Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets. (Amos 3:7)
Many peaceful events that happened before I was twelve years old were influenced by those sustained as prophets, seers, and revelators. When I was about seven years old, I attended stake conference with my family. Afterward, we waited in a long line down the side of the chapel to shake hands with Elder Spencer W. Kimball, who was then an Apostle of the Lord. As I listened to him speak, and later, when I shook his hand, I felt something special and I knew that he was one of the Lord’s appointed.
When I was nine years old, I attended general conference in the Tabernacle in Salt Lake City, Utah. My family and I couldn’t get into the Tabernacle and had to listen outside the building. After the conference, when the General Authorities left the Tabernacle, I was able to stand close to many of them. I felt the same way I had when I shook Elder Kimball’s hand, and I knew that these men had been “called of God, by prophesy, and by the laying on of hands,” as it says in Articles of Faith 1:5.
When I was between the ages of six and twelve, President Hunter, President Hinckley, President Monson, and President Packer all became General Authorities. When I heard them speak, I knew of their power, and I can feel it even more strongly today as I meet with them. I get a special feeling, a wonderful feeling of peace, from knowing that the Lord speaks to prophets, seers, and revelators.
I received an answer to a prayer when I was very young and living in Pocatello, Idaho. I had a pet rabbit that was very important to me. One day it got out of its cage and could not be found. I was worried that the neighborhood dogs and cats might hurt my rabbit. I looked everywhere, then decided to go behind our wooden shed and pray. As my prayer ended, I instantly knew where to find my rabbit. I looked under a pile of boards and found it. Our prayers can be answered by the Holy Ghost putting thoughts into our minds.
My grandmother was also a big influence in my life. She loved her grandchildren and was always happy to see me and make me feel important. When I was nine years old, she came to live with my family. She lived with us for two years while her youngest son served a mission. She wrote poems and read them to my brother, sisters, and me. She talked to us about choosing the right and about eternal life. I learned that life is more than this life. There is life before and after our mortal lives. She wrote this poem called “Recompense” that helps me to see through my spiritual eyes:
Have you ever planned on something,
With all your heart and soul,
Planned and worked and waited
Till you thought you’d reached your goal?
Then with a stroke swift and cruel,
Your dreams are shattered and lost.
The things you had worked for and builded
Are wrecked, and at oh, such a cost.
Have you sat at the bedside
Of some loved one, your best friend?
Hoping, praying, watching, waiting,
Then been told, “It is the end.”
if you have, then don’t feel bitter.
Learn to say “Thy will be done.
Help me, Father, in my sorrow,
Help me till new faith I’ve won.”
Then you’ll feel the soothing influence
Of His Spirit from above,
Know that He is watching o’er you,
Know His heart is filled with love.
My parents also taught me the importance of sacrifice. Sacrifice helps us understand how important something is. When I was three years old, my family lived in Wray, Colorado. We had to drive ninety miles to church. At an early age I understood that the Church was important, important enough to drive a long way.
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President Thomas S. Monson, President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
President Monson was born in 1927 in Salt Lake City, Utah. As a boy, he participated in sports activities. He also decided, without having been asked, to cut the lawn of a widow and leave the yard looking much better. As president of his teachers quorum, he was successful in encouraging each member to attend priesthood meetings. He never gave up on any member of that quorum until each one became active in the Church.
He served in the Navy toward the end of World War II. After returning home, he married Frances Johnson in the Salt Lake Temple. They have three children, eight grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.
When he was 22, President Monson was called to be the bishop of his ward with 1,080 members, including 84 widows. Each Christmas, he took a week of his vacation time to visit every widow and give each one a gift. While each of them lived, he visited them long after he was released from being their bishop.
All his life, President Monson has been a faithful and humble servant of the Lord. He has a tender heart and a compassionate nature, which make him always aware of the less fortunate around him. President Monson learned early in his life to follow the promptings of the Spirit, and he has made it his goal to always follow the Spirit, no matter what. President Monson is also a friend to everyone he meets. He genuinely loves people and rarely forgets them once he has met them.
President Monson is a man of faith and a man of God, who can always be found serving and loving those around him. “I believe that love is shown by how you live, how you serve, and how you bless others,” he said. “When we serve others, we are showing them that we love them, and we are also showing Jesus Christ that we love Him and follow His example. … Jesus said, ‘If ye love me, keep my commandments. … He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me’ ” (John 14:15, 21).
President Henry B. Eyring, First Counselor in the First Presidency
President Henry B. Eyring was born and raised in Princeton, New Jersey. His father was an internationally known scientist, so his basement was filled with blackboards instead of ping-pong tables. Growing up in New Jersey, young Hal (as he was called) and his two brothers were the only youth in their small branch. They met in the Eyrings’ home, using the dining room table for the sacrament and the pulpit. But his parents taught him well the gospel and the sciences, and Hal became well grounded in both.
