Throughout the 1830’s and 40’s, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often called “Mormons,” faced intense persecution and difficulty. Arising mostly from misunderstandings on both sides, and surrounded by a community that felt threatened by the huge influx of members of this new religion, Mormon pioneers were finally forced to leave their established city of Nauvoo, Illinois, and head west into the unknown.

Over the next few years, 70,000 Latter-day Saints made the trek across more than 1,000 miles (2,000 km) of uninhabited plains, mountains, and desert to the Salt Lake Valley. They traveled either in covered farm wagons or small handcarts barely larger than a wheelbarrow, which were filled mainly with food, farm equipment, cooking gear, and clothing, leaving very little room for personal items. They were exposed to the elements facing the very real possibilities of starvation, extreme temperatures, disease, and death. And many had to walk away from unmarked graves that held spouses or parents or children.

Initial journeys West took 17 months of travel, struggle, and suffering.  But even after walking across hundreds of miles of wilderness, the fight was not over. What waited for them was not a ruggedly thriving community of gold fields, or the green new country that most pioneers went west for, but a mountain-locked desert, its biggest available water source tainted with salt and completely undrinkable. It was a land covered in brush and baked hard by the sun, that had never before been farmed or broken. To add to this, they had only a few months of farmable weather in which to grow food for the thousands of destitute saints constantly arriving. Yet out of all of the trials they faced, they held fast to their faith, and raised in the desert a community of pioneers that grew and thrived. Their efforts laid the foundation for the spread of the gospel message across the entire world.

Whether Mormons today have ancestors who crossed the plains, or are new converts to the Church, they look to the incredible example of these faithful saints, and revere those who were willing to trust their Heavenly Father, even when the promised outcome seemed an impossible feat.

Sister Bonnie D. Parkin, 14th General Relief Society President had this to say about following the example of the pioneers:

“We are all required to make journeys of faith. That is the gospel plan. Our path may not be crossing an ocean or walking alone from an empty train station. But whatever it is, it will demand faith in every footstep. Years from now your grandchildren will tell with amazement stories of your choices, which changed their lives. You will be called their pioneers. Have you ever thought that as you step into the unknown you are showing others the way? ”

The journey of the Mormon pioneers, their heartaches and their triumphs and their overarching dedication and faith can form a path to follow, guiding us ever towards the Lord in our own lives.

Note: Many of the facts listed in this article come from Wikipedia’s “Mormon Pioneers” entry.

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“Because it’s bad” is usually the answer given to anyone explaining the reasons why someone should avoid pornography.  Rarely does it go beyond such a simple justification. However, not being able to clearly explain why involvement in such an activity is negative is actually a result from the activity itself.  This is why the Mormon Church is adamantly set against pornography.

Pornography makes us forget our spiritual nature.  It bars us from being able to discern love from lust, and in doing so it risks us into rationalizing the danger of it.  The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has made a point of standing against pornography because not only is it in direct opposition to the commandments of God, but pornography is an adversity to strong families and a thick, sinking swamp to individuals.

Divine Nature

Mormons believes that we are all spiritual children of God. This gives each and every one of us a divine nature.  It is a defining aspect about humans and reminds us of who we are, supports the purpose for our earthly existence, and teaches of our potential.  Pornography takes away from that belief by replacing eternal significance with carnal desires. It blinds individuals to that spiritual aspect, demeaning others and themselves to objects of lust instead of the children of God that they truly are.  The result of such a perspective is always negative, and the greater danger is that the more that perspective spreads the easier it is to accept. Soon too many of us forget who we really are. We forget that we are special and that Heavenly Father loves us. This leads to depression, sorrow, and emptiness. It is a cycle that can be proven scientifically and spiritually, and yet it still holds sway over us.  Mormons fight against this danger by openly standing against it and identifying it as a threat.

The Big Picture

The impact of pornography spreads across the world. It infects marriages with infidelity and distrust. It can damage parental relationships by misplacing priorities and wants. Friendship and professional relationships can be affected by feelings like guilt and inappropriate thoughts. The use of pornography has generally been a secretive act, subject to stealth and shame. It rarely connects people, and even when it does that connection is furtive and unstable. Relationships built on or affected by lust, lose the sight of permanence, and suddenly our concept of value becomes tainted.

