Mormon Messages: "Waiting on Our Road to Damascus"

The scriptures tell the story of Saul, later Paul, who experienced a dramatic transformative event while traveling on the road to Damascus, when the Savior spoke to him. (Acts 9.) Speaking of this event in his April 2011 General Conference address, "Waiting on the Road to Damascus," Dieter F. Uchtdorf explained:

There are many others who, for different reasons, find themselves waiting on the road to Damascus. They delay becoming fully engaged as disciples. They hope to receive the priesthood but hesitate to live worthy of that privilege. They desire to enter the temple but delay the final act of faith to qualify. They remain waiting for the Christ to be given to them like a magnificent Carl Bloch painting—to remove once and for all their doubts and fears. 

The truth is, those who diligently seek to learn of Christ eventually will come to know Him. They will personally receive a divine portrait of the Master, although it most often comes in the form of a puzzle—one piece at a time. Each individual piece may not be easily recognizable by itself; it may not be clear how it relates to the whole. Each piece helps us to see the big picture a little more clearly. Eventually, after enough pieces have been put together, we recognize the grand beauty of it all. Then, looking back on our experience, we see that the Savior had indeed come to be with us—not all at once but quietly, gently, almost unnoticed.

Elder Uchtdorf concludes his address with an invitation:

Do not doubt. Remember, “Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.” (John 20:29.) God loves you. He hears your prayers. He speaks to His children and offers comfort, peace, and understanding to those who seek Him and honor Him by walking in His way. I bear my sacred witness that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is on course. We have a living prophet. This Church is led by Him whose name we bear, even the Savior Jesus Christ. 

Brothers and sisters, dear friends, let us not wait too long on our road to Damascus. Instead, let us courageously move forward in faith, hope, and charity, and we will be blessed with the light we are all seeking upon the path of true discipleship.

The Church recently produced a Mormon Messages video with excerpts from Elder Uchtdorf's address and interviews of two members who describe their own personal conversion experiences. That video is immediately below, followed by the full video of Elder Uchtdorf's address. Enjoy.

Elliot's April 2 email

Here's the latest email from Elliot.

Hi!

General Conference weekend was sweet, huh? Two of the talks I particularly like were Elder Andersen's and President Uchtdorf's. [The first two pictures to the right are from Elder Andersen's talk. The third is from Elder Uchtdorf's talk. Both talks can be viewed below, after the jump.] I really like the questions asked by Elder Andersen: Does my life reflect my love for the Savior? and What does Christ think of me? Those are definitely points to ponder about. I hope that He thinks of me well and accepts my service I give Him. But I also hope that through Him my capacity to love and work will continue to expand so that I can be a better instrument in His hands to help others.

I'm doing good here in L-Town. I'm really excited about the progress "Jane" and "Joan" are making. "Jane" is not for sure when she wants to be baptized just yet, but she did say she wants it to be this month. She also asked me to baptize her which will be a sweet experience for me. Her testimony is really developing and it's been fun to teach her. And "Joan" is doing well too. We taught her the Plan of Salvation this past week and it really brought her a lot of hope. She's out of town this week but is set for her date to get baptized on the 10th of May.

It started getting hot this past week though. This will be another super hot summer I'm sure. That's okay; it'll get me in shape to go running and biking with you after the mission.

I'll be registering for classes tomorrow! I'm going to sign up for a couple of science classes as well as probably calculus so that I can keep my options open. It's crazy how suddenly this is all coming up. It's funny too when people ask how much time I have left. I tell them, "About four months" and they say something like, "Oh wow, you don't have much time left." Then they ask Elder Grover, and he says, "About three months." It's pretty wild. Just this past Saturday I started my D&C challenge. I'm reading a section of the Doctrine and Covenants everyday until I finish my mission. I'm reading it from back to front. So today I read Section 136, also meaning I have that many days left.

Thanks for all the support! Good luck with starting the new firm dad. I know that's exciting and I hope it brings a lot of success. And I can't think of anything in particular that I need sent out, mom. But I always appreciate the packages and the gift cards!

I love y'all mucho!

Elder Elliot

Mormon Messages for Youth: "Same Jersey"

As priesthood bearers, we must realize that all of God’s children wear the same jersey. Our team is the brotherhood of man. This mortal life is our playing field. Our goal is to learn to love God and to extend that same love toward our fellowman. We are here to live according to His law and establish the kingdom of God. We are here to build, uplift, treat fairly, and encourage all of Heavenly Father’s children.  (Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "Pride and the Priesthood," Ensign, November 2010.)

When Elder Uchtdorf spoke at the October 2010 General Conference, he likely had never heard of Brandon McEuen, starting quarterback for the Safford High School Bulldogs, or Teren Bingham, starting quarterback for the Thatcher High School Eagles.  But it's hard to imagine a better real-life example of the message Elder Uchtdorf sought to convey.  The video (below) tells a wonderful missionary story of Brandon and Teren, opponents on the field but teammates in the priesthood.  You can also read about them in the Church News.

(Brandon and Teren don't excel only in football.  Brandon was selected as Gila Valley basketball player of the year, and Teren was on the honorable mention team.)