I know what you're thinking - but she just posted about a YW lesson?!
The church keeps you busy, folks.
I was able to prepare thoughts on the Prophet of the Restoration, Joseph Smith. There is information regarding the Prophet on Mormon dot Org, as well as on a site called Fair Mormon.
Good Afternoon Brothers & Sisters,
I’m grateful for the opportunity I have had to study and pray on this topic, and grow closer to the Spirit as I prepared my remarks. I pray the Spirit of the Lord to be here this day, so that I may share His message.
For those I have not had the opportunity to get to know better, I am the eldest daughter of Bret & Jill Thunell, and my son Rafe Henry and I are living the sweet life in their basement. My family moved to Utah when I was 15 years old, have a beautiful sister who is here today with my favorite brother-in-law, and an absolutely amazing little brother Jedediah, who will return home from his missionary service in just 17 days. I attended Lone Peak, participated in band and drama, have gone to university at SUU and more recently UVU. I work full time as an Operations Manager for a Health Savings custodian and spend the rest of my time with my little three-year old, who is my greatest blessing. I have been a single mother most of my son’s life, and I am so grateful for the patience he has had with me, as I do my best to balance the demands that come with the title Mom.
Though I’ve been in and out of the ward going on a year and a half, and have been blessed to teach Relief Society, Young Women’s, and participate with many of you through choir, this is my first time standing at this pulpit to speak and bear testimony. The past few Fast Sundays I have thought to stand and bear testimony, but either Rafe had run away and was halfway to the roundabout, or I was wearing heels and feared tripping on the way up, I found a way to avoid standing up. Foolishly I had the thought, “well if they asked me to speak, then I would have no excuse to stand and share my testimony with the ward”. Queue Brother Seely. I would like to testify today that Heavenly Father listens, and answers prayer. There are a few prayers I am still waiting to have answered, trials that I am experiencing and don’t understand the reason. And although I am being asked to wait patiently on the Lord with a few things, I know that He still listens to the thoughts of my heart. It was an answer to a simple prayer when I received the call to work in the Young Women program, He lends me the patience I desperately pray for to teach and raise a son whose energy exceeds that of a thousand suns, and when I become overwhelmed with chores and responsibilities, I feel His Spirit of peace, of love.
My remarks come from study of Elder Neil L. Andersen’s most recent General Conference talk, entitled simply, “Joseph Smith”. My first personal experience with Joseph Smith began when I was about 9 or 10, and I read “The Work and the Glory”, by Gerald Lund. Through that work of fiction and my own scripture study of the events taking place in the text, I came to love Brother Joseph and the work our Father in Heaven gave him to do, most importantly the translation of the Book of Mormon.
Although raised in the church by ‘goodly parents’, I became inactive after high school for some years. When I returned to activity, I focused on strengthening my personal relationship with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, and slowly began to rebuild my testimony of the principles of the Gospel. I knew that to stand confidently as a member of the church, consistent study of the Book of Mormon was necessary. The first time I read through the Book of Mormon was in 2005, when President Gordon B. Hinckley asked each member to read or re-read the Book of Mormon. Through my efforts to finish the Book of Mormon before the end of the year, I received a prompting to obtain my Patriarchal Blessing. Over Christmas break I spent hours reading, trying to make the deadline of January 1st. On December 28th, the day I received my Patriarchal blessing, I had been reading in 3rd Nephi of Jesus Christ’s visit to the Nephites.
Chp 9 V 14 “Yea, verily I say unto you, if ye will come unto me ye shall have eternal life. Behold, mine arm of mercy is extended towards you, and whosoever will come, him will I receive; and blessed are those who come unto me.
V 17 “And as many as have received me, to them have I given to become the sons of God; and even so will I to as many as shall believe on my name, for behold, by me redemption cometh… V 18 I am the light and life of the world…. V 20 And whoso cometh unto me with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, him will I baptize with fire and with the Holy Ghost”.
I will never forget the feeling of warmth, comfort, peace, and love as I sat in my room completing my reading of the Book of Mormon, overwhelmed with the feelings of the Spirit and feasting on the word of God.
