Tag: Book of Mormon

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Mission

Marseille – my home 50 years ago!!

16 August 2024 by Catherine Frodsham

This might sound strange to some of you who know me so well. But when I was 15 years old, I was a rebellious, rotten teenager. I had some bad friends and an older brother, Mike, who had some bad friends. We hung out together. My Aunt Donna and Uncle Wes Peterson decided to go on a sabbatical from their teaching jobs for 7 months. They had a son named Jon Peterson who I loved as a brother. We were pretty close. So, they took both of us on this sabbatical to Europe. We lived in Marseille, France. a rather large port city on the Mediterranean Sea. It was beautiful. We lived at 161 Bis Boulevard Boisson, Marseille France. I still remember that address.

I am not sure if that was a punishment for me to send me to Europe?? I wish I could have offered that punishment to all my kids when they were in their teens. It saved me. I grew close to my sweet Aunt and Uncle and my cousin Jon. Jon and I read the Book of Mormon together and we learned to love that book, and our testimonies grew at that time in our lives. The missionaries would come over and teach Jon and I missionary door approaches. “Bonjour Madame est Monsieur, Mais ami et moi nous sommes American. Nous sommes des missionaires des l’Eglise de Jesus Christ des Dernier Jour. Est qu’on vous en parler pour quelque minute? Jon could go out proselyting with them, but I couldn’t. We had a 6-month Eurail pass to go anywhere in Europe. We visited, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Sweden, Brussels, Austria. What a blast! We went to many museums and Jon, and I needed to write reports and take pictures of what we saw to turn in for school credit when we got home. It was an amazing experience. I saw beggars, gypsies, all types of people and learned to see them through different eyes than I had before. I had never seen homeless people in the US but there were many homeless people wherever we would go.

Here is what I learned 50 years ago. God loves all His children. It matters what we do in our life. I am grateful for my family. Lessons learned so long ago still apply.

When Tim and I were called to Lyon France Mission it was like Heavenly Father knew what this country meant to a girl who turned 16 years old the day we landed in Europe. I remember the night my aunt and uncle and cousin and I were on the train leaving to go back to the states, Jon and I leaned out the train window and yelled, “We love you Marseille!! We will be back!!” I never thought it would only be me to go back to Marseille, 50 years later. My cousin, Jon died last year so this trip was bittersweet. I felt Jon with me on my visit to 161 Bis Boulevard Boisson. I even smiled because He and I were happy there.

It is hard to believe this apartment building looks so good after 50 years. But it is still there, and I remember being on the 3rd floor.

Good memories. I miss my Aunt Donna and my sweet Uncle Wes who was more of a dad to me. I also miss my bro – Jon.

Lessons learned as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in the Lyon France Mission:

God loves all of His children. He knows us each by our name. If we trust Him and let Him, He will bring us home to live with Him and His son Jesus Christ. Repentance is for all. What a blessing that is to know we can be forgiven. The temples bind families together forever. We can receive revelation in the temple. I am grateful to be wearing the name of Jesus Christ on my missionary tag every day. We must all endure to the end which is so hard sometimes when things seem unjust or bad decisions from others cause us or our loved one’s pain and sorrow. We must still turn the other cheek. That is hard for me at times, especially when it comes to my children or grandchildren. I am still being refined. I am still “BECOMING”.

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Mission

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Tim Frodsham: 17 July 24

When reading the Book of Mormon, I try to do so with a theme in mind. Several times, I have read the Book of Mormon from the perspective that the events leading up to the first coming of our Savior are a sign and a type of the events that lead up to His second. There are times I read it for history, other times, I am looking for doctrine. On one reading, I read the Book of Mormon from a missionary perspective. This reading, I am reading with President Nelson’s statement from the October, 2022 conference in mind.

“So many wonderful things are ahead. In coming days, we will see the greatest manifestations of the Savior’s power that the world has ever seen. Between now and the time He returns “with power and great glory,” He will bestow countless privileges, blessings, and miracles upon the faithful.”

That is a powerful statement. One can apply this citation to not only the Book of Mormon, but to all scripture. Any miracle, any manifestation we read about in the scriptures will be manifest and more in these latter days. Here are but a few examples:

1 Nephi 4, Laban is delivered into Nephi’s hands.

1 Nephi 16, Lehi and his family are guided by the Liahona.

1 Nephi 17, Nephi is instructed on how to build a ship

1 Nephi 18, Nephi miraculously calms a storm

2 Nephi prophesies of the last days

Jacob 7, Sharem demands a sign and is smitten

Mosiah 18, the people of Alma flee from king Noah. Even their children and pregnant women out pace the soldiers of Noah.

