Elder Jeffrey R.
Holland, an Apostle of the Lord, Jesus Christ, testifies
that the heavens are open and God continues to speak His
word and reveal His truth (2:57).
A second witness of Jesus Christ and a companion volume of scripture to the Bible that records God’s dealings with the ancient inhabitants of the Americas.
"The Savior counseled that we should pray for those who 'despitefully use' us (Matthew 5:44). This principle is often overlooked in our prayers. The Prophet Joseph Smith understood it clearly. His petitions were fervent, his motives pure, and the blessings of heaven regular."Daniel Tyler, an associate of the Prophet, recalled an important occasion:" 'At the time William Smith and others rebelled against the Prophet [at Kirtland], . . . I attended a meeting . . . where "Joseph" presided. Entering the school-house a little before [the] meeting opened, and gazing upon the man of God, I perceived sadness in his countenance and tears trickling down his cheeks. . . . A few moments later a hymn was sung and he opened the meeting by prayer. Instead of facing the audience, however, he turned his back and bowed upon his knees, facing the wall. This, I suppose, was done to hide his sorrow and tears." 'I had heard men and women pray—especially the former—from the most ignorant, both as to letters and intellect, to the most learned and eloquent, but never until then had I heard a man address his Maker as though He was present listening as a kind father would listen to the sorrows of a dutiful child. Joseph was at that time unlearned, but that prayer, which was to a considerable extent in behalf of those who accused him of having gone astray and fallen into sin, [was] that the Lord would forgive them and open their eyes that they might see aright—that prayer, I say, to my humble mind, partook of the learning and eloquence of heaven. There was no ostentation, no raising of the voice as by enthusiasm, but a plain conversational tone, as a man would address a present friend. It appeared to me as though, in case the vail were taken away, I could see the Lord standing facing His humblest of all servants I had ever seen. . . . It was the crowning . . . of all the prayers I ever heard' (Juvenile Instructor, Feb. 1892, 127–28)."
"Just four days after the first pioneers arrived in the Salt Lake Valley, President Brigham Young walked with Heber C. Kimball, Willard Richards, Orson Pratt, Wilford Woodruff, and several others to a section of land located between two creeks in the heart of the valley, waved his hand over the site, and said, 'Here is the forty acres [later reduced to ten acres] for the temple.' Another account states that he 'stood upon the spot where now rises the magnificent Salt Lake Temple, and exclaimed to his brother Apostles and companions: "Here we will build the Temple of our God!" ' "Construction began in 1853. The temple was to be built according to a divine plan; President Young testified later that he had first seen it in vision as he stood on the temple site not long after the Saints arrived in the valley."
"Thousands of honest, searching souls continue to be confronted by that penetrating question which coursed through the mind of Joseph Smith as he surveyed the declarations made by the churches of his community concerning who is right and who is wrong. Joseph said: " 'In the midst of this war of words and tumult of opinions, I often said to myself: What is to be done? Who of all these parties are right; or, are they all wrong together? If any one of them be right, which is it, and how shall I know it? . . . " 'At length I came to the conclusion that I must either remain in darkness and confusion, or else I must do as James directs, that is, ask of God' (Joseph Smith—History 1:10, 13). "He prayed. The results of that prayer are best described in Joseph's own words. You know them:" 'I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!' (Joseph Smith—History 1:17)."Joseph listened; Joseph learned. His question had been answered."
"As a boy growing up in Nauvoo, George Q. Cannon learned to cope with those who would do harm to others. In his own words, he tells how he and a group of boys his age did their part to defend the Saints against potential troublemakers:" 'It was . . . a common practice . . . , when engaged in conversation or in making a bargain, to take out . . . pocket knives and commence whittling; frequently, . . . accompanying the whittling by whistling. No person could object, therefore, to the practices of whittling and whistling. Many of the boys of the city had each a large bowie knife made, and when a man came to town who was known to be a villain, and was there for evil purposes, a few of them would get together, and go to where the obnoxious person was, and having previously provided themselves with pine shingles, would commence whittling. The presence of a number of boys, each [harmlessly] whittling . . . was not a sight to escape the notice of a stranger. . . . His first [reaction] . . . would be to . . . ask what this meant. The boys would make no reply, but with grave faces, keep up their [harmless] whistling. . . . What could the man do? If he was armed, he could shoot; but the resolute expression of the boys' faces, and the gleaming knives . . . would convince him that discretion was the better part of valor. . . . The most we ever knew them to do was to stand for awhile and curse and threaten. . . . Then they would walk off . . . , followed by the troop of boys vigorously whittling and whistling' ("History of the Church," Juvenile Instructor, 30 Sept. 1871, 158). "Now, I'm not suggesting that we begin issuing bowie knives to our deacons. But I am suggesting that George Q. Cannon and his youthful associates exhibited great courage and faith by their actions. They saw something that needed to be done, and they did it safely within the context of what was appropriate for the times. I'm impressed by their willingness to take a stand against wicked intentions of others."
"Years ago a friend, who long since is gone, told this experience. He was seventeen-years-old and with his companion stopped at a cottage in the southern states. It was his first day in the mission field and was his first door. A gray-haired woman stood inside the screen and asked what they wanted. His companion nudged him to proceed. Frightened and somewhat tongue-tied, he finally blurted out, 'As man is God once was, and as God is man may become.'"Strangely enough, she was interested and asked where he got that. He answered, 'It's in the Bible.' She left the door for a moment, returned with her Bible. Commenting that she was a minister of a congregation, she handed it to him and said, 'Here, show me.'"He took the Bible and nervously thumbed back and forth through it. Finally he handed it back saying, 'Here, I can't find it. I'm not even sure that it's in there, and even if it is, I couldn't find it. I'm just a poor farm boy from out in Cache Valley in Utah. I haven't had much training. But I come from a family where we live the gospel of Jesus Christ. And it's done so much for our family that I've accepted a call to come on a mission for two years, at my own expense, to tell people how I feel about it.'"After half a century, he could not hold back the tears as he told me how she pushed open the door and said, 'Come in, my boy, I'd like to hear what you have to say.'"There is great power in this work, and the ordinary member of the Church, sustained by the Spirit, can do the work of the Lord."
