Dear Brothers and Sisters of the Longview Texas Stake,
I send a special thank you to all who prepared for and participated in last weekend’s stake conference with Elder Gottfredson. We heard messages of faith, hope, and testimony from the pulpit. Hopefully, and more importantly, we each heard personalized messages within the chambers of our own hearts by the power of the Holy Ghost. The conference was a success largely because of the spiritual preparation you put into it.
I am now reminded of that pivotal scene in the New Testament where the Spirit was poured out on those assembled on the day of Pentecost: “Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:37)
“What shall we do?” This is the question now before us. What will we do with the messages we heard and the impressions we felt? Peter’s response to those affected on that special day was to make the covenants they needed to make and honor the covenants they had already made. (See, Acts 2:38 — If we’ve not yet been baptized, we should do that; if we’ve been baptized, we should honor the covenants associated with that ordinance, etc.)
Personally, I resolved to help my family “continually [hold] fast to the rod of iron” (1 Nephi 8:30) by reading from the Book of Mormon together each day. That is but one such example of what I will now do as a result of what I heard and felt during stake conference.
What will you do? If you would like to share your resolutions and goals with me, please do. I am happy to hear of them and support you in your righteous efforts.
Warmly,
President Newman