Mosiah 24, The people of Alma are persecuted but their burdens are made light, then they miraculously escape from their Lamanite persecutors. This is one of my favorites.

Alma 14, The people of Ammonihah reject Alma and Amulek and then destroy the believers in front of them. The prison walls tumble to the earth and their persecutors are slain.

Alma 15, Alma heals Zeezrom, a lawyer who was astounded and converted by the teachings of Alma and Amulek.

Alma 17, Ammon slays the enemies of the king at the waters of Sebus.

Alma 18, Lamoni, a king of the Lamanites is miraculously converted

Alma 24, The conversations of Lamanites when the Ammonites willingly laid down their lives

Alma 30, Korihor, an anti-Christ challenges Alma for a sign. He is struck dumb and eventually trodden down by the Zoramites

Alma 31, Missionaries are filled with the spirit and go their separate ways to preach the gospel

Alma 56, the Sons of Helaman fight with miraculous power

Helaman 5, Nephi and Lehi are preaching to the Lamanites and are cast into prison. Clouds of darkness overshadow the prison, the prison shakes and Nephi and Lehi converse with angels. There were 300 Lamanite witnesses.

Helaman 11, Nephi calls a famine down on the land, Nephi and Lehi receive many revelations

Helaman 16, Samuel the Lamanite prophesies and cannot be slain

3 Nephi 1, the signs of the Savior’s birth

One of my favorite stories is about the prophet Nephi who led the righteous saints just before the death, resurrection and appearance of the Lord. I marvel that his ministry to the saints preceding the coming of the Lord in the meridian of time, will be surpassed in our day. It is worth including passages concerning his ministry.

3 Nephi 7:17 And he did minister many things unto them; and all of them cannot be written, and a part of them would not suffice, therefore they are not written in this book. And Nephi did minister with power and with great authority.

18 And it came to pass that they were angry with him, even because he had greater power than they, for it were not possible that they could disbelieve his words, for so great was his faith on the Lord Jesus Christ that angels did minister unto him daily.

19 And in the name of Jesus did he cast out devils and unclean spirits; and even his brother did he raise from the dead, after he had been stoned and suffered death by the people.

20 And the people saw it, and did witness of it, and were angry with him because of his power; and he did also do many more miracles, in the sight of the people, in the name of Jesus.

The power the adversary wields in our world today is seemingly unbearable and insurmountable. We fear for our children and the whirlwind of lies, subterfuge and deceit that envelop them. Without hope and faith in His plan, it all seems hopeless. The Book of Mormon is replete with miracles that will be duplicated and surpassed in our day. It is not a coincidence that the bulk of the Book of Mormon, from Mosiah to 3rd Nephi, is dedicated to the years before His first coming. They are a mirror of our days. The miracles of those days will be made manifest and more in the dispensation of the restitution of all things and I have mentioned only a few of the events that transpired among the righteous who lived in the time preceding his first coming. We need always remember that the Lord is aware and in charge. He is wielding His power with finesse and authority far beyond our feeble understanding. We, in our day and our time, will witness and be surrounded by many of these miracles. We will see them individually as well as collectively as our Lord works tirelessly though us to gather the remnants of his flock before the whirlwind of his judgment.

6 And now, I, Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning these things; I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith.

12 For if there be no faith among the children of men God can do no miracle among them; wherefore, he showed not himself until after their faith. (Ether 12:6,12)

Yes, the Lord promises to try our faith and he will not manifest His power to those who have no faith. But as with the faithful people of Alma, surrounded by trial and persecution, they were also surrounded by miracles. The power of God has and always will surpass in glory and light anything from the adversary.

That is why we are serving a mission. We are here because of a faith that the Lord will magnify our feeble efforts to bring about His will, and add to the uncountable miracles transpiring in these last days. We have faith that the blessings poured out on our families will far outweigh our absence. We testify of this work. The Lord is pouring miracles, small and mighty upon his people and all those seeking righteousness in the time before He returns.