During the Korean War missionary service was restricted, so President Eyring served in the U.S. Air Force instead of serving a full-time mission. While in the Air Force, he was called to be a district missionary. He spent his nights and weekends for the next two years serving the Lord and preaching the gospel. After he was released from the Air Force, he went back to school and met his wife, Kathleen. They have six children and twenty-five grandchildren. His family is a most important part of his life.
Throughout President Eyring’s life, education and learning have been a great influence. It is certain that his passion for teaching and learning will continue to influence him as he helps spread the gospel. “Life is more than a career; life is a mission,” he once said. “Life has a purpose, and its purpose requires learning across a wide spectrum. We should be learners throughout our lives.”
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Second Counselor in the First Presidency
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf was born in Czechoslovakia and raised in Germany. When he was six years old, his family was converted to the Church.
President Uchtdorf learned the value of working hard at a young age. The Uchtdorfs owned a laundry, and Dieter rode a heavy-duty bicycle, pulling a heavy laundry cart before and after school. Years later, when he joined the air force, he learned that he had had a lung disease when he was younger. Because he had worked hard through his childhood, his body had healed itself and built up a resistance to the disease.
The scriptures became important to Dieter when he was young. Romans 8:31 reads “If God be for us, who can be against us?” This scripture impressed upon him the desire to follow the Lord’s teachings: “That teaching has stayed with me throughout my life. It taught me that I need to be on the Lord’s side. I cannot afford not to be on the Lord’s side.”
President Uchtdorf worked for 30 years as an airline pilot. He married Harriet Reich in the Bern Switzerland Temple. They are the parents of two children and have six grandchildren. On October 7, 2004, he was ordained as an Apostle—the first Apostle called in more than 50 years who was born outside the United States.
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Adapted from Scripture Stories (PBIC0358)
Hel. 10–11
Nephi was heartsick. He had tried hard to teach the Nephites to live righteously, but they would not forsake their wicked ways. As he went toward his home, Nephi heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Blessed art thou, Nephi, for those things which thou hast done; … behold, I will bless thee forever; … yea, even that all things shall be done unto thee according to thy word, for thou shalt not ask that which is contrary to my will.”
The Lord then commanded him to warn the Nephites, saying, “Except ye repent ye shall be smitten, even unto destruction.”
Instead of returning home, Nephi went back among the people to deliver the Lord’s message. He pleaded with them to repent of their wickedness, but they refused to listen. They even tried to put Nephi into prison. But because the power of God was with Nephi, the Spirit took him away from them.
And it came to pass that Nephi went forth in the Spirit, from place to place, crying repentance until everyone received the message. But the wicked people became more wicked and started killing each other with swords. Then a secret band of robbers, started by an evil man named Gadianton, swept through the land, bringing war among the Nephites.
Nephi was afraid his people would be destroyed. He loved them and wanted them to have another chance, so he prayed, “Let there be a famine in the land, to stir them up in remembrance of the Lord their God, and perhaps they will repent and turn unto thee.”
The Lord answered Nephi’s prayer, sending a great drought. No grain or fruit would grow. People became hungry, and many died. When the Nephites realized that they might all perish, they finally remembered Nephi’s words and humbled themselves. They repented of their wickedness, pleading with Nephi to ask the Lord to end the famine that had plagued them for nearly three years.
When Nephi knew that the people had truly repented, he prayed for rain. The Lord heard his prayer and caused rain to fall upon the earth. The fruit and grain grew, and the people had food. The Nephites thanked God, rejoicing because of His goodness to them. At last they recognized Nephi as a prophet and respected the power and authority of the priesthood he held.
While the people kept the commandments, they prospered in the land. Their cities grew, and the Church spread until most of the Nephites were members. With righteousness came peace and prosperity. But when life became easier and more comfortable, the Nephites became prideful. They forgot the Lord and the blessings He had given them and thought only of their riches. Once again, the Gadianton robbers became powerful, and the people returned to their wickedness.
Wars and destruction spread throughout the land, and the Nephites feared for their lives. Because of these afflictions, they again remembered the Lord; but as soon as He blessed them, they turned back to their evil ways. For years Nephi patiently tried to teach his people, using the power the Lord had given him. But each time the Nephites were blessed with peace and flocks and herds and worldly riches, they became proud and forgot the Lord. Then they would be plagued with troubles until they humbled themselves and repented of their wickedness.
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(Information and quotations are from Bible Dictionary—Hezekiah and Isaiah; Isa. 9:6, Isa. 29:4, Isa. 38:1–8, and Isa. 53:9.)
