The March 30-April 12, 2020 Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families suggests watching the video series Special Witnesses of Christ discussing “what they teach us about what the Savior has done for us.” As you view the videos by Elder Gary E. Stevenson and Elder Dale G. Renlund, notice the locations and imagery included in the videos and ponder how they affected your thoughts and memories. Listen for inspiring words and phrases about the gospel of Jesus Christ and consider ways to relate their words to yourself and your family. Ask questions, listen to the Spirit, and record your impressions in a personal journal. Discuss your insights with family, friends, and neighbors. You may want to try some of the “activities to consider” related to each Apostle’s testimony.
Elder Stevenson: Tangible Evidence of Christ’s Restored Gospel
Elder Stevenson filmed his testimony almost entirely from the third floor Conference Center Hall of the Prophets. He expresses his gratitude for the messages of modern prophets who have guided and continue to assist us in understanding the truths of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. His primary emphasis, though, is: “I have a particular love for the glorious and clarifying truths taught in the Book of Mormon.”
Review some of the key statements Elder Stevenson makes about the truths taught in the Book of Mormon:
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“I am deeply grateful that the Lord has provided us directions through something as tangible and graspable as the Book of Mormon.”
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“This book is one of the blessings of living in our days.”
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“As another testament of Jesus Christ, the Book of Mormon gives all of God’s children a personal opportunity to expand their knowledge of the Savior’s Atonement.”
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“As I strive to follow these plain and precious truths, my joy has expanded, my understanding increases, and the answers I seek to life’s challenges are found.”
Activities to Consider:
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The Book of Mormon can be grasped and read. To emphasize home-centered study strategies, make sure each family member (from an early age) has a personal copy of the Book of Mormon. Encourage not only reading but also highlighting or marking of important scriptural verses.
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To understand how the Book of Mormon is written for our times, carefully review Appendix B: “Plain and Precious Truths,” Book of Mormon 2020: Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families.
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To increase your knowledge of the Savior’s atoning sacrifice, follow this study plan completed by President Russell M. Nelson: “I read and underlined every verse cited about Jesus Christ, as listed under the main heading and the 57 subtitles in the Topical Guide. When I finished that exciting exercise, my wife asked me what impact it had on me. I told her, ‘I am a different man!’” (“Drawing the Power of Jesus Christ into Our Lives,” Ensign, May 2017).
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As you read the Book of Mormon, ask questions about specific challenges you are facing. For example, “How can I follow the examples of the individuals in the scriptures?”
Elder Renlund: Building Ensigns for Priesthood Covenants
Much of Elder Renlund’s testimony is filmed at the base of Ensign Peak. In 1844 Brigham Young saw this hill in a vision as a place where the Lord would lift up “an ensign on the mountains” (Isaiah 18:3). Three years later, on Saturday, July 24, 1847, Brigham Young recognized Ensign Peak from his vision and declared the Salt Lake valley as “the right place” for the pioneer Saints to settle. Two days later, Brigham Young and several others climbed to the top where Wilford Woodruff suggested they set up “an ensign for the nations.”
Nearly 46 years later, President Wilford Woodruff would dedicate the divine ensign of the Salt Lake Temple. The completion of this temple fulfilled the biblical prophecy: “In the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it” (Isaiah 2:2). As Elder Renlund explains, “The mountain of the Lord’s house refers to modern-day temples.”
In thinking about what we should learn about the importance of temples, carefully review the following quotes from Elder Renlund’s testimony:
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“My parents and maternal grandparents also fulfilled the prophesy of Isaiah. More than 65 years ago, they came to Salt Lake City from Sweden and Finland to receive the blessings promised only in temples.”
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“Now, temples are found throughout the world, and many more are being built. As people join the Church, they are blessed to gather to stakes of Zion in their own countries and receive the blessings of the temple. There we each find our Ensign Peak, our own mountain of the Lord’s house.”
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“My invitation to you today is the same as Isaiah’s 2700 years ago: ‘Come ye … Let us go up to the mountain of the Lord … and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths’ (Isaiah 2:3).”
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“In holy temples Heavenly Father gathers and blesses His children: endowing them with power to return to Him. Temple blessings are real because we have a kind heavenly Father who loves us.”
Activities to Consider:
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Show pictures of temples, especially those close to where you and your family live. Make space(s) to display temples in different areas of your home. During a family home evening discuss steps and sacrifices family members have taken in order to receive temple blessings.
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As a family plan a hike to the top of a hill or mountain. When you reach the top, not only enjoy the view but also take time to offer prayers of hope and faith. You may want to leave an ecological ensign: the pioneers used to write on wooden trail markers; the Inuit leave stone markers called inuksuit (singular: inuksuk, also inukshuk) to signal directions and as symbols of hope and friendship that transcend borders.
Talk about and record how individuals and family members felt when they visited temple grounds or participated in researching and doing temple ordinances for deceased ancestors. You may want to read Nathan Boehmer’s article “Blessings of Doing Temple and Family History Work,” at Canada.lds.org.
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Ponder what it means to “be endowed with power from on high” by studying the following scriptures: Luke 24:49; Doctrine and Covenants 38:32, 38; 43:16; 95:8; 105:12, 18, 33; 110:9; 124:39; 132:59. (See also: Isaiah 22:20-25; Revelation 1:6; Doctrine and Covenants 39:15; 108:3-5.)