Good afternoon, dear brothers and sisters.
How blessed we have been during this conference.
This first year as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve
Apostles has been most humbling.
It has been a year of stretching, growth,
and earnest, ever-present petitions
to my Father in Heaven.
I have felt the sustaining prayers
of family, friends, and Church members around the globe.
Thank you for your thoughts and prayers.
I have also had the privilege of meeting
with cherished friends, some from years past and many
I have met recently.
It was after a meeting with a dear friend
I have known and loved for many years
that I felt impressed to prepare my remarks today.
When we met, my friend confided that he had been struggling.
He felt he was experiencing, to use
his words, a "crisis of faith" and sought my counsel.
I felt grateful that he would share his feelings and concerns
with me.
He expressed a great longing for what
he had once felt spiritually and what he now
thought he was losing.
As he spoke, I listened carefully
and prayed earnestly to know what
the Lord would have me say.
My friend, like perhaps some of you,
asked the question so poignantly phrased in the Primary song:
"Heavenly Father, are you really there?"
For those of you who may be asking this same question,
I would like to share with you the counsel I would offer
to my friend and hope that each of you
may find your faith strengthened and your resolve renewed
to be a committed disciple of Jesus Christ.
I begin by reminding you that you
are a son or daughter of a loving Father in Heaven
and that His love remains constant.
I know that such reassuring feelings of love
are difficult to recall when you are
in the midst of personal struggles
or trials, disappointments, or broken dreams.
Jesus Christ knows about fierce struggles and trials.
He gave His life for us.
His final hours were brutal, beyond anything
we can even comprehend, but His sacrifice for each one of us
was the ultimate expression of His pure love.
No mistake, sin, or choice will change God's love for us.
That does not mean sinful conduct is condoned,
nor does it remove our obligation
to repent when sins are committed.
Do not forget, Heavenly Father knows and loves each of you,
and He is always ready to help.
As I pondered my friend's situation,
my mind reflected on the great wisdom found in the Book
of Mormon: "And now, my sons, remember,
remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer,
who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build
your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his
mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea,
when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you,
it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf
of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which
ye are built, which is a sure foundation,
a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall."
I testify that "the gulf of misery and endless wo"
is a place no one wants to be.
My friend was feeling on the edge.
When I have counseled individuals such as my friend,
I have explored their decisions made
over the years which led them to forget sacred experiences,
to weaken, and to doubt.
I encouraged them, as I encourage you now
to recall, especially in times of crisis,
when you felt the Spirit and your testimony was strong;
remember the spiritual foundations you have built.
I promise that if you will do this,
avoiding things that do not build and strengthen
your testimony or that mock your beliefs, those precious times
when your testimony prospered will return again
to your memory through humble prayer and fasting.
I assure you that you will once again
feel the safety and warmth of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Each of us must first strengthen ourselves spiritually and then
strengthen those around us.
Ponder the scriptures regularly, and remember
the thoughts and feelings you experience as you read them.
Seek other sources of truth as well, but heed
this caution from the scriptures: "But to be learned
is good if they hearken unto the counsels of God."
Attend Church meetings, especially sacrament meeting,
and partake of the sacrament and renew covenants,
including the promise to always remember the Savior,
that His Spirit may ever be with you.
No matter what mistakes we have made
or how imperfect we feel we are, we can always bless and lift
others.
Reaching out to them in Christlike service
can help us feel the love of God deep within our hearts.
It is important to remember the powerful counsel found
in Deuteronomy: "Keep thy soul diligently,
lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen,
and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life:
but teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons."
Generations are affected by the choices we make.
Share your testimony with your family;
encourage them to remember how they felt when they recognized
the Spirit in their lives and to record those feelings
in journals and personal histories
so that their own words may, when needed,
bring to their remembrance how good the Lord has been to them.
You will recall, Nephi and his brothers
returned to Jerusalem to obtain the brass plates that
contained the recorded history of their people, in part
so that they would not forget their past.
Also, in the Book of Mormon, Helaman
named his sons after their "first fathers"
so they would not forget the goodness of the Lord:
"Behold, my sons, I desire that ye
should remember to keep the commandments of God.
. . .
Behold, I have given unto you the names
of our first parents who came out of the land of Jerusalem;
and this I have done that when you remember your names
ye may remember them; and when ye remember them ye
may remember their works; and when ye remember their works ye
may know how that it is said, and also written,
that they were good.
