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Brothers and sisters, what a humbling experience it is to
stand at this pulpit where so many of the heroes of my life
have stood.
I would like to share with you some of the feelings of my
heart and direct them especially to the youth.
One of the great heroes from the Old Testament was the
prophet-warrior Joshua.
He extended this invitation to the children of Israel whom he
led:
"Choose you this day whom ye will serve; ...
but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." Joshua's
declaration demonstrates true conversion to the gospel.
For Joshua and all of us, conversion to gospel
principles comes through righteously living the
principles of the gospel and being true to our covenants
with the Lord.
I would like to share a conversion story from my
family history about another of my heroes.
Her name is Agnes Hoggan, and she and her husband joined the
Church in Scotland in 1861.
Suffering great persecution in their homeland, they
immigrated to America with their children.
Several years later, Agnes became a widow with eight
children to support and worked hard to keep
them fed and clothed.
Her 12-year-old daughter, Isabelle, was lucky enough to
find employment as a servant to a wealthy non-LDS family.
Isabelle lived in their large home and helped look after
their younger children.
In exchange for her services, a small wage was paid each
week to her mother.
She was soon accepted as a member of the family and began
to enjoy many of the same privileges, such as dance
lessons, beautiful clothing, and attending the theater.
This arrangement continued for four years until the family
for whom Isabelle worked was transferred to another state.
They had grown so fond of Isabelle that they approached
her mother, Agnes, and asked for permission to
legally adopt her.
They promised they would provide her with a good
education, see that she married well, and promised she
would be an heir to their estate
with their own children.
They would also continue to make payments to Agnes.
This struggling widow and mother had a hard decision to
make, but she did not hesitate for a moment.
Listen to the words of her granddaughter, written many
years later: "If her love had not compelled her to say no,
she had an even better reason--she had come all the
way from Scotland and had gone through tribulations and
trials for the Gospel, and she did not intend, if humanly
possible, to let a child of hers lose what she had come so
far to gain."
The wealthy family used every possible argument, and
Isabelle herself cried and begged to be allowed to go,
but Agnes remained firm.
As you can imagine, Isabelle felt as if
her life was ruined.
Isabelle Hoggan is my great-grandmother, and I am
most grateful for the testimony and conviction which
burned so brightly in her mother's heart, which did not
allow her to trade her daughter's membership in the
Church for worldly promises.
Today hundreds of her descendants who enjoy the
blessings of membership in the Church are the beneficiaries
of Agnes's deep-seated faith and conversion to the gospel.
Young friends, we live in perilous times, and the
decisions which you are called upon to make on a daily or
even hourly basis have eternal consequences.
The decisions you make in your daily life will determine what
happens to you later.
If you do not yet have a firmly rooted testimony and
conviction that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints is the kingdom of God on the earth, now is the time
to do what it takes to gain that conviction.
To delay making the effort required to earn that kind of
conviction can be dangerous to your soul.
True conversion is more than merely having a knowledge of
gospel principles and implies even more than just having a
testimony of those principles.
It is possible to have a testimony of the gospel
without living it.
Being truly converted means we are acting upon what we
believe and allowing it to create "a mighty change in us,
or in our hearts."
In the booklet True to the Faith, we learn that
"conversion is a process, not an event.
You become converted as a result of righteous efforts to
follow the Savior." It takes time, effort, and work.
My great-great-grandmother had a strong conviction that the
gospel was more important for her children than all that the
world had to offer in the way of wealth and comfort because
she had sacrificed, endured, and lived the gospel.
Her conversion came through living the principles of the
gospel and sacrificing for them.
We have to go through that same process if we want to
gain that same kind of commitment.
The Savior taught, "If any man will do his will, he shall
know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I
speak of myself." Sometimes we try to do it backwards.
For example, we may take this approach: "I will be happy to
live the law of tithing, but first I need to
know that it's true".
Maybe we even pray to gain a testimony of the law of
tithing and hope the Lord will bless us with that testimony
before we have ever filled out a tithing slip.
It just doesn't work that way.
The Lord expects us to exercise faith.
