lesson 44: "i speak unto you as if ye were present"

7/30/2019 Lesson 44: "I Speak Unto You As If Ye Were Present"

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/lesson-44-i-speak-unto-you-as-if-ye-were-present 1/8

To download past handouts, go to: highlandvalleysundayschoolnotes2012.blogspot.com

#1: Lenet Read: “One remarkable example is the Catawba Indians of South Carolina,whose tribe as a whole embraced The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They hadonce been a great and powerful nation. However, like most tribes, their numbers hadgreatly dwindled for many reasons. When asked why they joined this church, after havingrejected the other Christian churches who tried to convert them, among the key reasonsthey gave was that learning they were "of Israel" gave them a respected place among thepeoples of the world. (scriptures.lenethread.com/book-of-mormon--44-i-speak-unto-you-as-if-you-were-present.html)

#2: Elder Dallin H. Oaks: “the greatest miracle is not in such things as…healing

an illness, or even raising the dead… [A]n even greater miracle is a mighty changeof heart by a son or daughter of God (see Mosiah 5:2). A change of heart, includingnew attitudes, priorities, and desires, is greater and more important than any mira-cle involving the body…. If of the right kind, this change opens the door to the

process of repentance that cleanses us to dwell in the presence of God.” (Ensign, June 2001)

#3: The first convert baptisms in Freetown, Sierra Leone, were held in June 1988. Theseconverts met with a handful of others who had jointed the Church in other countries andthe work of building the Church in this West African nation had begun. By 1990, a branchwas organized in Bo and Brother Touray was called to preside. He also oversaw two othergroups that were meeting in rented buildings.

There was enthusiasm for the growth of the Church, and the saints felt they had finally

gained a toehold in this teaming city. There was notoriety in thecommunity and recognition by those of other faiths that TheChurch of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was there to stay.

Five months later, in January 1991, mission president, MilesCunningham, received a letter from Church President, Ezra TaftBenson, in which he asked the Saints in Bo to abandon their

Catawba Indians of Roddy Branch,South Carolina

Conference at Gaffney with Charles A. Callis,Circa 1914



meetinghouses and to gather again in their homes to worship. The youngleaders were very discouraged, feeling that the buildings were such an im-portant milestone for the Church in this part of Sierra Leone.

Uniformly, members were disappointed and unhappy about the request.Some members of the infant congregations were offended that the prophetin Utah would give such unwelcome advice. Others were heard to question

whether or not the prophet understood their circumstances, and, lackingfaith in the Lord's servants, they left the Church. Others felt the stirring of testimony and confirmation of the Spirit, and while they didn't understand why PresidentBenson would ask such a thing, they knew him to be a prophet. They had also come totrust their mission president who they loved. President Touray spoke recently of those dayswith grateful appreciation. He was sad and discouraged, but "recognized that we had beengiven a formal commandment, and I had to obey. I realized it would be very important forus to obey although I did not know why at the time." The chapel doors were closed.

In March 1991, civil war erupted in Sierra Leone and this little nation became engulfed in

a fiery battle that lasted more than a decade. Communities collapsed, infrastructures dete-riorated, banks were shuttered, food was in scarce supply and repeated military coups leftuncertainty as to who was a friend or foe. Churches were frequently targeted by the rebelswith bullets and firebombs, and thousands of people lost their lives while sitting on pewshoping to pray and worship.

But the members of the Lord's Church were safe from this harm for they were homeworshiping in obedience to a prophet's counsel.

President Touray spoke of the miracle that had come to the people because of their obe-dience. "No member of the Church died in Bo during the war — not one. The LDS Church

was the only church that continued operating during the war in Bo — the only one. Everyother church closed its doors. It was too dangerous for the people to walk to church andtoo dangerous to sit and worship. None of us (the Latter-day Saints) had any problem dur-ing the war. We worshipped through the whole war no matter how grave the situation was.Because we were obedient, our members received this great blessing."

Peter Evans, former president of the Minnesota Minneapolis Mission, serves as Salt Lake Valley View Stake Young Men Presi-dent. He directs the communications initiatives of the Church Welfare Services Department.

