Why Am I a Mormon? (2/2/14)

Today we were instructed by the recently released 1st Counselor in the Elders Quorum Presidency, Daniel Harbuck.  Kudos to him for not only asking permission to still have the privilege of teaching the lesson even though  he had recently been released ,but for also earnestly praying and seeking inspiration as to what the lesson topic should be weeks in advance.  This preparation and humility really shone through in the lesson and helped to culminate in what, in my estimation, was one of the watershed moments of spirituality and testimony strengthening in this quorum’s history.

To help set the tone he asked everyone in advance to read one or more short lessons from Bro. Clayton Christensen’s ‘The Power of Everyday Missionaries’ website.  He also asked select people  to come prepared to class with a paragraph explaining, “Why am I a Mormon?”, with corresponding encouragement to post that explanation on their mormon.org profile page.  In addition, he asked a few class members if they’d be willing to read/recite the account of Joseph Smith’s first vision in either their mission language or their native or alternate language.

As the time for the actual lesson arrived, he began by citing Doctrine and Covenants, section 6; a missionary-minded section given in the very early history of the Church  in April, 1829.  The section is written by Joseph Smith in response to a request by Oliver Cowdery, his scribe in the translation of the Book of Mormon, to gain a further witness of the divinity of the work in which they were engaged.  The Lord responded (through this revelation in section 6 to Joseph Smith), “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, that you might know concerning the truth of these things.  Did I not speak peace to your mind concerning the matter?  What greater witness can you have than from God?”  The “cast your mind upon the night” concept resonated, clearly with Daniel, and I think with many of us in the class as well.  Many of us in the Church have groped for answers to our peculiar and trying faith, often pleading with the Lord for validation and assurance.  Casting our collective minds upon the night we cried unto the Lord and remembering the peace that eventually followed was a provocative reminder of our human yearnings and the Lord’s continually outstretched arm (Isa 5:25, 9:12, 10:4).

He then asked for any volunteers that could share their prepared paragraph on why they are a Mormon.  David spoke up and shared his powerful story of how he had doubted his faith for many years, and was almost excited to leave the house and go to school, and was actually sitting on his bed making plans to leave the church for good when a miraculous thing happened -- he received a witness that the Lord needed him in the Church.  (And he has humbly and dutifully served in the Church ever since.)  [FULL STORY HERE.]

Daniel then asked a few previously selected people to recite Joseph Smith’s account of what is known as the ‘First Vision’ in which he went to a grove of trees in Palmyra, NY, to pray to know which church he should join and was visited by God the Father, and Jesus Christ the Son, who instructed him to join none of them, but eventually to assist in restoring the same church which existed on and off in The Savior’s era and in Moses’ era, and with all the holy prophets.

Ben Burgoyne, who served a mission in Germany several years ago, commenced with a recitation in German.  He could scarcely get the first word before he was apparently flooded with a recollection of all the sacred, the challenging, the joyful, and the agonizing moments of his mission, and was nearly overcome with emotion before reciting from memory the all-important lines,

“...sah ich gerade über meinem Haupt, heller als das Licht der Sonne, eine Säule aus Licht, die allmählich herabkam, bis sie auf mich fiel. Kaum war sie erschienen, da fand ich mich auch schon von dem Feind befreit, der mich gebunden gehalten hatte. Als das Licht auf mir ruhte, sah ich zwei Personen von unbeschreiblicher Helle und Herrlichkeit über mir in der Luft stehen. Eine von ihnen redete mich an, nannte mich beim Namen und sagte, dabei auf die andere deutend: Dies ist mein geliebter Sohn. Ihn höre!”

"...I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me. It no sooner appeared than I found myself delivered from the enemy which held me bound. When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!"

All told, we had it read by the following members of the quorum in 13 languages:
Ben Burgoyne (German)
Rey Benitez (Spanish)
Han Lee (Mandarin)
Dan Kim (Korean)
Azzaya Nyam-Ochir (Mongolian)
David Sessions (Polish)
Karl Sneider (Turkish)
Elder Gledhill (Ukrainian)
Andrew Smith (Indonesian)
Andrew Cusick (French)
Anthony Latta (Russian) [I will not soon forget the image of an investigator reading the account in Russian while a nearby Russian-speaking return missionary wept with emotion]
Daniel Harbuck (Portuguese)
Elder Christensen (English)

Truly, this standard of truth will penetrate every continent, visit every climb, sweep every country, and sound in every ear.

It’s pretty remarkable to belong to a group of men that can be spiritual and emotional with each other in such a constructive way; and to catch a glimpse of their testimonies and their experiences which range the entire globe, really.