Cleansed Through the Blood of Christ
In today’s society, blood often symbolizes death and violence. But in the scriptures, blood symbolizes life.
Think about it: Together with many other miracles that take place in the human body, blood gives us life. It feeds us, bringing needed nutrients and oxygen to each organ and limb. It comes to our aid in times of need, carrying cells that attack disease and other foreign invaders. And it bears our burdens, taking away the waste products from each cell and bringing them to other areas of the body to be properly disposed of.
In many ways our blood could be compared to Christ Himself. Through Him we live. He feeds our souls. He comes to our aid in our times of need, and strengthens us against sin. He bears our burdens when we bring them to Him. Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly known as “Mormons“) believe wholeheartedly that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world, and that only through His great Atonement may mankind be saved.
In the Old Testament, the priests in the house of Israel were instructed to perform animal sacrifices as a way of looking forward to Christ’s miraculous Atonement, in which His blood was shed and His life was sacrificed for our sins. In the New Testament, Christ instituted the ordinance of the sacrament. Some people would recognize this as Communion or the Lord’s Supper.
After introducing the bread as symbolic of His body, He blessed the cup and gave it to His disciples, saying, “For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” (Matthew 26:28) Christ shed His blood, His life, for the remission of our sins.
Latter-day Saints do not believe that the emblems of the sacrament become literally transformed into the body and blood of Christ. But taking the sacrament weekly helps us to remember Him and His great sacrifice for us. It allows us to renew our covenants, recommitting ourselves to keep His commandments and stand as His witness.
The apostle Paul wrote, “We have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins.” (Col. 1:14) John testified that “the blood of Jesus Christ … cleanseth us from all sin.” (1 Jn. 1:7)
The idea of something like blood being able to actually cleanse us may seem odd to our senses. But taken with the idea that blood brings life, we can understand that Christ gave His life for us, and it is through that atoning sacrifice that we can be made clean from our sins through the power of repentance.
King Benjamin in the Book of Mormon explained:
And moreover, I say unto you, that there shall be no other name given nor any other way nor means whereby salvation can come unto the children of men, only in and through the name of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent…Salvation was, and is, and is to come, in and through the atoning blood of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent. (Mosiah 3:17-18)
We are eternally indebted to our Savior for His Atonement – that through His blood, we can be made clean.
More Mormon Christmas Events
Ann Arbor, Michigan: The annual crèche exhibit of local congregations of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly known as “Mormons“) will be held November 30 through December 3. This year the exhibit will feature more than 1000 nativity scenes from 111 countries. The event is free and visitors from the community are welcome.
According to the Ann Arbor News, the event began in part to help the community understand that Mormons are in fact Christians. It has become the Church’s “gift to the community” for 25 years.
However, this year will be the last. All of the work is done by volunteers, and the labor involved in setting it up and taking it down is intensive and there is no chairperson available beyond this year. So if you’re in the Ann Arbor area, you’ll want to stop by this year. More details on the event, as well as some photographs of a few of the displays, can be found at www.crecheexhibit.com.
I posted a blog covering a similar event not long ago. Again, if you’re able to attend these or a similar event held in your own community, I highly recommend it.
Kensington, Maryland: The 30th Annual Festival of Lights at the Washington, D.C. temple of the LDS Church officially began the evening of November 28. According to the Deseret Morning News, 450,000 lights will shine on the temple grounds through the holiday season. More than 250,000 visitors are expected to visit the display during December.
“These lights are our holiday gift to the nation’s capital,” said Ann Santini, director of international affairs for the Church.
Congressmen, ambassadors, and other guests were on hand for the official lighting. The Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia, Sudjadnan Parnohadiningrat, was among those who made remarks. Parnohadiningrat, a Muslim, said that peace on earth is “not only possible but imperative,” as reported by the Deseret Morning News.
“I believe we can make peace on earth more than just a slogan,” he said.
Musical numbers were also presented by soprano Lisa Hopkins Seegmiller and the Mormon Choir of Washington, D.C. Other musicians and musical groups will perform throughout the holiday season.
