Has He Learned? Does He Love? Is He a Lifter?

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"Has He Learned? Does He Love? Is He a Lifter?" David A. Christensen December 3, 2002 Thank you for the prayer and scripture and thank you for the music. Elder Bingham shared that beautiful talent throughout his service in Chile and I am grateful that he was able to share it today. My dear brothers and sisters, I consider it a privilege, a delight, and a huge responsibility to occupy a few minutes of your day and week to share with you some thoughts which will hopefully help us along the way. I feel confident that during the next half hour or so. That something good will happen here. I have prayed, studied, and prepared for this day and hold in my own heart a desire to share something which will bless and edify. I also sense that one or more of you have come to this devotional today with a desire to find answers to your prayers or need insight to help you in meeting some challenge, or are in the moments when you are required to sort through feelings or to make some decision. I have learned, that when this combination exists, a prayerful DESIRE on the part of a speaker and of the listener, the Holy Ghost (the real teacher) responds. Thank you for coming today. I direct my remarks to the 2,000 or so pre-missionaries, to the 2,000 or so returned missionaries and to all those who already have or plan to marry a returned missionary, and certainly all those who will have children and raise up the next generation of missionaries. In short, I'm speaking today to all of us. Although, I will draw upon some of the experiences of our last chapter serving with missionaries in Chile, the Spirit will help us apply the message in every arena of our lives. Will you turn with me to the 5^th Chapter of Alma beginning in verse 6. Alma the Younger, a once inactive rebel and one of the vilest of sinners had been converted years before and now is seeking to invite 'active and less active members alike' to consider the strength of their testimonies. I think he's talking to us… And now behold, I say unto you, my brethren, you that belong to this church, [he is talking to us isn't he? you who belong to this church], have you sufficiently retained in remembrance [your history…your legacy… and how God blessed your parents] Behold he changed their hearts...their souls were illuminated… [they were blessed to see and know how the Atonement of Christ works and they changed.] ...according to [my dads] faith, there was a mighty change wrought in his heart And...he [taught your fathers. My Dad taught your Parents] and a...change was wrought in their hearts, and they humbled themselves and put their TRUST in the true and living God. And behold, they were faithful unto the END (Alma 5:6-7, 12-13, emphasis added). Then the question pointed directly at each of them (brothers and sisters who belonged to this church) and he now asks the same of you and of me: And now behold, I ask you, my brethren of the church, have [you] spiritually been born of God? Have [you] received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts? Do [you] (Alma 5:14) How are we doing 'brothers and sisters of this church'? Have we allowed the 'memory' of our blessings and the understanding of Jesus Christ and His Atonement to have full sway in our hearts? Do we have an image of Christ in our "look"? In our 'walk' and our 'talk'? Do we maintain that image all day? Even when were alone? Especially in the private moments of our lives? May I share with you the substance of two or three -- of the thousands of telephone calls I engaged in while serving in Chile. The first came one afternoon in one of those rare days when I was in my office. I had been interviewing missionaries -- and the Elder serving as my secretary came to my door just as I was concluding an interview with a missionary and said "President Christensen, there is a General Authority on the line who would like to talk to you." Most of the time, when a General Authority calls a mission president, it is NOT good! In fact most often it is to discuss a problem. So, I closed my office door and picked up the telephone. "Hello, this is President Christensen" I said. The General Authority identified himself and began to ask me several pointed and detailed questions about one of our missionaries who had completed his mission some months before. His line of questioning went something like this in a very NON-SMILING VOICE (Do you know what a NON SMILING VOICE sounds like?) "President, did you have Elder _____ in your mission?" "Yes I did I responded courteously. "Well I need to know about him!" "OH NO" I thought. Was there a problem? Had he made a mistake? He was a great missionary. To my knowledge he was one of the best. I gave several positive answers to his every inquiry. Then he coaxed a second time, "President, I need to know what kind of missionary he was!" With confidence I replied "one of the best missionaries in our mission". How did he get along with his companions? Came a second round of the same questions. "Did you interview him often and can you vouch for his worthiness?" he asked. "Yes, I interviewed him often .in fact I have taught him along with all our other missionaries to live their lives according to their temple covenants and the 15 critical questions (the temple recommend questions) which they must answer in order to maintain their recommend." With each question I remembered this wonderful missionary -- his good nature and worthiness. Then I questioned him, "Elder So and So, is there a problem with our former missionary?" There was silence on his end of the line.. for just a moment and then he asked one more time "are you sure he was an extraordinary missionary and worthy priesthood man?" "Yes" I answered again without hesitation. Then the tone of his voice changed from the NON SMILING VOICE to a CHEERFUL and almost chuckling voice (I believe he felt my anxiety and felt the need to break the tension). "Well good, I am glad you feel that way about him, because he is dating my secretary and I will not allow her to continue down the road to marriage if he isn't the best there is." I first felt a relief that there was nothing wrong and then I felt a special warmth and gratitude and love for this former missionary and his soon to be fiancé that I had not yet met. We visited for a few minutes longer about other things and then concluded the conversation. As I hung up the telephone I leaned back in my chair and felt a rush of JOY and a HAPPINESS for this young man who had become a part of my life. I felt so happy for him, that as a friend and priesthood leader. I could answer each question the way I did. He is here in the devotional today. And so is his wife! They have been blessed with their first child. The Second Call came some time later. Closer to the end of our time in Chile. This time it came to the mission home at a very late hour. It was not a call from a General Authority, nor a concerned parent -- but from a University Co-ed who I'm sure had not taken into account the four hours difference in time zones. It was rather late at night. She began by introducing herself and helping me to understand the nature of her call. "this is highly unusual" she said "I hope you won't be angry with me for calling you". But I must have some answers about one of your former missionaries". In words similar to those of the General Authority, she said. "President Christensen, I need to know what kind of missionary he was". You need to know brothers and sisters, that we love each of the 563 missionaries assigned by the Lord who served with us in Chile as if they were our own sons and daughters. Probably much like Helaman felt about his 2060 sons who labored with him in the trenches of war. I responded "Yes, he was a fine missionary." She asked a few other questions to which I gave short, positive, answers. Then, after a moment of silence I could hear in her voice. NOT A NON-SMILING VOICE neither was it a CHEERFUL - CHUCKLING voice, but kind of a desperate and pleading voice. "President Christensen, I appreciate your answers, but I can't tell if you are being honest with me." "I am considering a long term relationship with your former missionary -- I need to know what kind of a missionary he was, how he treated his companions, was he obedient, was he extraordinarily good, did he honor his priesthood and live with a sense of sacrifice," and as she went on, I was thinking to myself -- "Wow, I prefer to be interviewed by a General Authority, this girl is tough!!! As she spoke and with each question, I was beginning to examine what I truly knew about this Elder, about our interviews, about his work ethic, about his level of obedience as a missionary, and about his companionship relationships. Then she asked the most penetrating questions of all. "President, I understand that you have several daughters." "Yes I do" I responded, "six to be exact." Then she pulled out her most soul searching question -- "Would you want one of your daughters to marry this missionary?" "Do you believe him to be the kind of priesthood holder based on his performance in the mission field who can lead me and our children to the Celestial Kingdom? Would you feel 100% comfortable based on his constancy and obedience in the mission field to be the father of your grandchildren?" Do you see what I mean? This girl was tougher than 'Mike Wallace' on 60 minutes! Our telephone conversation continued -- I remained loyal to the missionary. I did not utter a single negative word about him in any way. However the questions and the process had been a searching one for me. Instead of answering her with comments about the missionary, I took a turn to ask her some questions. "I am not your bishop or priesthood leader so you don't need to answer theses questions but maybe they will help you." I responded. Then I asked her about her prayers? Had she fasted? If she had counseled with her parents? If she had listened to and paid attention to her feelings as directed by the Holy Ghost? I told her that I admired her for her desire to search and find answers to important questions about our former missionary. In her case, unlike the General Authority, I sensed that she wasn't comfortable with the feelings she had felt. I suggested that her 'questions and concerns' were perhaps a signal or a flag that maybe the Holy Ghost was trying to tell her something. I told her that I had taught our missionaries on occasion, that IF THERE'S A QUESTION about something -- a kind of gnawing doubt or an absence of 'PEACE', THEN MANY TIMES -- THAT IS THE ANSWER. I shared with her that in my experience, affirmative "yes" answers from the Lord come in peaceful feelings, and gentle nudgings -- not in confusion. This telephone call continued on for a few minutes longer and then ended cordially. She expressed gratitude and we said good bye. A few months later we received a special thank you note