Church News, “A miracle came through obedience, Published: Saturday, Jan. 1, 2011

4: Elder Russell M. Nelson:True testimony includes the fact that the Father and the Son appeared to theProphet Joseph Smith, whose birth we commemorate on December 23. Thattestimony includes the fact that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saintsis true, led by the living Lord via prophecy and revelation through authorized ad-ministrators who receive and respond to direction from Him.

With this background in mind, I share comforting counsel with you today. It comes fromsection 68 of the Doctrine and Covenants, where we read this commandment from ourMaster: "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." 19

Lovingly we cling to that promise. Difficult days are ahead for all mankind. Sin is on theincrease. We live in a time of wars and rumors of wars. The Church and its members willcome under attack and endure persecution. 20

Jesus descended below all things in order to rise above all things. He expects us to fol-

low His example. Yoked with Him, we can rise above all challenges, no matter how difficultthey may be. 21 Peter offered this counsel:"If any man suffer as a Christian, let him not beashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf." 22

The time is coming when those who do not obey the Lord will be separated from thosewho do. Our safest insurance is to continue to be worthy of admission to His holy house.How blessed we are to have temples available. The greatest gift you could give to the Lordat this or any other time of year is to keep yourself unspotted from the world, worthy to at-tend His holy house. His gift to you will be the peace and security of knowing that you areworthy to meet Him, whenever that time shall come.

Brothers and sisters, I plead with you to rise above the tasks of the day and the hurdlesahead. You can do more than the deeds scheduled in your daily planners. You can take thename of the Lord upon you and become more like Him. You can rise to your great poten-tial. You can prepare for the future with greater spiritual capacity.

Remember that the fulness of Christ's ministry lies in the future. The prophecies of HisSecond Coming have yet to be fulfilled. At Christmas, of course, we focus upon His birth.But, He will come again. At His First Coming Jesus came almost in secret. Only a few mor-tals knew of His birth. At His Second Coming the whole of humankind will know of His re-turn. Then He will come, not as "a man traveling on the earth," 23 but His glory "shall be re-

vealed, and all flesh shall see it together."24

As a special witness of His holy name, I testify that Jesus is the divine Son of the livingGod. He will love you, lift you, and manifest Himself unto you if you will love Him and keepHis commandments. 25

I express my love and blessing for each of you, along with my best wishes for a verymerry Christmas, and do so prayerfully in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.(BYU Devotional, December 10, 2002)

Miracles in WWII Prison CampOne image haunted William "Bill" Taylor during his years as a prisoner of war during World War II.

After the Japanese first bombed Wake Island on Dec. 8, 1941, the young civilian worker — who had justescaped the bombing and strafing — walked into the base mess hall. The tables were set for about 400men, plates and bowls loaded with food still steaming hot. There was no one else in sight.

Years later, living on thin soup and rice and scrounging for whatever extra food he could find in acamp in Woosung, China, Bill Taylor dreamed about all that food. He talks about it to this day some 60 years after hismiraculous escape from a prisoner-of-war train and his trek across China to freedom in the closing days of the war.

The slim 90-year-old with twinkling eyes and a full head of white, curly hair is quick to attribute his survival in des-perate circumstances. "If it hadn't been for the gospel and my belief in Jesus Christ and my prayers that were an-swered, I'd be dead. There's no question about it. I had the Holy Ghost to be with me. I look back and I think, 'I didn'tdo that.' These were things that happened to me almost beyond my will. Amazing!"

The "things that happened" to Brother Taylor began long before Wake Island and have influenced his life long af-



ter. Since his days in a prison camp, he has served as a stake president and is now a worker in the Provo Utah Tem-ple. Serving alongside him is his wife, Barbara Ann Taylor. They are members of the Pleasant View 5th Ward, ProvoUtah Sharon East Stake. Their quiet home just north of the temple is often a gathering place for their 10 children, 30grandchildren and 45 great-grandchildren.

But a younger Bill Taylor was less quick to attribute anything in his life to the Church. During the Depression, hisfather died, leaving the 14-year-old to be reared by an aunt and uncle in Ogden, Utah, who were not involved in theChurch. The great-grandson of John Taylor and Orson Pratt, he knew little of the Church and upon receiving a Book of Mormon from a grandfather serving as a mission president placed it on a shelf to gather dust.