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Mission

Caen, Normandy

We had the occasion to assist with a self-reliance devotional in Caen, France. The self reliance devotionals are a ward or stake wide event, where members and non-members alike are invited to hear about the churches self-reliance groups and sign up for a group appropriate to their needs.

Sister Frodsham with Gisele, a good friend taking our EnglishConnect class

We worked with the Snyders, the WSR (Welfare, Self-Reliance) missionaries who live in Paris. They also spend several days a week staffing the Paris family history center.

Frodshams and Snyders at the family history center

Caen was a major objective in the WWII invasion of Europe, Operation Overlord. Since we were already in Normandy, we took the opportunity to spend several days exploring the places of such bloodshed and heroism almost 80 years ago.

The Museum at Utah Beach

We stayed at a little bed and breakfast in Saint Clair sur l’Elle, and on an early morning walk, I went to the town square and was fascinated by a WWI statue dominating the square. It had been vandalized, arms broken off, the rifle broken, and I wondered at it’s history. An old gentlemen (and by old, I mean about my age) walked up to me to chat, and I asked him about the statue. It was built after WW1 to commemorate the soldiers who had given their life in the war from that small town. When the Germans occupied the town, they vandalized the statue, braking off anything they could without actually bringing in a truck or other vehicle to pull the statue down. The statue remains in the square as a symbol of defiance and freedom.

WWI statue in the town square of Saint Clair sur l’Elle
Our Bed and Breakfast in Saint Clair sur l’Elle

Sainte-Mère-Église, attacked by parachutists of the 82nd and 101st airborne divisions, was one of the first towns liberated during the invasion. A replica of parachutist John Steele hangs from the spire of the local cathedral. Parachutists overshot their landing zone and dropped directly in the town.

Saint Mere Eglise

In the church of Angoville-au-Plain, two medics Robert Wright and Ken Moore, treated civilians as well as American and German soldiers alike, When the town was briefly retaken by the Germans, the medics declined to leave. German soldiers honored request of the two medics and left their rifles at the door. During the conflict, a mortar pierced the ceiling, but did not explode. during a later restoration, the local members of the parish decided to preserve the blood stains on the benches.

The Church at Angoville au Plain
Robert Wright grave marker, Angoville Au Plain

The cliffs at Pointe du Hoc were scaled by the 2nd ranger battalion, who suffered a 70% casualty rate in finding and destroying guns overlooking Omaha and Utah beaches. Had these guns been brought into operation, casualties would have been much higher for the allied landing.

At Pointe du Hoc, the bomb craters from the aerial and naval bombardment proceeding the landings are still visible.

On Utah Beach where general Roosevelt stormed the beach with his men. Strong currents swept them from their landing spot. “Well start the war right here. As with the battles throughout Normandy, it was the bravery of a few men who turned the tide of the battle. Utah beach had far less casualties because of the accuracy and precision of aerial and naval bombing of the shore batteries moments before the landing.

It is in some ways reassuring to see people playing and enjoying where so much devastation and hardship in the name of freedom had occurred 80 years earlier

German batteries near Longues-sur-Mer fired at allied forces on D-Day, but were damaged by allied naval bombardment. They were captured the next day and played no further part in the war. They are one of the only remaining intact gun batteries along the Normandy coast, and a testament to the forces to be overcome by the allied soldiers.

German Batteries at Longue sur mere

For me, the most poignant was the cemetery at Omaha Beach and the beaches themselves. now a playground with horse trotting and skim boarding. There is still a spirit of the thousands of men to struggled here, many of them giving their last full measure of devotion. The American cemetery a testament of the sacrifice of so many young men.

The German cemetery near Omaha is a testament as well to young men who were following their leaders. The feeling at the German cemetery is much different than that of the American, a feeling of hopelessness and loss. In both, the spirit of brave men who gave their lives for their country.

Through out the Normandy battle sites and museums, the horrors of war were apparent. The evil intentions of a very few lead astray whole populations, something king Benjamin and King Mosiah warned about in the book of Mormon

Mosiah 2:18,19 Behold, ye have called me your king; and if I, whom ye call your king, do labor to serve you, then ought not ye to labor to serve one another? And behold also, if I, whom ye call your king, who has spent his days in your service, and yet has been in the service of God, do merit any thanks from you, O how you ought to thank your heavenly King!

