New Members

If you’ve mentioned to others you are investigating the church, or have recently joined it, you may have had someone tell you that you are no longer a Christian. This is, of course, completely false. Why, the very name of your church has the Savior’s name in it: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Mormon is only a nickname, not the real name of the church.

Naturally, you’ll want to try to correct misconceptions, explaining that the Book of Mormon doesn’t replace the Bible, but is, instead additional testimony of the reality and divinity of the Savior. You might show them your LDS edition of the King James Bible. You’ll probably try to answer any questions they might have.

However, the most important way to counter their misconceptions is to live a Christ-like life. Your virtuous life, coupled with the pictures of the Savior on the walls of your home and your public, but not overbearing recognition of His role in your life, will do more to convince your friends that you are a true Christian than any argument you might offer. You’ve not lost your Christianity—you’ve expanded it.

In the April 1998 General Conference, Bishop Richard C. Edgley, who was the First Counselor in the Presiding Bishopric, suggested that we can turn to Alma 5:14 to find out how to live a Christ-like life: And now behold, I ask of you, my brethren of the church, have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts?” He suggested we continue through the questions Alma asks. These questions, along with others he added, create a checklist of some of the ways we must live in order to be Christ-like.

Bishop Edgley said,

“Yes, the question is, do our outward devotions translate into a Christlike life? It is not enough that we just talk of Christ, preach of Christ, or even prophesy of Christ (see 2 Ne. 25:26). We must live of Christ, for it is by our own personal, everyday living that the Savior will determine whether we are one of His true disciples, a friend.”

People are far more likely to believe your actions than your words. It’s difficult to convince others a person isn’t a real Christian when that person lives a Christ-like life and speaks of the Savior with love. Live as the Savior lived, and as He’s asked you to live, and your friends will soon come to understand your Christianity.

Are you surprised when your small children—even those who can’t read yet—are asked to bring their scriptures to Primary? Your new religion considers scripture literacy very important, and the best way to help children understand and value the scriptures is to begin reading them to your children long before they can understand what they mean. Even when they appear to be playing, they are often quietly listening. One small boy, asked what was in the scriptures, said enthusiastically, “And it came to pass!” Although he was only three, he had heard and remembered that often repeated phrase from the Book of Mormon his parents had read to him since he was born.

The language of the scriptures may seem hard to you, but a child who is raised hearing them will consider those unusual words very ordinary. When he begins to read, teach him to read scriptural words, since they aren’t taught in public schools.

In the meantime, you can begin with the very smallest children to help them become familiar with the scriptures. When you do your family scripture reading, be sure every child is in the room. Small children might want to hold a doll, but can sit quietly for a few minutes while you read. When they are playing quietly with blocks or other quiet toys, read softly. Read scriptures to help toddlers fall asleep. All of these methods help children learn how the scriptures sound and to associate them with peaceful, loving times.

To help your children learn the meanings of these scriptures, use a combination of the real scriptures and the scripture readers, which were created for children and have many pictures. Read a verse or two and explain what it means. Explain unfamiliar words. You may not have time to do this with all the scriptures you read, but choose at least a chapter or a few verses, depending on the ages of the children to explain.

Consider having children memorize a scripture each week. Recite it before breakfast and bedtime, in the car, and in the waiting room at the doctor’s office. Make sure they know what it means.

Help children learn the stories in the scriptures. The Friend has many flannel board stories about scriptures and you can make these available for Sunday play. You might also want to create a simple puppet theater by turning a coffee table on its side or putting a blanket over a table. Let the children make their own puppets and act out the stories. If you keep a dress-up box of scripture-type clothing, they can put on simple plays based on the stories.

Find out what stories your children are reading in Primary and review those during the week. Help them to understand the message the lesson was teaching.

Learning the scriptures can be fun for even the smallest child. President Hinckley taught:

"Read to your children. Read the story of the Son of God. Read to them from the New Testament. Read to them from the Book of Mormon. It will take time, and you are very busy, but it will prove to be a great blessing in your lives as well as in their lives. And there will grow in their hearts a great love for the Savior of the world, the only perfect man who walked the earth. He will become to them a very real living being, and His great atoning sacrifice as they grow to manhood and womanhood, will take on a new and more glorious meaning in their lives" (quoted in Church News, 6 Dec. 1997, 2).”

As a new male member of the church, you may have learned that you are to be the head of the household. If this hasn’t been a part of your marriage in the past, it may seem complicated to you to understand how to do this in light of the way the missionaries taught you to treat your wife. This is because many people confuse being the head of the household with being the boss. They picture an autocratic man controlling every decision, every action. This is not at all what the church means when it tells men to take their place as the head of the home.

“The priesthood places upon the fathers the responsibility of being the head of the family and the home. What does being the head of the family mean? It is a priesthood power, and the Doctrine and Covenants, section 121, makes it clear that all priesthood responsibilities must be exercised “only by persuasion, … by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned” (D&C 121:41). Holding the priesthood does not mean that a man is a power-broker, or that he sits on a throne, dictating in macho terms, or that he is superior in any way. Rather, he is a leader by authority of example. Paul’s counsel to the Ephesians included, “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it” (Eph. 5:25). As Christ lifts us all, so must we, rather than put down women or anyone.

Nowhere does the doctrine of this Church declare that men are superior to women. Paul said to the Corinthians, “Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord” (1 Cor. 11:11). Each brings his or her own separate and unique strengths to the family and the Church. Women are not just cooks, stewards of our homes, or servants. They are much more. They are the enrichment of humanity.”-- James E. Faust, “The Highest Place of Honor,” Ensign, May 1988, 36

As the priesthood leader, you set the example of righteous living for the family. You should, when you’re available, call the family to prayer and scripture study without needing to be reminded. You should be certain Family Home Evening happens and be prepared to assist anyone who needs help with his or her assignments.

As the head of the household, you’ll honor your wife’s role and be certain she has whatever she needs to fulfill it, which includes help with childcare and homemaking. Being the head of the household does not excuse you from doing the dishes or changing a diaper. When there are children, running a home is more than one person can reasonably manage alone, especially since it doesn’t come with built in quitting times or days off.

The head of the household interviews his children on a regular basis and watches for opportunities to guide their growing up years. He counsels with his wife to understand the child’s needs and to make decisions both parents are comfortable with.

In general, the head of the household watches over the family, sets a good example, and monitors the righteousness of the home, handling concerns with love, respect, and prayer, not force. He honors his wife’s wisdom and inspiration, and helps, rather than controls. He guides his children gently, creating an atmosphere of love and trust. He follows the example of His Father in Heaven and the Savior for righteous leadership.

If you’re a man who has recently joined the church, you may be wondering how the teachings of the church will affect your relationships with women, particularly your wife.

Everyone is Heavenly Father’s child and He does not love any one child more than any other. God doesn’t favor any gender, race, or nationality. That said, He didn’t create the genders to be exactly the same.

Spencer W. Kimball taught:

“Within those great assurances, however, our roles and assignments differ. These are eternal differences—with women being given many tremendous responsibilities of motherhood and sisterhood and men being given the tremendous responsibilities of fatherhood and the priesthood—but the man is not without the woman nor the woman without the man in the Lord (see 1 Cor. 11:11). Both a righteous man and a righteous woman are a blessing to all those their lives touch.

