What are your Desires ?
We had a wonderful combined Zone Conference this last week, a gathering of 44 full-time missionaries from the Sunderland and Billingham stakes. We served homemade vanilla pudding, with cookies and blueberries or bananas in a desert cup-- kind of like banana cream pie (Brittney shared an Archibald family recipe -- it was so good).
We were taught by President David Clare and Sister Jane Clare about the importance of understanding and schooling our desires. The conference talk we studied was one from Neal A. Maxell in 1996, entitled "The Desires of [Our] Hearts". We highly recommend that you read or watch it.
Here are a few highlights from Elder Maxwell's talk:
What we insistently desire, over time, is what we will eventually become and what we will receive in eternity. “For I [said the Lord] will judge all men according to their works, according to the desire of their hearts” (D&C 137:9; see also Jer. 17:10)… it is our own desires which determine the sizing and the attractiveness of various temptations. We set our thermostats as to temptations.
“Do you,” President Young asked, “think that people will obey the truth because it is true, unless they love it? No, they will not” (in Journal of Discourses, 7:55). Thus knowing gospel truths and doctrines is profoundly important, but we must also come to love them. When we love them, they will move us and help our desires and outward works to become more holy.
Each assertion of a righteous desire, each act of service, and each act of worship, however small and incremental, adds to our spiritual momentum. Like Newton’s Second Law, there is a transmitting of acceleration as well as a contagiousness associated with even the small acts of goodness.
Fortunately for us, our loving Lord will work with us, “even if [we] can [do] no more than desire to believe,” providing we will “let this desire work in [us]” (Alma 32:27). Therefore, declared President Joseph F. Smith, “the education then of our desires is one of far-reaching importance to our happiness in life” (Gospel Doctrine, 5th ed. [1939], 297). Such education can lead to sanctification until, said President Brigham Young, “holy desires produce corresponding outward works” (in Journal of Discourses, 6:170). Only by educating and training our desires can they become our allies instead of our enemies!
A loving God will work with us, but the initiating particle of desire which ignites the spark of resolve must be our own! It all takes time. Said the Prophet Joseph: “The nearer man approaches perfection, the clearer are his views, and the greater his enjoyments, till he has overcome the evils of his life and lost every desire for sin; and like the ancients, arrives at that point of faith where he is wrapped in the power and glory of his Maker and is caught up to dwell with Him. But we consider that this is a station to which no man ever arrived in a moment” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 51).
What is "The British Pageant?"
On Friday afternoon we attended the British Pageant with Sisters Stanley and Shetka. It was held on the grounds of the Preston temple about a 3 hour drive from our flat in Newcastle.
The British pageant is a large scale community theatre project that brings together over 500 volunteers to share a theatrical presentation through acting, dance and music. The Pageant tells the inspiring story of Heber C. Kimball and other missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who, in 1837, sailed from the United States of America to England to preach the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. It reenacts the amazing experiences of those who heard and embraced their message; thousands of people from all over the British Isles, who left their homes and travelled to America to bolster the fledgling church. Here is a link to the BBC's coverage of the British Pageant: https://fb.watch/mdJdqEtbl3/
Elder Adrian Bettridge
On the evening we attended the pageant the invocation was given by an Elder Adrian Bettridge, an Area Seventy in the leadership of the church in England. We had heard of him but didn't know if we were related. We tracked him down after the performance and found that he is my (Elder BettEridge's) 11th Cousin once removed, connecting in the late 1500s through the Burbidge line. He is a delightful relative (but I can't understand why his family dropped the second E in Betteridge). He said jokingly, "what have you done to my name-- you put an extra E in it?"
What do Wilford Woodruff & William Tyndale have in common ?
What do Wilford Woodruff and William Tyndall have in common ? Other than the obvious that they were men of faith and inspiring leaders during their mortality, their characters in the British Pageant were played by Jake Slater, from Lehi, Utah. Elder Slater served a mission in the Tacoma Washington Mission when Presidents Pearson and Bowen were Mission Leaders there, circa 2008 time frame. We were walking the grounds around the pageant site in Chorley, England and ran into Jake-- he recognized us from Tacoma, Washington. Elder Pearson will perform the temple marriage ceremony for Jake and his bride in the coming months.
Who is William Tyndale ?
William Tyndale (c. 1494-1536) was an English scholar and theologian who is well known for his translation of the Bible into English. His translation, which was the first to be mass printed in English, was based on the original Hebrew and Greek texts, rather than the Latin Vulgate used at the time. Tyndale’s translation was widely distributed and helped to spread the ideas of the Protestant Reformation throughout England. Tyndale’s work was controversial, and he was eventually arrested, tried for heresy and executed. Despite this, his translation continued to be widely read and served as a major influence in subsequent English translations of the Bible.
Who is Wilford Woodruff ?
Wilford Woodruff (1807-1898) was a prominent leader in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and known for his significant mission to the British Isles. In 1839, he embarked on a mission to England, where he served as an apostle and mission president. Elder Woodruff’s dedication and preaching led to a remarkable increase in converts and the establishment of branches throughout the British Isles. He emphasised the principles of faith, repentance, and baptism, and his mission greatly contributed to the growth and organization of the LDS Church in England. Wilford Woodruff later became the fourth President of the Church, serving from 1889 until his death in 1898.
Are you Grateful ?
After viewing the pageant, our hearts were full of immense gratitude for our forefathers and all that they had sacrificed which resulted in the opportunities we have today. Words cannot express how our ancestors have influenced each one of us, from DNA and location circumstances to faith, legacies and traditions-- we cannot say enough about the gratitude we feel for them. Each of our family histories and the circumstances into which we were born are different and distinct, tailored to our need for growth by a loving Father in Heaven. We each strive to do the best with what we have been given.
We witness that Jesus Christ is the living Son of God, sent to rescue us from sin, difficulties, weakness and death. We know that He lived and wrought His amazing Atonement for us, because of His incomprehensible love for us. We marvel at His creations everyday, we reach for His power everyday, which He so freely offers. We are eternally grateful to be considered one of His children, born again to live yet another day on this beautiful Earth.
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