from her informing us that she had received a call to serve a mission of her own in a far away European nation. The Spirit had helped her sort through her feelings and the answer she sought had come. Although I don't recommend that you all run home and call the mission president of the man or returned sister missionary you are dating -- I do think it is wise and I would invite you to consider deeply the kind of questions she asked. I believe you can tell a lot about a person by how he feels about his mission, about the kinds of stories he tells about the non-proselyting activity of his mission, as well as the way he talks about the spiritual experiences of his mission in Gospel Doctrine Class on Sunday or in a religion class during the week or in other public settings. I've come to believe that you can tell a lot about a man or a woman by how they talk of their missions. The way they feel about the 'mighty change' that comes to all servants of God, even the most prepared -- as they give their heart and soul to the Lord. Anything short of 'wondrous and positive' feelings about their mission MAY tell you something about them, more than about the experience they had. Sisters, when a missionary you have interest in, talks of his mission -- that season when they have been invited to give their whole heart to the Lord and His Way of doing things, you should be 'all-ears'. Listen with your heart. You will learn important things about his character and capacity to lead a family and others to the Lord. There is one other kind of telephone call that I had cause to receive and sometimes to make. They were telephone calls from or directed to Stake Presidents about missionaries serving from their stake. We are grateful that we had relatively few of these to deal with during our mission experience. Calls to Stake Presidents were rarely 'happy ones'. They were often filled with agony and concern over a MISSIONARY who had forgotten who they were. While LOVE was ever-present in those calls as well -- maybe even multiplied, conversation centered around 'mistakes' and the consequences of not being obedient to the Spirit or the Law. I have thought often about these telephone calls. To you 2,000 or so anticipating mission or having just received a mission call: Wouldn't the constant thought of a future call from a General Authority or a call from your potential future spouse, help you in setting the kind of standard you will want to adhere to as a missionary? How much more will the thought of our final interview with our creator and Savior Jesus Christ have impact our behavior throughout our entire life. I have concluded that the essence of every question of the General Authority, the University Co-ed, and the Stake Presidents, can be summed up in the questions of Alma the Younger in Alma Chapter 5. To those who of the Church, like you and me, who had the blessings of the gospel in their lives. And now behold, I ask you, my brethren of the church,

Have you been spiritually born of God?
Have you received his image in your countenances?
Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts?
Do you exercise faith in the redemption of Him who created you?
Do you look forward with an eye of faith?

I would invite you to consider these questions in a shorter form. Three short questions that could have been asked by my callers or could be asked of each of us:

Has he Learned?
Does he Love?
Is he a Lifter?

Has he Learned? Turn with me to Doctrine and Covenants 130:18-21. You will recognize these verses, perhaps you have two of them memorized from your Scripture Mastery days in seminary. Here the Lord teaches about "learning." Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection. And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life [HOW] through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come (Doctrine and Covenants 130:18-19). The Lord makes it clear, doesn't he, that intelligence comes to us by obedience and that knowledge comes to us through diligence. Let's focus on the word "intelligence." Keep you finger (or something) in Section 130 to mark it and turn back to Section 93 and go to the 36^th verse. The University Co-ed was pleading with me to know whether or not our missionary was "intelligent" or had "intelligence". While she didn't use those exact words, she yearned to know 'IF' the missionary had learned to be obedient. Let's look at the Lords words in another very familiar verse: The glory of God is intelligence, or, in other words, LIGHT and TRUTH (Doctrine and Covenants 93:36, emphasis added). Then in the next verse he tells about the value of 'intelligence' what is it? Light and truth [or intelligence] forsake [or renounces or turns away] that evil one (Doctrine and Covenants 93:37). When the General Authority questioned "Is he worthy -- Is he a priesthood man? He might have asked "Can he turn away Lucifer on any date -- or in any circumstance -- because he is intelligent? Because he has "LIGHT AND TRUTH"? Lucifer (the great spoiler of anything that's good) cannot deal with that kind of a man or woman. Look across the page at verse 27 and 28 and the Lord reminds us again HOW WE RECEIVE INTELLIGENCE or become empowered to live life with or in "Light and Truth." And no man receiveth a fullness unless he keepeth his commandments He that keepeth his commandments receiveth TRUTH AND LIGHT, [intelligence] until he is glorified in truth and knoweth all things (Doctrine and Covenants 93:27-28, emphasis