Remember, in the world before we came here, faithful women were given certain assignments while faithful men were foreordained to certain priesthood tasks. While we do not now remember the particulars, this does not alter the glorious reality of what we once agreed to.”--Spencer W. Kimball

The jobs are different, but neither is more important than the other. In fact, both parts are necessary for the world to function at its best. With this in mind, LDS men are counseled to treat women with great respect, and to honor the assignments God has given them.

It’s a hard time to be a woman. So much of the world teaches women to throw away their self-respect and their assigned roles. It can be a challenge to settle into a very traditional role and to feel good about it when the world is trying to pull you away. A husband’s support can make a world of difference to a woman trying to find her proper place in the eternal scheme of things. If your wife is also a convert, and is working to alter her accustomed role, it will be your responsibility as the priesthood holder or future priesthood holder, to encourage her and to show her how proud you are of the changes she is making.

As the head of the household, you should work to create a situation in which she can focus on the home while you focus on earning the money. This is an old-fashioned concept to many, but the world was, perhaps, a gentler place when children were raised by mothers, and not by employees. You must teach your children to respect her and her role, and this is done through your own example, as well as through your expectations for your children.

“As you walk on the way to eternity, it is important to gain some understanding and appreciation for the wonderful endowments and callings God has given uniquely to women.

I wonder if we really understand the fulness of these queenly endowments. If we could recognize the true greatness of these women, we would not treat them as we sometimes do. The world often uses and abuses women. We holders of the priesthood should honor good women in and out of the Church as true sisters, not as objects and sources of service or pleasure. Our consideration for women should spring from esteem for the daughters of Zion and an awareness of their true identity more than from a concern with their functions and roles.

President Ezra Taft Benson has stated, “Man is at his best when complemented by a good woman’s natural influence” (Woman, Salt Lake City, Deseret Book Co., 1979, p. 69).

In 1935 the First Presidency stated, “The true spirit of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gives to woman the highest place of honor in human life” (James R. Clark comp., Messages of the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1965–75, 6:5). This has been confirmed by President Heber J. Grant: “Without the wonderful work of the women I realize that the Church would have been a failure” (Gospel Standards, comp. G. Homer Durham, Salt Lake City: Improvement Era, 1941, p. 150).”-- James E. Faust, “The Highest Place of Honor,” Ensign, May 1988, 36

As a Latter-day Saint husband, you'll learn to balance your role as head of household with that of treating a wife as an equal partner and a person to be valued, honored, and considered with awe at the challenges of her own role. This is one of your most important priesthood duties, and one that will have an eternal impact on your family for generations to come.

I still remember my early days as a newcomer to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (often inadvertently known as "The 'Mormon' Church"). A former Catholic (Karen Trifiletti Merkley), I raised unanswered questions about the war in heaven, confession of sins, baptism, and many other doctrines, which I found later answered as I investigated the claims of the Church of Jesus Christ as mentioned in anti-Mormon literature written by ex-mormons. The claims of Mormons aligned themselves completely with the doctrines of Jesus Christ as I found them through personal, guided study of the New Testament (See www.mormontestimonies.org).

Following baptism, I was received warmly into a congregation of saints, and I really did feel the message fulfilled that I was no longer a stranger, but a fellow citizen in a new household. Still, there were waves of new understanding to surf, winds to stand up to, and waters to navigate that were not yet familiar. I'm thankful to those in Jarrettown, Pennsylvania, for embracing me as a new member, and to those missionaries who spent two years in the Savior's service, teaching myself and others the way to live a rewarding life here and prepare for one hereafter.

For those new members who have experienced opposition from family, or who have entered a branch or ward still developing and who have desired extra guidance, the following letter may contain some morsel of help.

It was written by Ward Filmore, former counselor in the California San Francisco Presidency.

Dear New Member:

On the occasion of your baptism into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and on behalf of the members of the Church, we congratulate you on your choice and welcome you as a member of our ward. We join our Heavenly Father in rejoicing that another of His children has chosen to come unto Him through His Son, Jesus Christ by entering the waters of baptism.

The last question in your baptismal interview asks if you are willing to covenant with your Heavenly Father to come into the Church of Jesus Christ and serve Him and keep His commandments for the rest of your life. You have answered that question affirmatively by being baptized today. It is our desire and also the purpose of the Church to help you keep that covenant by teaching you, providing opportunities for you to serve, and making sacred ordinances available to you. Here are some milestones new members may use to set goals for themselves as they move forward as members of the Church over the next several months.

1. Receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost and confirmation as a member of the Church which should take place next Sunday. This great gift will bless you always.

2. Join the Gospel Essentials Class where you will continue to learn the basic principles of the gospel as you study the textbook, Gospel Principles.

3. Receive the six new member discussions from the missionaries and members of the church. These discussions help you understand how the gospel blesses our lives.

4. Be interviewed by the Bishop so he can understand how best to help you.

5. Receive the Aaronic Priesthood and become part of the Elders Quorum which will fellowship you and provide you opportunities to serve using the priesthood.

6. Accept a calling to serve in the Church in which you can experience the joys of service to your brothers and sisters in the Church.

7. Be worthy and receive your patriarchal blessing which will be a guide to your life.

8. Attend the temple to do Baptisms for the Dead which will bless the lives of our departed ancestors and brothers and sisters.

9. Be worthy and receive the Melchizedek Priesthood which will allow you to bless. more fully, the lives of those you love.

10. Be worthy to obtain a temple recommend and receiving your endowment in the temple. In the temple you will make sacred covenants and be blessed (endowed) with additional knowledge and receive guidance as you listen to the Spirit in that holy place.

As your brethren, we offer the following counsel as you begin the great adventure of your new life as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ.

1. Be grateful. Thank your Heavenly Father for his marvelous Plan of Happiness, for the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ, and the Atonement available through Him. Express gratitude to those who have helped you in any way. Feeling grateful brings us peace.

2. Be prayerful. Express your gratitude to Heavenly Father in daily prayer. Seek His counsel in all you do. Listen as you pray. Express your love to Him. Ask how you can serve Him. We promise you His guidance, comfort and protection as you do so.

3. Be patient. Be patient with yourself. Move forward steadily. You are on the right path moving in the right direction. Expect to be a learner all the rest of your life. We all are. Be patient with members of the church. They are not perfect. Like you, they all have other commitments. They make mistakes. Don't use their misbehavior or weakness as an excuse for being upset with the Church. Patience brings peace.

4. Be dependable. Accept callings in the church. The church needs everyone to help. There is no paid ministry. The work of the church is divided among all members who are willing to serve. You can help the work of the Lord go forward as you serve with gladness and gratitude. You will feel great satisfaction as your serve dependably.

5. Be self reliant. There are things that only you can do for yourself. Only you can repent for yourself. Only you can gain a personal knowledge of the scriptures. Take responsibility for your own spiritual welfare. Don't wait to be asked before you reach out to help others. You have direct access to Heavenly Father. He loves you and He will answer your prayers.

6. Be faithful. Pay your tithing gladly. When we pay tithing we step onto the Lord's side of the line. We prove we are trustworthy and we open the windows of heaven for ourselves and our families. As you are faithful in keeping the commandments, you will feel cheerful, happy, and at peace.

7. Be a good learner. Love the truth. No other knowledge can substitute for a personal knowledge of the scriptures. Study them regularly. Set goals for yourself, over time, to finish the Book of Mormon and the other scriptures. Read the church magazines. Ask questions, be observant, and you will learn steadily and surely the truths of the Gospel. The Lord expects us to learn with our minds (acquiring knowledge) and our hearts (learning to be good). He wants us to know what is right and to also do what is right. We feel a sense of achievement as we learn and live the Gospel.

