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A foyer display focusing on strengthening faith in Jesus Christ by reading The Book of Mormon.© 2024 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.As part of the Pacific Area Presidency’s focus for 2024, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are attending worship services each Sunday, followed by a scripture study class discussing what they have learned the previous week in studying The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ.
This volume of scripture, a companion to the Holy Bible, is turning hearts, one by one, to the Saviour of the world, by strengthening faith in Him, and helping students of this scripture to feel of God’s love.
When Israel Lutalo, a newly baptized member of the Church, heard about the Book of Mormon for the first time, he read in 2 Nephi 31:17-18 about entering the kingdom of heaven through repentance and baptism.
“When I read this for the first time, it really spoke to my heart,” he reflects. “I wanted to know how to thrive in God’s kingdom, to do His work. I learned that the first steps are repentance and baptism. These verses are close to my heart.”
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Lincoln Babbage has felt direction from the Spirit while studying and pondering The Book of Mormon© 2024 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.Lincoln Babbage, who serves as a lay leader in a Melbourne congregation, says, “I’m grateful for the Spirit The Book of Mormon brings into my life. One time, while pondering the purpose of life and how to live a good life, I was reading in Alma, chapter 5 about life and the resurrection. I had a really warm feeling in my heart and felt the Spirit telling me to stay on the straight and narrow path (of keeping God’s commandments) and all would be well.”
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Elder Kunhua Lee shares what he learned about faith from The Book of Mormon© 2024 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.Elder Kunhua Lee, who serves as a young missionary from Taiwan, spoke in a Sunday worship service recently on what he learned about faith from the Book of Mormon. “In Alma chapter 32,” he said, “we learn that we show our faith in God through small and simple ways. Just like a seed grows into a tree, experimenting with faith leads to greater faith.”
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The Book of Mormon has brought comfort to Trisha Teeples and strengthened her testimony of Jesus Christ© 2024 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.Sister Trisha Teeples, another missionary, says, “As we come to church with a broken heart and contrite spirit, the Saviour will help us to change our natures and to feel His love. The more we give to Him, the more He gives back to us. We all have different sorrows and pains in our lives, but none is too big for our Saviour. The Book of Mormon has brought me a lot of comfort and strengthened my testimony of Jesus Christ.”
Jody McClellan, a senior missionary serving with her husband in Melbourne, loves how beautiful it is “that we can read and study the Book of Mormon for a lifetime and learn and grow with each reading.”
In 1 Nephi, chapter 8, the prophet Lehi sees a vision of the tree of life with beautiful white fruit that represents the love of God. He desires his family to hold fast to an iron rod on a straight path leading to the tree so that they may partake of this priceless fruit with him.
In reflecting on this Book of Mormon account, Sister McClellan says, “I am reminded of the importance of holding to the iron rod and staying at the tree while partaking of the fruit of the tree—in other words, participating in the covenants we make in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. From baptism to enduring to the end, we eat the fruit that, as Lehi explains, ‘fills our souls with exceeding great joy’. As I serve, as I participate, and as I observe missionaries sharing the joy of the gospel, I can’t help but contemplate how ‘desirable’ the fruits of the gospel are. I am grateful that for 18 months I am commissioned by Jesus Christ to invite others to partake of the fruit and find true and everlasting happiness.”