added). "Intelligence", the kind you will want to have in your life and in the life of the person you will live the next five million plus years with -- is the kind which comes through OBEDIENCE. The price for INTELLIGENCE is simply obedience. We must learn to be OBEDIENT! Look at verse 39. It tells us how we can lose "Intelligence or light and truth." And that wicked one cometh and taketh away light and truth, [or Intelligence] through disobedience.... (Doctrine and Covenants 93:39) Isn't that what the heart-wrenching call between a stake presidents and mission president are really is? The conversation might proceed like this: "President, our 'missionary' has lost the light! He has done something 'stupid' or 'un intelligently' made a mistake because he has been disobedient. His spiritual stature has not been sufficient to 'forsake the evil one'. Now, go back to Section 130:20-21. Thinking of intelligence or light and truth and its value in forsaking the evil one let's read There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated. And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by OBEDIENCE to that law upon which it is predicated (Doctrine and Covenants 130:20-21, emphasis added). My young brothers and sisters, ARE WE LEARNING? Once a young woman who was "sort-of" waiting for a young man serving a mission (do you know anyone who is "sort of waiting" whatever that means. This young woman innocently and cheerfully made a statement to her father in a private conversation, regarding a telephone call she had received from a 'special missionary friend' who was serving a mission at the time. Her father said "so he called you to tell you that he is having a good mission and that he is being blessed in the work?" She responded, "Yes, he's doing great -- he says he misses home and is a little homesick but is doing well and looks forward to coming home next year". Her father carefully suggested to his daughter that making such telephone calls was no doubt against mission rules. He helped her to see that her 'special friend' had been disobedient in making such a call. Sisters, you can be sure that any special missionary you may be interested in has never had and never will hear his mission president saying "Elders, you've done well this past week and to reward you I want you call your girlfriend tonight when you return to the apartment" -- or "Elders and Sisters I know you're kind of discouraged with the work, maybe a call home will pep you up and bless you. I want you to go back to your apartments and CALL YOUR GIRLFRIEND or Special Friend. That father invited further consideration by asking his daughter -- "What does it tell you about a person who will break one of the simplest and most basic rules of 'mission life'? With that level of obedience and commitment to covenants, perhaps he will choose to break other 'rules' or commandments or commitments later in life -- after he's married?" Are we learning that Obedience is the first law of Heaven and brings with it blessings, promises, and power? Does He Love? The Lord himself has announced that LOVE of God and Fellow Man is the commandment upon which all others hang. He has further counseled each of us to earnestly seek "CHARITY" or the pure of LOVE of Christ as one of our cardinal or most important virtues. Let's look in Moroni Chapter 7: 44 ,. These are Moroni's parting words of counsel (which are actually the words of his father Mormon given in a CONFERENCE address to the people of the Church in a synagogue) some years before. [look about half way down in the verse]...and if a man be meek and lowly in heart, and confesses by the power of the Holy Ghost that Jesus is the Christ, he must needs have charity; for if he have not Charity he is nothing; wherefore he must needs have charity. (Moroni 7:44) Then he shares with us what Charity is or what it looks like even here at BYU Idaho: And charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, and endureth all things. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing!... ...charity is the pure love of Christ Wherefore, my beloved brethren, PRAY unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are TRUE FOLLOWERS of his Son, Jesus Christ... (Moroni 7:45-48, emphasis added.) It couldn't be more clear, could it? CHARITY or LOVE is the one virtue all of us should seek and pray for. DO WE SEEK FOR IT? PRAY FOR IT, and DO WE LOVE? I am thinking of a missionary.. From the first day I saw his picture on his missionary application form and read the comments made by his bishop and stake president I knew we were in for a great blessing. This missionary was somewhere between being like Helaman and Shiblon and to my knowledge he never had any Corianton-like course corrections to make. He was simply wonderful! He came to the mission with the greatest of all desires to be extraordinary, to be like Ammon , Aaron, Omner, Himni, Muloki or Ammah. He was as near as I could ever detect as exacting in his obedience as anyone of the Sons of Helaman that we read of in the Book of Mormon. But he struggled for much of the first part of his mission. He sometimes had a tough time being tolerant of those who were not as focused. But, he was one of (if not 'the' hardest worker I have ever seen. I heard other missionaries comment in positive ways, how this elder would with boldness and without fear, opened his mouth on every MICRO (that's a bus), in the METRO (that's the subway), at the corner store, and seized every