8. Be active. There is much good you personally can do; in your family, among your friends, as well as in the church. You can serve and bless the lives of others. The gospel of Jesus Christ is for all people who are assigned to this earth. Missionary work reaches out to those on the earth who are not yet members. The work for the dead helps those who have left this life already. Current members of the church are blessed through their participation in the church. As you bless others, you also bring blessings to yourself.

9. Be comforted. Our Heavenly Father's love for you and each of his children is constant, steady, and unwavering. He will always assure you of His love for you if you seek to feel it. He will always counsel you out of His love and wisdom. No human counsel can match His. You can depend on His love, His wisdom, His goodness, and His availability to you as you seek to do His will.

10. Be worthy. Keep yourself clean from the sins of the world. After you have received your first temple recommend, do everything possible to be worthy to keep it for the rest of your life. Let virtue garnish your thoughts unceasingly. Seek the welfare of those around you. Overcome selfishness and control your passions and your heart will be filled with love.

As the bishopric of the ward, we are called to serve all members of our ward. You will be assigned to a priesthood quorum or group and be visited by home teachers. Pray for your leaders and home teachers and seek their counsel. If you need to counsel privately with the Bishop, seek an appointment through the Executive Secretary. We send our love to you.

For new female converts, the milestones might be as follows:

1. Receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost and confirmation as a member of the Church which should take place next Sunday. This great gift will bless you always.

2. Join the Gospel Essentials Class where you will continue to learn the basic principles of the gospel as you study the textbook, Gospel Principles.

3. Receive the six new member discussions from the missionaries and members of the church. These discussions help you understand how the gospel blesses our lives.

4. Be interviewed by the Bishop so he can understand how best to help you.

5. Join the Relief Society of the ward where you will have an opportunity to serve, learn, and grow.

6. Accept a calling to serve in the Church in which you can experience the joys of service to your brothers and sisters in the Church.

7. Be worthy and receive your patriarchal blessing which will be a guide to your life.

8. Attend the temple to do Baptisms for the Dead which will bless the lives of our departed ancestors and brothers and sisters.

9. Be worthy to obtain a temple recommend and receiving your endowment in the temple. In the temple you will make sacred covenants and be blessed (endowed) with additional knowledge and receive guidance as you listen to the spirit in that holy place.

Br. Filmore writes for http://familyhist.org/meridianjapan/. We wish to thank Br. Filmore for sharing this with us. It is our prayer that new members will feel our love and become actively involved in their wards. May God Bless each one of you as go further on this path of increased closeness to Jesus Christ.

~ Karen Merkley and the More Good Foundation team.

We hear much in the church about the importance of leadership, but less about what Roger Merrill calls followership. There is no point in having leaders if there is no one to follow, and followership is an excellent place for new members to provide service in the church. When we learn to effectively and humbly follow our leaders, we show respect for the Lord’s choices for leadership. Since we are all asked to follow the Savior, learning to follow righteous earthly leaders is good training for this.

Brother Merrill advises:

“A good follower asks what to do and is willing to receive and listen to counsel and advice from his leaders. The brother of Jared was advised by Jared and the Lord, and the sons of Mosiah were advised by their father, and by Alma, and they followed this advice.

A good follower must be willing to accept responsibility and to make recommendations that will be accepted by the leader. This means that a follower must try to learn about his leader’s ways. He should try to anticipate the leader’s needs in a creative way and seek constantly to do the things that the leader needs to have done. A follower needs to act on his own and to bring to pass much righteousness of his own free will. This implies that the follower must understand true principles so that the things he does will bring to pass righteousness and not wickedness. Many young people in the Church have great leadership potential, but in many cases, it will not be realized because they will not first learn to follow. A great leader is first a great follower. Become a great follower. Do what you are told. Ask what to do and listen to counsel. Accept responsibility; make recommendations, carry them out, and bring to pass righteousness because of your own free will. There are no shortcuts to confidence or righteousness. We must be willing to take them a step at a time and walk before we run. We must follow before we lead.”

Although this quote refers to people in callings, it is also good advice for those of us who don’t have callings, but are active members in a ward. Nearly every week our leaders give us counsel and advice, and we can accept responsibility for carrying them out. Has a leader asked that members sign up for building cleanup or participate in a community service project? Has he asked us to work harder on reverence in a meeting? Whenever a leader makes a righteous request, we’re expected to act on those requests. This allows us to learn to follow righteous counsel, and prepares us for future leadership opportunities.

When we remember that each leader is called of God, it becomes easier to follow our leaders and to show them respect. This builds our testimony, our humility, and our ability to live the gospel.

Since joining the church, you’ve probably become aware that we have a great need for leaders. There are many positions which require leadership, and most people get a chance to be a leader sooner or later. When I joined the church, I was certain I would not be one of them. I was most definitely a follower. It didn’t work out that way, of course. I was eventually called into leadership positions and had to learn to become a leader.

You can begin this process now, even though you’re new to the church and probably don’t have a leadership position yet. Even if you have no leadership experience anywhere, you can be prepared when the time comes.

Watch the leaders in your ward (congregation.) Notice how they lead a meeting, so you’ll understand how it’s done. When you attend an event, try to figure out what the leaders might have had to do to prepare.

President Spencer W. Kimball, a former president of the church, had this advice for women on leadership: “Do you think of leadership as telling others what to do, or as making all the decisions? Not so. Leadership is the ability to encourage the best efforts of others in working toward a desirable goal. Who has more significant opportunities to lead than a mother who guides her children toward perfection, or the wife who daily counsels with her husband that they may grow together? The tremendous contribution in leadership made by women in the auxiliaries of the Church and in their communities is likewise beyond measure.” Spencer W. Kimball, “Relief Society—Its Promise and Potential,” Ensign, Mar 1976, 2

Anyone, male or female, can practice this type of leadership. We all know people who need encouragement. We all know people who need help managing a complicated project, or even a complicated life, and who would welcome a helping hand.

We can practice organizing our own lives as well. When you have a large project, take time to think it through and to decide what steps must be done in order to complete it. Be sure to spend time in evaluation later. This practice will help you later when you’re put in charge of something important.

Become a good listener. Leaders often spend much of their time listening to others, and being compassionate. Get to know people who are different from you, so you can understand other lives and cultures, making you a more effective leader of others.

Study how the Savior led and begin using those skills in your daily life. For more on this, read “Lesson 29: Developing Leadership,” The Latter-day Saint Woman: Basic Manual for Women, Part B, 247. This lesson includes an analysis of the Savior’s leadership style, with suggestions on how we can apply it to our own leadership.

Don’t expect perfection the first time you lead. Leadership takes time to develop, but over time, you will find many opportunities in the church to develop this skill.

Have you found it difficult, since joining the church, to make some of the changes you need to make? Perhaps it’s time to focus on your thoughts instead of just thinking about your actions.

We seldom do something we’ve never even thought of doing. Before we sin, we’ve tossed it around our minds and perhaps imagined it. For this reason, learning to control our thoughts is very important to learning to live without sin.

Elder Dean Larson suggested this tactic: “In order to sustain constructive thinking, it’s necessary for us to have something worthwhile to think about, to have in reserve, … some items, some problems, some challenges, to which we can turn our minds, to think our way through to a solution.” (Quoted in “Lesson 9: Purity of Thought,” The Latter-day Saint Woman: Basic Manual for Women, Part B, 66.)

