You Matter to Him

Last weekend Mom and I had a little get-away in downtown Salt Lake. On our trip we visited the Clark Planetarium. While there we watched an hour long movie on the Hubble Telescope, how it was made, and most importantly, how it opened up a huge universe to mankind that we never realized before.

Among other things, Hubble has shown scientists galaxies in all stages of evolution. It has been able to observe stars (suns) and planets in their creative stages. It has observe planets come and go. The number of planetary systems it observes are endless.

Astronomers have attempted to count the number of stars in the universe. One group of scientists estimates that the number of stars within range of our telescopes is 10 times greater than all the grains of sand on the world's beaches and deserts. Keep in mind that this estimate is only based on what we can see with our telescopes. What about what we can't see.

This conclusion has a striking similarity to the declaration of the ancient prophet Enoch: "Were it possible that man could number the particles of the earth, yea, millions of earths like this, it would not be a beginning to the number of thy creations." (Moses 7:30)

Moses, when on top of a mountain, stood in the presence of God and spoke to Him face to face as a man speaks with his friend. During the course of that visitation, God showed Moses the workmanship of His hands, granting him a glimpse of His work and glory. When the vision ended, Moses fell to the earth for the space of many hours. When his strength finally returned, he realized that man is nothing compared to the greatness of God and all his creations, worlds without end.

As I finished watching this movie on what the Hubble Telescope has opened to our view, I too realized that man is nothing compared to all the billions and billions of other earths that have been created, are now being created and will continue to be created. We are small in comparison to all this. I can't even get my mind around this one. And yet the Lord has said "the worth of souls is great in the sight of God. (D&C 18:10)

God Himself said we are the reason He created the universe. "For behold, this is my work and my glory--to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." (Moses 1:39)

You matter to Him. President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, in the October 2011 General Conference said:

My dear brothers and sisters, it may be true that man is nothing in comparison to the greatness of the universe. At times we may even feel insignificant, invisible, alone, or forgotten. But always remember—you matter to Him! If you ever doubt that, consider these four divine principles:

First, God loves the humble and meek, for they are “greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

Second, the Lord entrusts “the fulness of [His] gospel [to] be proclaimed by the weak and the simple unto the ends of the world.” He has chosen “the weak things of the world [to] come forth and break down the mighty and strong ones”  and to put to shame “the things which are mighty.”

Third, no matter where you live, no matter how humble your circumstances, how meager your employment, how limited your abilities, how ordinary your appearance, or how little your calling in the Church may appear to you, you are not invisible to your Heavenly Father. He loves you. He knows your humble heart and your acts of love and kindness. Together, they form a lasting testimony of your fidelity and faith.

Fourth and finally, please understand that what you see and experience now is not what forever will be. You will not feel loneliness, sorrow, pain, or discouragement forever. We have the faithful promise of God that He will neither forget nor forsake those who incline their hearts to Him. Have hope and faith in that promise. Learn to love your Heavenly Father and become His disciple in word and in deed.

Be assured that if you but hold on, believe in Him, and remain faithful in keeping the commandments, one day you will experience for yourselves the promises revealed to the Apostle Paul: “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.”

Brothers and sisters, the most powerful Being in the universe is the Father of your spirit. He knows you. He loves you with a perfect love.

God sees you not only as a mortal being on a small planet who lives for a brief season—He sees you as His child. He sees you as the being you are capable and designed to become. He wants you to know that you matter to Him.

The more I study on this topic, the more overwhelmed I am about just how big the plan of salvation is. It is big, and I don't even have a good definition of big. Maybe a good way to understand the immensity of how really big this is, is to refer to a story I heard on my mission. It is "The Story of Mankind," by Hendrik Willem Van Loon, referring to what a day of eternity is:

High up in the north, in the land called Svithjod, there stands a rock. It is a hundred miles high and a hundred miles wide. Once every thousand years a little bird comes to this rock to sharpen its beak. When the rock has thus been worn away, then a single day of eternity will have gone by.


Although each of us are just one person out of a trillion times a trillion to the trillionth power, we are important in the sight of God. He values each one of us.

