President Nelson has called upon the women of the Church
to assist in the gathering of Heavenly Father's children
on both sides of the veil to Christ in preparation
for His glorious Second Coming.
Every priesthood key, every covenant
with its associated priesthood power,
every spiritual gift, especially the companionship
of the Holy Ghost, and every revelation
has prepared and will yet prepare every needful thing
for this last hour of work in the Lord's vineyard.
How do we in a time of disruption, change,
and challenge gather all safely in Christ?
We know the answer Jesus gave to the lawyer who
asked Him to name the greatest commandment.
"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart,
and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
This is the first and great commandment.
And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt
love thy neighbor as thyself."
If all the law and the prophets hang on these two commandments,
certainly the gathering of scattered Israel does as well.
"Come, follow me" is the Savior's invitation
to walk His covenant path.
The first effort in gathering all safely in Christ
is to bring ourselves to Him.
As we draw near to Him in trust and obedience,
we learn to love Him.
We love Him when we have enough faith
to make sacred covenants with Him.
Our love for Him grows as we faithfully
make every effort to keep those covenants.
Though we do not fully comprehend
how the miracle takes place, we realize
that we can only be made clean and whole through His mercy,
His grace, and His charity.
We recognize with sublime gratitude
that He binds up our broken hearts
and frees us from all things that held us captive.
Neither pain, abuse, intolerance, loss, sin,
sickness, disappointment, affliction, temptation,
or death are beyond His reach.
Our increasing faith and hope in Him casts out our fear,
and we are enabled by His power to have a disposition
to do good continually.
These uncertain times have taxed our souls.
We are separated from others, unable to show the same close
affection and care to grandchildren, elderly parents,
the ill, friends, or neighbors.
We face economic difficulties.
Our social sacrifices mean that we have experienced
losses we can't mourn in traditional ways,
and births and milestones we can't
celebrate as we would like.
We have taken on even more responsibilities which
have stretched us to the extremes of our elasticity,
but not to the end of our faith.
I believe the Lord sees our cares
and will give us strength as we climb this 2020 version
of a pioneer rocky ridge.
If there are blessings from this pandemic--and I believe there
are many blessings that come because, as Paul promised,
"all things work together for the good of them that love
the Lord."
Has home become a holy place, as we gratefully worship there?
Has renewing our covenants become
a more sacred and meaningful experience?
Do we pray more frequently and deliberately?
Are we learning what is eternally important for us
and our loved ones, and beginning to make adjustments
in our habits?
Has our testimony of His latter-day marvelous work
and a wonder been lighted or reignited
by general conference?
Are we turning to God more because the things that
were displacing Him in our lives have lost their allure?
Are we looking forward with great anticipation to gathering
with each other again?
Have we committed to enjoy temple blessings
more when the temples are open?
I join with many of you in bearing testimony
that blessings have come in this season of trial and testing,
blessings that are preparing us for a more consecrated effort
to gather all in Christ.
Just as relevant is the blessing of receiving the Holy Ghost
with new purpose and renewed gratitude.
The gift of the Holy Ghost is one of the great necessities
in the continuing Restoration of all things, for the Church
and for each of us.
The Holy Ghost is a revelator, a comforter, guide,
and He is a purifier.
The power of the Holy Ghost leads us to understand and live
the gospel.
The Holy Ghost tutors us in how to hear and love the Savior
and to become like Him.
The Holy Ghost also teaches us even in these restricted times
how to love our brothers and sisters, our neighbors, people
we have never met, and even those
who may be antagonistic to us because we love the Lord first.
When we are fully obedient to the first commandment,
we cannot help but obey the second.
President Eyring taught that when
we feel the influence of the Holy Ghost,
we also feel our natures are being
changed because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
Quote, "[The pure love of Christ] is a gift we are
promised when the Atonement of Jesus Christ has worked in us.
. . .
And when we feel our desire for people
is moving toward being in line with His, that
is one of the ways that we can know that we
are being purified," end quote.
This process makes it possible for us
to engage in the work of the gathering
with all the power and great glory promised the covenant
people of the lamb.
Joseph Smith taught, "A man filled with the love of God,
is not content with blessing his family alone,
but ranges through the whole world,
anxious to bless the whole human race."
Through the gift of Christ's love and His power,
and as He labors with us through the companionship
of the Holy Ghost, we can follow the Savior's example
in gathering others to Him.
He was patient and forgiving with those who struggled.
He welcomed those outside the acceptable social groups
of that day.
He listened to honest, seeking questions
and taught saving doctrine with kindness.
He had compassion for those who suffered.
He reproved with loving gentleness.
He gathered the people in the Americas
to Him as He allowed them to feel
the prints of the nails in His hands and His feet one by one.
We gather people to Christ when we have His image
in our countenances, when their faith in Him
can take root and grow because they feel His love, mercy,
and compassion through us.
As He explained to Peter, "When thou art converted,
strengthen thy brethren."
While doing research in Nigeria, I visited a destitute home.
I didn't speak their language, but the struggles
of poverty and illness were written in the lines
on the parents' faces.
My colleagues said they had last eaten the day before our visit.
The father sent a child on an errand.
He returned to offer me a warm bottle of Fanta soda
on a rusty tray.
How could I possibly drink it in front of that hungry family?
The father turned away my protest,
saying it was his tribal duty to provide refreshment
for a guest, and begged me not to diminish his self-worth
and identity by refusing his gift.
I took a sip, and then with his permission
gave the rest to the children, and I sobbed quietly
during the rest of the visit.
As we left the home, my beloved colleague told me
the mother had said, "I never believed a white woman
would visit my house.
I also never believed a white woman would cry for me.
If a white woman can cry for a black woman,
maybe there is some hope in the world."
Now, I know that I'm not the best example of a Christlike
countenance, and I also know that crying is not enough
if I am going to keep my baptismal promise to bear
one another's burdens and mourn with those who mourn.
But she was right.
Crying for each other is a beginning.
We know that Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden of Eden
into the lone and dreary world.
When I was young, it seemed that artists
painted Adam and Eve being cast out to northern Arizona.
I love my Arizona home, and wondered
why it was portrayed as the lone and dreary world.
I had a great revelation when I saw a painting
by Minerva Teichert.
Her inspired artistry showed the lone and dreary world
for what it really is.
It is not a geographic location at all.
It is the proud and selfish condition of people's hearts.
The lone and dreary world exists wherever
the two great commandments have no influence on the hearts
and minds of people.
Christ calls us with love out of the lone and dreary world.
He asks us to work with Him to gather others out
of the lone and dreary world this one last time.
Let us come to Him, love Him, and labor
for Him with heart, mind, and strength.
May we receive the Holy Ghost who testifies of Christ
and who will show us how to bring the Father's ransom
children home as Christ does with love and tenderness.
In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.