Recently I attended a sacrament meeting in my wife’s hometown of St. George, Utah, in which all of the speakers were youth and leaders who shared insights from their stake’s trek activity. Multiple youth commented that their favorite experience was the final devotional given by their stake president at the end of their route, overlooking the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Simply from hearing them describe the event and location, I could feel the spiritual power of coming so close to a new family, enduring much physical hardship, and then listening at the edge of one of the great wonders of the world to the gospel truths and powerful history of those who came before us in the Church.
It can be easy to feel “ashamed of the gospel of Christ,” but the Apostle Paul refused to, despite all the persecution he encountered. He knew and testified of the truth, encouraging others to believe in the “power of God unto salvation” (Romans 1:16).
In studying the difficult years of Paul’s imprisonment, I am humbled by his great strength to stand as a witness for Jesus Christ. He was ever confident in his testimony of the miraculous vision of the Savior, proclaiming its truth throughout the Roman world. He withstood the efforts of the wicked Sanhedrin to murder him; he suffered trials by Felix, Festus, and Agrippa II; and he underwent another shipwreck on his way to Rome as a prisoner. He was able to testify and teach the gospel during all of those difficult years. David Patten, a modern-day Apostle, was equally committed. He was valiant in his testimony, and during the Missouri conflict in 1835, he led 75 brethren in the Battle of Crooked River. He fell in this battle trying to liberate three captives and was a martyr to his faith.
“The process of volunteering with the Wilford Woodruff Papers Foundation was a timely and heaven-sent blessing,” shares Michelle Hall. “I’ve been able to find family members and make connections on my husband’s side because of the valiant recordkeeping of Wilford Woodruff. He had connections to many of God’s children, and being a part of researching those individuals he mentions throughout his papers is extensive and exciting!”
“We need the Spirit of the Lord in every capacity we are called to act in, whether in preaching or administering the ordinances of the gospel,” Wilford Woodruff testified.
Missionary work in Jesus Christ’s Church always has been and always will be directed by the Holy Ghost. In Acts 16:6-10, we read that the Apostle Paul is directed by the Spirit of the Lord where he should go and where he shouldn’t go while serving as a missionary. By following that direction, Paul was led to a woman named Lydia, who accepted the gospel and was baptized, along with her household. She also provided Paul and his companions a place to stay with her and her family for a time.
The plan of redemption. The plan of happiness. How wonderful is this plan of our great God! Generally, and rightfully, we focus on the blessings and promises of that plan. But let us not forget an indispensable word in those descriptive titles: plan. This word is vitally important to our understanding of our Heavenly Father, who knows the end from the beginning. In a remarkable prophecy, Joseph Smith said that “persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done.”
Saul was someone who strongly harassed Christian believers, but the Lord still had a plan for him. While on the road to Damascus intending to arrest any followers of Christ, a light shone around Saul and the Lord spoke to him. After the Lord identified Himself, Saul said, “Lord, what wilt thou have me do?” (Acts 9:6). The Lord knew who Saul could become—Saul's past didn’t determine his future. Though his journey wasn’t an easy one afterwards, he had the opportunity to show the Lord that he would keep choosing Him—and he did.
We live in a day of confusion, even chaos. The world over, people are searching for truth on a host of subjects—but how can anyone know? It is not an easy search. Who do we trust? Where do we look? How do we know if something is in fact true? If the subject we seek to verify is purely secular, such as historical or even mathematical information, the search for the truth can be fairly easy given today’s technology.
