ye Shall Be Free By Elder Thierry K. Mutombo Of the Seventy Jesus Christ is the light that we should hold up even during the dark times of our mortal life. My beloved brothers and sisters, I’m so grateful for the privilege to address you from Africa. It is a blessing to have the technology today and to use it in the most effective way to reach out to you wherever you are. In September 2019, Sister Mutombo and I, while serving as leaders of the Maryland Baltimore Mission, had the privilege to visit some Church history sites in Palmyra, New York, while attending a mission leadership seminar. We ended our visit in the Sacred Grove. Our intention in visiting the Sacred Grove was not to have a special manifestation or a vision, but we did feel God’s presence in this sacred place. Our hearts were filled with gratitude for the Prophet Joseph Smith. On the way back, Sister Mutombo noticed that I had a big smile while driving, so she asked, “What is the reason for your excitement?” I responded, “My dear Nathalie, the truth will always triumph over error, and darkness will not continue on earth because of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.” God the Father and Jesus Christ visited the young Joseph Smith to bring to the light what was hidden so we may receive the “knowledge of things as they are, … as they were, and as they [will be]” (Doctrine and Covenants 93:24). After over 200 years, many still seek the truths needed to become free of some of the traditions and the lies that the adversary spreads throughout the world. Many are “blinded by the subtle craftiness of men” (Doctrine and Covenants 123:12). In his Epistle to the Ephesians, Paul taught, “Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light” (Ephesians 5:14). The Savior promised that He will be the light unto all who hear His words (see 2 Nephi 10:14). Thirty-five years ago, my parents were also blinded and were desperately seeking to know the truth and were concerned about where to turn to find it. My parents were both born in the village, where the traditions were rooted in individuals’ and families’ lives. They both left their village when they were young and came to the city, looking for a better life. They married and started their family in a very modest way. We were almost eight people in a small house—my parents, two of my sisters and I, and a cousin who used to live with us. I was wondering if we were truly a family, as we were not permitted to have dinner at the same table with our parents. When our dad returned from work, as soon as he entered the house, we were asked to leave and to go outside. Our nights were very short, as we could not sleep because of the lack of harmony and true love in our parents’ marriage. Our home was not only small in size, but it was a dark place. Before meeting with the missionaries, we attended different churches every Sunday. It was clear that our parents were seeking for something that the world could not provide. This went on until we met with Elder and Sister Hutchings, the first senior missionary couple called to serve in Zaire (known today as DR of Congo or Congo-Kinshasa). When we started meeting with these wonderful missionaries, who were like angels that came from God, I noticed that something started to change in our family. After our baptism, we truly started to progressively have a new lifestyle because of the restored gospel. The words of Christ began to enlarge our souls. They began to enlighten our understanding and became delicious to us, as the truths that we received were discernible and we could see the light, and this light grew brighter and brighter daily. This understanding of the why of the gospel was helping us to become more like the Savior. The size of our home did not change; neither did our social conditions. But I witnessed a change of heart in my parents as we prayed daily, morning and evening. We studied the Book of Mormon; we held family home evening; we truly became a family. Every Sunday we woke up at 6:00 a.m. to prepare to go to church, and we would travel for hours to attend Church meetings every week without complaining. It was a wonderful experience to witness. We, who had previously walked in darkness, chased darkness from among us (see Doctrine and Covenants 50:25) and saw “great light” (2 Nephi 19:2). I remember one day when I was not willing to wake up early in the morning for our family prayer, I murmured to my sisters... General Conference Saturday Morning Session April 2021 The Book of Mormon - Another Testament of Jesus Christ Get your FREE copy 👉http://bit.ly/MyBookofMormon 🙏 Get your FREE copy of The New Proclamation to the World: “The Restoration of the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ” 🙏🏼http://bit.ly/Restoration200 😇Come Unto Christ - Faith to Act - http://www.faithtoact.com #GeneralConferenceApril2021 #FaithToAct #Christian #BookofMormon #ComeUntoChrist #HeLives #HearHim #TheRestoration

