7/30/2023 0 Comments Live in faith![]() ![]() I’ve tried to serve honorably and lighten their responsibilities in any way I could. I love the Brethren we sustain as prophets, seers, and revelators with all my heart. ![]() I want them to know of the joy it has been to serve with them. As I leave that quorum, I want my fellow Brethren to know of my love and appreciation for their dedication and loyalty to the kingdom of God on the earth-for their faithfulness and good works. These last 11 1/2 years of service as a Seventy have been truly rewarding ones. I will be eternally grateful for the wonderful Latter-day Saints in California who have been such a positive influence in my life. We loved the diversity of the members and their commitment to the gospel of Jesus Christ. We lived in California for 33 years and raised our family there. We were planning to return to Utah after graduation, but the Spirit directed that we stay in California. Mary and I left Utah so I could attend law school in Palo Alto, California. It may be the best birthday card I have ever received. She informed me that she and her husband are both very active members and have 6 children and 20 grandchildren, all born in the covenant. A few weeks ago, I received a birthday card at Church headquarters from a woman I helped teach in Gloucester, England, many years ago. The influence of a valiant mission president is one of the great miracles of the restored gospel. How fortunate also to have had talented and devoted Church leaders, teachers, coaches, and friends who were wonderful examples to me.Īs a young man I had the opportunity to serve in the British Mission, which was a seminal, defining event in my life. When I think back to my youth in Logan, Utah (Elder Perry’s fabled Cache Valley), I realize how fortunate I was to be reared in a goodly home-to have a righteous mother who was full of faith, a loving father, an older brother who has been an extraordinary example to me as well as a friend and counselor, and a younger sister who has been loving and supportive. Their faith and prayers and the goodness of their lives have been a great comfort to Mary and me. Our three children and their spouses have been sources of great personal satisfaction and, together with our nine grandchildren, have been such a blessing to us. Her spiritual strength, righteous example, sense of humor, and loving support have blessed me throughout my life. My wife, Mary, has been the joy of my life. My heart is full of appreciation for my family. I am grateful that all my life I have been surrounded by those who love the Savior. In my own case, I respectfully acknowledge ancestors now on the other side of the veil who gave everything asked of them to build the kingdom of God upon the earth. “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” ( 2 Timothy 1:7). In 2 Timothy, the Apostle Paul references the faith of Timothy’s grandmother Lois and his mother, Eunice. The overwhelming feeling that I have in receiving this call is that we must live by faith and not by fear. I seek the companionship of the Holy Ghost as I speak with you this Sabbath morning. “Wherefore, be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you and ye shall bear record of me, even Jesus Christ, that I am the Son of the living God, that I was, that I am, and that I am to come.” ![]() “Behold, this is the promise of the Lord unto you, O ye my servants. ![]() In Doctrine and Covenants 68, verses 5 and 6, we read: I rejoice in the opportunity to bear witness of Jesus Christ in all the world (see D&C 107:23), notwithstanding my inadequacies. A peace came over me at that time and has stayed with me since because I love the Savior and have had spiritual experiences that allow me to testify of Him. Maxwell reassured me then that the most important qualification for all of us serving in the kingdom is to be comfortable in bearing witness of the divinity of the Savior. When I was called as a General Authority in April of 1996, I also felt unequal to the calling. To say that I feel deeply inadequate would be an understatement. My spirits have been buoyed, however, by the knowledge that President Hinckley is the prophet and that the membership of the Church will be praying for me and my family. There have been sleepless nights and much prayer. I cannot possibly articulate the kaleidoscope of feelings I have experienced since then. President Hinckley extended this call to serve in the Quorum of the Twelve late Thursday afternoon. Dear brothers and sisters, I join with you in expressing my love and sustaining support to President Eyring and his family. ![]()
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