This conflicts with the wonderful doctrine and belief of eternal family that the members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ eternal family hold dearly. To Mormons, the relationships in people’s lives are of extreme importance and should be founded in love and faithfulness. Strong relationships lead to trust, strength, and joy. A marriage based on these traits would create the safe and caring environments that children deserve. In turn we see a ripple effect of happiness and stability in our societies, but the opposite can occur when pornography is introduced. “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. (Roman 8:6)”

Reality and Commandment

God has commanded and warned mankind about lustful thoughts and actions from the beginning. Broken relationships due to lustful thoughts and actions leave trails of sadness behind, and we can lose sight of what is truly important. Lust has been labeled as one of the seven deadly sins, and its power has been seen throughout history. In today’s society, pornographic images are easy to come across, and can sometimes seem impossible to avoid.  But no matter how dangerous pornography is, the atonement of Jesus Christ is more powerful.

Like any sin, lust and pornographic indulgence can be overcome and forgiven. The Church of Jesus Christ teaches this just as much as they warn and encourage others to avoid it in the first place. Like all of God’s commandments, the avoidance of lust is a warning meant to protect us. The reality is that pornography is in our lives, but that doesn’t mean we can’t avoid it or be protected from it. Cravings and desires are part of who we are and God knows that. Pornography doesn’t teach us how to use those traits to love or strengthen, but it leads to selfish and destructive nature. Mormons stand firmly against this because the danger is real, and they don’t want the world to forget that they are children of God.

There is Help

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has always helped those with addictions to pornography. It warns of its dangers and have a deep and loving concern for those that wish to overcome it. Websites like overcomingpornography.org have been created for this purpose. This is an invaluable resource if you want to know how the Savior can help someone struggling with pornography in their lives or just want to be more aware of its danger.

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The Kidapawan farmers called for relief and earlier this April, LDS Charities and Mormon Helping Hands (MHH) responded. On April 6, 3,800 food kits which include rice, dried fish, soy sauce and noodles, were repacked by MHH volunteers. These goods were then distributed the next day to 5 municipalities which consisted of 19 barangays. Distribution was done in coordination with the Department of Social Welfare and Development Office in the area and TV 5 Alagang Kapatid Foundation.

Mormon Pinoy Newsroom reported that “more than 300 Mormon Helping Hands volunteers from Kidapawan District rendered around 2,400 man-hours of service to have the re-packing and distribution done in just two days.  President Jundy Mamacus in coordination with George Kenneth Lee, LDSC Project Manager, supervised the project.”

The Philippines have experienced calamities brought by the wet and the dry season through the years—each calamity damaging crops and leaving stomachs empty. However, in the midst of these crises, the bayanihan spirit (a Filipino virtue that means ‘unity in helping each other with compassion) comes out and many un-sung heroes rise, some even give their lives for others. It is in these trying times that the pure love of Christ, which is charity, abounds in the hearts of Filipinos (Moroni 7:47). This spirit of giving and compassion has been the refuge and hope for many of the Filipinos who have been affected by these calamities. This spirit has been passed on from generation to generation and will continue to thrive in the hearts of Filipinos, whether or not a calamity is present.

Read the full article here.

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The Lord has shown a pattern of choosing humble men to be His Prophets, seers and revelators in the world. These men, though limited in their skills and capacity but stalwart in their faith and testimony, had brought about many miracles for the salvation of God’s children here on earth. In this last dispensation, a period when God calls for a prophet to direct His Church, the Lord called for the boy Joseph to open this special time – humble, meek, and simple servant to His children but strong to the Lord.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mnig_E6KtM

Who helped the boy Joseph to be the revered prophet from the time he searched for the truth until today? Who is Joseph Smith to his family and his associates?What sacrifices did he make for the establishment of the Kingdom of God? Among other questions, some faithful truth seekers always love to know the truth behind the man who was instrument to the restoration of the fullness of the gospel, even to the bringing forth of the Book of Mormon.

The boy Joseph was born from humble circumstances from Joseph  and Lucy Mack Smith. Joseph’s family was composed of 11 souls and all of them understood hard work at such a young age. They all were trying to live righteous lives and Joseph’s parents has always been educating their children the gospel of Jesus Christ through Bible readings and attendance to Church meetings. When he was 11 years old, the Smith family moved to Palmyra, New York where The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was re-organized. 

A seeker of truth

Palmyra, a western village in New York, was famous for the religious excitement that was ever present in those years. In the 1800s, the subject of religion was an intense discussion and caused every minister to proactively invite and convert people into their beliefs. Ministers seemed to be the judges of a person’s eternal destination depending on which religion he/she joined. The religious excitement was so great that conversion was thinning because most of the people already were part of their choice religion. The Smith family was torn from differing beliefs among their family members. But, one thing was a sure realization, which of churches was true. The boy Joseph, young as he was, also desired to belong to the true church.