The Personal Journey of a Child of God By Elder Neil L. Andersen Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles As covenant children of God, we love, honor, nurture, safeguard, and welcome those spirits who are coming from the premortal world. Each of us has been affected by the worldwide pandemic, as family and friends have unexpectedly moved beyond mortality. Let me acknowledge three we dearly miss, representing all those we love so much. Philippe and Germaine Ngondi This is Brother Philippe and Sister Germaine Nsondi. Brother Nsondi was serving as the patriarch of the Brazzaville Republic of Congo Stake when he passed away. He was a medical doctor who shared his talents generously with others.1 Clara Ruano This is Sister Clara Elisa Ruano de Villareal from Tulcán, Ecuador. She embraced the restored gospel at age 34 and was a beloved leader. Her family said goodbye singing her favorite hymn, “I Know That My Redeemer Lives.”2 Ray and Juliet Tuineau Family This is Brother Ray Tuineau from Utah, with his beautiful family. His wife, Juliet, said, “I want [my boys] to [remember that their dad] always tried to put God first.”3 The Lord has said, “Thou shalt live together in love, insomuch that thou shalt weep for the loss of them that die.”4 While we weep, we also rejoice in the glorious Resurrection of our Savior. Because of Him, our loved ones and friends continue their eternal journey. As President Joseph F. Smith explained: “We can not forget them; we do not cease to love them. … They have advanced; we are advancing; we are growing as they have grown.”5 President Russell M. Nelson said, “Our tears of sorrow … turn to tears of anticipation.”6 We Know about Life before Birth Our eternal perspective not only enlarges our understanding of those who are continuing their journey beyond mortality but also opens our understanding of those who are earlier in their journey and just now entering mortality. Each person who comes to earth is a unique son or daughter of God.7 Our personal journey did not begin at birth. Before we were born, we were together in a world of preparation where we “received [our] first lessons in the world of spirits.”8 Jehovah told Jeremiah, “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee.”9 Some may question if life begins with the formation of an embryo, or when the heart begins to beat, or when the baby can live outside of the womb, but for us, there is no question that spirit daughters and sons of God are on their own personal journeys coming to earth to receive a body and experience mortality. As covenant children of God, we love, honor, nurture, safeguard, and welcome those spirits who are coming from the premortal world. The Amazing Contribution of Women For a woman, having a child can be a great sacrifice physically, emotionally, and economically. We love and honor the amazing women of this Church. With intelligence and wisdom, you bear the burdens of your family. You love. You serve. You sacrifice. You strengthen faith, minister to those in need, and greatly contribute to society. General Conference Saturday Afternoon Session April 2021 The Book of Mormon - Another Testament of Jesus Christ Get your FREE copy 👉http://bit.ly/MyBookofMormon 🙏 Get your FREE copy of The New Proclamation to the World: “The Restoration of the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ” 🙏🏼http://bit.ly/Restoration200 😇Come Unto Christ - Faith to Act - http://www.faithtoact.com #GeneralConferenceApril2021 #FaithToAct #Christian #BookofMormon #ComeUntoChrist #HeLives #HearHim #TheRestoration

Infuriating Unfairness By Elder Dale G. Renlund Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles Jesus Christ both understands unfairness and has the power to provide a remedy. In 1994, a genocide took place in the East African country of Rwanda that was partly due to deep-seated tribal tensions. Estimates are that more than half a million people were killed.1 Remarkably, the Rwandan people have in large part reconciled,2 but these events continue to reverberate. A decade ago, while visiting Rwanda, my wife and I struck up a conversation with another passenger at the Kigali airport. He lamented the unfairness of the genocide and poignantly asked, “If there were a God, wouldn’t He have done something about it?” For this man—and for many of us—suffering and brutal unfairness can seem incompatible with the reality of a kind, loving Heavenly Father. Yet He is real, He is kind, and He loves each of His children perfectly. This dichotomy is as old as mankind and cannot be explained in a simple sound bite or on a bumper sticker. To begin to make some sense of it, let us explore various types of unfairness. Consider a family in which each child received a weekly monetary allowance for doing common household chores. One son, John, purchased candy; one daughter, Anna, saved her money. Eventually, Anna bought herself a bicycle. John thought it was totally unfair that Anna got a bike when he did not. But John’s choices created the inequality, not parental actions. Anna’s decision to forgo the immediate gratification of eating candy did not impose any unfairness on John, because he had the same opportunity as his sister. Our decisions can likewise yield long-term advantages or disadvantages. As the Lord revealed, “If a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come.”3 When others receive benefits because of their diligent choices, we cannot rightly conclude that we have been treated unfairly when we have had the same opportunity. Another example of unfairness stems from a situation my wife, Ruth, encountered as a child. One day Ruth learned that her mother was taking a younger sister, Merla, to buy new shoes. Ruth complained, “Mom, it’s so unfair! Merla got the last new pair of shoes.” Ruth’s mother asked, “Ruth, do your shoes fit?” Ruth replied, “Well, yes.” Ruth’s mother then said, “Merla’s shoes no longer fit.” Ruth agreed that every child in the family should have shoes that fit. Although Ruth would have liked new shoes, her perception of being treated unfairly dissipated when she saw the circumstances through her mother’s eyes. Some unfairness cannot be explained; inexplicable unfairness is infuriating. Unfairness comes from living with bodies that are imperfect, injured, or diseased. Mortal life is inherently unfair. Some people are born in affluence; others are not. Some have loving parents; others do not. Some live many years; others, few. And on and on and on. Some individuals make injurious mistakes even when they are trying to do good. Some choose not to alleviate unfairness when they could. Distressingly, some individuals use their God-given agency to hurt others when they never should. General Conference Saturday Afternoon Session April 2021 The Book of Mormon - Another Testament of Jesus Christ Get your FREE copy 👉http://bit.ly/MyBookofMormon 🙏 Get your FREE copy of The New Proclamation to the World: “The Restoration of the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ” 🙏🏼http://bit.ly/Restoration200 😇Come Unto Christ - Faith to Act - http://www.faithtoact.com #GeneralConferenceApril2021 #FaithToAct #Christian #BookofMormon #ComeUntoChrist #HeLives #HearHim #TheRestoration

