#LIGHTtheWORLD Day 6 - Reading the scriptures - Book of Mormon Challenge

As many of you know, I serve as a Stake President in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, called to serve over the Salt Lake Rose Park Stake.  We recently had our Stake Conference on November 5-6 and Elder Mark L. Pace was asked to preside.  As part of that Stake Conference, he challenged the youth to read the Book of Mormon.  The challenge wasn't so much to finish, although that's certainly an option, but to read it daily with the thought of how it answers our questions about Christ, how we should live our lives and how God blesses our lives.  We also began this challenge on December 1.  Many of us will not be perfect, I haven't been, but we just get back up the next day, and read again.  To shy away from the opportunity to bless our lives through reading the scriptures, is like never offering ourselves nourishment again.  The Savior as a young boy, taught those learned scholars about the gospel and today, I also gain great insights from the teaching of our youth.  I want them to understand and know what a foundation the gospel will be in their lives and how much they will be enriched because of it.

While I was on my mission, I was asked to speak at a missionary devotional for a Stake where we were serving. In the days leading up to it, I decided I needed to pray and see what the topic should be and knelt in prayer and asked my Heavenly Father.  Not long into the prayer, I saw a Book of Mormon and the direct answer that I should testify as to that book.  I concluded the prayer, got up to write my remarks, and a voice said to me, "a testimony comes from the heart, not a paper" to which I replied, "Buy you aren't giving it in Japanese!".  However I decided to act in faith and that Sunday as I stood at the pulpit, I testified to the Book of Mormon.  It was some of the most fluent Japanese I could speak and flowed like I had never spoken it before.  A week later, while visiting another ward as a Zone Leader, it was their Fast & Testimony meeting and a member during her testimony, indicated how she had started to read the Book of Mormon after hearing a missionary the preceding Sunday testify to its truthfulness.  An amazing blessing comes when we listen or read its words.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has a number of ways you can access the scriptures in multiple languages at www.lds.org including requesting a free copy.  There are apps for phones, or look online here. I hope you'll take a moment today to read the scriptures and follow the Savior's example.