Elder Boyd K. Packer suggests memorizing church hymns you can sing when an inappropriate thought enters your mind. My mother used to help us memorize poetry we could recite during times when we needed to keep our thoughts moving in a good direction.

It’s helpful to have a plan in place for such times. Memorize things you can recite—poetry, hymns, scriptures—or make a mental list of topics to contemplate when you need your mind appropriately. Is there a problem to solve, a strategy to plan, or a fun activity to dream up? Can you think of people you know and what service you might give them? Give an imaginary talk or lesson in your head. I use times when I’m alone, such as when I’m doing housework or driving, to plan my writing for the day.

The secret is to have a plan. When the negative or inappropriate thoughts come to mind, you need to know exactly what to think of instead. When you don’t need to take time to figure out what to think of, your mind can go straight to work thinking and blocking out the negative thoughts.

Of course, it’s also important not to put yourself into a situation that might encourage inappropriate thoughts. Monitor your media, and your surroundings. Try to avoid people and places that will send your thoughts the wrong direction. When working in the home, put on appropriate music. Surround yourself with reminders of the gospel in your home and car. Keep a small picture of the Savior in your purse or wallet, where you can look at it when you need a reminder. This will help you keep your thoughts pure, which will make it easier to keep your actions pure.

Early in my church membership I discovered I sometimes felt like the new kid in school. Members often talked of a past I knew nothing about. They had lived under prophets I didn’t know and experienced church events I’d never heard of. One day, while shopping at the church owned Deseret Industries thrift store, I discovered some very old Ensign magazines. The Ensign is the church’s magazine for adults. I sifted through them until I found some that were published long before I joined the church and purchased them. At home, I began to get caught up. I read the words of David O. McKay, a prophet many church members remembered and loved, and began to understand the things he had cared about. I read news stories of past events. After a while, I felt I had a better understanding of the church years I had missed by converting as a teenager.

Today, of course, this process is much easier. Many old church magazines are now online at LDS.org in the Gospel Library. It can be fun to wander through the old magazines and learn about the churches history—recent to long time members, but unfamiliar territory for you.

Spencer W. Kimball was the prophet when I joined the church. He was a prophet for a very long time, so you may hear of him often. You can read some stories from his life in an article called, President Spencer W. Kimball:No Ordinary Man By Elder Boyd K. Packer. (Boyd K. Packer, “President Spencer W. Kimball: No Ordinary Man,” Ensign, Mar 1974, 3)

In this article, for instance, you’ll read this small story that shows you who he is:

“After his call to the Twelve he suffered a series of heart attacks. The doctors said that he must rest. He wanted to be with his beloved Indians. Brother Golden R. Buchanan took him to the camp of Brother and Sister Polacca, high in the pines of Arizona, and there he stayed during the weeks until his heart mended and his strength returned.

One morning he was missing from camp. When he did not return for breakfast, Brother Polacca and other Indian friends began to search. They found him several miles from camp, sitting beneath a large pine tree with his Bible open to the last chapter of the Gospel of John. In answer to their worried looks, he said, “Six years ago today I was called to be an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ. And I just wanted to spend the day with Him whose witness I am.'“

For a more organized study of church history, LDS.org has a section on the history of the church. Here you can get the story of the gospel from its restored beginnings, including the stories of all the prophets.

There is an entire website just on Joseph Smith you can explore, which includes images of original historical documents.

LDS.org is a wonderful way to catch up on the church’s fascinating history. You can search it in small bits as you have time, and soon you’ll understand all the references others make about our past.

When you began investigating the church, you followed a carefully created plan that would lead you to the right choices. You accepted an invitation to learn, studied with missionaries and perhaps other members, attended church, read scriptures and prayed for a testimony. You had an interview with someone to declare your worthiness for baptism.

To some extent, this plan was made by others, and you agreed to carry it out. Now that you are a new member, you are responsible for making your own plan to live the gospel. Without a plan, things may not go the way you intended and you may find yourself falling away.

Think of major events in your life that you carried out—a large party, a major school or work project, anything that took many steps. If you simply leaped into it without thinking it through, it’s likely the project or event didn’t go well. When you plan, you are more likely to remember all the steps and to be prepared for the unexpected.

The gospel is very complex. There are many new rules to keep, many new duties to accept, and many new truths to internalize. Without a plan, you can become overwhelmed. Without a plan, you will find yourself making mistakes that slow your progress unnecessarily.

You might begin by drawing your own straight and narrow path. In the Book of Mormon, the straight and narrow path represents the path we must stay on to return to our Heavenly Father. Draw one and label it with the major things you want to accomplish—baptism, the temple, and so on. Then decide what you have to be doing to reach each of those goals. For instance, a teenager might say, “I want to marry in the temple.” What do you have to do in order to make that happen? You might decide not to date anyone who wasn’t temple-worthy and to not take even the smallest step toward immorality. A parent who decided she wanted her children to have a testimony might choose aspects of gospel living to incorporate into her family life and to decorate her home with gospel pictures.

When you make a careful, detailed plan of how you will live the gospel, you increase your chances of success. You know exactly what needs to be done and where the potential roadblocks might be. You’re careful not to take small steps off the path, because this can cause you to lose your way.

Plan for righteousness by following God’s plan.

When you joined the church, especially if your entire family joined, you probably became very busy. There were so many new things to add to your new life, and you still kept many of the activities and traditions of your old life as well. How do you fit it all in?

You can’t do everything all at once. You have to set priorities. Even though you may have felt your day was already as busy as it could possibly be, there are still ways to fit the gospel into your life.

A Young Women’s lesson has the following object lesson:

“Ask the young women to enumerate activities they must pursue daily (attend school, eat, sleep, do homework, and others). As these activities are identified, place a stone for each one in a pint jar or bowl. (The bowl or jar represents a twenty-four-hour day.) Fill the jar with stones. Ask the young women to name other things they need to do each day (travel to and from school, make beds, dress, bathe, clean room, care for pets, pray, study the scriptures, prepare clothing, practice music, attend Church meetings, and others). As these other activities are identified, add sand, rice, or salt to the jar of rocks until it looks full. (The sand represents these additional activities.) Acknowledge that the young women’s lives are as full as the jar appears to be. Then add water, explaining that even during an apparently full day there is time for meditation, recreation, and other uplifting activities. (The water represents these activities.) All of us should strive for a proper balance in the use of our time. Accomplishing all we need and desire to do takes careful planning.” Lesson 44: Using Time Wisely,” Young Women Manual 1, (2002),194

In order to live the gospel, we have to choose which parts of our life matter the most. Which have eternal significance? Which will improve our families and our lives? Those things should get priority in our day. As a new Latter-day Saint, you want to begin to create a gospel-centered home and to build your family’s new testimony. To do this, you probably want to make the gospel a priority. What has to change in the morning in order for you to fit in prayer and scripture study? Do you need to get up earlier? Do you need to do some tasks the night before, such as setting out clothing, setting the table, and making advanced preparation for breakfast?

When I first decided to begin a professional writing career, I had three young children and a husband who traveled extensively on business. When I looked over my schedule, I realized the only way I would find time to write was to take other things out of my schedule. You can’t put something into a full day until you’ve taken something out. I stopped watching television and began getting up earlier. I wrote from four in the morning until six, after my husband had left for work and while the children slept.

You can’t fit everything into your day, but you can fit the most important things in. You just have to identify what those things are and make them the top priority.