Mormons Discuss Missionary Work with Protestant Group
I thought this story was interesting, and it’s worth sharing. In Murietta, California, members of the United Church of the Valley were preparing to serve their first mission, and they turned to an unusual source for help: the Mormons, or members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Asking missionaries of another faith for help in preparing to teach may seem odd, but when you think about it, it really does make sense. After all, Mormons have a very active and successful worldwide missionary program. So whether or not you agree with the specific religious beliefs, you’ve got to admit that the LDS Church probably does have some good insights into missionary work and sharing the gospel of Christ with others.
According to the North County Times, the Reverend Randy Leisey, pastor of United Church of the Valley, had become interested in the Mormon approach when he heard President Gordon B. Hinckley, then the prophet and president of the LDS Church, speaking in a local conference.
“He said ‘You 77 million baby boomers, don’t get a motor home. Go on mission,’” Leisey said to the North County Times. “I thought, ‘Wow, wouldn’t that change the world?’”
Leisey had been more interested in the LDS Church’s humanitarian efforts, since members of his congregation would be serving humanitarian missions themselves, helping to build houses in an impoverished country. But Larry Slusser, second counselor to the Temecula Stake (group of local congregations) president of the LDS Church, gave them a challenge in their meeting: “Is there any plan to teach them about Jesus Christ?”
Members of the United Church of the Valley were not completely comfortable with this idea, as they were afraid of appearing pushy and self-righteous. However, President Slusser gave them some ideas for sharing the message of Jesus Christ that would not be overbearing, such as bringing them videos to watch, holding devotionals before work, and staying in contact with the people after the projects were completed.
The important things, as LDS Church leaders will tell you, is to truly become their friends and to not be afraid to share your knowledge of Jesus Christ and the gospel when appropriate.
“The house is going to care for … one or two generations,” Slusser explained. “The faith affects many future generations. . . (Christianity) is life-changing, to give them peace of mind, direction … .”
“The task of missionary work used to be to make them like you,” Leisey commented. “But if you get intellectual about it, you realize how egocentric that is. Our denomination and many denominations started rethinking what mission is all about — building relationships.”
Elder M. Russell Ballard, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has said: “Our opportunity and responsibility are to care, to share, to testify, to invite, and then to allow individuals to decide for themselves. . . At the very least, we have a rewarding relationship with someone from another faith, and we can continue to enjoy their friendship.” (M. Russell Ballard, “Creating a Gospel-Sharing Home,” Ensign, May 2006, 84-87)
And, in the meantime, we will have given someone we care about the opportunity to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ and how it can change their lives. Having received the gift ourselves, we naturally want to share it with those we love.
Special Issue of Mormon Magazine Focuses on Christ
The March issue of the official magazine for adults of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (often called “the Mormons“) is devoted to testimonies and doctrines about our Savior, Jesus Christ. This magazine is the Ensign for English speakers; international readers receive the Liahona.
Featured is a message written by President Gordon B. Hinckley, who was president and prophet of the Church until his passing at the end of January. The entire article can be accessed at www.lds.org, but I’d like to quote just a small portion:
There is none to equal Him. There never has been. There never will be. Thanks be to God for the gift of His Beloved Son, who gave His life that we might live…Like the Polar Star in the heavens, regardless of what the future holds, there stands the Redeemer of the world, the Son of God, certain and sure as the anchor of our immortal lives. He is the rock of our salvation, our strength, our comfort, the very focus of our faith…
He is the Savior and the Redeemer of the world. I believe in Him. I declare His divinity without equivocation or compromise. I love Him. I speak the name of Jesus Christ in reverence and wonder. He is our King, our Lord, our Master, the living Christ, who stands on the right hand of His Father. He lives! He lives, resplendent and wonderful, the living Son of the living God. (Gordon B. Hinckley, “We Testify of Jesus Christ,” Liahona, Mar 2008, 4-7)
It is amazing that in this day of shifting values, we have a prophet on the Earth today who can and will testify unequivocally of Jesus Christ. Testimonies of each of the modern-day prophets are also included in the magazine. There are also messages about the Atonement and faith in Christ, and several real-life experiences contributed by members of the Church about how they have seen these principles at work in their own lives. Beautiful artwork depicting scenes from the ministry of the Savior is also featured.