Poor Little Ones By Elder Jorge T. Becerra Of the Seventy In each ward and branch we need everyone—those who may be strong and those who are perhaps struggling. All are necessary. As a boy, I remember driving in the car with my father and seeing individuals on the roadside who had found themselves in difficult circumstances or who needed help. My father would always make the comment “Pobrecito,” which means “poor little one.” On occasion, I watched with interest as my father would help many of these people, especially when we would travel to Mexico to see my grandparents. He would typically find someone in need and then go privately and provide the help they needed. I later discovered that he was helping them enroll in school, buy some food, or provide in some way or another for their well-being. He was ministering to a “poor little one” who came across his path. In fact, in my growing-up years I cannot remember a time when we did not have someone living with us who needed a place to stay as they became self-reliant. Watching these experiences created in me a spirit of compassion toward my fellow men and women and for those in need. In Preach My Gospel it states: “You are surrounded by people. You pass them on the street, visit them in their homes, and travel among them. They are all children of God, your brothers and sisters. … Many of these people are searching for purpose in life. They are concerned for their future and their families” (Preach My Gospel: A Guide to Missionary Service [2018], 1). Throughout the years, while serving in the Church, I have tried to seek after those who needed help in their lives, both temporally and spiritually. I would often hear the voice of my father saying, “Pobrecito,” poor little one. In the Bible we find a wonderful example of caring for a poor little one: “Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. “And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple; “Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms. “And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us. “And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them. “Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. “And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength” (Acts 3:1–7; emphasis added). In reading this account, I was intrigued by the use of the word fastening. The word fastening means to direct one’s eyes or thoughts to or to look intently at (see “fasten,” Dictionary.com). As Peter looked at this man, he saw him differently than others. He looked past his inability to walk and his weaknesses and could discern that his faith was adequate to become healed and enter into the temple to receive the blessings he was seeking. I noticed that he took him by the right hand and lifted him up. As he assisted the man in this way, the Lord miraculously healed him, and “his feet and ankle bones received strength” (Acts 3:7). His love for this man and a desire to help him caused an increase of capacity and ability in the man who was weak. While serving as an Area Seventy, I reserved each Tuesday night to do ministering visits with the stake presidents in my area of responsibility. I invited them to make appointments with those who were in need of an ordinance of the gospel of Jesus Christ or who were not currently keeping the covenants they had made. Through our consistent and intentional ministering, the Lord magnified our efforts and we were able to find individuals and families who were in need. These were the “poor little ones” who lived in the different stakes where we served. General Conference Saturday Afternoon Session April 2021 The Book of Mormon - Another Testament of Jesus Christ Get your FREE copy 👉http://bit.ly/MyBookofMormon 🙏 Get your FREE copy of The New Proclamation to the World: “The Restoration of the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ” 🙏🏼http://bit.ly/Restoration200 😇Come Unto Christ - Faith to Act - http://www.faithtoact.com #GeneralConferenceApril2021 #FaithToAct #Christian #BookofMormon #ComeUntoChrist #HeLives #HearHim #TheRestoration