In the April 2008 General Conference, Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles told the following story:

Some years ago I met with a tribal king in Africa. When he realized that he was being taught by an Apostle of the Lord, he was deeply moved. He said that throngs of his people would be baptized if he were to give them such a mandate. I thanked him for his kindness but explained that the Lord does not work in that way.

The development of faith in the Lord is an individual matter. Repentance is also an individual matter. Only as an individual can one be baptized and receive the Holy Ghost. Each of us is born individually; likewise, each of us is “born again” individually. Salvation is an individual matter.”-- Elder Russell M. Nelson, Salvation and Exaltation.

Each of us must make our own personal decision about baptism. We mustn’t join because someone else is. We mustn’t try to make others join because we are joining. We can’t mandate a testimony for another and we can’t blame others if we’re unable to gain one.

It is, after all, not us who does the converting. It is the Holy Ghost and he only works one-on-one. In each heart that asks, he places a unique and personal testimony, especially designed to touch our hearts and work with who we are. It’s then our choice to accept or reject that testimony.

Once we have that testimony, we alone are responsible for our progress in the gospel. Often we’ll hear people say, “It’s not my fault I do this. I was raised that way. I had bad parents. I didn’t get an education. I didn’t have the opportunities others had.” In other words, they try to push their responsibility onto others.

It’s true not everyone is born into the same type of home. Some are given a home that makes joining the church easy. Others are raised in a home where the values are intensely opposed to those of the church. Some were given many opportunities, but others were not. However, we all got off to the same good start—we lived with Heavenly Father and chose to come here. What happened here was a space in the journey, not the beginning. We were someone before we came to earth, and we brought that someone to earth with us—our personality, our gifts, our spirit. If the events of our childhood altered that a bit, we can, as adults, choose to return to who we once were and even to improve upon that. You have been given the opportunity to hear the restored gospel. No matter how bad your life has been to this point, you have the same access to a testimony as does everyone else. You have the same right to become the person you want to be. The person you are inside is entirely under your own control. You can’t always control what happens on the outside, but you can control how you choose to cope with it.

“A second truth about our accountability is to know that we are not the helpless victims of our circumstances. The world tries to tell us that the opposite is true: imperfections in our parents or our faulty genetic inheritance are presented to us as absolving us of personal responsibility. But difficult as circumstances may be, they do not relieve us of accountability for our actions or our inactions. Nephi was right. God gives no commandments to the children of men save He prepares a way for them to obey. However difficult our circumstances, we can repent.”-- Henry B. Eyring, “Do Not Delay,” Ensign, Nov 1999, 33

The first article of faith is the center of all other believes. It says, “We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.”

You’ve learned something about this topic during your lessons with the missionaries. Most Christian churches believe in these three beings, but most have different ideas about the subject than we do. We don’t, for instance, believe they are all the same personage—the trinity. Instead, we believe that each member of the Godhead is a separate individual, but unified in purpose and teachings.

God is literally the Father of our spirits. He created us and loves us. Like any parent, He has to make rules for us and enforce them. The various churches of the world have differing views on what type of being God is. We know Him to have a body that is like ours, but perfect. We also know Him to be a kind and loving God. He doesn’t take pleasure in punishing us and does so only because we've chosen disobedience over obedience, thus deciding for ourselves our path. He wants us to be happy, to learn, and to grow, and to eventually return home to Him.

Jesus is our Savior. The church is named after Him. He came to earth to become like us, to experience what we experience, and ultimately, to take our sins upon Himself.

The Holy Ghost is somewhat different from the other members of the “Godhead.” He doesn’t have a physical body, but without him, it would be nearly impossible to make it back to Heavenly Father for most of us. We depend on him to help us make choices and to provide comfort when life gets hard.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland wrote:

“Indeed no less a source than the stalwart Harper’s Bible Dictionary records that “the formal doctrine of the Trinity as it was defined by the great church councils of the fourth and fifth centuries is not to be found in the [New Testament].”

So any criticism that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints does not hold the contemporary Christian view of God, Jesus, and the Holy Ghost is not a comment about our commitment to Christ but rather a recognition (accurate, I might add) that our view of the Godhead breaks with post–New Testament Christian history and returns to the doctrine taught by Jesus Himself.” --Jeffrey R. Holland, “The Only True God and Jesus Christ Whom He Hath Sent,” Ensign, Nov 2007, 40–42

These three members of what we call the Godhead are the core of our earthly existence. Building our relationships with them should be a top priority as we begin our time as members of the church. When this relationship is solid, everything else about the gospel seems so much easier. It’s easier to live the gospel and to avoid temptation and persecution when we know Heavenly Father very well and can recognize the Spirit when it speaks to us.

When you’re not sure where to start in the gospel, start here, getting to know the Godhead in a personal just-for-you sort of way.

When you’re new to the church, it seems like there are so many things to learn you hardly know where to start. One fast way to get some of the basics in your mind is to study the Articles of Faith. These are thirteen statements written by Joseph Smith to John Edward, editor of the Chicago Democrat, who requested information on the church for a friend writing a history of the state. Learning them will give you a foundation on which to build. Choose one each month to memorize and to study, and you’ll find that at the end of the thirteen months, you’ll know a great deal about the gospel.

The articles of Faith are introduced to the children of the church as a way to help them learn the gospel. They are asked to memorize them before they leave the Primary (children’s auxiliary) at their twelfth birthday. L. Tom Perry wrote that when, as an adult, he decided to relearn them, he taped them to the bathroom wall to study as he brushed his teeth and shaved. If you wash dishes by hand, you might also try taping them over your sink. LDS.org has the songs online, as well, and it’s often easier to learn them by singing them. Search for the songs by the number as a phrase: “The First Article of Faith.”

Elder Perry explained:

“The Articles of Faith were not the work of a team of scholars but were authored by a single, inspired man who declared comprehensively and concisely the essential doctrines of the gospel of Jesus Christ. They contain direct and simple statements of the principles of our religion, and they constitute strong evidence of the divine inspiration that rested upon the Prophet Joseph Smith.

I encourage each of you to study the Articles of Faith and the doctrines they teach. They are “one of the most important statements of inspiration, history, and doctrine for the Church. … Each article is a positive statement [explaining] the differences between Mormonism and the [beliefs of other peoples of the world]” (Church History in the Fulness of Times, 257). If you will use them as a guide to direct your studies of the Savior’s doctrine, you will find yourselves prepared to declare your witness of the restored, true church of the Lord. You will be able to declare with conviction: “We believe these things.” L. Tom Perry, “The Articles of Faith,” Ensign, May 1998, 22

Although the Articles of Faith can be printed on a simple, small card, you’ll find that delving into them will give you a deep understanding of the foundations of our faith. I will be writing a series of articles on each one, designed for the new member looking for information on better understanding and living his religion.

General Conference has been adjourned until October, but we can continue to learn from it and to experience its blessings all year long.

Because you’re a new member of the church, there was probably a great deal in this conference that was new to you. The speakers might have been unfamiliar. By focusing on the teachings offered in this conference, you will be much better prepared for the next conference and be able to increase your knowledge of the gospel.

Conference materials are available online at LDS.org. You can listen to them now, and by Thursday, you will be able to watch them and read them as well. If you study two talks a week, you will finish them all by the time the next conference begins. Each week, choose two that meet your needs or that interest you and watch them again online. You can even download them to save on your computer or put the MP3 version on your player. Print out the written talk and tuck it into your briefcase or purse, to study as you have time.