Mosiah 29:16,17 Now I say unto you, that because all men are not just it is not expedient that ye should have a king or kings to rule over you. For behold, how much iniquity doth one wicked king cause to be committed, yea, and what great destruction!

We may not call them kings today, but many act as such, bringing whole nations to sin and unbelief. Events in the Book of Mormon tell us of the wickedness and suffering that can be caused by one individual or a handful of people. Unfortunately, people today are looking to a leader to change the nation, leaders who will right all the wrongs in our countries. What will permanently heal our nations will come from the bottom up. It was apparent as we toured the battle sites of Normandy that is was a few who turned the tide of war. A few who let to victory operations that were doomed to defeat. The future will be shaped by fathers and mothers, teachers and leaders changing our world one family at a time, which is why we are here serving a mission.

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Mission

Self Reliance

When we were filling out our mission papers, Catherine listed her extensive experience in introducing the church’s self-reliance program. She helped establish a pilot program in her ward and stake as a Stake Relief Society President as well as the stake Self-Reliance specialist. It was no small surprise that we were called as Welfare Self-Reliance (WSR) missionaries, certainly a big surprise that we were called to France.

“The aim of the self-reliance initiative is to help individuals help themselves become self-reliant. Self-reliance is more than having a good job, food storage, or money in the bank. Self-reliance is ‘the ability, commitment, and effort to provide for the spiritual and temporal necessities of life for self and family. As members become self-reliant, they are also better able to serve and care for others,’ and work is enthroned as a ruling principle in their lives” (Handbook 2: Administering the Church [2010], 6.1.1).

Over the last five months, We have been studying the self-reliance program. There are four core classes in the Self-Reliance initiative:

Personal Finances
Find a Better Job
Starting and Growing my Business
Education for Better Work

In addition to these core classes, the church offers two courses for learning English:

EnglishConnect 1 and 2

There is an EnglishConnect 3 course which is taught through BYU pathways and is to help individuals learning English prepare for entering the BYU Pathways education system.

There are four additional courses offered by the church to strengthen self and family:

Emotional Resilience
Strengthening Marriage
Strengthening Family
Addiction Recovery

Churchofjesuschrist.org

In studying these programs, I have come to better understand the meaning and purpose of Self-Reliance as taught by the church.

“Without self-reliance one cannot exercise these innate desires to serve. How can we give if there is nothing there? Food for the hungry cannot come from empty shelves. Money to assist the needy cannot come from an empty purse. Support and understanding cannot come from the emotionally starved. Teaching cannot come from the unlearned. And most important of all, spiritual guidance cannot come from the spiritually weak.” (The Celestial Nature of Self-reliance, Marion G. Romney, October 1982)

President Thomas S. Monson taught: “Let us be self-reliant and independent. Salvation can be obtained on no other principle”
(“Guiding Principles of Personal and Family Welfare,” Ensign, Sept.
1986)

“All things unto me are spiritual, and not at any time have I given unto you a law which was temporal” (D&C 29:34)

“We invite you to diligently study and apply these principles and teach them to your family members. As you do so, your life will be blessed. You will learn how to act on your path toward greater self-reliance. You will be blessed with greater hope, peace, and progress.” (The First Presidency, in the introduction of all self-reliance manuals)

As a young father, I remember talking with one of the members of our ward. He was well off, but his whole demeanor, his entire focus was on making money. He was sincere in his belief that the difference he made in God’s kingdom depended on the amount of money he had to further His work. Once he was really wealthy, he would “make a difference in the church”. He wasn’t quite there yet, but his spacious house, large boat and other earthly possessions told a different story. He entirely missed the point. If all the Lord is after is money, he knows where all the riches of the world are hidden and has but to direct his leaders to untold wealth. Self-reliance does not separate the temporal and the spiritual. They are one. Being self-reliant does not dictate we have a lot of money and need to rely on no one else.

“Self-reliance is not the end, but a means to an end. It is very possible for a person to be completely independent and lack every other desirable attribute. One may become wealthy and never have to ask anyone for anything, but unless there is some spiritual goal attached to this independence, it can canker his soul.” (The Celestial Nature of Self-reliance, Marion G. Romney, October 1982)

President Léporé of the France Lyon mission and his son holding up a list of items to be included in homeless kits
Missionaries in Nice, France writing messages of faith and hope to be included in homeless kits

Could not a homeless person, or a homeless family be self-reliant in the eyes of the Lord? Missionaries in the France Lyon mission assembled homeless kits, not as a dole, but with the goal to include messages of hope and inspiration, hand written notes to lift up heavy hearts, to distribute these kits as the spirit directs to those whom they encounter during their service.

