Book of Mormon Challenge
It was announced in
the Church News that the Italy Rome Mission will be getting a new Mission
President the first of July. Presidente and Sorella Pickerd are excited
and looking forward to sharing the next three years teaching and guiding the
mission. Our prayer is that, as missionaries, you will be prepared to follow
their counsel and help "Bring others unto Christ".
In order to
facilitate this transition, we are extending a challenge to each of you to
re-read the Book of Mormon from start to finish within the next three months.
If you begin now, you can finish the book by May 15. That means
you will need to read a minimum of 5 pages per day.
In 2005 President
Hinckley issued a similar challenge to the members of the church. He said, "Without reservation I promise you that
if each of you will observe this simple program, regardless of how many times
you previously have read the Book of Mormon, there will come into your lives
and into your homes an added measure of the Spirit of the Lord, a strengthened
resolution to walk in obedience to His commandments, and a stronger testimony
of the living reality of the Son of God."
The Book of Mormon
teaches us many things. As missionaries, we need to pay special attention
to one of the first lessons taught in the Book of Nephi. When Nephi and
his brothers returned to Jerusalem to obtain the plates from Laban, their first
attempt was a failure. They didn't have a plan or a backup plan.
They cast lots to see who should go ask for the plates. When the first
attempt failed, the brothers wanted to give up and return home. Nephi wanted to
accomplish the task he had been given and offered a backup plan "Let us be faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord;
therefore let us go down to the land of our father's inheritance, for behold he
left gold and silver, and all manner of riches. And all this he hath done
because of the commandments of the Lord. ... And it came to pass that we went
in unto Laban, and desired him that he would give unto us the records ... , for
which we would give unto him our gold and silver, and all our precious
things" (1 Nephi 3:16, 24). Laban kept their riches and then
threatened to kill them. That wasn’t what they planned either, but eventually
Nephi was able to obtain the plates.
Laban and Lemuel
complained about the loss of their worldly possessions that would have provided
them with momentary pleasures, but not continual happiness. As it turned
out, the entire family was blessed with the writings on the plates that offered
them the teachings of the Spirit and the reward of life eternal. These
blessings are much more valuable than worldly possessions.
Through this example,
we learn that the scriptures are of greater worth than worldly riches.
As you make a plan to
read the entire Book of Mormon before May 15, you will find that the scriptures
are "desirable; yea, even of great
worth unto us" (1 Nephi 5:21).
In 1988 President
Ezra Taft Benson taught “We need to read
daily from the pages of the book that will get a man “nearer to God by abiding
by its precepts, than by any other book.”’ (History of the Church,4:461.)
President Ezra Taft
Benson also said "I challenge our
mission leaders to show their missionaries how to challenge their contacts to
read the Book of Mormon and pray about it. Missionaries need to know how
to use the Book of Mormon to arouse mankind’s interest in studying it, and they
need to show how it answers the great questions of the soul. Missionaries need
to read with those they teach various passages from the Book of Mormon on
gospel subjects. … Anyone who has
diligently sought to know the doctrines and teachings of the Book of Mormon and
has used it conscientiously in missionary work knows within his soul that
this is the instrument
which God has given to the missionaries to convince the Jew and Gentile and
Lamanite of the truthfulness of our message.”
We challenge each of
you to prayerfully consider what steps you can personally take to bring
this new witness for Christ more fully into your own life and into a world that
so desperately needs it. You have
been called and chosen to be in the Italy Rome Mission at this time because you
are the ones who can make a difference in the lives of people living here by
sharing your testimony of the Book of Mormon.
We pray for you daily
and love you more than you will ever know.
Presidente and
Sorella Waddoups
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