Put a question mark by any part you don’t understand. Then you can research that topic and become more familiar with it. If you have specific questions, write them on the back of the printout so you can take them to someone you trust or look up the answers yourself.

Highlight any part that is especially meaningful or helpful to you. Often, I write a quote from a talk on a card and prop it on my desk, where I spend much of my day, to read often. This allows me to absorb all the layers of meaning from the quote and to think of ways to apply it to my own life.

Notice who gave the talks you are reading. After you read a talk, do a search at LDS.org for other talks by the same person. Does he have themes that seem especially important to him? What can you learn about him from the things he says in his talks? Study his picture so you will be able to recognize him when you see him on television in the future.
Choose one aspect of a talk you read that week and resolve to apply it in your own life for the coming week. This makes general conference personal.

And that’s what General Conference is. Although the same message goes out to millions of people, it is personal and just for you. On LDS.org we read:

“Mormons find that the same address can be understood in different ways by different people. Mormons ascribe this to a desire on the part of each person to receive uniquely relevant and applicable instruction and inspiration from sermons, with the help of God’s Holy Spirit. This form of tailor-made learning, experienced by people of all faith traditions who sincerely engage with sacred texts or in religious services, is something that must be experienced to be truly comprehended.

"For Mormons, general conference is an exciting time when large numbers gather to hear sermons, sacred music and news. But the most satisfying, profound and exhilarating thoughts and feelings of inspiration come when one person receives an answer to a serious personal question or is reassured by a connectedness to God and others.”

The solemn assembly you saw Saturday as you watched conference is likely to have been the first you’ve seen.

“We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.” [A of F 1:5]

The calling of leaders by God is a sacred part of our church. If we don’t believe our prophet is called of God, there is really no purpose for our church to exist. Being called of God is what makes our church what it is.

We were asked to raise our hands, not to vote, but to covenant that we will support, honor, and follow the prophet who was chosen by Heavenly Father to lead His Church. It is His church, so He is the one who chooses. Our task is to support that choice.

When President Ezra Taft Benson died in 1994, a solemn assembly was held to sustain the new prophet, President Hunter. At this time, Elder David B. Haight explained the assembly to the participants:

“A solemn assembly, as the name implies, denotes a sacred, sober, and reverent occasion when the Saints assemble under the direction of the First Presidency. Solemn assemblies are used for three purposes: the dedication of temples, special instruction to priesthood leaders, and sustaining a new President of the Church. This conference session today is a solemn assembly for the purpose of sustaining a newly called Church President and other officers of the Church….

When we sustain the President of the Church by our uplifted hand, it not only signifies that we acknowledge before God that he is the rightful possessor of all the priesthood keys; it also means that we covenant with God that we will abide by the direction and the counsel that come through His prophet. It is a solemn covenant. David B. Haight, “Solemn Assemblies,” Ensign, Nov 1994, 14”

The pattern used in the solemn assembly was established at the time of Joseph Smith himself. Each quorum stands, one at a time, to sustain the prophet and his counselors. Then, in this assembly, the Relief Society was invited to stand. Finally, the entire body of the church stood in unison, signifying we, as unified followers of our Heavenly Father, supported and honored God’s choice for the leadership of His Church.

It was a privilege and an honor to be given the opportunity to stand before God to make this covenant. The broadcast will soon be available online, so those who were not able to be present at the solemn assembly can take their turn, actually standing wherever they are, and sustain their new prophet.

Life is scary. Most of us like to know what lies ahead and what choices we should make. We like to know the results of those choices. The truth is, however, that most of the time, we don’t know any of this. We walk through life seeing what is immediately around us, but little more.

The best way to cope with the uncertainty of life is to develop a complete trust in our Heavenly Father. We can’t see the end of the path, but He can. He knows not only what will happen, but what is best. Faith is an abiding principle of your new religion.

“To exercise faith is to trust that the Lord knows what He is doing with you and that He can accomplish it for your eternal good even though you cannot understand how He can possibly do it. We are like infants in our understanding of eternal matters and their impact on us here in mortality. Yet at times we act as if we knew it all. When you pass through trials for His purposes, as you trust Him, exercise faith in Him, He will help you.

That support will generally come step by step, a portion at a time. While you are passing through each phase, the pain and difficulty that comes from being enlarged will continue. If all matters were immediately resolved at your first petition, you could not grow. Your Father in Heaven and His Beloved Son love you perfectly. They would not require you to experience a moment more of difficulty than is absolutely needed for your personal benefit or for that of those you love.” (Richard G. Scott, “Trust in the Lord,” Ensign, Nov 1995, 16)

The key thought in that quote is that God and Jesus love you perfectly. Perfectly! If you can hold on to that thought, you’ll never doubt he’s paying attention to you, planning for you, and doing only what is necessary for you to accomplish all He has planned for you.

Sometimes, when I feel most scared, it’s because I’m trying to see too far ahead, the way it hurts your mind to try to peer through the fog on a very foggy day. If I try to focus on just what is right ahead of me, I feel less frightened. Perhaps I can’t do anything about the big trial that awaits me next year, but right this moment, there might be something I can do. If I ask God to show me what it is, I can focus on the task of the moment, on just what He wants me to see and do. One step at a time, line upon line…and I reach the finish line successfully. All I have to do is follow the small steps given me, one at a time, by God, the perfect guide.

If you homeschool your children, you may wonder if your new church membership will affect that in any way.

The church is officially neutral on the subject of homeschooling. They consider the method of education of children to be the responsibility of the parents. It is, of course, necessary for parents to provide education, and to provide it legally.

Although the gospel never specifically mentions homeschooling, it certainly gives us guidelines we can use to be sure our homeschooling is gospel appropriate. Doctrine and Covenants 88:118-119 says:

“And as all have not faith, seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith. Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God;”

Many LDS homeschoolers take this as their guiding principle for homeschooling. A house of learning certainly describes a good homeschool. Using the best books and teaching our children not just to receive an education but to seek knowledge will keep our house of learning gospel-focused.

Some states don’t allow you to count religious education in your required number of hours. However, you can still include religion in all your teaching. When teaching controversial topics, teach both sides, but then help your children find out what the church teaches on the subject. For instance, when I taught my children about evolution, I included creation as one of the options for how the world began, as well as evolutionary creation. We explored all the ideas of man and God and then went to the Institute of Religion manual for a definitive answer: “While it is interesting to note these various theories, officially the Church has not taken a stand on the age of the earth. For reasons best known to Himself, the Lord has not yet seen fit to formally reveal the details of the Creation. Therefore, while Latter-day Saints are commanded to learn truth from many different fields of study (see D&C 88:77–79), an attempt to establish any theory as the official position of the Church is not justifiable.”

There was more in the discussion, and we used it to help the children come to their own conclusions, but to point out the important part wasn’t how it was created, but who created it and why. This is something your children can’t learn in a public school, but fits nicely into a scientific study of the origins of the earth.

The church gives your children the opportunity to have experiences non-homeschoolers are likely to think your children need. They have the opportunity to learn from other adults, sit still in a formal classroom, attend social events, hold leadership positions as teenagers, and expand their horizons. Because the church is so extensive, your children can find many opportunities for growth outside the home.

Everyday gospel activities in the home can be counted towards educational experiences—reading scriptures, leading the music in family home evening, conducting family council and so on.

The restored gospel is an ideal foundation on which to build your new and improved LDS homeschool.