As a young man working in the California desert for the Metropolitan Water District, he was challenged by hisbrother, Richard, with whom he was living, to read and pray about the book. "I thought, 'I got ya,"' Brother Taylor re-called, thinking he'd read the book, pray, get no answer and then be left alone. It didn't work out that way.

Reading the book and then kneeling on a hot desert evening, he received an answer. The book was true. Therewas one seemingly overwhelming obstacle, however. He struggled with a Word of Wisdom problem. He knew livingthe gospel was "going to be a tough one, and it took some time."

That "time" was some two years and came to a head on the tarmac of the airport on Wake Island. As the warraged in Europe, Brother Taylor saw an ad for work with Morrison & Knudsen on Pacific Islands. He and his olderbrother, Jack, signed up and boarded a ship for Wake Island. It was there, on Dec. 8 (Dec. 7 Honolulu time) whenthey heard the Japanese had attacked Pearl Harbor. Around noon, Brother Taylor saw low-flying Japanese bombersapproaching the airport.

The island held out for several days, but on Dec. 23, the American forces surrendered. Brother Taylor and the oth-ers were held on the airport tarmac within barbed wire while waiting for transport to a prison ship. One night whilewalking around carrying his cigarettes, he began praying. "I will make a promise that I'll never smoke again as long asI live. You get me out of this thing, I'll serve you the rest of my life, no questions asked."

He gave the cigarettes away, "and I've never smoked since then."Many days later, after an arduous voyage in the hold of the Japanese liner Nitta Maru, he arrived in Woosung

prison camp in China, an area occupied by the Japanese. Held in barracks "like sardines," he and his prison matesworked on prison details and lived on a teacup of rice daily for the next 3 1/2 years. His ration of cigarettes becamelike gold. "For 10 cigarettes, you could buy a cup of rice."

Then came the miracle. "I had a positive attitude. I had written my brother (Richard)" and requested a Book of Mormon, never dreaming he'd actually get one because of prison censorship. (Brother Jack also survived the war.)

In August 1943, he was called to the office of the Japanese censorship officer, named Morisako. Ironically, BrotherTaylor had become friends with the officer and had refrained from mocking and making fun of the Japanese officers asother prisoners did. It paid off.

Walking into Morisako's office, he looked at the desk and saw a Triple Combination, with the much-desired Book of Mormon. Inside the cover was written: "To my brother William L. Taylor, Barracks 4, Section 6, Shanghai War Prison-ers Camp, Shanghai, China. At your request, search the treasures of knowledge deeply and learn to love your fellowmen and may God bless you. Richard J. Taylor." He had added, "Through the grace of the Japanese Government."

Morisako gave him the book. Recalling walking out of that office clutching those scriptures, Brother Taylor said:"This indicated to me, you live the law, (the Lord will) give you the reward."

Today, that book is a treasured family heirloom, along with two journals Brother Taylor made from Chinese paperand cardboard. But those journals don't begin until after May 12, 1945, the day the prisoner jumped from a POW trainbound north. His journal relates: "The train at the time I jumped was traveling about 30 to 35 miles an hour. Uponlanding on the uneven ground, I gave my ankle a sharp, painful twist."

But he was able to hide, and with the help of the Chinese people, including communist troops, over the next fewmonths, Brother Taylor made his way to freedom. Two moments in China he will never forget — seeing the Americanflag for the first time in Yenan, China, in July 1945, and meeting Chairman Mao Tse-tung, the leader of the communistpeople in China.

During these last days in China, his thoughts began traveling west. In one entry of his journal, the escaped pris-oner expressed his greatest desire. On May 17, 1945, he wrote: "I do so want to go home."

Today, Brother Taylor stays close to home, except for going to the temple and walking his black lab, Princess, inProvo Canyon near his home. He urges his family, especially grandchildren, to read his journals, because "when itcomes to it, the last 45 years, all I've done is every single thing that the Lord wants, because I made a promise toHim."