"Therefore, my sons, I would that ye
should do that which is good, that it may be said of you,
and also written, even as it has been said and written of them."
Many today have the same tradition
of naming their children after scriptural heroes
or faithful ancestors as a way of encouraging them
to not forget their heritage.
When I was born, I was given the name of Ronald A. Rasband.
My last name honors my father's ancestral line.
The middle initial A was given to me
to remind me to honor my mother's Danish Anderson
ancestry.
My great-great-grandfather Jens Anderson was from Denmark.
In 1861 the Lord led two Mormon missionaries
to the Jens and Ane Cathrine Anderson home,
where they introduced them and their 16-year-old son, Andrew,
to the restored gospel.
Thus began a legacy of faith of which my family and I
are the beneficiaries.
The Andersons read the Book of Mormon
and were baptized a short time later.
The following year, the Anderson family
heeded the call of a prophet to cross the Atlantic to join
the Saints in North America.
Sadly, Jens died on the ocean voyage,
but his wife and son continued to the Salt Lake Valley,
arriving on September 3, 1862.
Despite hardships and heartaches,
their faith never wavered, and neither has the faith
of many of their descendants.
In my office hangs a painting by Arnold Friberg.
The scene, captured so beautifully,
is a symbolic reminder to me of that first meeting
between my ancestors and those dedicated early missionaries.
I am determined to not forget my heritage,
and because of my name, I will forever
remember their legacy of faithfulness and sacrifice.
Never forget, question, or ignore
personal, sacred experiences.
The adversary's design is to distract us
from spiritual witnesses while the Lord's desire is
to enlighten and engage us in His work.
Let me share a personal example of this truth.
I distinctly recall a time when I received a prompting
in answer to mighty prayer.
The answer was clear and powerful.
However, I failed to act immediately on the prompting,
and after a period of time I began
to wonder if what I had felt had been real.
Some of you may have fallen for that deception of the adversary
as well.
Several days later, I awoke with this powerful verse
of scripture in my mind:
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, if you desire
a further witness, cast your mind upon the night
that you cried unto me in your heart.
. . .
"Did I not speak peace to your mind concerning the matter?
What greater witness can you have than from God?"
It was as if the Lord was saying, "Now, Ronald, I already
told you what you needed to do.
Now do it!"
How grateful I was for that loving correction
and direction!
I was immediately comforted by the prompting
and was able to move forward, knowing in my heart
that my prayer had been answered.
I share this--dear brothers and sisters--this close,
personal experience to demonstrate how quickly
our minds can forget and how spiritual experiences guide us.
I have learned to cherish such moments "lest I forget."
To my friend, and to all who wish to bolster their faith,
I give you this promise: as you faithfully
live the gospel of Jesus Christ and abide by its teachings,
your testimony will be protected and it will grow.
Keep the covenants you have made,
regardless of the actions of those around you.
Be diligent parents, brothers and sisters, grandparents,
aunts, uncles, and friends who strengthen loved ones
with personal testimony and who share spiritual experiences.
Remain faithful and steadfast, even if storms of doubt
invade your lives through the actions of others.
Seek that which will edify and fortify you spiritually.
Avoid counterfeit offerings of so-called "truths"
which are so pervasive, and remember
to record your feelings of "love, joy, peace,
longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
meekness, [and] temperance."
In the midst of life's greatest storms,
do not forget your divine heritage
as a son or daughter of God or your eternal destiny
to one day return to live with Him,
which will surpass anything the world has to offer.
Remember the tender and sweet words of Alma:
"Behold, I say unto you, my brethren, if ye have
experienced a change of heart, and if ye have felt
to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask,
can ye feel so now?"
To all who feel the need to have their faith fortified,
I plead with you: do not forget!
Please, do not forget.
I bear witness that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God.
I know he saw and talked with God the Father
and His Son, Jesus Christ, just as he
recorded in his own words.
How grateful I am that he did not
forget to write of that experience,
that we may all know of his testimony.
I bear my solemn witness of the Lord Jesus Christ.
He lives; I know He lives and stands
at the head of this Church.
These things I know for myself, independent of any other voice
or witness, and I pray that you and I will never forget sacred
eternal truths--first and foremost,
that we are sons and daughters of living and loving Heavenly
Parents, who desire only our eternal happiness.
Of these truths I testify in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.