There is a wonderful lesson taught to the four to eight year old children in Primary (the children’s auxiliary) about Heavenly Father. They are told the story of a prince who was kidnapped by bad men who tried to force him to be immoral. He withstood all pressure and temptation. After six months of failed attempts to corrupt the young prince, they asked him why he wouldn’t give in. He answered, “I cannot do what you ask, because I am the son of a king, and my father has taught me to do what is right. I was born to be a king.” The children are then taught that they too are the son or daughter of a king, the greatest king of all, their Heavenly Father, who trusts them to do what is right.

How does it make you feel to know that you are God’s child, and that He trusts you? Even on those days when you may not live up to that trust, He goes right on trusting you to do better in the future.

Think of some of the ways God has demonstrated His trust in you. First, He welcomed you into His church. He allowed you to take upon yourself the name of His Son, Jesus Christ. What a sacred responsibility it is to take on His name and to help to represent Him. As a new member of the church, you are just beginning to understand what it means to take the Savior's name upon yourself, and yet He didn’t say, “Well, wait a few years until I decide if you’re going to be someone I want wearing the name of the Savior.” Instead, He allowed you to tell those in authority that you were trustworthy and then He trusted you to go ahead and begin to represent Him while you are still learning.

You may have been given a calling. A calling is a clear sign of God’s trust in you. He is trusting you with a small corner of His church, to care for and to build. The gospel matters to Him. Do you think it demonstrates a powerful trust to let you have responsibility over even the smallest part of it? It does.

If you have or will receive the priesthood, you are being given a very sacred trust. Elder Stanley G. Ellis of the First Quorum of the Seventy said, on the subject of the priesthood:

Brethren, think of what the Lord has given us—His power and authority! The power and authority to act for Him in all things pertaining to His work!

With this priesthood power and, when necessary, the authorization of those with appropriate keys, we can perform the ordinances of salvation in His name: baptize for the remission of sins, confirm and confer the Holy Ghost, confer the priesthood and ordain others to priesthood offices, and perform temple ordinances. In His name we can administer His Church. In His name we can bless, home teach, and even heal the sick.

What a trust the Lord has placed in us! Think of it, brethren. He trusts us!

Our Heavenly Father’s trust in us is a magnificent gift. It’s our responsibility to prove ourselves worthy of His trust. As we prove our worthiness, He will trust us more and more, until He trusts us to enter into His kingdom. It’s a gift worth working for.

As you meet with the missionaries, you will probably be asked to do a variety of reading assignments. If you’re unable to read, or to read well enough, these may make you feel uncomfortable. If you are using a screen reader to read this article because of literacy needs, you may already have found you can’t read the Book of Mormon or Bible reading assignments.

Let your missionaries know you can’t read. Don't keep this a secret from them, even if you've worked hard to keep it a secret from everyone else. They can help you with the assignments so you are able to hear the scriptures read. The scriptures are also available in auditory form online. Then ask the missionaries to tell you about the Relief Society Literacy effort.

The literacy effort was introduced in 1992. It’s an exciting 18-month program that will teach you how to read and write by using the scriptures. This is an inspired method. We are promised that when we read the scriptures, the spirit will be with us in extra measure to help us understand them. So, when you’re learning to read by reading scriptures, you also have that extra measure to help you learn to read.

There is no cost for the program, but it requires a strong commitment on your part. Classes are held twice a week and you must study at home every day as well. Once you are baptized and are assigned home or visiting teachers, they will be asked to help and encourage you as well. For instance, they might help you with a homework assignment during visits. If your family can read, they too are asked to assist you. You don't have to be a member of the church to participate, but you will be learning scriptures and religion as you learn to read.

Students learn to read by learning words from the scripture, allowing them, at the end of the very first day, to read a short sentence from the scriptures. They also keep a journal. If they can’t write, the teacher writes what they dictate, but once students learn a few letters, they write the letters they know and the teacher writes the rest. Students may also request help learning words they need to know, such as the names of family members.

You may have spent your life hiding your inability to read. Your teachers will not look down on you because you can’t read. They will, instead, be excited and proud that you’ve taken the important step of asking for help. They will work patiently with you until you’re successful. Once you know how to read, a whole new world will open up to you. You’ll be able to find better employment, read to your children, and explore the riches of the gospel. While you can listen to the scriptures online, there is extra power in being able to read them for yourself, studying at your own pace and making notes of the scriptures that are most meaningful to you.

However, you needn’t wait until you can read to continue your missionary lessons. Reading is not a requirement for baptism. Work with your missionaries to find other ways to complete the assignments, but do take advantage of the program offered by the church.

Read the stories of others just like you who have learned to read using this program in "I Have Hope in the Future for Me.”

My mother died today, early Easter morning. As I sit here reading over the Easter lesson I had intended to teach today, I realize more than ever how personal the Savior’s gift to us is.

I’m sad and crying, naturally. But it’s tears for me, not my mother. Today, especially I know that my mother is home again. She and my father, who died in 2001, weren’t members of the church, but they lived as if they were, which made it easier for me to join the church. I was already living much of the LDS life.

I know that I can do the work that needs to be done to give them the gospel now. That is reassuring and comforting in itself. There is something I can still do for my mother. Knowing that I can be with them again someday makes bearable what would otherwise be unbearable.

Jesus rose from the dead. People didn’t believe He would, even though he had promised to do so. Even His closest followers weren’t entirely sure. But then the appointed day came, and He was there, resurrected, just as He promised.

“Our Heavenly Father’s plan contains the ultimate expressions of true love. All that we hold dear, even our families, our friends, our joy, our knowledge, our testimonies would vanish were it not for our Father and His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Among the most cherished thoughts and writings in this world is the divine statement of truth: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

This precious Son, our Lord and Savior, atoned for our sins and the sins of all. That memorable night in Gethsemane His suffering was so great, His anguish so consuming that He pleaded, “Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.”20 Later, on the cruel cross, He died that we might live, and live everlastingly. Resurrection morning was preceded by pain, by suffering, in accordance with the divine plan of God. Before Easter there had to be a cross. The world has witnessed no greater gift, nor has it known more lasting love.“ (Thomas S. Monson, “Treasured Gifts,” Ensign, Dec 2006, 4–10)

The gift of resurrection and all the blessings that follow as a result are among the greatest gifts men can receive. Many say to me it’s hard to lose your mother on Easter. But that too, was a blessing. What better way to make sure I won’t forget where she is spending Easter?

Before you were born, Heavenly Father gave you many gifts. One such gift is the light of Christ. When you’re baptized, you receive the gift of the Holy Ghost to be with you at all times when you’re living the gospel, but the light of Christ was with you long before that time and will be with you for all eternity. The light of Christ isn’t a personage, as the Holy Ghost is, but it’s a way for you to know the truth before you hear the full gospel.

At some point in time, most people become aware of this light, although they may not understand its source. Most people refer to it as their conscience. They begin to notice that when they do something wrong, something deep inside them tells them they’re making a bad choice. When they do the right thing, something feels wonderful inside them. The light of Christ helps to protect and guide people until they’ve heard the gospel, but they will have it with them always. It also keeps them accountable for their choices.

The light of Christ has another purpose as well. It tucks into our heart gospel truths, a knowledge of the Savior, and a remembrance of the truth we once knew. Many people who start to learn the gospel will say, “Oh, I always knew that. I just didn’t think anyone else believed it.” This was the case for me. Often, I would find odd little thoughts come into my mind, and long before I found the gospel I believed some things many people considered odd. It was the light of Christ that had reminded me of things I had forgotten.