Not as the World Giveth By Elder Jeffrey R. Holland Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles The instruments we need to create a brighter day and grow an economy of genuine goodness are abundantly provided for in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Prior to that first Easter, as Jesus concluded the new sacramental ordinance He had administered to the Twelve, He began His majestic farewell discourse and moved toward Gethsemane, betrayal, and crucifixion. However, sensing the concern and perhaps even outright fear some of those men must have exhibited, He said this to them (and to us): “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. … “I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. … “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”1 Challenging times come in this mortal world, including to the faithful, but the reassuring message of Christ is that although He, the paschal lamb, would go like “a sheep before [its] shearers,”2 He would nevertheless rise, as the psalmist said, to be “our refuge and strength, [our] very present help in [times of] trouble.”3 Realizing what difficult hours lay ahead for Christ as He moved toward the cross and for His disciples as they would take His gospel to the world in the meridian of time, go with me now to a related message for members of the Savior’s Church in the latter days. It lies in the staggering number of verses in the Book of Mormon devoted to conflict of one kind or another, from Laman and Lemuel’s eternally annoying behavior up to final battles involving hundreds of thousands of soldiers. One of the obvious reasons for this emphasis is that inasmuch as the Book of Mormon was written for a latter-day audience, these authors (who experienced so much of war themselves) prophetically warn us that violence and conflict will be a signature characteristic of relationships in the last days. Of course, my theory about latter-day contention isn’t very original. Two thousand years ago, the Savior warned that in the last days there would be “wars, and rumors of wars,”4 later saying that “peace [would] be taken from the earth.”5 Surely this Prince of Peace, who taught emphatically that contention is of the devil,6 must weep, along with His Divine Father, over those in the human family in our day who are “without affection,” the scripture says, and who cannot figure out how to live together in love.7 Brothers and sisters, we do see too much conflict, anger, and general incivility around us. Fortunately, the current generation has not had a Third World War to fight, nor have we experienced a global economic crash like the one in 1929 leading to a Great Depression. We are, however, facing a kind of Third World War that is not a fight to crush our enemies but a conscription marshaling the children of God to care more about each other and to help heal the wounds we find in a conflicted world. The Great Depression we now face has less to do with the external loss of our savings and more to do with the internal loss of our self-confidence, with real deficits of faith and hope and charity all around us. But the instruments we need to create a brighter day and grow an economy of genuine goodness in society are abundantly provided for in the gospel of Jesus Christ. We cannot afford—and this world cannot afford—our failure to put these gospel concepts and fortifying covenants to full use personally and publicly. General Conference Saturday Afternoon Session April 2021 The Book of Mormon - Another Testament of Jesus Christ Get your FREE copy 👉http://bit.ly/MyBookofMormon 🙏 Get your FREE copy of The New Proclamation to the World: “The Restoration of the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ” 🙏🏼http://bit.ly/Restoration200 😇Come Unto Christ - Faith to Act - http://www.faithtoact.com #GeneralConferenceApril2021 #FaithToAct #Christian #BookofMormon #ComeUntoChrist #HeLives #HearHim #TheRestoration

General Conference Saturday Afternoon Session April 2021 The Book of Mormon - Another Testament of Jesus Christ Get your FREE copy 👉http://bit.ly/MyBookofMormon 🙏 Get your FREE copy of The New Proclamation to the World: “The Restoration of the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ” 🙏🏼http://bit.ly/Restoration200 😇Come Unto Christ - Faith to Act - http://www.faithtoact.com #GeneralConferenceApril2021 #FaithToAct #Christian #BookofMormon #ComeUntoChrist #HeLives #HearHim #TheRestoration

I Love to See the Temple I Love to See the Temple By President Henry B. Eyring Second Counselor in the First Presidency It is in the temple that we can receive the assurance of loving family connections that will continue after death and last for eternity. My dear brothers and sisters, I am grateful to be with you in this first session of general conference. The speakers, the music, and the prayer have brought the Spirit—as well as a feeling of light and hope. That feeling has brought back to my memory the first day I walked into the Salt Lake Temple. I was a young man. My parents were my only companions that day. Inside, they paused for a moment to be greeted by a temple worker. I walked on ahead of them, alone for a moment. I was greeted by a little white-haired lady in a beautiful white temple dress. She looked up at me and smiled and then said very softly, “Welcome to the temple, Brother Eyring.” I thought for a moment she was an angel because she knew my name. I had not realized that a small card with my name on it had been placed on the lapel of my suit coat. I stepped past her and stopped. I looked up at a high white ceiling that made the room so light it seemed almost as if it were open to the sky. And in that moment, the thought came into my mind in these clear words: “I have been in this lighted place before.” But then immediately there came into my mind, not in my own voice, these words: “No, you have never been here before. You are remembering a moment before you were born. You were in a sacred place like this.” On the outside of our temples, we place the words “Holiness to the Lord.” I know for myself that those words are true. The temple is a holy place where revelation comes to us easily if our hearts are open to it and we are worthy of it. Later that first day I again felt the same Spirit. The temple ceremony includes some words that brought a feeling of burning in my heart, confirming that what was being portrayed was true. What I felt was