He knows you. He loves you. And he wants you to return to Him so that you can have all that He has. "... all that my Father hath shall be given unto him." (D&C 84:38)

So, when you have days (we all do), when you think God is not listening or caring about you, He does. "Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?" (Matt 6:26)

You matter to Him!

Love, Dad

Note: A lot of the material I have presented here can be found in a talk given by President Uchtdorf, in the Oct. 2011 General Conference.

A Life Line & Enduring To The End

Last weekend, Becca and Jared invited me to attend their Moab Adventure Race. I wasn't really sure what to expect.

After arriving there on Friday night, I learned more about what the race entailed, as they received their instructions and maps for the race.

The race started out on mountain bikes. They were to bike about 40 miles on some pavement and dirt roads, climbing 4,000 feet in elevation. At a certain point during the biking portion of the race, they were to get off their bikes, hike up a mountain and repel off a 200 foot cliff. Then get back on their bikes and ride to another check point to run 7 miles. After the run, they were to mount a kayak and paddle 7 miles down the Colorado River.

The race started at 7:30 Saturday morning. After having breakfast, Aaron (Jared's brother), myself and two of his kids took off to follow the racers. I was totally amazed at the climb they were making up grades as high as 16%.

When we caught up with Jared and Becca, they both seemed in good spirits. Jared had a large bungee cord tied to the back seat of his bike and fastened to the front frame of Becca's bike. I asked Aaron about this. He said that it is a good strategy for two-man teams to try and equal out their strengths and weaknesses. The stronger rider is in front and pulls the weaker rider in back. The bungee only serves it's purpose if the back rider starts to slow. As the bungee tightens it provides relief or pull for the slower rider. As the slower rider speeds up, the bungee loosens.

As I watched the two of them working together as a team, Jared giving aid to his wife when she needed it, it brought tears to my eyes. What greater love can a spouse have for his companion than to give assistance and lift when times get tough and challenging. 

I couldn't help but think of an analogy of Christ with us. He has a lifeline tied to us. During the times of our life when we feel we can't take another step, or pedal our bike another revolution, the bungee cord tightens and gives us just enough lift and pull to aid us over that part of our life journey.

I asked Becca to write down her thoughts of this incredible experience and share it with us:

This all started 7 years ago when Jared and I first got married. Jared was introduced to Adventure Racing. He trained hard and finished his first race. I was there on the sidelines cheering him on. Afterwards, he asked if I would do it with him. I said not in this life timeJ. He continued doing the race every year since…sometimes multiple times a year. He never gave up asking me to do it with him. My answer was always NO. 

Well, last year shortly after I had Mason and of course after Jared had already asked me to do the race the following year, I changed my mind. I was working with Taylor on his reading one day and I told him “You can do hard things” For some reason it sank in that I can do hard things too. Then, to Jared’s shock, I told him I would do the race. I started my training in October. I had some injured knees so I needed to start slow on my training. 

I had lots of moments of doubt during the next following 5 months but I kept trying to train. Then from the beginning of December to February I was sick almost constantly with colds or flu one right after another. It was almost impossible to train, but I kept at it. February and March we started with our hard core training. That’s when my doubt and thoughts of failure really kicked in. I realized how not ready I was and I was so scared to do the race. 

In February, I got to know a girl from Aaron’s exercise class named Tiff. In the fall she was thinking about doing the race, but she was still trying to get over some injuries and decided to back out. As Jared and I started or hard training, I had asked her to come along just to see if she would still be interested. She did awesome with us and decided to do it. We trained with her the rest of the time. 

The night before race day, we were in our hotel room with me, Jared, Dad and Tiff. We had finished plotting out our course on the map. Before she left to go to her hotel, Tiff asked if she could have a blessing. Let me give you a brief history on her. She has been through a lot in her life especially in the past few years. She grew up in the church but has been inactive for a while. Come to find out that she decided to go back to church during the time that she started training with us. Jared gave her a beautiful blessing. 

He gave me one afterwards. It said I need to not doubt myself and have the confidence that I could do it. I was very grateful for those words. Dad then said he was impressed to share some things with us. He talked about the Savior and His suffering in the garden. Not that this compares to it but this is our own little Gethsemane. He also spoke about people on the other side and how they will be with us if we have the Faith.