Of particular interest to those who are not members of the Mormon Church may be the article entitled “We Believe.” It gives several questions people commonly have about exactly what Mormons believe regarding Jesus Christ, along with the answers to the questions. There is also an article called “Plain & Precious Truths” that lists 25 truths about the Savior, along with corresponding scriptures from the Bible and from latter-day revelation.
As Easter time approaches, it’s particularly appropriate to reflect on the ministry and Atonement of Jesus Christ. He isn’t just a mythical character whom we celebrate, and He isn’t even a god who once lived but is no longer actively interested in our lives. Christ is real, He does live, and He knows us each by name. He knows our sorrows and our burdens, and He is always there for us when we come unto Him.
Youth Helping Others: Pulling Weeds and a Trip to the Dentist
At a time when we hear so much about troubled teens and the problems they cause in society, it’s good to call attention to young people who are making good choices. Following are two accounts of youth who have gone the extra mile to help others.
In one instance, a youth conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly called “the Mormons,” in Sun City, California, brought more than 200 young people together to help senior citizens with yard work and home maintenance. (In the LDS church, youth conferences typically gather the youth of several LDS congregations in an area where they can work together and build friendships. Activities may include social interactions, service projects, and motivational speakers.)
Teams of 6 or 12 youth visited 40 homes in a planned community for senior citizens. They pulled weeds, trimmed hedges, helped with minor home repairs, and performed other household chores.
The youth conference there is an annual event, as it is in many stakes (groups of several local congregations) throughout the Church. This particular group usually uses Saturday mornings for charitable activities. “Every year we go and do service,” Debbie Yokshas, one of the youth involved, said to the Californian-North County Times. “Sometimes it’s hard to get kids to do it but once you’re doing it, you always enjoy it.”
“This is phenomenal,” Bill Mosteller, one of the recipients of the labor said. “Bless your hearts.” Mosteller himself uses a wheelchair; he and other seniors like him can have a difficult time performing the tasks that the youth took care of in a few hours.
Mosteller added that it’s common to hear about troubled youth of today and their problems, “but you don’t hear about things like this.”
In another amazing story, a young man who collected donations for children in the Dominican Republic for his Eagle project unexpectedly got to go and hand out the gifts himself.
Jeff Rowan, of Merced, California, collected small toys and school supplies and put them together into packets for children having work done at a free dental clinic. “We started out by getting school supplies like crayons and colored pencils, along with (stuff like) bouncy balls, baseball cards and wristbands that say ‘I love baseball.’ ” Jeff said to the Modesto Bee. “Baseball is their favorite sport in the Dominican.”
He had planned to send the packets with a group of dentists, including his father and uncle, as they made a visit to provide dental care to children in the impoverished country. But, in an unusual turn of events, Jeff’s uncle was unable to make the trip. And Jeff got to go in his place.
Prospective Eagle scouts who gather donations to send to other countries don’t always get to meet the recipients of their gifts. But Jeff was able to personally hand out the packets he’d put together. “People started lining up and waiting in line two to three hours to see a dentist so they could get a packet,” he said to the Bee.
It was a humbling experience. “I felt grateful for the things that I have,” he said to the Bee. “When people get so excited about small gifts like colored pencils and bouncy balls, it makes you realize how much we all take for granted in this country.”
Jeff is expected to receive his Eagle in April. His troop is sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The book “True to the Faith” states that “one true key to happiness is to labor for the happiness of others.” These youth and many others are finding that this is true.
News Around the Church: February 2008
Here are a few recently-appearing news stories that involve The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (otherwise known as “the Mormons“), or members of the Church:
Flowery Branch, Georgia: Ground was broken for a new LDS meetinghouse in the Flowery Branch, Georgia area. It will be the fourth LDS chapel in the county, and is expected to serve a congregation of approximately 300 people when it is completed in January 2009.
While the construction of new meetinghouses is usually exciting for the local congregations, such events don’t usually get mentioned in Church-wide news because this happens around the world on a regular basis. However, this particular construction project did get a nice write-up in their local newspaper. That kind of recognition is exciting for everyone who reads it.