At the age of 14 and at the time that he firmly decided that he had to choose a church, Joseph could not help but think deeply about the matters of religion. If he had to join a church, he had to know the criteria of a true church. The Prophet wrote:

In the midst of this war of words and tumult of opinions, I often said to myself: What is to be done? Who of all these parties are right; or, are they all wrong together? If any one of them be right, which is it, and how shall I know it?” To more fully learn the truth, Joseph attended the meetings of the different religions and immersed himself deeply in the scriptures. One particular scripture stood out to him; it was like a passage telling him what he should do. It was a powerful scripture passage for someone seeking for the truth. The passage is found in James 1:5 “If any of you lacked wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.”

A prophet of God

Joseph Smith’s question seemed to only have one solution and that is to ask of God. In Joseph Smith History 1:13, the Prophet wrote:

At length I came to the conclusion that I must either remain in darkness and confusion, or else I must do as James directs, that is, ask of God. I at length came to the determination to “ask of God,” concluding that if he gave wisdom to them that lacked wisdom, and would give liberally, and not upbraid, I might venture.

Although unsure of the method of asking what he would need to do, the young Joseph exercised faith in those early years by retiring to the woods and asking Heavenly Father which among the churches that time was true.

Indeed, the adversary was strong in making sure that the curious boy Joseph won’t be able to communicate with Heavenly Father. As he was began his prayer, he felt a power that seemed to pull him into despair and destruction. However, with great faith and determination, the boy Joseph eventually received his answer in what we now all know as the First Vision. The eager boy was told not to join any church and he also received instructions during that time. That moment has indeed opened the latter-day dispensation, even the last before the second coming of Jesus Christ. Joseph knew from then on that he has a divine mission.

A leader of the latter-day Church

The Prophet Joseph Smith has never denied His vision and his prophetic calling to God’s children no matter he was persecuted. He diligently followed the plan of the Lord in delivering His children to establish the foundation of the Church today. He called able men to help him in his ministry and organized God’s Church.

With just one prayer of a boy, the last dispensation was opened; and the faith and testimony of this stalwart boy brought about many blessings for the children of men. And although the First Vision opened Joseph to ridicule, accusations, and threats to his life, the Prophet held on to its truthfulness and the answers he received. It was the start of a life filled with challenges and blessings. In an article introducing Joseph Smith in mormon.org, it states:

Early Mormons endured serious persecution because of a perceived commercial, political and religious threat to their neighbors, so Joseph and the people he called to assist him had to lead multiple Mormon migrations to friendlier areas of the country. Despite all of the suffering they endured, early members of the Church built temples, did missionary work, [and] built thriving cities… Years before Joseph died, the Lord directed him to organize the Quorum of Twelve Apostles and eventually he bestowed upon them all the keys, rights, and authority necessary to lead the Church.

With just one prayer of a boy, the final period before Jesus Christ’s second visitation to us has been set. The faith and testimony of this stalwart boy brought about many blessings for the children of men. And although the First Vision opened Joseph to ridicule, accusations, and threats to his life, the Prophet held on to its truthfulness and the answers he received.

For more reference to Joseph Smith’s life: Mormon.org

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In “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” given by the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, the leaders of the Church expressed their testimony about marriage saying “Marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children.” For many Latter-day saints, marriage is the perfect avenue to become more like our Father in Heaven. In a marriage setting, Mormons hold this marriage belief that the Lord provides opportunities and challenges that will help both the husband and the wife grow and develop for good. Elder Richard G. Scott worded the marriage experience beautifully when he said “It is so rewarding to be married. In time you begin to think alike and have the same ideas and impressions. You have times when you are extremely happy, times of testing, and times of trial, but the Lord guides you through all of those growth experiences together.”

Although marriage can sometimes be brushed aside nowadays, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints still uphold the importance and sanctity of marriage and the family. Marriage means a glimpse of heaven here on earth.

Full Article: LDS.net

[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]http://faith.ph/files/2016/02/Picture43.jpg [/author_image] [author_info]A self-proclaimed optimist who tries to see the good in all things life throws at her. A lover of writing, make up, and laughter. A perpetual work-in-progress. -Giulia Garcia[/author_info] [/author]

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Yes! We are part of a grand plan and we have been reared and nurtured to choose as how Father has chosen and to act as how He acted. We are assured of great potentials and are given all the guidance to achieve these potentials. Every person is our spirit brother or sister. This teaching is also the foundation of the Church’s strong advocacy on family and the importance of strengthening the spirituality of one another.