As with the Holy Ghost, we can choose to ignore the light of Christ. We always have our agency. However, choosing to pay attention can make our lives wonderful and help us to make wise choices, and eventually, to choose the gospel for ourselves.

Boyd K. Packer, President of the Quorum of the Twelve, said,

“Every man, woman, and child of every nation, creed, or color—everyone, no matter where they live or what they believe or what they do—has within them the imperishable Light of Christ. In this respect, all men are created equally. The Light of Christ in everyone is a testimony that God is no respecter of persons (see D&C 1:35). He treats everyone equally in that endowment with the Light of Christ.

It is important for a teacher or a missionary or a parent to know that the Holy Ghost can work through the Light of Christ. A teacher of gospel truths is not planting something foreign or even new into an adult or a child. Rather, the missionary or teacher is making contact with the Spirit of Christ already there. The gospel will have a familiar “ring” to them. Then the teaching will come “to the convincing of [those who will listen] that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, manifesting himself unto all nations” (Book of Mormon title page).” Boyd K. Packer, “The Light of Christ,” Ensign, Apr 2005, 8–14

Knowing the light of Christ is with you can be very reassuring for someone who has not yet made a choice to be baptized. You can be assured Heavenly Father has given you a way to learn the truth so you can make the right decision.

When my first child was a newborn, I decided it was time to become the perfect Mormon. I’d been a member of the church for six years now and felt I ought to be doing everything. While trying to care for an infant who had to be fed every hour around the clock, and learning to live far from my parents and in a new culture, I tried to do everything I had heard members ought to do, and to do it all at once. I learned to bake bread and never bought anything pre-made or convenient. I tried to keep a perfect home. I tried to do my genealogy and to take on numerous callings. If I heard about something in Relief Society, I went home and added it to my schedule. Within months, I was near collapse. Some kind people took it on themselves to explain to me about seasons.

There are seasons in everyone’s life, times when you focus on certain parts of the gospel more than others. That was my season to learn about parenting, and to get through the health challenges of my child. I was reassured it was not wrong to buy cookies or bread at the store, especially when I was so exhausted all the time. Genealogy could wait until things were more under control. I didn’t have to do everything every day.

That didn’t mean I could sin, of course. It just meant that not every aspect of the gospel has to be done every day. We’re taught to do our family history, but we don’t have to do it today if today there is a greater priority. We’re asked to serve in our community, but not if it will harm our families.

Dallin H. Oakes spoke of this in General Conference in October, 2008. He said, “As we consider various choices, we should remember that it is not enough that something is good. Other choices are better, and still others are best.” He recounted the story of Mary and Martha:

“Jesus taught this principle in the home of Martha. While she was "cumbered about much serving" (Luke 10:40), her sister, Mary, "sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word" (v. 39). When Martha complained that her sister had left her to serve alone, Jesus commended Martha for what she was doing (v. 41) but taught her that "one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her" (v. 42). It was praiseworthy for Martha to be "careful and troubled about many things" (v. 41), but learning the gospel from the Master Teacher was more "needful." The scriptures contain other teachings that some things are more blessed than others (see Acts 20:35; Alma 32:14–15).”-- Good, Better, Best, Elder Dallin H. Oaks Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

Note that he did not say Martha should never clean house or cook, instead spending all her time studying the gospel. Nor did he say Mary should spend every moment studying the gospel, never cleaning. But at this particular moment, the Savior—the Savior!-was at their home and they had a precious opportunity to learn at his feet. At that particular moment, Mary had chosen best, and Martha had only chosen better. At another time, the homemaking would have been the best choice for the moment.

As a new member, don’t confuse culture with commandments. (Baking bread is culture; reading scriptures is a commandment.) There are many things to do, but you have time to do them. Keep the commandments and note all the other things we’re asked to do. Then prayerfully discover the proper season for doing each of those things.

As a new member, the ways you entertain yourself may need to change. For instance, the church does not accept gambling as an appropriate form of entertainment. This includes lotteries, even those sponsored by governments.

On LDS.org we read: “Gambling is motivated by a desire to get something for nothing. This desire is spiritually destructive. It leads participants away from the Savior's teachings of love and service and toward the selfishness of the adversary. It undermines the virtues of work and thrift and the desire to give honest effort in all we do.”

Part of God’s plan for our lives is that we should give something of value for all we receive. Gambling takes away the motivation to give something of value, because we can live on hope of becoming wealthy without any work. Few people actually do become wealthy, and so most are simply throwing their money away. Some will try to justify their expense because a government lottery gives the profits to something worthwhile. However, studies have shown there is surprisingly little profit as payouts become larger. We can do far more good by donating that money directly to a good cause, and do so without damaging our eternal lives.

Gambling can lead to addiction. Some people are able to gamble without becoming addicted, but some cannot. There is no way to know in advance which type of person you are, and so, each time you gamble, you place yourself at risk of addiction. It is so much easier to stop when you are not addicted—or to never start—than it is to fight an addiction that may have already hurt your family and your spiritual progress.

Gordon B. Hinckley, former president of the church, said,

“The pursuit of a game of chance may seem like harmless fun. But there attaches to it an intensity that actually shows on the faces of those who are playing. And in all too many cases this practice, which appears innocent, can lead to an actual addiction. The Church has been and is now opposed to this practice. If you have never been involved in poker games or other forms of gambling, don’t start. If you are involved, then quit now while you can do so.

There are better ways to spend one’s time. There are better pursuits to occupy one’s interest and energy. There is so much of wonderful reading available. We are not likely to ever get too much of it. There is music to be learned and enjoyed. There is just having a good time together—in dancing, in hiking, in cycling, or in other ways—boys and girls together enjoying one another’s company in a wholesome way.”-- Gordon B. Hinckley, “Gambling,” Ensign, May 2005, 58

If you find you’re unable to stop gambling, visit with your bishop for assistance in fighting your addiction. The gospel offers many tools to help you get on the proper path.

When you’re first learning about the Word of Wisdom, you will probably mostly hear about the don’ts: Don’t use alcohol, tobacco, coffee, tea, or illegal drugs. However, the Word of Wisdom also has recommendations for those foods which are good for you.

D&C 89:10 And again, verily I say unto you, all wholesome herbs God hath ordained for the constitution, nature, and use of man—

11 Every herb in the season thereof, and every fruit in the season thereof; all these to be used with prudence and thanksgiving.

12 Yea, flesh also of beasts and of the fowls of the air, I, the Lord, have ordained for the use of man with thanksgiving; nevertheless they are to be used sparingly;

13 And it is pleasing unto me that they should not be used, only in times of winter, or of cold, or famine.

14 All grain is ordained for the use of man and of beasts, to be the staff of life, not only for man but for the beasts of the field, and the fowls of heaven, and all wild animals that run or creep on the earth;

15 And these hath God made for the use of man only in times of famine and excess of hunger.

16 All grain is good for the food of man; as also the fruit of the vine; that which yieldeth fruit, whether in the ground or above the ground—

17 Nevertheless, wheat for man, and corn for the ox, and oats for the horse, and rye for the fowls and for swine, and for all beasts of the field, and barley for all useful animals, and for mild drinks, as also other grain.

It advises you to eat fruits and vegetables, herbs, meat sparingly, and grains, described as the staff of life. The Word of Wisdom does not require you to be a vegeta