personal to me regarding my future, and it became a reality 40 years later through a call to serve from the Lord. I experienced the same feeling when I was married in the Logan Utah Temple. President Spencer W. Kimball performed the sealing. In the few words he spoke, he gave this counsel: “Hal and Kathy, live so that when the call comes, you can walk away easily.” As he said those few words, I saw clearly in my mind, in full color, a steep hill and a road leading up to the top. A white fence ran on the left side of the road and disappeared into a row of trees at the top of the hill. A white house was barely visible through the trees. One year later, I recognized that hill as my father-in-law drove us up that road. It was in detail what I saw when President Kimball gave his counsel in the temple. When we got to the top of the hill, my father-in-law stopped by the white house. He told us that he and his wife were buying the property and that he wanted his daughter and me to live in the guesthouse. They would live in the main house, just a few feet away. So, during the 10 years we lived in that lovely family setting, my wife and I would say almost every day, “We had better enjoy this because we aren’t going to be here long.” A call came from the Church commissioner of education, Neal A. Maxwell. The warning given by President Kimball to be able to “walk away easily” became a reality. It was a call to leave what seemed an idyllic family situation to serve in an assignment in a place that I knew nothing about. Our family was ready to leave that blessed time and place because a prophet, in a holy temple, a place of revelation, saw a future event for which we then were prepared. I know that temples of the Lord are holy places. My purpose today in speaking of temples is to increase your desire and mine to be worthy and ready for the increased opportunities for temple experiences that are coming for us. For me, the greatest motivation to be worthy of temple experiences is what the Lord has said of His holy houses: “Inasmuch as my people build a house unto me in the name of the Lord, and do not suffer any unclean thing to come into it, that it be not defiled, my glory shall rest upon it; “Yea, and my presence shall be there, for I will come into it, and all the pure in heart that shall come into it shall see God. General Conference Saturday Morning Session April 2021 The Book of Mormon - Another Testament of Jesus Christ Get your FREE copy 👉http://bit.ly/MyBookofMormon 🙏 Get your FREE copy of The New Proclamation to the World: “The Restoration of the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ” 🙏🏼http://bit.ly/Restoration200 😇Come Unto Christ - Faith to Act - http://www.faithtoact.com #GeneralConferenceApril2021 #FaithToAct #Christian #BookofMormon #ComeUntoChrist #HeLives #HearHim #TheRestoration

Room in the Inn By Elder Gerrit W. Gong Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles In this Easter season, Jesus Christ invites us to become, like Him, a good Samaritan, to make His Inn (His Church) a refuge for all. Dear brothers and sisters, although he passed away 20 years ago, there are times I miss my father. Easter promises I will see him again. When I was in graduate school in England, my father came to visit. His father’s heart knew I missed home. My father loved adventure except in food. Even in France, noted for its cuisine, he would say, “Let’s eat Chinese food.” A long-serving patriarch in the Church, my father was spiritual and compassionate. One night, as emergency vehicles with loud sirens raced through Paris, he said, “Gerrit, those cries are the wounds of a city.” On that trip, I felt other cries and wounds. A young woman was selling ice cream from a small pushcart. Her wafer cones were just the size for a single scoop of ice cream. For some reason, a large man confronted the young woman. Yelling and pushing, he tipped over her cart, spilling her ice-cream cones. There was nothing I could do as he crushed the cones with his boots. I can still see the young woman on her knees in the street, trying to save broken wafer pieces, tears of anguish streaming down her face. Her image haunts me, a reminder of the unkindness, uncaring, misunderstanding we too often inflict on each other. On another afternoon, near Paris, my father and I visited the great cathedral at Chartres. Malcolm Miller,1 a world expert on the cathedral, pointed out three sets of Chartres stained-glass windows. He said they tell a story. The first windows show Adam and Eve leaving the Garden of Eden. The second recount the parable of the good Samaritan. The third depict the Lord’s Second Coming. Taken together, these stained-glass windows can describe our eternal journey. They invite us to welcome all with room in His inn. General Conference Saturday Morning Session April 2021 The Book of Mormon - Another Testament of Jesus Christ Get your FREE copy 👉http://bit.ly/MyBookofMormon 🙏 Get your FREE copy of The New Proclamation to the World: “The Restoration of the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ” 🙏🏼http://bit.ly/Restoration200 😇Come Unto Christ - Faith to Act - http://www.faithtoact.com #GeneralConferenceApril2021 #FaithToAct #Christian #BookofMormon #ComeUntoChrist #HeLives #HearHim #TheRestoration

