Book of Mormon reminder...rh

Last Tuesday, we heard from Elder L. Tom Perry and his wife at the MTC devotional. He told us much of the same things we were teaching earlier that day as we practiced giving lesson one from "Preach My Gospel". Last night, Elder David Evans of the Seventy and his wife spoke to us. She told a story of a missionary who served in the Japan Nagoya mission while Elder Evans was the mission president. He struggled with the language the whole two years. Near the end of hsi time in Japan, Pres. Evans called him to be a zone leader and promised him there would be one more baptism before he finished his mission - this was in an area that had not seen any conversions in many months. The elder worked his hardest, but no baptisms and the elder departed for the USA. When he got home, his non-member father asked him if he would baptize him. Of course the young elder complied with his dad's wish and baptized him just minutes before he was released by his Stake President. He got the ONE baptism promised to him by his mission president - probably the most important one to him.

Then Elder Evans gave a powerful address on the Book of Mormon. Anyone remembering the fervent testimony that Elder Holland gave last conference on the Book of Mormon can liken the feelings they had at that time to how I felt last night as Elder Evans spoke on the power of the Book. He said that if a convert does not recieve a testimony of the Book of Mormon, more than likely he/she will drop out before long. It is our (your) responsibility to get folks to read the book, THE WHOLE BOOK, so that they can properly test it by applying Moroni's promise at the end of the book. He reminded us of the powerful promises of President Ezra Taft Benson and President Gordon B. Hinckley concerning the Book of Mormon. I wish that everyone could have heard Elder Evans give this powerful discourse and testimony.

I am so thankful that I was there to witness this address. I am so thankful for this call to serve in South Africa. I pray to be up to the tasks I am given while serving.