A promise kept on both sides. ( Church News, Saturday, December1, 2007)



LESSON 44 OUTLINE

On Board: “I speak unto you as if ye were present, and yet ye are not.” “Jesus Christ hath shown you unto me, and I know your doing.”

Mormon 8:35

On Table: Rose bud in a vase

~What thoughts come to your mind when you read these statements? (heknows what he’s talking about, he’s talking to me, and I’d better payattention! )

Today’s lesson covers Mormon 7 -9, all of which are directed to people living inthe latter-days. Mormon 7 is by Mormon and contains counsel specifically for the

descendents of Lehi. And chapters 8 & 9 are by Moroni and contain counsel forall people in the latter-days.Let’s turn to Mormon 7:

~According to the lesson manual, we can find Lehi’s descendents in fourareas of the world. Any guesses? (North, Central & South America,and the Pacific Islands)

Let’s read Mormon’s very first words to them: Mormon 7:2

~Why is it important for them to know that they are of the house of Israel? Are there special blessings & responsibilities associated with being arighteous member of the House of Israel?

Abraham 2:8-11Quotation #1

Let’s see what instructions Mormon has for Lehi’s descendents in our day. If youwould, just scan some verses with me and I’ll write down what you come upwith. Let’s begin with verse 5:

5: Faith in Jesus Christ3: Repent8: Be baptized10: Receive Holy Ghost4: Don’t war unless commanded 8: Study bible and B of M9: Learn of ancestors —



~Why? (it brings hope and purpose —motivation)

You may have noticed this rose.~How do the scriptures relate a rose to the latter-day Lamanites? (In D&C

49:24 it says the Lamanites shall blossom as the rose)

~Do you see evidence of this prophecy being fulfilled today?Now let’s move on to the last two chapters of Mormon.

~Why did Moroni finish Mormon’s record? (Mormon commanded him to,see 8:1; and because Mormon was killed by the Lamanites, see 8:3)

~What happened to the Nephites? (hunted down and killed)~And did this bring peace to the land?

Mormon 8:7-8

Next Moroni proceeds to tell us about what the world will be like when the Book of Mormon is brought forth out of the earth, and he describes us to a “T”! Let’sskim through a few verses, beginning with 26 toward the end.

~What kind of world do we live in?26: No miracles

~What does it mean when miracles cease? (no faith)27: Martyrs

28: Power of God denied~What powers did all churches deny when the Book of Mormoncame forth? (revelation, miracles, etc…)

29: Natural catastrophes30: Wars & earthquakes31: Pollution, crime, belief that there is no sin32: Churches built up for $36: Pride, expensive stuff

37: Love $ more than people

Let’s move on to chapter 9. As we read this final chapter of Moroni, we get thedistinct impression that Moroni believes these will be his last words to us, andhe has saved his best argument for last. And It’s a water -tight one, worthmemorizing:

Mormon 9:7-11



So in a nut shell, what’s Moroni’s argument for revelation & miracles? 1. The scriptures depict what kind of God? (Anciently: of revelation &

miracles, see v. 7)2. They also say that God does not_____? (change, see v. 9)3. Therefore, today He must be what kind of God? (Today: one of revela-

tion & miracles)There are of course many kinds of miracles. We tend to focus on the most spec-tacular: raising the dead, parting the Red Sea, speaking in tongues, and soforth. Would it surprise you that these types of miracles are simple comparedwith the one which all other miracles are designed to bring to pass?

Quotation #2

~Again, what is required for miracles to occur? (faith)~And how do we demonstrate and increase our faith? (obedience)

I’d like to end with a Church News article from January 2011 called “A miraclecame through obedience”. I share this type of miracle because in these difficulttimes, we will all be faced with similar decisions to obey or rebel at some point.

Quotation #3

We may live in uncertain times, but as member’s of the Church we need notfear. May I share one other thought with you? This one is by Elder Russell M.Nelson, an apostle of the Lord, and although given in 2002, I think it is evenmore applicable to us today and can bring great comfort:

Quotation #4

We are so blessed to have access to the counsel of living prophets! That wemay increase our faith by greater obedience is my prayer….

lesson 44: "i speak unto you as if ye were present"

Documents