Hearts Knit Together By Elder Gary E. Stevenson Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles As you extend yourself with kindness, care, and compassion, I promise that you will lift up arms that hang down and will heal hearts. Introduction Isn’t it fascinating that significant scientific discoveries are sometimes inspired by events as simple as an apple falling from a tree? Today, let me share a discovery that happened because of a sample group of rabbits. In the 1970s, researchers set up an experiment to examine the effects of diet on heart health. Over several months, they fed a control group of rabbits a high-fat diet and monitored their blood pressure, heart rate, and cholesterol. As expected, many of the rabbits showed a buildup of fatty deposits on the inside of their arteries. Yet this was not all! Researchers had discovered something that made little sense. Although all of the rabbits had a buildup, one group surprisingly had as much as 60 percent less than the others. It appeared as though they were looking at two different groups of rabbits. To scientists, results like this can cause lost sleep. How could this be? The rabbits were all the same breed from New Zealand, from a virtually identical gene pool. They each received equal amounts of the same food. What could this mean? Did the results invalidate the study? Were there flaws in the experiment design? The scientists struggled to understand this unexpected outcome! Eventually, they turned their attention to the research staff. Was it possible that researchers had done something to influence the results? As they pursued this, they discovered that every rabbit with fewer fatty deposits had been under the care of one researcher. She fed the rabbits the same food as everyone else. But, as one scientist reported, “she was an unusually kind and caring individual.” When she fed the rabbits, “she talked to them, cuddled and petted them. … ‘She couldn’t help it. It’s just how she was.’”1 Woman Looking at Bunny Rabbit She did more than simply give the rabbits food. She gave them love! At first glance, it seemed unlikely that this could be the reason for the dramatic difference, but the research team could see no other possibility. So they repeated the experiment—this time tightly controlling for every other variable. When they analyzed the results, the same thing happened! The rabbits under the care of the loving researcher had significantly higher health outcomes. The scientists published the results of this study in the prestigious journal Science.2 Years later the findings of this experiment still seem influential in the medical community. In recent years, Dr. Kelli Harding published a book titled The Rabbit Effect that takes its name from the experiment. Her conclusion: “Take a rabbit with an unhealthy lifestyle. Talk to it. Hold it. Give it affection. … The relationship made a difference. … Ultimately,” she concludes, “what affects our health in the most meaningful ways has as much to do with how we treat one another, how we live, and how we think about what it means to be human.”3 In a secular world, bridges connecting science with gospel truths sometimes seem few and far between. Yet as Christians, followers of Jesus Christ, Latter-day Saints, the results of this scientific study may seem more intuitive than astonishing. For me, this lays another brick in the foundation of kindness as a fundamental, healing gospel principle—one that can heal hearts emotionally, spiritually, and, as demonstrated here, even physically. General Conference Saturday Morning Session April 2021 The Book of Mormon - Another Testament of Jesus Christ Get your FREE copy 👉http://bit.ly/MyBookofMormon 🙏 Get your FREE copy of The New Proclamation to the World: “The Restoration of the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ” 🙏🏼http://bit.ly/Restoration200 😇Come Unto Christ - Faith to Act - http://www.faithtoact.com #GeneralConferenceApril2021 #FaithToAct #Christian #BookofMormon #ComeUntoChrist #HeLives #HearHim #TheRestoration

Teaching in the Savior’s Way By Jan E. Newman Second Counselor in the Sunday School General Presidency The responsibility rests squarely upon each of us to follow the example of the Master and teach like Him. Exceptional Teachers A few months ago, a former classmate from my hometown of Overton, Nevada, suggested we put together a Christmas gift for our beloved kindergarten teacher, who had recently celebrated her 98th birthday. She taught us to be kind, the importance of a good nap, the joy of milk and graham crackers, and to love one another. Thank you, Sister Davis, for being such a wonderful teacher. Dola Davis I had another exceptional teacher while attending Ricks College many years ago. I was preparing to serve a mission and thought it would be helpful to attend a missionary preparation class. What I experienced changed my life. From the first day of class, I realized I was in the presence of a master teacher. The teacher was Brother F. Melvin Hammond. I knew Brother Hammond loved the Lord and he loved me. I could see it in his face and hear it in his voice. When he taught, the Spirit enlightened my mind. He taught doctrine, but he also invited me to learn it on my own. That invitation helped me clearly see my responsibility to learn the Lord’s doctrine for myself. That experience changed me forever. Thank you, Brother Hammond, for teaching in the Savior’s way. Brothers and sisters, everyone deserves to have this kind of learning experience both at home and at church. The introduction to Come, Follow Me gives a vision of what Christlike teaching can accomplish. “The aim of all gospel learning and teaching,” it says, “is to deepen our conversion to Jesus Christ and help us become more like Him. … The kind of gospel learning that strengthens our faith and leads to the miracle of conversion doesn’t happen all at once. It extends beyond [the] classroom into an individual’s heart and home.”1 The scriptures indicate that the Savior’s ministry in ancient America was so impactful and