It was very exciting during the start of the race. Just a few minutes after the start, Jared attached the bungee cord to tow me as part of the race strategy. We were feeling good headed toward the start of our 4000 foot climb up a paved road. It was almost instantly I felt I had angels with me. I don’t have the special gift to communicate, but I just knew they were there. As we were pedaling up the hill, I began to ponder what dad had said the night before about the Savior. My thoughts were this…The Savior had atoned for all things…including the pain I would feel during this race “And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind: and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people and he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death with bind his people: and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities” Alma 7: 11-12. 

I felt maybe this was my own little Gethsemane I needed to endure. I knew that wasn’t right because the Savior had to endure the suffering alone with out comfort or help from our Heavenly Father. I didn’t have to endure this pain alone. I had Jared tied to me with a Bungee cord. It then hit me that he was my “Savior”. I peddled my hardest. My legs were burning but it wasn’t enough to keep up. When that happened, the bungee got tight and he made up the difference. When this dawned on me, I became very overwhelmed with the spirit. I had a deeper understanding and appreciation for the Savior.  Also, at that point, I had this overwhelming love for Jared that he would do this for me without one complaint. He never said “Could you peddle a little harder”. He knew I was giving my all and so he would help me with the rest. 

It was a wonderful feeling once we saw dad at the top taking pictures. We were excited for the 25 mile down hill. When we took off we were going at a good speed. It was a little muddy at first. I was doing all the things I was taught for downhill: pump back breaks, sit off and behind your seat a bit, pinch your seat between your legs. 

One section of the downhill started getting really steep and rocky. I was still going pretty fast and jared wasn’t too far in front of me. I remember feeling nervous because maybe I was going a bit too fast. I then said a prayer in my heart to please help me through this. In the middle of my prayer I hit a rock and I must have hit my breaks also but I went flying. I just remember laying on the ground, I couldn’t breath or move. I was alone for a bit because jared didn’t see it happen and there was a big gap between me and the next person behind me. I remember trying to scream for help but nothing came out. Eventually the next racer came and helped me. I still couldn’t move and I told him to go get my husband. When Jared came they got me sitting up but I couldn’t stand. They got me cleaned up and eventually I started moving my legs. And slowly was able to get up and walk. 

We had no cell service so the only thing we could do was get back on the bike and ride the rest of the way down. I was terrified because I didn’t feel safe on my bike anymore and I didn’t trust myself with downhill plus I was in a lot of pain. As we went downhill I was sobbing and hyperventilating the whole time not to mention going the speed of a snail. Jared stopped us and said a prayer to help my nerves so we could get to the bottom. It helped a little, but I was still a wreck. I think it took longer to go down then it took to go up but we eventually made it. As soon as I saw dad, I bawled in his arms. I knew right then that this was the reason dad needed to be there. I needed his shoulder to cry on. I didn’t want to finish. I wanted to quit right then. They had the EMT check me out and then I had to make a decision to finish the race or quit. I wasn’t thinking about how I would feel the next day with regret and embarrassment if I quit. I was just thinking in the moment and what I felt right then. I was done, but I didn’t want to say the words. 

After I cried some more and a few people talked to me giving me encouragement and support, I made the decision to continue. Endure to the End!! We still had some more bike to do but I went a bit faster this time. During the Kayak, Jared and I had some very precious conversation. This was quite an experience for us to go through together. The way he supported me in my moment of panic and sure terror showed me his unconditional love for me. He played the part of the Savior in more ways then one. We finished the kayak super fast. Our time on the kayak was what the lead teams got. We passed so many people. 

Jared asked me if I would do this again. In the end of the race, I said I would. But if you asked me during the race the answer would be NO WAY! By the end, I saw the whole picture of the race and I could see the personal growth I experienced. It’s through the hard times that we grow closer to the Savior if we allow it. But it’s hard to see that growth during a trial. The Lord descended below it all and he did it alone, so He knows how to comfort and help us if we but ask. He knows what we are going through, He loves us and wants us to return home. 

All I can add to Becca's testimony is that she taught me some real life lessons. 

"Jared and Becca, you are my heros!"

