This talk certainly hits home with us in Brasil. We are serving right in the middle of this great growth where small groups of new members are striving to live in accord with the covenants they make. They are for the most part learning about the Bible, the apostacy of the early church after the deaths of the early Apostles, and then the restoration foretold by prophets and the Savior. As Daniel saw in the interpretation of the dream, the Church is the Stone rolling forward and while many do not understand or want to change, many are happy with the new life they find here in the teachings they hear from missionaries and members. That event in 1925 in Argentina opened the doors here and actually affected our family greatly. Our family has participated in this great expansion here and in other places. In Brasil the growth began slowly but some wonderful leaders were taught and baptized. Their legacy these many years later is in the leadership of their children who are now often the leaders, becoming the shepherds of these new flocks of followers. The youth of the Church are now qualifying themselves to serve as missionaries here and in foreign countries including the USA.
What a wonderful, prophetic statement was given to that small group of new leaders in 1834. After hearing them bear their own testimonies of the purpose of the Church he told them; ‘Brethren I have been very much edified and instructed in your testimonies here tonight, but I want to say to you before the Lord, that you know no more concerning the destinies of this Church and kingdom than a babe upon its mother’s lap. You don’t comprehend it. … It is only a little hand full of Priesthood you see here tonight, but this Church will fill North and South America—it will fill the world.’
We concur that the political leaders here and even the populace do not yet see this much as members are humble individuals, working out their own salvation without fanfare. Their influence is small for the most part, one individual or family at a time. We love them.
So, did this talk leave us with something to do? As covenant keeping people, what actions can we do as individuals in respect to this prophetic growth? How can our family as a unit participate? What story could you add to those in this talk?
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In the four Districts that we serve here in Brasil, many of our Branches are in the "rented houses" phase that was mentioned in his remarks. I can see them becoming Wards and Stakes but only if our people really help the Missionaries called to serve among us here in the Ipatinga, Teofilo Otoni, Montes Claros and Conselheiro Lafaiete Districts We have seen many baptisms as a result of our Seminary and Institute youth drawing their friends out. I loved his statement, "The sun never sets on the work of the Lord".
EVERY MEMBER A MISSIONARY - A Igreja e verdadeira
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