We all can’t remember what happened during our premortal existence because we passed through a veil – veil of forgetfulness. This veil, with many others, is one of the mysteries of God but sufficient to say that it is also part of the plan for us to exercise our choices wisely on this earthly existence. It is really through faith that we can be saved – believing in things we haven’t seen but true.

Heavenly Father desires us to progress and be like Him. He knows that our progression ceases on a certain point unless we leave Him to exercise our trust in Him so, He gave us a home and our spirits a physical temple. One of our guides in this life is through the words written in many scriptures like the Bible and Book of Mormon. A proclamation, through Christ’s appointed leaders in the Church, was recently published by the Church titled, “The Family: A proclamation to the World”. This is a shortened timeline and description of a person’s potential and responsibilities.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has always been reiterating that families are forever – eternal. A young lady was living then in a country where people are mostly non-Christians. This country has a history of cults, molded in Christian image, which threatened and even ending lives of both believers and non-believers. This made it more difficult for the citizens to know more of Christianity. However, while she was going through her daily college routines, she stopped and started asking why other people have churches. She felt the wanting to belong to a group that focuses on hope and beliefs of a higher being. One day, she went home to visit her family. She had an inspirational talk with her dad and she said this statement, “Dad, what do you think happens to us after we die?” Her dad replied, “Nothing. We float around in darkness.” She then started to cry. She told herself that she wants to still be home with them and to see them. This drove her desire to know more and she found the sweetest answer from the missionaries and clang to it ever since. She shares this inspiration back to her family as this filled her life with hope and she wants her family to feel the same way, too.

Indeed, Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ will not break anything which is good, righteous, and heavenly. They will keep their promises to us and bonds eternally with us.

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He has not graduated from college yet, but he was blessed with a job that barely sustains his family. My sister graduated but chose to be a stay-home mom taking care of her two little kids. I always thought that their marriage was not planned well, that they could have waited a little more and saved up enough money to prepare to build a family. The world today offers you comfort when you have the money to pay for it. It is a social fact so I thought I was being logical and realistic.

However, my views have changed after he spoke that Sunday. He said, “My young family has not been financially stable since my wife and I got married.”
“I know.” I thought to myself.

He continued, “But despite our struggles and difficulties, we have been keeping the Law of Tithing and Heavenly Father has sent angels to help us when we are in need. My parents-in-law and my family live in the same building. We are located on the 1st floor and they are on the 2nd floor. When things are hard, we have been blessed as we looked up to God. It is funny because when I say looking up to God, it also means literally looking up—looking upstairs where my wife’s parents live. Each time we struggle, my wife’s family always offered helping hands. They have been the angels promised by God to my young family especially when we are faced with trials. I am very grateful every day for all their support, love, and understanding. God has been watchful and He always kept His promises. I know He will never fail my family as we keep the Law of Tithing.”

I was seated beside my sister and as I looked at their two little kids, my tears started to fall. I did not realize how much our support meant to their family. He described my whole family as angels sent by Heaven for their help. I knelt down in prayer that night and asked for forgiveness for thinking that they brought their own sufferings to themselves when they decided to start family.

When God said that He will send angels to our left and right when we are in trouble, He meant angels from heaven and angels here on earth. I am grateful for the blessing that we have opportunities to serve and that, through the words of the prophets of God, we realize that we can become angels to many.

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It is a testimony that everyone shares after listening wholeheartedly to the General Conference talks that they bring hopes to our hearts.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, one for the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said:

If we teach by the Spirit and you listen by the Spirit, some one of us will touch on your circumstance, sending a personal prophetic epistle just to you.

We are gathered together to be instructed directly by our Lord through his messengers. All throughout the scriptures, we read that either the Lord’s servant prophets or Himself did similar patterns to gather the multitudes to listen and learn together.

In Numbers 8:9, the Lord instructed to “gather the whole assembly of the children of Israel together.” In Exodus 35:1, Moses “gathered all the congregation of the children of Israel together, and said unto them, These are the words with the Lord hath commanded, that ye should do them.”

Multiple times have these similar gatherings were conducted in the New Testament by Jesus Christ Himself and in the Book of Mormon through his prophets like King Benjamin.

By listening and remembering the words of our modern day prophets, we fulfill our purpose as witnesses of our Savior stated in 2 Nephi 25:26:

We talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.