Love, Dad

What is a Special Witness of Jesus Christ?

Last week during General Conference I received a renewed testimony that Jesus Christ is real, that he lives and is leading this Church through his prophets. I was particularly impress by two testimonies. Elder Packer and Elder Holland. (Don't you love Elder Holland's passionate testimony every Conference?)

Elder Boyd K. Packer:

"Of all that I have read and taught and learned, the one most precious and sacred truth that I have to offer is my special witness of Jesus Christ. He lives. I know He lives. I am His witness. And of Him I can testify. He is our Savior, our Redeemer. Of this I am certain. Of this I bear witness in the name of Jesus Christ, amen."

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland:

"I declare some things I now know. I know that God is at all times and in all ways and in all circumstances our loving, forgiving Father in Heaven. I know Jesus was His only perfect child, whose life was given lovingly by the will of both the Father and the Son for the redemption of all the rest of us who are not perfect. I know He rose from that death to live again, and because He did, you and I will also. I know that Joseph Smith, who acknowledged that he wasn’t perfect, was nevertheless the chosen instrument in God’s hand to restore the everlasting gospel to the earth. I also know that in doing so—particularly through translating the Book of Mormon—he has taught me more of God’s love, of Christ’s divinity, and of priesthood power than any other prophet of whom I have ever read, known, or heard in a lifetime of seeking."

What exactly does it mean for an apostle to be a special witness of Jesus Christ? Here are some quotes to ponder and think about inorder to answer this question.

"All men may, by virtue of the priesthood and the gift of the Holy Ghost, become witnesses for Christ," declared President Joseph Fielding Smith. "In fact that is just what every elder in the Church should be, but there is a special calling which is given to the Twelve special witnesses that separates them from other elders of the Church in the nature of their calling as witnesses. These twelve men hold the fulness of authority, keys, and priesthood, to open up the way for the preaching of the gospel to every nation, kindred, and tongue." (DS 3:146.) The Twelve Apostles are the 'special witnesses of the name of Christ in all the world,' decreed the Lord." (D&C 107:23).

Occasionally some will ask whether it is necessary for an Apostle to see the Savior in order to receive that sacred office. A man who served over sixty years in the Quorum of Twelve Apostles, President Joseph Fielding Smith, responded to this question: "It is their privilege to see him if occasion requires, but the Lord has taught that there is a stronger witness than seeing a personage, even of seeing the Son of God in a vision. Impressions on the soul that come from the Holy Ghost are far more significant than a vision." (IE 69:979.)

"The witness," declared Elder Boyd K. Packer, "does not come by seeking after signs. It comes through fasting and prayer, through activity and testing and obedience. It comes through sustaining the servants of the Lord and following them." (CR, Apr. 1971, p. 124.)

It is my belief that our apostles and prophets, even as the apostles and prophets of old, carry a special witness. They have a perfect witness of Jesus Christ. As Elder Bruce R. McConkie said in his last Conference address, "I have a perfect knowledge that Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God and that he was crucified for the sins of the world." 

He went on further to say, "I testify that it (The Atonement) took place at Gethsemane and at Golgotha. And as pertaining to Jesus Christ, I testify that he is the Son of the Living God who was crucified for the sins of the world. He is our Lord, our God, and our King. This I know of myself independent of any other person. I am one of his Witnesses. And in the coming day I will feel the nail marks in his hands and in his feet and shall wet his feet with my tears. But I shall not know any better than I know now that he is God's almighty Son and he is our Savior and Redeemer and that Salvation comes in and through his atoning blood and in no other way."

Additionally, it is my firm belief that other members of this Church, not just the  apostles and prophets, share this personal witness. I have met some members, particularly in the temple, that the spirit has whispered to me "pay attention to this Saint, they have a personal witness of Christ." Perhaps you have too.

The Lord extends this privilege to all of us. "Verily, thus saith the Lord: It shall come to pass that every soul who  forsaketh his sins and cometh unto me, and calleth on my name, and obeyeth my voice, and keepeth my commandments, shall see my face and know that I am." (D&C 93:1)

Isn't it great to know that we have some among us who can say "I know Jesus is the Christ," and say it from personal knowledge and not just by belief? It gives me an assurance that Christ is actively involved in the affairs of this Church and the affairs of our personal lives.