widespread that “the people were all converted unto the Lord, upon all the face of the land, both Nephites and Lamanites, and there were no contentions and disputations among them, and every man did deal justly one with another.”2 How can our teaching have a similar effect on those we love? How can we teach more like the Savior and help others become more deeply converted? Allow me to offer a few suggestions. General Conference Saturday Morning Session April 2021 The Book of Mormon - Another Testament of Jesus Christ Get your FREE copy 👉http://bit.ly/MyBookofMormon 🙏 Get your FREE copy of The New Proclamation to the World: “The Restoration of the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ” 🙏🏼http://bit.ly/Restoration200 😇Come Unto Christ - Faith to Act - http://www.faithtoact.com #GeneralConferenceApril2021 #FaithToAct #Christian #BookofMormon #ComeUntoChrist #HeLives #HearHim #TheRestoration

Essential Conversations By Joy D. Jones Recently Released Primary General President We cannot wait for conversion to simply happen to our children. Accidental conversion is not a principle of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Have you ever wondered why we call Primary “Primary”? While the name refers to spiritual learning children receive in their earliest years, to me it is also a reminder of a powerful truth. To our Heavenly Father, children have never been secondary—they have always been “primary.”1 He trusts us to value, respect, and protect them as children of God. That means we never harm them physically, verbally, or emotionally in any way, even when tensions and pressures run high. Instead we value children, and we do all we can to combat the evils of abuse. Their care is primary to us—as it is to Him.2 One young mother and father sat at their kitchen table reviewing their day. From down the hall, they heard a thud. The mother asked, “What was that?” Then they heard a soft cry coming from their four-year-old son’s bedroom. They rushed down the hall. There he was, lying on the floor next to his bed. The mother picked up the little boy and asked him what had happened. He said, “I fell out of bed.” She said, “Why did you fall out of bed?” He shrugged and said, “I don’t know. I guess I just didn’t get far enough in.” It is about this “getting far enough in” that I would like to speak this morning. It is our privilege and responsibility to help children “get far enough in” to the gospel of Jesus Christ. And we cannot begin too soon. There is a uniquely special time in children’s lives when they are protected from Satan’s influence. It is a time when they are innocent and sin free.3 It is a sacred time for parent and child. Children are to be taught, by word and example, before and after they have “arrived unto the years of accountability before God.”4 President Henry B. Eyring taught: “We have the greatest opportunity with the young. The best time to teach is early, while children are still immune to the temptations of [the] mortal enemy, and long before the words of truth may be harder for them to hear in the noise of their personal struggles.”5 Such teaching will help them realize their divine identity, their purpose, and the rich blessings that await them as they make sacred covenants and receive ordinances along the covenant path. We cannot wait for conversion to simply happen to our children. Accidental conversion is not a principle of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Becoming like our Savior will not happen randomly. Being intentional in loving, teaching, and testifying can help children begin at a young age to feel the influence of the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost is essential to our children’s testimony of and conversion to Jesus Christ; we desire them to “always remember him, that they may have his Spirit to be with them.” General Conference Saturday Morning Session April 2021 The Book of Mormon - Another Testament of Jesus Christ Get your FREE copy 👉http://bit.ly/MyBookofMormon 🙏 Get your FREE copy of The New Proclamation to the World: “The Restoration of the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ” 🙏🏼http://bit.ly/Restoration200 😇Come Unto Christ - Faith to Act - http://www.faithtoact.com #GeneralConferenceApril2021 #FaithToAct #Christian #BookofMormon #ComeUntoChrist #HeLives #HearHim #TheRestoration

God among Us By Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles God is among us—and is personally involved in our lives and actively guiding His children. Throughout the ages, God has spoken through His servants, the prophets.1 This morning we have had the privilege to hear the prophet of God speak to all the world. We love you, President Nelson, and I encourage everyone everywhere to study and heed your words. Before I reached my 12th birthday, our family had been forced twice to flee our home and start over amid the chaos, fear, and uncertainties caused by war and political division. It was an anxious time for me, but it must have been terrifying for my beloved parents. My mother and father shared little about this burden with us four children. They bore the strain and suffering as best they could. The fear must have been oppressive, consuming their hours and dampening their hope. This time of bleakness after World War II left its mark upon the world. It left its mark upon me. Back then, in the solitude of my loneliest hours, I often wondered, “Is there any hope left in the world?” Angels among Us As I pondered this question, I thought about our young American missionaries who served among us during those years. They had left the safety of their homes half a world away and traveled to