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For almost 37 years since October 1, 1988, he displayed his fervor in serving and inspiring everyone as an Apostle of the Lord. Elder D. Todd Christofferson, another member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, mentioned:

His messages were filled with hope. And he was unapologetic about repentance and the Atonement because he knew that that’s where hope came from or what one could hope for as a consequence of true, full repentance and the effect of the Atonement, the grace of Jesus Christ, in one’s life.

(Ang kanyang mensahe ay puno ng pagasa. Walang pagdududa ang mga mensahe niya sa pagsisisi at sa pagbabayad-sala ni Jesu Kristo dahil alam niyang dito nanggagaling ang pagasa o kung saan pwedeng makahanap ng pagasa dahil sa buong pagsisisi at epekto ng pagbabayad-sala, ang pagpapala ni Jesu Kristo, sa buhay ng isang tao.)

He is a creditable embodiment of science’s harmonious relationship with faith. He worked as a nuclear engineer and served under Admiral Hyman Rickover for a “wide variety of naval and land-based power plants.” In his October 2007 conference talk, Truth: The Foundation of Correct Decisions, he displayed this symphonic understanding of the two, known to be opposing, fields. He said, “[To know the truth,] two ingredients are essential: first, unwavering faith in the source of all truth; second, a willingness to keep God’s commandments to keep open spiritual communication with Him.”

In a more personal note, Elder Scott has been a source of inspiration to many families. We were and are still blessed of his talks and his love towards his dearly missed Jeanene. During the September 2010 CES Fireside, he addressed young single adults, in particular, the blessings of building a Christ-centered family. He was, as if, talking to me directly. The following are excerpts from the conference which still guides me to this day as a father and a husband:

1. Young men, don’t waste time in idle pursuits. Serve a worthy mission. Then make your highest priority that of finding a worthy, eternal companion. Get on with life and work at it. Don’t just coast through this period of life. It goes by too rapidly.
2. Many women seldom hear a complimentary comment and are not thanked for the multitude of good they do. That’s a tragedy. As a husband, when you sense that your wife needs lifting, hold her in your arms and tell her how very much you love her.
3. As a husband, be aware of what you might unconsciously communicate by how you treat your wife in public… [Occasionally,] I note that a man is in line in front of his wife. That is inappropriate—as a matter of fact, it’s just plain stupid.… The simple gestures like opening the door on the car or in a room for a woman show you want to give her the respect she deserves.
4. I have seen men reject counsel from a wife who likely has struggled for a long time to find just the right moment to mention something the husband needed to change. Don’t do that.

His short story guides me to cherish what or who really matter most:

Once I learned an important lesson from my wife. I traveled extensively in my profession. I had been gone almost two weeks and returned home one Saturday morning. I had four hours before going to a meeting. I noticed that our little washing machine had broken down and my wife was washing the clothes by hand. Having an engineering background, I began to fix the machine.

Jeanene came by and said, “Rich, what are you doing?”

I said, “I’m repairing the washing machine so you don’t have to do this by hand.”

She said, “No. Go play with the children.”

I said, “I can play with them anytime. I want to help you.”

She said, “Richard, please go play with the children.”

When she spoke to me that authoritatively, I saluted and obeyed.

I had a marvelous time with our children. We chased each other around and rolled in the fall leaves. Later I went to my meeting. I probably would have forgotten that experience, were it not for the lesson that she wanted me to learn.

The next morning, about 4:00 a.m., I was awakened as I felt two little arms around my neck, a kiss on the cheek, and these words whispered in my ear, which I will never forget: “Dad, I love you. You are my best, best friend.”

Are you having that kind of experience with your children? If you are not, you are missing one of the supernal joys of life. If you have not yet married, you can decide now that when you are a parent the happiness of your children will be a very high priority in your life.

Let us keep Elder Scott living in our hearts by living the teachings of Jesus Christ through his words so that, like him, we can be reunited with our loved ones and with our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

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President Thomas S. Monson, the 16th worldwide leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (also known as the Mormon Church), turns 88 years old on Friday, August 21, 2015. Church members from different parts of the world sent video clips wishing President Monson a happy birthday (The video clip from the Philippines is from 1:12 ~ 1:20).

The members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe that God, the eternal Father, still calls prophets and apostles to carry out His work on the earth, which is to bring all of us to His only Begotten son, even Jesus Christ.

Through the infinite love and sacrifice of the Savior, we can all overcome past mistakes, ease the burdens of this world, live to the fullest measure of our potential, and eventually come back into God’s presence and live with our lived ones forever.

For this reason, we are grateful that we have a living prophet today, who can help us to come closer to Christ and His teachings.

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