Great are the words of Isaiah (3 Ne. 23:1).
Anthony peered out the window of his pretend time machine. It was actually a cardboard box that he had decorated with markers, foil, and other things. For several days he had had lots of fun playing in it. Now he was imagining a strange-looking object in front of him. It was like a car, but it had wings. It was big enough for him to take a ride in, and that was what he wanted to do. But as he began to climb out of the time machine to do that, a real-life voice spoke to him: “Time to get ready for bed, Anthony.”
“Ah, Mom,” he said, flopping down on the floor in disappointment. “I was just going to take a ride in a flying car.”
“Well, you’ll have to play that pretend game tomorrow,” Mom replied. “Right now you need to get ready for Book of Mormon time and bed.”
Anthony reluctantly dragged the box into the corner where they kept the toys, then went off to his room. In a few minutes everyone was sitting in the living room with a Book of Mormon in hand.
Dad said, “Tonight we’ve come to the part where Nephi tells us about the words of a prophet named Isaiah. He’s the same prophet Isaiah who’s in the Bible.” Father showed them where the book of Isaiah was in the Bible, then where Isaiah was quoted in the Book of Mormon. He began to read what Isaiah had said.
Anthony found the right page and tried to follow along, but after a few minutes his eyes started to close. The next thing he knew, his mother was waking him up, telling him that it was time for bed.
The following night Anthony had taken another imaginary ride to the future. When his mother called, he was pretending to talk to some creatures from Pluto who had come to earth to live. Slowly he climbed out of the box, went to his room, got ready for bed, then sat down for scripture time.
But he didn’t understand what Dad was reading, and he kept wriggling and squirming. That made his brother and sister wriggle and squirm too. When Anthony’s mother reminded them all to sit still and listen, Anthony tried to, but even the words he knew sounded strange, somehow. “Isaiah is too hard,” he said when Dad finished for that night.
“Yes, it’s difficult,” Dad agreed. “But if we read slowly and you listen carefully, you might be able to understand.”
“And,” Mom added, “we can ask Heavenly Father to help us understand.” As she offered the prayer that evening, she asked for help in understanding Isaiah.
The next night, Anthony was dragging his box to the corner again when Dad stopped him. “Wait, Anthony. Leave your box there for now. I want to do something different for our scripture reading tonight.”
When everyone was settled, Father began. “Tonight I thought that we should learn more about Isaiah and his teachings. That way we might be able to understand a little better when we read his words.
“Isaiah was a prophet who lived a long time ago, even a long time before Jesus was born. But he prophesied, or told about, things that would happen many years later. When we read his words, it’s like listening to someone who had traveled in a time machine.”
Anthony sat up tall. “Did he travel to the future?”
“No,” Dad answered. “But with Heavenly Father’s help, he saw visions of things that would happen in the future and he told about those things.”
Dad had the three children climb into Anthony’s time machine. “When we read Isaiah,” Dad said, “it’s like we are traveling in a time machine with him. We can listen to his words and imagine that we are there, seeing the things that he saw.”
Anthony and his brother and sister were excited. They wanted to ride in the time machine with Isaiah.
Father went on. “In the Bible, we learn about things that happened while he was actually alive. One of those stories is about a king named Hezekiah. One time King Hezekiah was very sick and was about to die. He prayed and asked the Lord to let him live longer. The Lord told Isaiah what Hezekiah should do to get better, and He told Isaiah to tell Hezekiah that he could live for fifteen more years. As a sign to Hezekiah, the Lord turned the sun back ten degrees. Another time Isaiah helped King Hezekiah win a battle and save Jerusalem.”
The next night they read about things that Isaiah saw would happen in the future. They climbed in the time machine and pretended that they were with Isaiah when he saw a vision showing Mary and Joseph and Baby Jesus. They listened to the prophet’s beautiful words: “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given. …”
The children next listened to Isaiah’s words about the sad time when Jesus died: “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities.”
Then they pretended to travel ahead many more years and listened to Isaiah telling about the coming of the Book of Mormon: “Thy voice shall be, as of one that hath a familiar spirit, out of the ground, and thy speech shall whisper out of the dust.”
Each night that week at Book of Mormon time, they climbed into the time machine and pretended to travel with Isaiah. One night Anthony asked, “Has everything that Isaiah saw already happened?”
“No,” Dad answered, “not everything. Isaiah saw things that would happen in our very own day, and he saw things that are still in the future, in a time called the Millennium, when Jesus will come and live on earth again.”
“Isaiah was so lucky,” Anthony’s little sister said. “He saw so many things.”