For more information on Mormon meetinghouses and their functions, read my blog post entitled “Differences Between Mormon Temples and Chapels.”
Tri-City Herald: LDS teen Will Casper of Basin City, Washington, performed admirably on the most recent “Teen Tournament” on the popular TV game show Jeopardy! He finished in the semifinal round with $10,000. He plans to use the money to study electrical engineering at Brigham Young University and to serve a mission for the Church. (The fact that many youth his age would choose to spend the money frivolously makes Will’s story that much more inspiring.)
Salt Lake City, Utah: The Utah State House of Representatives passed a resolution on February 26, giving special honor and recognition to President Gordon B. Hinckley. President Hinckley was the fifteenth prophet of the Church and passed away just this past January.
“President Hinckley had a tremendous influence, not only on the church, but in Salt Lake City, Utah, the United States and the world,” Representative Mike Morley of Spanish Fork said, as reported by the Deseret Morning News. “President Hinckley certainly was the consummate builder, always building those around him and making them better – building the world to be a better place.”
Several members of President Hinckley’s family were present, and received a standing ovation as they left.
That the state of Utah would want to honor a prophet of the Church may not be too surprising, given the large LDS population there and the presence of Church headquarters in Salt Lake City. But there are also many residents who are not Latter-day Saints. That he could be seen as a friend to all, and not just those of his church, is truly a great tribute to this man.
Tree Rings and Mormon Pioneers
According to a BYU news release, researchers there analyzed rings in the original wood used to build the Salt Lake Tabernacle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (or “Mormons“) during its recent renovation. By studying the width of the rings they could determine the rainfall in the area for a given year. One conclusion they reached, said BYU professor Matthew Bekker, was that “The 1840s were drier than any other decade in this tree-ring history, which spans the years 1702 to 1863.” In fact, 1846 – the year before the first Mormon pioneers arrived in the Salt Lake Valley – was the sixth driest year in the study, and those that followed weren’t much better. “It was a really rough time to establish a settlement based on irrigated agriculture,” said Bekker.
Researchers also discovered that the Mormon pioneers must have used trees that had already died in their construction. Out of the 28 trees in the study, 5 of them had died or were cut earlier than 1847.
“In this desert environment, the settlers would not overlook the dead trees,” Bekker said. “In fact there may be advantages to using post-mortem timber because you don’t have to take bark or twigs off and it’s already dried so it’s not going to warp anymore after you cut it.”
The Mormons came to Utah beginning in 1847 in order to escape persecution that had followed them from their beginnings in 1830 in upstate New York. Most recently they had built the beautiful city of Nauvoo on the banks of the Mississippi River in Illinois, only to be driven out by mob violence. The mobs had assassinated their prophet and leader Joseph Smith in 1844, but under the direction of his successor, Brigham Young, the Mormons made the arduous journey to the Salt Lake Valley – a previously unsettled desert land that nobody else wanted.
But, it offered the Mormons the protection they needed to establish themselves as a people. As their settlements spread throughout the west and they cultivated the land, people of other faiths settled the area as well.
Following is a description from a journal kept by a man who arrived in the Salt Lake Valley just two years after the first Mormon pioneers did:
There were more people (except emigrants and Indians) 200 to 1 than I had seen since I left the Missouri River. Where did they come from? How did they get here? I pinched myself to make sure that I was not dreaming. I have seen tables set for probably 100 or more, but here were tables for thousands. But the greatest marvel is how they could, in so short a time, produce in a desert, the variety of food stuffs with which the tables were spread. Men do not gather vegetables from sage brushes or cereals from cactus. The seeds, the tubers, the roots, the fouls, the pigs, the sheep, the cows, everything from which this abundance was produced had to all be transported a thousand miles or more over such roads as we have traveled. Even then, how could they in so short a time with so small a beginning, have produced so much. It seems incredible. I take off my hat to those who planned and executed it” (Diary of John H. Benson, May-Sept. 1849, typescript, Family and Church History Department Archives, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 48-51)
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Today, Salt Lake City is a thriving metropolis, with plenty of green grass and trees all around. The city hosted the 2002 Winter Olympic Games and is home to many other events and amenities one might expect to see in a major city.
