So I am going to split this into 2 sections
#1 How I used the Book of Mormon as a tool on my mission
# 2 How the Book of Mormon helped me personally on my mission
A question we got asked a lot was "Why do you focus on the Book of Mormon so much, why don't you believe in the bible?"
We would pretty much recite the 8th article of faith for our answer.
"We believe the bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly. We also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God"
Most people in the world today know one way or another that the bible is God's word. But a lot of people don't know that the Book of Mormon is that second witness of Jesus Christ.
The prophet Joseph Smith taught that the Book of Mormon is "the keystone of our religion" on another occasion he stated "take away the Book of Mormon and the revelations, and where is our religion? We have none"
The Book of Mormon is one of the main differences that sets us apart from other denominations.
One thing that I really learnt on my mission was how the Book of Mormon can answer questions.
Have you ever wondered if God, really knows you?
Have you ever asked the question to yourself "how can my family be happier and more united?"
Or "how can I strengthen my relationship with my spouse?"
The Book of Mormon is where we can turn to for our answers not only to the questions of the soul but more temporal questions too.
President Ezra Taft Benson said that missionaries "need to show how the Book of Mormon answers great questions of the soul"
It's a "Give a man a fish you and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a life time" kind of a deal.
No matter how many times I would testify of the Book of Mormon and how it could help a person in their life, they wouldn't know what I meant until they did it themselves.
This was a skill that I had to develop as a missionary and it took a lot of time to perfect it.
But I truly found joy when a person found their answers in the scriptures.
So when I was in my 3rd area I was in the Wasatch Stake which is where the big and little cottonwood canyons. And I have spoken about a man before in my talks about how he was less active but he wanted to really know if the church is true. And we were just having a discussion about the Book of Mormon and the restoration because he had read some anti-Mormon literature and stuff so we were having a chat about it and basically talking about faith and how the only way that he is going to know what was true was by reading and we have him a certain passage to read talking about faith and how we should grow our faith. After he had really studied it he felt confident that he had found his answer and we moved on to another lesson.
That has just been an example of how the scriptures help us and how I was able to help him use the scriptures to help answer the questions that he had.
Something that I did on my mission was teach a Book of Mormon class, it was mainly for the people that we were teaching but we always had really good discussions and how we can apply the scriptures to ourselves.
As missionaries all the time asked everyone to read the promise I'm the introduction of the Book of Mormon.
"We invite all men everywhere to read the Book of Mormon, to ponder in their hearts the message it contains, and the. To ask God, the eternal father, in the name of Christ if the book is true. Those who pursue this course and ask in faith will gain a testimony of its truth and divinity by the power of the Holy Ghost. Those who gain this divine witness from the Holy Ghost will also come to know that Jesus Christ is the saviour of the world, that Joseph Smith is his revelatory and prophet in these last days, and that the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Lord's kingdom established on the earth, preparatory to the second coming of the messiah.
I love the promise that it gives. This promise is repeated in Moroni 10:3-5
3 Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.
4 And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.
5 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.
After we have both read these promises it leads us to act. We have a responsibility after reading.
"If we have prepared and studied we will already know that they are true to a certain extent. If are struggling there is some aspect of moroni's promise they are missing in their life."
Because that's what it really came down to if they read the Book of Mormon and did the invitation they would know.
When was the last time that you asked for a confirmation of the Book of Mormon about its truthfulness?
Regardless of how long ago, I would invite you to ask again especially for those who haven't done it in a while or who are not yet sure. As you ask with an open heart with real intent having the faith that you will receive an answer I can testify to you that your answer will come, it might not come immediately, but as you strive to keep seeking, the answer will come.
How did the Book of Mormon help me personally on a mission?
I love the Book of Mormon. I don't read the Book of Mormon as much as I should but it is my favourite.
I love the Book of Mormon so much because it came me the most precious gift one could ever receive on a mission, a true understanding of Jesus Christ. Now, I'm not saying I know everything about Jesus Christ, I just know a heck of a lot more then I did before I left on my mission.
The sole purpose of the Book of Mormon is to testify of Jesus Christ.
Before I went on my I never really read the Book of Mormon by myself, most of the time I'm not massive reader but when I decided I wanted to go on a mission and that started my motivation for reading. I needed to testify to the people of America that this book was true, so I thought I'd better start crack on with my reading.
The Book of Mormon has taught me so many lessons. But the biggest one is now personable the saviour is and how much he loves us and the plan that Heavenly Father and Jesus have for us. I can solely out that down to the Book of Mormon.
I love the bible, I really do. But there is something special about the Book of Mormon, it just gives me the feels.
To sum up my testimony of the Book of Mormon I'll use the words that Elder Jeffery R Holland in a conference talk not that long ago.
"No wicked man could write such a book as this, and no good man would write it, UNLESS it were true and he were commanded of God to do so."
I know that the Book of Mormon is true. I am so grateful for the witnesses of its truthfulness throughout my life. And I am grateful for the knowledge that it has given me about my saviour Jesus Christ. Even though I fall short on a daily basis he still loves me all the same.
And I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
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