“Yeah,” Anthony agreed as he climbed back into the time machine. “But we’re lucky, too—we can go with him and see them, too, when we read the scriptures.”
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Thunder clapped and lightning flashed almost constantly outside the cabin window as Louisa Bingham Lee stood kneading a large batch of bread dough on the kitchen table. Beside her was her mother, who was knitting a pair of stockings, and three of Louisa’s children were playing about the room. The Lee children were always fascinated when a powerful thunderstorm rolled through their peaceful valley in Clifton, Idaho, so Louisa propped the front door open so that they could watch the great display of nature’s fireworks.
Louisa began to feel uneasy as she noticed how quickly the thunderclaps followed the lightning flashes—the lightning was striking very close! Six-year-old Harold was playing in the room in front of the open door. Suddenly Louisa dashed over to her son and gave him a vigorous push, sending him backward and onto the floor away from the doorway. An instant later a bolt of lightning flashed down the chimney, across the floor, and out the open doorway, where it split a large tree in front of the house from top to bottom. Had it not been for Louisa’s acting upon inner promptings, Harold B. Lee would not have lived to become the eleventh President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Louisa Bingham Lee was born on New Year’s Day in 1879. She and her sister Effie were the only ones of Perry and Rachel Bingham’s seven children who lived long enough to marry and have families of their own.
Because Louisa’s mother had very poor health and her father was away much of the time working in Montana, most of the responsibility of caring for her mother and the family fell to Louisa. She did the cooking, bathing, washing, ironing, and sewing, and she also learned how to plant crops, stack hay, shear sheep and care for the animals. And Louisa did all this while she was attending school! In fact, while the other children were out enjoying their games at noon recess, Louisa dashed home to feed her mother and brothers and sisters lunch. Then, when classes were over, Louisa again hurried home, this time to prepare the family’s evening meal, milk the cows, and care for her ailing mother.
All these skills and Louisa’s hard-working attitude came in handy when she married Samuel Lee, Jr., and began raising a family of her own. She and Samuel became the parents of six children, their second child being the future prophet.
President Lee often told another story of when his mother had saved him from serious injury: Louisa had been making soap one day and had a large pan of lye on a high shelf so that the younger children would not get into it. She asked Harold to help her get the pan down. Suddenly the pan slipped from their grip, and the burning lye spilled over Harold’s face, head, and arms. Louisa grabbed Harold so that he couldn’t run away, then kicked off the lid from a barrel of pickles that she had just made. Scooping up the vinegar in her hand, she washed the lye off her son. The vinegar helped neutralize the lye, thus saving Harold from being badly scarred.
Louisa knew that there were other ways to help her children besides keeping them from harm. One day while Harold was in high school, he attended a very important debate meet out of town, which he and his team won. When he called his mother to tell her the good news, she said, “I know all about it.” When Harold came home, she explained: “When I knew it was just time for [the debate] to start I went out among the willows by the creek side … and prayed God you would not fail.”
Louisa and her husband later moved to Salt Lake City. They were very proud when their son was ordained an Apostle of the Church, and they listened to him speak many times in general conference in the Tabernacle on Temple Square.
Louisa died in 1959 when she was eighty years old. President Lee once said that he was grateful to “have been blessed with … a grand and lovely mother.”
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Let this house be built unto my name, that I may reveal mine ordinances therein unto my people (D&C 124:40).
Have you ever been excited for a special day? Maybe it was your birthday or a vacation. Seven-year-old Adair was excited for a special day. Her family set a date to go to the temple one year from the time of their baptism.
Adair’s family held a special family home evening. Her dad and mom explained how important it was for everyone to prepare to go to the temple. They made a list of the things they could do: pray individually and as a family, read the scriptures, pay tithing, keep the commandments, and follow the prophet.
Adair’s mother gave her a picture of the temple and wrote Adair’s name and the date that her family would be going to the temple underneath. Every day Adair tried her best to prepare for when her family would be sealed in the temple. Adair felt good inside as she realized that each day she prepared to receive the blessings of the temple was a special day. She felt a surge of excitement as the special day came. Being sealed as a family was a blessing Heavenly Father gave them that brought them closer to Him and to each other.
Families can be together forever through making and keeping temple covenants and ordinances. The prophets have encouraged each of us to prepare to go to the temple. You can prepare to go to the temple with your family. You can also prepare to go at age 12 to do baptisms for the dead or to go when you are an adult—perhaps when you receive a mission call or before you are married.
Great blessings come from going to the temple. As you prepare now to receive the blessings of the temple, each day will be a special day!
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Let every man esteem his brother as himself (D&C 38:24).
Deanna’s CTR B teacher held up a picture. “Does anyone know what this is?”
