Jan 1, 2023

In his opening remarks at general conference in October 2018, President Russell M. Nelson declared, “It is time for a home-centered Church, supported by what takes place inside our branch, ward, and stake buildings.”¹ Elder Quentin L. Cook then announced adjustments to our Sunday meeting schedule and introduced a new home-study resource called “Come, Follow Me.”²  These changes were made to deepen our conversion to Jesus Christ and encourage us to take responsibility for our own gospel learning.

In the last four years we have seen how inspired those adjustments are, as a worldwide pandemic, natural disasters, and warfare have led to an increasingly chaotic world. However, the last four years have also taught us that if we set aside time each day to strengthen our faith in Jesus Christ, we are well equipped to handle anything the world throws at us.

Wilford Woodruff is an example of someone who felt personally responsible for his gospel learning. Wilford recorded in his journal that as a young man, he “resolved by the grace of God . . . to be led by the spirit and word of God into that truth which maketh free thereby.”³ Over the next four years, he visited many churches on his quest to find the Lord’s church, which he believed would “be established upon the foundation of the ancient Apostles and Prophets [with] Christ Jesus [as] the Chief Corner Stone.”⁴

On December 29, 1833, Wilford and his brother Azmon attended a meeting with missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. While the missionaries were preaching, Wilford felt the Spirit bear witness to him that the message they shared was true.⁵ He and his brother were baptized two days later.⁶

I testify that as we follow Wilford Woodruff’s example and take responsibility for our own knowledge of the gospel, we will be able to handle whatever comes our way.

— Jacob Edmunds, Marketing Manager

Jacob Edmunds is a senior in the Marketing program at the BYU Marriott School of Business. He grew up in Draper, Utah, and has a passion for sports, personal finance, and learning. In his spare time, Jacob enjoys spending time with his wife, watching sports, and reading books. He served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Birmingham, England, and he loves British culture. Jacob was drawn to working for the Wilford Woodruff Papers Foundation because of their mission and his desire to help the organization fulfill that purpose.