I don't quite understand how he is able to have personal relationships with millions, but somehow he does. 

Know that he is involved in your life. He knows you. He loves you. And wants you to be his. At times when you think you cannot possibly endure another second, know that he "will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up." (D&C 84:88)

I have a personal testimony of this in my life.

Love, Dad

General Conference - A Perspective and a Look Back

I don't know about you, but every 6 months I get excited about General Conference. To me it seems like the talks, as well as the music, are getting more and more momentous. It appears as we near the final days of this earth's existence, the church is increasing its intensity in preparing us for the Lord's return. The talks seem to be more personal for me, as I'm sure they are for you.

Over the years there have been some "hallmark" conferences in my lifetime. I remember when President Kimball made the announcement of revelation that had been received allowing all worthy male members the right to receiving the Priesthood. The building of the Jerusalem Center in the Holy Land, was another one. President Hinckley's announcement of building many more temples marked a new era of temple building. I read some news speculation recently indicating that, for the first time in the history of General Conference, women will be offering some of the prayers.

The history of our Church's General Conferences go back to June 9, 1830, shortly after the April 6, 1830 organization of the Church, Joseph Smith, by revelation, called the first General Conference. Only 27 members were present. Now millions participate throughout the world.

Conferences continued as early members moved from New York to Ohio, Missouri and Illinois. One 1833 meeting was held on the Big Blue River ferry boat in Missouri, for example, and the geographically scattered members continued to meet in various locations until most settled in Nauvoo, Illinois. Then in 1840, conferences began the semiannual schedule. The first conference meeting outside the United States was also held in Great Britain that year.

The western exodus of the Church, which began in February 1846, meant no general conference. The meetings resumed along the trail in Iowa and Nebraska and then began in Salt Lake City in 1848.

Meeting facilities were limited in the newly settled Salt Lake Valley; the first conference was convened in a bowery. The industrious settlers built an adobe tabernacle as a meeting place and then began construction of the world-famed Tabernacle that sits on Temple Square today. The first general conference meeting there was conducted in 1867. Conferences continued in the Tabernacle until 2000, with occasional 19th-century exceptions when gatherings were held in other Utah cities: Provo, St. George, Logan and Coalville.

A nationwide 1919 flu epidemic postponed conference from April to June of that year; another flu scare forced the cancellation of the October 1957 meetings. During World War II, general conference was confined to Church leaders only as wartime travel restrictions impacted members. The Tabernacle was actually closed during this time frame; the leadership meetings were held in the Assembly Hall, also on Temple Square.

Wider access to general conference commenced with a radio broadcast in 1923 and a television transmission in 1949. Conference sessions were viewed beyond the Intermountain region beginning in 1953, while satellite broadcasts began in 1975 and Internet availability started in 1999. Conference messages were first translated into different languages in 1962.

Members across the earth gather in conference sessions to hear doctrinal messages from Church leaders, to demonstrate support of those leaders, and to hear pronouncements of change in Church programs and policies or news of the Church, such as locations for newly constructed temples. The music of the famed Mormon Tabernacle Choir punctuates the sessions.

Some of the significant pronouncements that occurred during conference meetings include the 1973 creation of the Welfare Services Department, the unit of the Church that oversees all the worldwide humanitarian efforts of the faith. In 1975 the First Quorum of the Seventy was organized, the Second Quorum in 1989 and the Third, Fourth and Fifth Quorums in 1997, all providing greater localized leadership for the growing worldwide Church population. Also in response to the geographic expansion of the Church, then President Gordon B. Hinckley announced in 1997 the construction of smaller temples in more remote areas of the Church. A program to provide educational loans for worthy members in developing countries, the Perpetual Education Fund, was introduced in the April 2001 conference.

As we sit and listen to Conference this weekend, let us be ready to receive the personal messages that the Lord will deliver through his servants to us. There will be answers to prayers and personal revelation received, as well as what the Lord would have us know right now.

I love you all for the standards you are living, and the counsel you so willingly receive. Listen, and the Lord will speak to you this weekend.

Love, Dad