But when the Mormon pioneers arrived there, beginning in 1847, it was an unsettled desert. Making it into a place where people could live and thrive was a huge task, but they succeeded. Today a visitor to the city might never guess how difficult the area was to settle. But the individuals who settled it worked on tirelessly, building the foundations of a city that at that time they could only dream of.
For more information on the Mormon pioneers who settled Utah, visit www.lds.org/churchhistory/history.
Study Shows Drop-Out Rate Is Lower in Mormon Youth
As a whole, youth of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or “Mormons,” are bucking national downward trends of increasing school drop-out rates. They’re also less likely than other teens to engage in premarital sexual relations or use drugs and alcohol.
A report on a study done at the University of North Carolina, published by Oxford University Press in Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers, indicates that LDS youth in general have strong religious beliefs and live in accordance with those beliefs. While all youth have challenges, LDS youth are less likely than other youth to drop out of school, and are more likely to be committed to their faith and live socially responsible lives.
One reason for this that is suggested by the Church at newsroom.lds.org is seminary. Seminary is available to youth of high school age, and is intended to be a daily program to help them study the scriptures and apply the principles they learn in their daily lives.
Students who live in areas with a high concentration of Latter-day Saints, such as Utah and Arizona, can take “released time” seminary during their regular school days. Most other students participating in seminary take “early morning” seminary, which meets – you guessed it – early in the morning before school each day. Seminary classes may actually be held at any time during the day, but most groups find that the early morning hour works best in everyone’s schedules. Classes are held five days a week during the school year, and students attend each year they are in high school.
Certainly all youth can make their own choices, but daily seminary attendance can’t help but make an impact on their lives. The daily exposure to the scriptures and principles of righteous living gives them a “lift” throughout their day at school, and helps them keep their hearts centered on God rather than on the cares of the world. And the self-discipline needed to succeed in seminary can extend to the rest of their lives as well.
“It takes a lot of self-discipline,” said Lisa Kell, a seminary student in New York City, to lds.org. “You just have to say, ‘ I’m going to attend seminary every morning.’ If you say, ‘Maybe I’ll attend,’ it won’t happen. You have to make a really strong decision and make it a priority.” Lisa herself leaves home at 6 a.m., takes a subway, a bus, and then finally walks across Central Park in order to arrive at her seminary class on time at 6:30 every morning.
President Henry B. Eyring, first counselor in the First Presidency of the Church, explained why seminary and spiritual education are so important: “Remember, you are interested in education, not just for mortal life but for eternal life. When you see that reality clearly with spiritual sight, you will put spiritual learning first and yet not slight the secular learning. In fact, you will work harder at your secular learning than you would without that spiritual vision.”
With a perspective like this, it’s no wonder that so many LDS youth are making morally responsible decisions.
Preparations for Times of Need Put Into Action
Something that leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly known as “the Mormons“) have stressed throughout the last century is the need to be prepared for disasters or other unforeseen events. Not only do we need to have our own homes and affairs in order, but we also need to be prepared to help others in need. Two stories recently in the news shows this counsel put into action.
In Ghana, a country in Africa, twenty-eight missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints recently visited two orphanages in Accra and brought food and gifts for the children. As reported on allafrica.com, the children performed songs and dances for the missionaries, and two of the missionaries performed a Polynesian dance for the children. The mission president told the children about the birth of Jesus Christ.
The food and gifts were provided by the Church, and included bags with school supplies and two books for each child. These bags had been put together and filled earlier by volunteers, with the intention of distributing them to children who needed them. Reports such as these remind us of our responsibilities to help those in need; there are so many people in the world who can use our help. For information on how you can assist LDS Humanitarian Services in helping people in need throughout the world, including making school kits for children like these, visit www.lds.org/humanitarianservices . Instructions for making the school kits can be found by clicking on the link for “How Can I Help?” at the left sidebar. From there, click on “Make humanitarian aid kits.”