opportunity to stop and talk to everyone about the message of the gospel. He, in short, was a mission presidents dream. But he lacked one critical attribute. LOVE! He hadn't come to understand the LOVE of JESUS CHRIST and His atonement in a personal or empowering way. He didn't have a LOVE for the Chilean People. He didn't LOVE many of His Less Perfect Companions. I sensed his motives were rooted in being 100% (or more if that's possible) in fulfilling the DUTY of his calling more than DOING things for his LOVE OF GOD and OF HIS FELLOW MAN. We spoke openly about his challenge in interviews and on other occasions. He understood and acknowledged the void he felt. Characteristic of his wonderful nature -- he took counsel from His mission president but mostly from the Spirit. He engaged in the process identified by Mormon when he counseled his son. He prayed with all the energy of his heart. I have no doubt that included in his every prayer was a supplication to feel and have the LOVE of God and for man in his heart. I know that he fasted and sought with every fiber of his being 'to be filled with this LOVE'. I cannot tell you of all his personal and private efforts -- but I can tell you, that he received an answer to his pleadings to the Father. After months of struggling -- it came. You could see a new sense of kindness, his capacity to suffer longer increased, his faith increased, and he was less concerned about himself and the fulfillment of DUTY. He became a total and a complete missionary. To me he seemed to receive in his countenance, an image of Christ. The power of the Holy Ghost came into his life. It were as though the prophetic words of Parley P. Pratt came alive in the life of this missionary, when he said: The Gift of the Holy Ghost quickens all the intellectual faculties, increases, enlarges, expands, and purifies all the natural passions and affections. It inspires, develops, cultivates and matures all the fine-toned sympathies, joys, tastes, kindred feelings, and affections of our nature. It inspires virtue, kindness, goodness, tenderness, gentleness, and charity. It develops beauty of person, form, and features. It tends to health, vigor, animation, and social feeling. It invigorates all the faculties of the physical and intellectual man. It strengthens, and gives tone to the nerves. In short, it is, as it were, marrow to the bone, joy to the heart, light to the eyes, music to the ears, and life to the whole being. (Key to the Science of Theology, 9^th Edition 1965 p 101.) Somehow, because of the desire and prayerful pleadings of the missionary, the Holy Ghost was somehow released to purify his motives and cultivate a SPIRIT of LOVE in his heart. His sense of "DUTY" to be a great missionary (which is a good thing) was replaced with a profound LOVE of God and Everyone Else!!!! Brothers and Sisters…… Do we LOVE? Do we pray for it, seek it, and do what it takes to allow the Holy Ghost to activate it? Do we Love? The next and last question. Are we lifters? Someone once said that "The difference between being good and great. Is that good people are inclined toward being good for good sake.Great people are GOOD not only because they desire to be good but have a greater desire to be good for someone else! President Ezra Taft Benson once said: The man who is Greatest and Most Blessed and Joyful is the one whose life most closely approaches the pattern of Christ. This has nothing to do with earthly wealth, power, or prestige. The only true test of greatness, blessedness, joyfulness is how close can a life come to being like the Master, Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ was and is the 'Master Lifter.' Are we trying to approach His pattern of 'lifting others'? That is a topic for another day and certainly a lifetime quest isn't it? May I draw upon one more example I observed in our mission to illustrate: I will forever remember a missionary who was sent to our mission to be a great trial to his mission president and help me learn patience. He was nearly 27 years of age and came to the mission with much of the wrong kind of experiences in life and I am convinced that he was sent on a mission by wonderful priesthood leaders as a 'last hope strategy' to save his soul. He did not like North Americans, His President, Mission Rules, nor talks in Zone Conference about obedience. The Chile Area Presidency had challenged us as Mission Presidents to help our Latin missionaries learn English. You can only image .. (no you probably can't) how he felt about that. He challenged every bit of counsel I gave. Though in our many many interviews, he promised to try to be better and more compliant to do things the LORD'S WAY, within a few weeks he failed in his resolve and returned to his OWN WAY. After many visits with him and invitations to 'have a mighty change in his heart' -- (or any kind of change for the better). In time, I received permission and advice from the Area Presidency to send him home at anytime the Spirit dictated that I should. I counseled with his Stake President (in one of those 'other kind' of telephone calls) and we agreed that this missionary was likely only a 'telephone call away' from going home at some point in the future. However our LOVE for him, The Lords Love for him, and I am sure that the answers to the prayers of his aging and faithful parents prevented me from doing so four or five times during the first 15 months of his mission. However, one day while LOVE was still in my