Deanna raised her hand. “The temple.”
Sister Dench smiled. “That’s right. Do you know which temple it is, Deanna?”
“The Denver Temple.” Deanna knew because her mother had hung a picture of it in their home.
“Why do you think Heavenly Father wants us to have temples?”
Mark raised his hand. “So that we can do baptisms for the dead.”
Danny said, “Families can be sealed there.”
“Those are both good reasons,” Sister Dench said. “What can you do now to prepare to go to the temple?”
“Pay our tithing.”
“Go to church.”
“Be honest.”
Sister Dench nodded after each answer. “During the week, I’d like each of you to think of other ways you can prepare to go to the temple.”
Deanna thought a lot about her Primary lesson that afternoon. She wanted to go to the temple someday. On the last Friday of each month, her parents drove to Denver to attend it. When they came home, they always seemed extra happy. They smiled at each other in a special way that made Deanna feel happy too.
She was imagining her own temple wedding, when five-year-old Robbie asked, “Can I use your crayons? I want to draw a picture for Grandma.”
Deanna frowned. “You broke one the last time I let you use them.”
“I didn’t mean to.”
“I don’t care. You can’t use them.”
Robbie turned away, but not before Deanna saw a tear roll down his cheek. She tried to ignore the stab of guilt she felt.
As she helped set the table for dinner that evening, Deanna told her mother about her Primary lesson. “How else can I prepare to go to the temple?” she asked, glancing at the picture of it on the dining room wall.
Her mother placed a casserole dish on the table. She didn’t answer Deanna’s question but asked, instead, “Do you know why Robbie was crying this afternoon?”
Deanna was surprised. Usually her mother wanted to talk about her Primary lesson. “I wouldn’t let him borrow my crayons,” she said reluctantly. “The last time he used them, he broke one.”
“He’s still learning how to color,” her mother said. “You could help him.”
“Are you going to make me share?”
“No, but I hope that someday you’ll want to. One thing we learn in the temple is how important families are.”
Deanna thought about that the rest of the evening. After school the next day, she noticed that three-year-old Kevin had messed up the jigsaw puzzle she’d been putting together. It had five hundred pieces, and it had taken her a long time to do as much as she had.
She started to yell at him, then remembered her Primary lesson. “It’s all right, Kevin,” she said. “I know you just wanted to help me with it.” She went to his room and found a simple wooden puzzle. “Here, I’ll show you how to work this one.” She spent an hour helping Kevin fit the pieces of his puzzle together over and over again.
After dinner, she took her box of crayons to Robbie’s room. “Do you still want to use these?”
He nodded eagerly. She sat down beside him and helped him with his picture.
For the rest of the week, she tried hard to help her brothers. Sometimes they still annoyed her, but they also made her smile—like when Kevin planted a big kiss on her cheek, and when Robbie threw his arms around her and said, “You’re the bestest big sister in the world!”
“How many of you remember what we talked about last week?” Sister Dench asked on Sunday.
Everyone raised his hand.
“What are some ways you thought of that we can prepare now to go to the temple?” she asked.
“Obey the Word of Wisdom,” Danny said.
“Keep the Sabbath Day holy,” Janet volunteered.
“Those are both good ways,” Sister Dench agreed. “Does anyone else have any other ideas?”
Deanna raised her hand. “Be nice to my brothers.” Someone snickered, and she ducked her head in embarrassment.
When she raised her head, she saw that Sister Dench was smiling. “Thank you, Deanna. That’s one of the most important things we can do to prepare to go to the temple.”
“Why is it so important?” Danny asked.
“The temple is about families. How do you think Jesus feels when we can’t get along with our brothers and sisters?”
“He probably feels sad,” Danny said.
“I think you’re right. Jesus wants us to treat our families here the way we’ll treat them in heaven.”
Deanna remembered Robbie’s hug and Kevin’s kiss. She could hardly wait for Primary to be over so that she could tell them how much she loved them.
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We ask thee, O Lord, to accept of this house, the workmanship of the hands of us, thy servants (D&C 109:4).
In Kirtland, Ohio, in 1836, Joseph Smith dedicated the first latter-day temple so that “the Son of Man might have a place to manifest himself to his people” (D&C 109:5).
Work had begun on the temple on June 5, 1833. For the next three years the Saints endured many trials and hardships in order to build a house for the Lord.
Most of the people had few possessions and little money. But every able man worked one day each week on the temple. They worked in the quarry, cutting sandstone to form the walls of the temple. They worked as carpenters, painters, teamsters, and in many other jobs. Sometimes as many as a hundred men worked on the temple at a time. The women spun, knitted, wove, and sewed to make draperies and carpets. They also made clothing and food for the construction workers.