Across the globe in Lehi, Utah, another emergency plan was called into action earlier this month. LDS meetinghouses – as well as meetinghouses of other faiths – are sometimes used as shelters in times of natural disasters when people are evacuated from their homes. A nasty snowstorm that ripped through Utah County in February did not create a need for evacuation, but did leave some motorists and school children stranded after several roads were closed. Several local Church leaders made their meetinghouses available for stranded individuals as they waited out the storm. Local police were also involved in the efforts to provide safe places for these individuals.
“Church buildings are ideal for this type of situation,” Larry Johnson of Saratoga Springs said to the Deseret Morning News. “They have great facilities – bathrooms, a gymnasium, little rooms where you can turn on a video.” He spent that evening looking after individuals who took refuge in his local chapel. The Relief Society (Church women’s organization) provided hot chocolate and snacks.
Local Church leaders credit their congregations’ emergency preparedness plans. With plans in place for how members of each congregation will mobilize in the event of a disaster, it was relatively simple to bring those plans into action when they were needed.
Both of these examples remind us of the importance of having plans and resources available in times of need. Preparing ahead could make all the difference in the world to us later on.
Testifying of the Book of Mormon in Ghana
An article by Edward R.K. Dwemoh about why he joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the “Mormons“) recently appeared in the Accra Daily Mail, a leading private newspaper in Ghana.
Brother Dwemoh begins his account by explaining that many people have asked him why he joined the Church. In his own words, “To set the minds of those who have asked the question at rest, and (this may surprise some of you) to quench my own burning desire to go public with the story of my conversion to Mormonism, let me now place on record why I am now a Latter-day Saint.” (”Why I Joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,” Accra Daily Mail, February 21, 2008).
He describes some early visits he had with missionaries from the Church. The things they taught him made sense to him. “Something out of this world hung in the air – something fresh and sweet and gentle and kind,” he says. The missionaries invited him to find out for himself if the Book of Mormon and the things they had taught him were true. They showed him the promise the prophet Moroni made at the end of the Book of Mormon:
And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things. (Moroni 10:4-5)
“I thought that this was the most noble challenge I had ever been thrown!” says Brother Dwemoh. He recognized that, although the teachings of the missionaries made sense to him, his faith and salvation needed a stronger foundation. He needed to know the truth of them from God Himself. “And it is He who has manifested to me that this Church is true!” he concludes.
Some of the people who have questioned his decision to be baptized into the Church have shown him the scripture in Revelation 22:18-19 that says, “If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.” They wonder how the Book of Mormon can be true if the Bible itself says not to add to the book.
Brother Dwemoh gives a clear answer to this question: “God did not say in Revelation 22:18-19 that He would not add to His own words. God rather warned us against man adding to (or subtracting from) His word…God commanded the Prophets of the Bible to write just as He commanded the Book of Mormon prophets to write.”
He also points out that a similar directive is given much earlier in the Bible, in Deuteronomy 4:2. If God meant in this scripture that He would not reveal any more of His word, then the rest of the Bible beyond Deuteronomy could not be the word of God.
Going back to Moroni’s promise, Brother Dwemoh explains that this is the sure way to establish the authenticity of both the Bible and the Book of Mormon. “For those of us who would sincerely want to know (and not just brush off the testimony of whoever God might use to bring forth “scripture”…) we would ‘ask God.’ Only He can reveal to us that what we hold in our hands is ‘authentic,’ true.”
Of the Book of Mormon, President Gordon B. Hinckley, the fifteenth prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said:
It is the only book that contains within its covers a promise that by divine power the reader may know with certainty of its truth…The same book that converted Brigham Young, Willard Richards, Orson and Parley Pratt, and many others of the early leaders of the Church is also converting people today in Argentina, in Finland, in Ghana, in Taiwan, in Tonga, and wherever else men and women are reading it prayerfully and with real intent. The promise of Moroni, written in his loneliness following the destruction of his people, is being fulfilled every day.
If they read it prayerfully and with a sincere desire to know the truth, they will know by the power of the Holy Ghost that the book is true.
From that knowledge there will flow a conviction of the truth of many other things. For if the Book of Mormon is true, then God lives. Testimony upon testimony runs through its pages of the solemn fact that our Father is real, that he is personal, that he loves his children and seeks their happiness. (”The Power of the Book of Mormon,” Ensign, Jun 1988, 2)