What is the Lord’s view of someone who is self-reliant?

churchofjesuschrist.org

The widow giving her mites at the temple may have been ‘dependent’ in the world’s view, but she was one of the most self-reliant people mentioned in the New Testament. I love the image of the widow as a young woman with children, teaching her children about trust, faith, action and service. In other words, to be self-reliant.

“Self-reliance is evidence of our trust or faith in God’s power to move mountains in our lives and to give us strength to triumph over trials and afflictions.” (My Foundation, Self-reliance is a principle of salvation)

Self-reliance has little to do with our ability to make money, the extent of our possessions or even the amount of food storage in our closets. Self-reliance is doing all that we are capable to spiritually and physically prepare ourselves to care for our families, care for others and wear ourselves out in His service.

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Mission

13 January, 2023

We are settling into our mission, learning the ropes and learning to love the people around us. There are several shops that we frequent, some of them recognize us from missionaries past, some are new friends. Even with my French language background, it is Catherine that communicates the best. They feel her friendship, her love and her enthusiasm and brighten each time she enters the shop. Our favorite is a small bakery just around the corner. When we shop, we hold off our bread purchases until we pass the shop the way home. At times, Catherine goes in for a baguette while I pop up to the apartment to unload groceries. She usually follows me in with an armful of bread, quiche and a sandwich or two.

There is a Saturday market at the corner that sells all manner of fruit, vegetables, meat and fish. I used to love the Saturday’s Market in Portland, but in recent years, it has become so commercialized with tourist trinkets and the like. I have yet to find a trinket at this market.

There is always a down side no matter where one ends up, and Catherine found an Ikea. I think the picture says it all.

Catherine has discovered the joy of French cooking and French meals. She found a Raclette on sale at the local Carrefour and we have fed investigators and missionaries alike. We cannot eat in true French style, taking three hours for a meal, but we have learned to slow down and enjoy the conversation around the table as watch those hungry missionaries devour Catherine’s cooking. Don’t worry, I am in the kitchen as well. I haven’t started up bread making, the bread here is too good and so inexpensive, but I do enjoy bouncing about our tiny kitchen with Catherine.

Next week, we are off to our first in person meeting with self-reliant specialists in Clermont-Ferrand. We are meeting with our ‘boss’ first, Momo Djemai, to go over training materials we are developing, then with the Membre’s to help plan some new self-reliance classes. As I study these programs and put together presentations to help leaders and specialists understand the courses the Church has developed, I can feel the power of the spirit that went into crafting these programs. The Lord is hastening his work in the last days, preparing his saints and seeking out the watchful.

In our last zone conference, the missionaries based their theme around the people of Alma; that the Lord did not lift their burdens when they covenanted to follow Him, but He lifted their hearts and their capacity to bear up under their ever increasing burdens with faith and joy. The missionaries have been teaching a young couple in our apartment, and after the last lesson, they had to scoot to their next appointment. This couple is going through some hardships at this time that seem to have no end. I turned to Mosiah to recount to them the faith of the People of Alma and we could see the Spirit bare powerful testimony to them that in spite of, and perhaps even because of their troubles, the Lord is mindful of every detail of their lives.

The story of the People of Alma is one of my favorite passages in the Book of Mormon. As I was reading it some years ago, I realized that in these passages, the Lord had set up, by modern standards, an excellent qualitative case study about how the Lord deals with his people based on their righteousness. I even wrote an article about it, which I posted on my website.

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Mission

2 January, The New Year

We attended our first Zone Conference during the week between Christmas and New Years. The Mission President gave an opening testimony and then had the Assistants to the President and the Zone Leaders present most of the material for the day. I was impressed at how well these young leaders taught and testified with faith and power. The Elders taught about testifying and extending invitations to those investigating the church. It is important to understand that as they embrace the Gospel of Jesus Christ and His restored Church, trials and hardship will not be taken away. In fact, the adversary will exert even more effort to dissuade and disrupt our lives.