Germany—land of their recent enemies—to offer divine hope to our people. They came not to blame, lecture, or shame. They willingly gave of their young lives without thought of earthly gain, wanting only to help others find the joy and peace they had experienced. To me, these young men and women were perfect. I am sure they had flaws, but not to me. I will always think of them as being bigger than life—angels of light and glory, ministers of compassion, goodness, and truth. While the world was drowning in cynicism, bitterness, hatred, and fear, the example and teachings of these young people filled me with hope. The gospel message they offered transcended politics, history, grudges, grievances, and personal agendas. It gave divine answers to important questions we had during these difficult times. The message was that God lived and cared about us, even in these hours of turmoil, confusion, and chaos. That He actually appeared in our time to restore truth and light—His gospel and His Church. That He speaks to prophets again; that God is among us—and is personally involved in our lives and actively guiding His children. General Conference Saturday Morning Session October 2021 The Book of Mormon - Another Testament of Jesus Christ Get your FREE copy 👉http://bit.ly/MyBookofMormon 🙏 Get your FREE copy of The New Proclamation to the World: “The Restoration of the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ” 🙏🏼http://bit.ly/Restoration200 😇Come Unto Christ - Faith to Act - http://www.faithtoact.com #GeneralConferenceApril2021 #FaithToAct #Christian #BookofMormon #ComeUntoChrist #HeLives #HearHim #TheRestoration

Welcome Message By President Russell M. Nelson President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Welcome to general conference and to the privilege of hearing the voice of the Lord. My dear brothers and sisters and friends throughout the world, I offer my personal welcome to this general conference. We gather as a great global family desiring to worship our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Thank you for joining with us. This last year has been one for the record books. No doubt we have each learned things we did not know previously. Some lessons that I knew before have been written on my heart in new and instructive ways. For example, I know for sure that the Lord directs the affairs of His Church. He said, “I will show [you] that I am able to do mine own work.”1 Often, my counselors and I have watched through tear-brimmed eyes as He has interceded in extremely challenging circumstances after we had done our best and could do no more. We do indeed stand all amazed. I also understand better now what He meant when He said, “Behold, I will hasten my work in its time.”2 Over and over again I have rejoiced as He has directed and executed the hastening of His work—even during a global pandemic. My dear brothers and sisters, the strength of the Church lies in the efforts and ever-growing testimonies of its members. Testimonies are best cultivated in the home. During this past year, many of you have dramatically increased the study of the gospel in your homes. I thank you, and your children will thank you. The huge project to renovate the Salt Lake Temple continues. From my office I have a front-row seat to watch the work taking place on the temple plaza. Salt Lake Temple Renovation Project: Taking out Trees As I have watched workers dig out old tree roots, plumbing, wiring, and a leaky fountain, I have thought about the need for each of us to remove, with the Savior’s help, the old debris in our lives. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a gospel of repentance.3 Because of the Savior’s Atonement, His gospel provides an invitation to keep changing, growing, and becoming more pure. It is a gospel of hope, of healing, and of progress. Thus, the gospel is a message of joy! Our spirits rejoice with every small step forward we take. Part of the gathering of Israel, and a very important part, is the charge for us as a people to be worthy and willing to help prepare the world for the Second Coming of the Lord. As we listen to the messages that have been carefully prepared by our leaders under the direction of the Holy Ghost, I invite you to pray to identify the debris you should remove from your life so you can become more worthy. I love you, my dear brothers and sisters, and testify that our Heavenly Father and His Beloved Son know and love you individually. They stand ready to assist you in every step forward you take. Welcome to general conference and to the privilege of hearing the voice of the Lord. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen. General Conference Saturday Morning Session October 2021 The Book of Mormon - Another Testament of Jesus Christ Get your FREE copy 👉http://bit.ly/MyBookofMormon 🙏 Get your FREE copy of The New Proclamation to the World: “The Restoration of the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ” 🙏🏼http://bit.ly/Restoration200 😇Come Unto Christ - Faith to Act - http://www.faithtoact.com #GeneralConferenceApril2021 #FaithToAct #Christian #BookofMormon #ComeUntoChrist #HeLives #HearHim #TheRestoration

General Conference Saturday Morning Session April 2021 The Book of Mormon - Another Testament of Jesus Christ Get your FREE copy 👉http://bit.ly/MyBookofMormon 🙏 Get your FREE copy of The New Proclamation to the World: “The Restoration of the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ” 🙏🏼http://bit.ly/Restoration200 😇Come Unto Christ - Faith to Act - http://www.faithtoact.com #GeneralConferenceApril2021 #FaithToAct #Christian #BookofMormon #ComeUntoChrist #HeLives #HearHim #TheRestoration