Everyone was busy, but it was not just the Saints’ time and talents that the Lord required. The large three-story building cost between $40,000 and $60,000, an enormous amount of money at a time when the average worker earned only around two or three dollars a day. Many of the Saints gave almost everything they had to build the temple.
Some people in the area opposed its construction. Mobs came at night to destroy work done and to steal tools and supplies. It became necessary for men to stand guard each night.
When the temple was completed, it was the most beautiful building for miles around. Inside were two curved stairways and beautiful wood moldings and railings. But it will be remembered forever not for its beauty but for the marvelous events that happened there.
On Sunday, March 27, 1836, hundreds of Latter-day Saints came to Kirtland for the dedication. The doors opened at 8:00 a.m., and one thousand people entered. Hundreds more were left outside. They had also worked and sacrificed for the building of the temple. Seeing their disappointment, Joseph Smith decided to repeat the dedication on Thursday.
The choir opened the meeting, then President Sidney Rigdon spoke for two and a half hours. After a brief intermission, the officers of the Church were sustained. Then the Prophet offered the dedicatory prayer, given to him by revelation. This prayer is now section 109 of the Doctrine and Covenants [D&C 109]. After the prayer, the choir sang “The Spirit of God,” which had been written specifically for the dedication.
The congregation ended the seven-hour service by standing and giving the sacred Hosanna Shout. Sister Eliza R. Snow said that it was given “with such power as seemed almost sufficient to raise the roof from the building.”
That evening over four hundred priesthood bearers again met in the temple, and while George A. Smith was speaking, “a noise was heard like the sound of a rushing mighty wind which filled the temple, and all the congregation simultaneously arose, being moved upon by an invisible power.” Many men began to speak in tongues and to prophesy. Others saw glorious visions, including angels who filled the temple.
People living nearby heard the sound, too, and ran to see what was happening. As they approached, they beheld a pillar of fire resting upon the temple, saw angels hovering over the temple, and heard heavenly singing.
Many other spiritual manifestations took place in the temple that year. Prescindia Huntington described how a little girl came to her door during one meeting and called out in excitement, “The meeting is on top of the meeting house!” Prescindia looked outside and saw angels walking back and forth on the temple. Many children in Kirtland saw the angels and remembered the glorious sight the rest of their lives.
One week after that first dedication, on Easter Sunday, April 3, 1836, Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery stood in the pulpit area of the temple and dropped the veils around the pulpit so they could be alone to pray. After their prayer, they saw the Lord standing upon the pulpit. “His eyes were as a flame of fire; the hair of his head was white like the pure snow; his countenance shone above the brightness of the sun; and his voice was as the sound of the rushing of great waters” (D&C 110:3). Jesus told Joseph and Oliver that He accepted the temple and that in that house He would “appear unto my servants, and speak unto them with mine own voice, if my people will keep my commandments, and do not pollute this holy house” (D&C 110:8).
After this vision, Moses, Elias, and Elijah appeared and gave to Joseph and Oliver the keys necessary to continue the Lord’s work upon the earth. Among these keys was the sealing power that seals husbands to wives and children to parents for all eternity.
This was a time of rich blessings. Even though the temple was used only for a few years before the Saints were driven out of Kirtland, it was worth every dollar spent, every minute worked, and every hardship endured, because the Lord had indeed manifested Himself to His people.
(Information included in this article came from History of the Church, volume 2, page 428; Joseph Smith’s Kirtland, by L. Anderson, page 177; and Eliza R. Snow, an Immortal: Selected Writings of Eliza R. Snow, by Nicholas G. Morgan, page 62.)
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Tina’s brown eyes flashed as she rechecked her duffle bag, making certain she had everything she would need on the vacation.
“Is everyone ready?” Dad asked. “It’s time to go.”
Soon the car was crammed with luggage and camping gear. Tina saw a suitcase next to the cooler chest. Surrounded by beach towels and sleeping bags, the suitcase looked out of place. Suitcases were for dressy clothes, and dressy clothes were for special days like Sunday. This vacation would take ten days, Dad had said, so they wouldn’t be home for Church meetings.
As Tina thought about being away from home on Sunday, she remembered what Sister Gustafson, her Primary teacher, had told the class about Sunday being a day of worship and rest. Sister Gustafson was going to ask each child how he had spent his Sundays for an entire month, and she would pay special honor to those who had kept the Sabbath days holy. Tina worried that she would probably be the only one in the class who would miss any Primary and sacrament meetings. How can Sunday be a holy day when we’re camping at the lake? Tina wondered. She turned to wave good-bye to the friend who would take care of her little kitten while she was gone.