As I mentioned earlier, I was inactive for 4 years. I had traveled down the path of sin and mediocrity, and at the end of that 4 years found myself dealing with the consequences of an unplanned pregnancy. One night I was up in the late hour with my son, rocking him back to sleep, praying for a way to feel peace and hope in my life again, when the words of Alma came to mind:
V 17, “And it came to pass that as I was thus racked with torment, while I was harrowed up by the memory of my many sins, behold I remembered also to have heard my father prophesy unto the people concerning the coming of one Jesus Christ, a Son of God, to atone for the sins of the world.
V18 “Now as my mind caught hold upon this thought, I cried within my heart: O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me, who am in the gall of bitterness, and am encircled about by the everlasting chains of death”.
I know that Alma was a prophet of God, I know that an angel visited him and through that experience came his conversion, and as I made the changes in my life to return to Christ I shared in Alma’s joy, V 19“And now behold, when I thought this, I could remember my pains no more; yea, I was harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more. V 20And oh, what joy and what marvelous light I did behold; yea, my soul was filled with joy…. V 21 Yea, and again I say unto you… there can be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was my joy.”
I know my Savior lives, and I know that He is the way, the truth and the light. The Book of Mormon is true because it testifies of Christ, and points the way towards Him. In his talk, Elder Andersen invites us to search out scriptures we know are true, and share them with others in order to strengthen our testimony. The following scriptures are ones that I know to be true:
2nd Nephi 25:26 - “And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ”
Helaman 5:2 - “And now my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall”.
3rd Nephi 11:10 “Behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets testified shall come into the world. V 11 And beold, I am the light and the life of the world; and I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world, in the which I have suffered the will of the Father in all things from the beginning”.
Ether 12:4 “Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God.”
2nd Nephi 4:34 “Oh Lord, I have trusted in thee, and I will trust in thee forever. I will not put my trust in the arm of flesh…. V 35 Yea, I know that God will give liberally to him that asketh. Yea, my God will give me, if I ask not amiss; therefore I will lift up my voice unto thee; yea, I will cry unto thee, my God, the rock of my righteousness. Behold, my voice shall forever ascend up unto thee, my rock and mine everlasting God.”
A year and a half ago I received a prompting in the Relief Society General Conference meeting to take the steps to receive my endowment. That was not where I thought my life was heading at the time, and although it took a few months for me to start down that path, I felt as Nephi did, being “led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which I should do”. (1st Nephi 4:6) My experiences in the temple thus far have been the most humbling and peaceful moments of my life. I am grateful to the man, Joseph Smith, for his efforts in bringing to pass the Restoration of Jesus Christ’s church, because of him we have temples, we have sealing power, we have the Priesthood, we have the Sacrament. To quote Elder Andersen, “[Jesus Christ] chose a holy man, a righteous man, to lead the restoration of the fulness of His gospel. He chose Joseph Smith”.
Moroni told Joseph that his name would “be had for and evil among all nations, kindreds, and tongues”. And I feel that rings more true today than ever.
Elder D. Todd Christofferson said, “We should be careful not to claim for Joseph Smith perfections he did not claim for himself. He need not have been superhuman to be the instrument in God’s hands that we know him to be. In May, 1844, Joseph declared: “I never told you I was perfect, but there is no error in the revelations which I have taught.” He had commented earlier: “Although I do wrong, I do not the wrongs I am charged with doing: the wrong that I do is through the frailty of human nature, like other men. No man lives without fault. Do you think that even Jesus, if He were here, would be without fault in your eyes? His enemies said all manner of evil against Him—they all watched for iniquity in Him.” Joseph Smith was a mortal man striving to fulfill an overwhelming, divinely- appointed mission against all odds. The wonder is not that he ever displayed human failings, but that he succeeded in his mission. His fruits are undeniable and undeniably good.”
One lesson I learned from Joseph Smith that for me is more precious than anything else in this world, is that I, as a daughter of God, am given my agency to know for myself if these things are true. Do not take your agency for granted. “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” I know that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God because I have “ask[ed] God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are … true, ask[ing] with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ”. As Elder Andersen said, “Spiritual questions deserve spiritual answer from God”. Study the fruits of Joseph Smith’s labors. Read revelation given through him, study the Book of Mormon which he translated. And then ask God.
I know this church is true, because it is Christ’s church. The only one who we can expect perfection from is Christ, and He called Joseph Smith to be our prophet, to restore His gospel in these Latter Days. If there is one thing I hope for members of this ward to know, is that I know Christ lives, he is my Savior, my Redeemer. In His name, Amen.