We have to consistently pay a full and honest tithe in order
to gain a testimony of tithing.
This same pattern applies to all the principles of the
gospel, whether it is the law of chastity, the principle of
modesty, the Word of Wisdom, or the law of the fast.
I would like to share an example of how living a
principle helps us become converted to that principle.
I was a young woman in the '60s and the only LDS girl in
my high school.
It was a revolutionary period characterized by the rejection
of traditional morals, drug use, and an
"anything goes" mentality.
Many of my peers were good people but found it easy to
get caught up in the excitement of this new
morality, which actually was just the old immorality.
My parents and teachers had impressed upon me the value of
treating my body with respect, keeping a clear mind, and,
most of all, learning to trust in the Lord's commandments.
I made the decision to avoid situations where I knew
alcohol would be present and stay clear
of tobacco and drugs.
It often meant I was not included at parties, and I
rarely dated.
Drug use was becoming more and more common among young
people, and the dangers were not as well
known as they are today.
Many of my peers later suffered permanent damage from
mind-altering drugs or got caught up in serious
addictions.
I was grateful to have been taught the Word of Wisdom in
my home, and I gained a deep testimony of that principle of
the gospel as I exercised faith and lived it.
The good feeling that came to me from living a true gospel
principle was the Spirit of the Holy Ghost confirming that
that principle was true.
That is when true conversion begins to take place.
The prophet Moroni in the Book of Mormon taught, "I would
show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for
and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see
not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your
faith."
In our world, where instant gratification is the
expectation, we are often guilty of expecting the reward
without having to work for it.
I believe Moroni is telling us that we must do the work first
and exercise faith by living the gospel; then we receive
the witness that it is true.
True conversion occurs as you continue to act upon the
doctrines you know are true and keep the commandments day
after day, month after month.
This is a glorious time to be a youth in the Church.
You are the first to participate in the youth
curriculum Come, Follow Me, which has as one of its main
purposes your conversion to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
It is well to remember that no matter how inspired your
parents and youth leaders may be, "you have [the]
primary responsibility for your own conversion.
No one can be converted for you, and no one can force you
to [become]
converted." Conversion takes place as we are diligent about
saying our prayers, studying our scriptures, attending
church, and being worthy to participate in temple
ordinances.
Conversion comes as we act upon the righteous principles
we learn in our homes and in the classroom.
Conversion comes as we live pure and virtuous lives and
enjoy the companionship of the Holy Ghost.
Conversion comes as we understand the Atonement of
Jesus Christ and acknowledge Him as our Savior and Redeemer
and allow the Atonement to take effect in our lives.
Your personal conversion will help you as you prepare to
make covenants in the temple, serve missions, and establish
your own future homes.
As you are converted, you will have a desire to share with
others what you have learned, and your confidence and
ability to testify to others with conviction
and power will increase.
This desire to share the gospel with others and the
confidence to testify boldly are natural results of true
conversion.
The Savior taught Peter, "When thou art converted, strengthen
thy brethren."
Remember Joshua, the prophet-warrior?
He was not only converted himself, but he worked
tirelessly to the end of his life to bring the children of
Israel to God.
We read in the Old Testament, "And Israel served the Lord
all the days of Joshua." A person who has experienced
true conversion draws upon the power of the Atonement and
receives salvation for his own soul, then reaches out to
exert a powerful influence upon all those who know him.
Living the gospel and standing in holy places is not always
easy or comfortable, but I testify that it is worth it!
The Lord counseled Emma Smith to "lay aside the things of
this world, and seek for the things of a better." I suspect
we cannot begin to imagine just how magnificent those
things of a better world are!
I testify that we have a loving Heavenly Father whose
greatest desire is to help and bless us in our efforts to
live the gospel and be converted.
He has clearly stated that His main focus and work is our
"immortality and eternal life." He desires to bring us
home to His presence.
I testify that as we act upon the doctrines of the gospel
and put them into daily practice, we will become
converted and will become the means of accomplishing much
good in our families and in the world.
May we all be blessed in our daily efforts to reach for
that goal is my prayer, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.