As they drove past the church and the school and out of town, the family sang, “Give, Said the Little Stream,” “The Golden Plates,” and Tina’s favorite, “Book of Mormon Stories.” Because Josh liked “Smiles,” and because he was the youngest in the family, they sang it again and again. Mom said she liked that song, too, because it made her happy.
As soon as they arrived at their lakeside camp, everyone went swimming. After supper was over and all the marshmallows had been toasted and eaten, Tina and Josh got ready for bed and climbed into their sleeping bags. Mom and Dad listened to their prayers and kissed them good night.
All week long the children played in the sand and swam in the lake. They fished. They climbed hills. And they fed potato chips to bushy-tailed squirrels.
On Saturday evening Tina helped Mom fix a picnic lunch for the next day. Then her mother asked everyone to help carry enough water to shampoo their hair and bathe. As Tina carried her small bucket of water from the lake, she laughed and sang,
“Saturday is a special day,
It’s the day we get ready for Sunday.
We clean our tent,
And we gather the wood
So we won’t have to work until Monday.
We brush our clothes,
And we shine our shoes,
And we call it our clean-up-our-camp day.
Then we tote the water
To shampoo our hair,
So we can be ready for Sunday.”*
Tina liked feeling clean, and she was glad that the picnic lunch was already made, because that meant no cooking the next day.
Because the next day was Sunday, Tina remembered her teacher’s words, “Sunday is a day of worship and rest.” Well, she could rest, and she wouldn’t play, but how could they have a regular worship service when their family was camping?
That night, as Tina sat watching the campfire, Mom brought the suitcase from the car and opened it. Dad took a piece of wrinkled paper out of it, smoothed it with his hand, and with a twinkle in his eye announced, “Tomorrow we’re going on a treasure hunt. This map shows where we can find something to help us to be happy for the rest of our lives.”
Then Mom took four books from the suitcase. Keeping one for herself, she gave one to Tina, one to Josh, and one to Dad. Tina opened her book. It was full of blank pages. Josh’s book was the same. Someone had written in Mom’s book, and in Dad’s, too, but most of their pages were also blank. What kind of books are these? Tina wondered.
Josh was given a turn to take something from the suitcase. He found some postcards and stamps. Then it was Tina’s turn. She looked in and found her favorite Sunday dress! And there was Mom’s green dress and Dad’s suit and tie. Josh’s best outfit was there too. Then Dad said, “We’ll wear our best clothes on our treasure hunt tomorrow.”
The next morning the family got up early and dressed in their Sunday clothes. When they got into the car, Tina helped read the treasure map, directing Dad to cross a bridge and then to take Ryre’s Road west for eighteen miles to where a large red star had been penciled in on the map. That must be where the treasure is! Tina decided.
Dad drove for eighteen miles and stopped right in front of a meetinghouse.
“That’s it—the treasure is where we learn about the gospel!” Tina declared excitedly.
It was wonderful going to church in that little town. People they didn’t even know smiled at Tina and her family.
After the meetings, the family returned to camp. Taking the picnic basket, the blank notebooks, and the postcards, they walked to a small wooded area. After lunch, mother read from her little book, which she called a journal. She showed Tina and Josh how they, too, could keep a journal of the things they did.
Tina and Josh wrote in their special books. Tina also wrote some postcards to send to her friends. The message she liked best was the one she sent to her Primary teacher. It said:
“Dear Sister Gustafson,
Please tell all the class that I kept the Lord’s Sabbath-day commandment. Sunday was a day of rest and worship for our family on our vacation. It was the best day of my vacation.
Love, Tina.”
Talk Source:
Learning the gospel can be fun! … Together on fam’ly night! (Children’s Songbook, page 195).
The door slammed behind Matthew as he ran in the house. He dropped his kindergarten papers on the kitchen table.
“I’m home,” he said to his mother, who was spreading peanut butter on bread. “I’m ready to work on my family home evening lesson.”
Mother laughed. “Just a minute, son,” she said. “You need to eat lunch first.”
“But tonight is family home evening, and I don’t have my lesson ready.”
“I’ll help you after lunch,” Mother said. “Now, run and wash your hands.”
In a minute Matthew was back. His hands were still wet. Mother was feeding baby Karin something orange and mushy. “What is Karin having for lunch?” he asked. “It looks awful.”
“It’s squash,” Mother said. “And she likes it. But don’t worry—I made a peanut butter sandwich and apple slices for you.”
Matthew hurried to eat his lunch, but when he finished, Mother was still trying to put squash into Karin’s mouth. It kept dribbling back out. “You’ll have to go and play while I feed Karin,” she said. “It takes longer for babies to eat than five-year-old boys.”