heart, PATIENCE ran out!!! After learning from his zone leader of something he had done, I turned to the missionary serving as my secretary and with some emotion (I confess) I asked him to purchase an airline ticket, that the moment had arrived this missionary would be going home. I instructed that I had already conducted all the interviews with this missionary that I intended to have, that I had warned him of the consequences of his actions so many times, that I had done all I could. I requested that he return home, without honor, on the next plane. To my Assistants I turned and instructed them to go find him (if they could), inform him, help him get packed, and make sure he was at the airport on time to meet his flight. As the office staff left my office, there was a "still" and a profound silence in the office corridor as they moved around shuffling papers and doing what was necessary to do what I had asked. Few words were spoken among them and a kind of 'thick' silence prevailed. A few long quiet minutes passed and then one of my assistants (who had just recently been called to serve as my assistant and would normally continue in that assignment for two to four more months), meekly and humbly approached the door of my office asking me if he could talk to me alone for a minute. Certainly I said. He stood quiet for a few precious moments not knowing how to say what he wanted to say and then reverently said "Presidente, por favor -- Please don't send him home!" With a tear now in his eye he once again begged, "please don't send him home. We just can't let him go home like this. Going home like this will ruin his life. You know what will happen if he goes home like this. Presidente, I will do anything you tell me to do but I am respectfully asking you to release me as your assistant (remember he's just begun his time as service as my assistant). Please release me and let me be his companion and let us try again, and again, and even again, if necessary. No, I shall never forget the image of this humble latin missionary standing one day in a mission office in Santiago Chile (at about noon) with the LOVE of CHRIST in his brown eyes pleading for the chance to LIFT and serve his undeserving and six years older associate. I just will never forget that image -- nor the feelings I felt that day. After a kneeling prayer together, followed by continued personal soul searching, and seeking the advice of the Area Presidency -- a few hours later the will of the Lord dictated that I release my assistant and continue on with an effort to LIFT our confused associate. The process of his going home was aborted. We made the necessary changes, and Elder Ramirez went out to serve his new companion. In the days, weeks, then months that followed the missionary CHANGED. I can't tell you for sure how -- but His younger companion, the Spirit, and love changed and lifted him. It was one of those miracles you always hope for. He changed. In time he was trusted enough to become a trainer. He finished his mission. He expressed almost weekly, verbally and in writing, his love and gratitude for me and my companion Sister Christensen. He spoke of Jesus Christ and the atonement in his interviews. Our love for him changed and expanded too. And this missionary who once had an extreme dislike for North Americans. Stood to share his final testimony with nearly one hundred missionaries (75% North American) by expressing his love for them. He thanked them for their patience and expressed his love for the Lord and his mission. It was simple and undiluted and he gave it in English). A few weeks after his return home, I was in attendance at area meetings, where his stake president sought me out to inform me that this "Several-times-almost-sent-home-without-honor-and-then- finally-Honorably-Released-Returned-Missionary" had been called to the High Council in his stake in Southern Chile and was serving excellently and enthusiastically. He has since been married and sealed in the temple. I am thankful for LIFTERS! In paraphrased words of President Benson: "The person who is Greatest and Most Blessed and Joyful is the one whose life most closely approaches the pattern of the MASTER LIFTER Jesus Christ." What can we do today -- before this day closes to LIFT someone? In the words of Alma, one more time: And now behold, I ask you, my brethren of the church,

Have you been spiritually born of God?
Have you received his image in your countenances?
Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts?
Do you exercise faith in the redemption of Him who created you?
Do you look forward with an eye of faith?

May someone, sometime, if the situation ever calls for it on this side of the veil (or certainly in the next when our advocate with the Father pleads our individual cause. It is my prayer that answers to the questions "Has he or she learned?" "Does he/she love?" And "Is he/she a lifter?" That it may be said of each of us:

Yes, she has no doubt learned to be obedient and is "intelligence" in Light and Truth
Yes, the way he lives his life -- 'forsakes the evil one'
Oh yes, she Loves the Lord and everyone!
Yes, he is a quiet but constant lifter of all he comes in contact with.

The Holy Ghost will stir our hearts and nudge us in the right direction. The Lord will help and empower us through our faith in him and the atonement to make needed course corrections. May we DO it!!!! Is my prayer and I do it in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.