Break time at Zone Conference

They gave as an example the People of Alma and what they had to endure. The Lord did not lift their burdens, but he strengthened them so that they could not feel them (Mosiah 24:13,14). When we strive to follow Him, the adversary has no power over us (Helaman 5:12). Several years ago, I wrote an article about the People of Alma and Limhi and how the Lord interacts and helps His people based on their faith and obedience. The presentations of these stalwart missionaries reminded me again that the future of the Church is in good hands. 

Sister missionaries at the Zone Conference

President Lepore concluded the conference with a testimony about the work in Europe. He cited President Nelson in a recent address to the Europe Area. “The Church has an unparalleled future in Europe!” The wars raging around Europe are bad, but the Lord is using these events for His own purpose. People are being displaced to areas where they can hear the gospel. There are twenty missionaries called to the people of Turkey. All of them reside in Germany and extend the invitations of gospel learning online. When someone from Turkey is converted, missionaries along with appropriate leadership as prescribed by law, fly to Turkey to perform the baptisms and then return to Germany.   

Lyon from the river near our apartment

Pres. Nelson also said of the missionaries called to serve here, and I paraphrase: “You were born to do this.  Europe has an unparalleled future because of you. You have access to the power-God’s power- that will literally change the future of Europe.  As you keep your covenants with increasing precision, you are the hope of Europe, and you are the hope of Israel. You are the ‘children of the promised day’ “. Great things are happening in Europe.  Among other indicators, baptisms are up 60 % in the mission as compared to last year. Our contribution to the conference was bowls of fruit and a large batch of cinnamon rolls. 

At the Tete d’Or park

We spent New Years with several families. The faithful members here are generous to a fault and treated us to magnificent multi-course meals in their tiny apartments. At our New Year’s Eve dinner invitation, the wife got a call to go into work later that evening. She is a PA for a local hospital and was needed to assist in a multiple transplant surgery. Her married and engaged children were there, all intelligent and conversant in both French and English. 

Prettiest thing in the park

On New Years Day, we took a long walk around the city. From our apartment, it is a comfortable walk to the river, to the Tete D’Or park, the mall and several shopping areas. We are still exploring the richness of the city around us.

The new year, we will start traveling in our assigned area to train stake leadership and self-reliance specialists in the church programs. Catherine has been bringing me up to speed on these wonderful programs and the power they can bring to wards and stakes in binding their people together and extending a hand of gospel fellowship to others.

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Annals

Most Memorable Scripture

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

The full time missionaries for our church stopped by for a visit this week. They are both new to the area and are introducing themselves to each family in our church congregation. One of the missionaries is waiting for his visa to France, where he was originally called to serve. We chatted for a few minutes in French, and he has done surprisingly well in learning the language, and in keeping it for the months he has been assigned to Portland, Oregon, a bastion of “Le monde francophone”.

As part of their visit, they asked me about my most influential scripture in the Book of Mormon. That of course changes for me depending on need and circumstance: King Benjamin, stories of the 2000 stripling warriors, the conversion of Alma the Younger, the Christ visiting the Nephites; and numerous other accounts in the Book of Mormon vie for my favorite. For the last few months, I have been contemplating the story of the Ammonites, or the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi who laid down their swords in advance of their fellow Lamanites bent on their utter destruction. They were cut down in the very act of supplicating the God who created them, and from Whom they were granted forgiveness and peace. They had no idea that their sacrifice would inspire thousands of their brethren to lay down their swords, and that their story would reverberate through the ages.

Whether scriptural, historical or personal accounts, we have all been touched by such stories. I am sure that the surviving members of the Willie and Martin hand cart companies were wondering why the Lord would require such sacrifice of them and were not thinking of the hundreds of thousands who would retrace their steps and emulate their faithfulness in the decades and centuries to come. The personal suffering and examples set during my wife’s passing have and continue to inspire her descendants, her relations and numerous friends and acquaintances.

In the years to come, we will face unprecedented persecution and hardship. The years leading up to His first coming as described in the Book of Mormon are but a type of the events that precede His second. The Lord, in His perfect wisdom and power, will transform each of the tragedies we suffer in His name to triumph. Not all however, will be suffering. As described in Alma 50, “But behold, there never was a happier time among the people of Nephi, since the days of Nephi, than in the days of Moroni”. This was the same Moroni who organized the people in a prolonged war for their very existence.

World events now transpiring will test the hearts and strength of even the very elect. The joy we feel personally depends solely on how we rejoice in Christ.