“I don’t want to play,” said Matthew. “I want to plan my family home evening lesson. It needs to be really special because it’s my first one. Kathryn said it wouldn’t be a very good lesson. She said I’m too little.”
“You are littler than your sister Kathryn,” Mother said, “but you’re bigger than Karin. You can do lots of things that she can’t do. Why don’t you think about what you’d like to teach our family tonight, and I’ll help you when I’m finished.”
Matthew went to his room. He sat on his bed and thought. He thought about some of the family home evening lessons his dad had given.
I like listening to the scriptures when Dad reads them, Matthew thought, but I don’t know how to find the right ones for him to read.
Matthew thought about teaching his family something he had learned in Primary. He remembered his teacher had told the class that President Benson had said that we should read the Book of Mormon. Matthew went over to his toy shelves. On the top shelf was his tape recorder, his Book of Mormon reader, and the cassette tapes to go along with it. He opened the reader to his favorite story and turned on the tape.
As he listened to the story, Matthew had an idea. He listened to the story three times. Then he went to his toy box. He counted out a pile of small blocks and put them into a bucket. After that, he went to the kitchen to get a flashlight. Mother was washing the lunch dishes. Karin was crawling around on the floor.
“I’m going to do the lesson all by myself,” Matthew told his mother. “I have it all planned.”
“Don’t you need any help?” Mother asked.
“Just a little help,” said Matthew. “I need that big brown blanket down from the cupboard. I’m going to build something in the living room.”
Mother went to the cupboard and took down the blanket. “What are you going to build?” she asked as she gave it to him.
“You’ll find out at family home evening,” he said mysteriously.
Matthew put four chairs in the living room. He spread the blanket over the tops of the chairs. Then he crawled inside under the blanket.
It’s pretty dark in here, he said to himself. I think it’s just right.
That night everyone was very curious to hear Matthew’s lesson.
“What’s this big tent for?” Kathryn asked. “I’ve never seen a family home evening lesson like this.”
“You’ll find out after we sing the opening song and have the prayer,” said Matthew. “Mom, can we sing ‘Book of Mormon Stories’ for the opening song? It will help my lesson.”
The family sang all eight verses of “Book of Mormon Stories.” Then Dad gave the opening prayer. After the family business, Dad turned the time over to Matthew.
“Tonight we are going to act out a story from the Book of Mormon,” said Matthew. “It’s the story of the Brother of Jared and the Jaredites.
“They were traveling to the promised land. They came to a big ocean. The Lord told the Brother of Jared to build eight boats. We’re going to pretend that this blanket on the chairs is one of the boats.”
“That’s what the tent is for,” said Kathryn. “It’s a boat!”
“The Brother of Jared obeyed God. He built the eight boats,” Matthew continued. “Kathryn, will you get inside the boat, and tell me what you see?”
Kathryn crawled inside the boat. Baby Karin did too. “It’s dark in here,” Kathryn said.
“Yes, the boats were too dark for the Jaredites to travel in,” said Matthew.
“I remember the story,” said Kathryn, poking her head out of the boat. “The Brother of Jared had to find a way to get light in the boats.”
“That’s right,” said Matthew. “Dad, will you hide behind the curtain? I want you to show what Jesus did. I’m going to pretend that I’m the Brother of Jared.”
When Dad was behind the curtain, Matthew took the flashlight from his bucket. He handed the flashlight to Mom. “Shine the light on the blocks after Dad touches them,” he whispered to her.
Matthew picked up the bucket of blocks. He climbed up on top of the couch. “This is the mountain that I’m climbing,” said the pretend Brother of Jared. “I’m taking these sixteen white stones up to the top of the mountain.”
Matthew knelt on the couch. He spread out the blocks. Then he pretended to pray: “Lord, we need something to make light in our ships. Please touch these stones with Thy finger and make them shine.”
Matthew’s dad put his finger out of the curtain and touched the blocks. Matthew’s mom shined the flashlight on them. Matthew fell down. He pretended to be afraid.
“Get up, why are you afraid?” said Dad, still playing the part of Jesus.
“I saw the finger of the Lord,” said Matthew.
“You have so much faith that I’m going to show all of myself to you,” said Dad. Then he walked out from behind the curtain.
“The Brother of Jared saw Jesus because he had so much faith,” said Matthew. “We should try to have faith like the Brother of Jared. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.”
“That was fun,” said Kathryn. “Can we do the story again, and this time I’ll be the Brother of Jared?”
“Sure we can,” said Dad.
“That was a wonderful lesson, Matthew,” said Mom. “We should act out more of the scripture stories. It will really help us remember them.”
“I already have my next lesson figured out,” said Matthew. “Our piano bench would make a great wall for Samuel the Lamanite!”
Talk Source:
