To all of you, our dear brothers and sisters, colleagues and friends, Madelyn and I express our most heartfelt aloha.
We have been blessed beyond measure to live and work here in this very special place for the past 33 years. It was April 1983 when President Elliott Cameron, then the president of BYUH, came to my office in Beaver, Utah, and asked me to come to Hawaii to help establish a full service Health Center on campus. I had lived here as a young missionary in the summer of 1969. I had been called to serve in the Southern Far East mission and to serve in Taiwan. The language training program had just been instituted by the church, and the Asian and Pacific Language Training Mission was here in Hale 6.
During the years after my mission, as we made our way through pharmacy school, then medical school and further residency training, we had always thought that we would return to our hometown in Southern Utah to live the rest of our lives. However, we often felt that something was missing and that we needed to look beyond our original plans. It was a difficult decision to leave our home, family, and successful practice, and move out here to Laie. As many of you know, it is always difficult to be far away from family and familiar things and venture into “unknown” situations. We are facing many of the same emotions now, as we prepare to leave our home here and move on to the next chapter of our lives.
As we look back on the years we have spent here, we have become more aware of how short life is and how fast the time goes. We have been reminded many times of the thoughts expressed by Nephi, as he talked about the Lord preparing a way to accomplish the things that He commands us to do 1 and how the spirit will lead us along, even though we may not know “beforehand, the things which we should do." 2
As we have tried to follow promptings and respond appropriately, we have been blessed with many wonderful opportunities to witness the hand of the Lord working in our lives and the lives of those we have associated with. One of my favorite scriptures when I started on my mission, and as we have moved through life together, is from Abraham as he was describing the emotions that his family was experiencing as they were leaving their home and moving to new and unfamiliar places and experiences: “Therefore, eternity was our covering and our rock and our salvation, as we journeyed…”. 3 Earlier in this chapter he described a very sacred encounter with the Lord and received great blessings and promises, as he faithfully followed the path that was put before him. He describes how he and Lot, his brother’s son, prayed, and the Lord appeared to them. Pay particular attention to the words and promises and how we might apply these principles in our own lives on the paths and choices that we face. Starting in Abraham chapter 2, verse 6, the Lord tells him to arise and take Lot with him: “for I have purposed to take thee away out of Haran, and to make of thee a minister to bear my name in a strange land which I will give unto thy seed after thee for an everlasting possession, when they hearken to my voice”. The Lord then declares who He is and testifies of His power to create and control the earth and elements. He declares His name, Jehovah, that He knows the end from the beginning, and that His hand would be over them. Then the promise of the Abrahamic covenant assures that he would be a great nation and be blessed above measure, and that the power of the priesthood would be borne by his seed to all nations to bless all the families of the earth with the blessings of salvation and eternal life.
Now, how do these promises apply to us? What evidence do we have that our lives truly are eternal and will never end? A few years ago, I had the great blessing and opportunity to serve in the Stake Presidency of the BYUH 1st Stake with President Keith Pearce and President Judd Whetten. We felt strongly impressed that we should emphasize a program of training in our wards as we met in ward conferences that was structured around the scripture in D&C 43:34-35: “Hearken ye to these words. Behold, I am Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world. Treasure these things up in your hearts, and let the solemnities of eternity rest upon your minds.” 4 We tried to outline a plan that would help each individual member of our stake better understand what is meant by the “solemnities of eternity,” and how a personal knowledge and testimony of the reality of eternity could be a covering a rock and salvation in our lives just as Abraham had described.
If you read earlier in section 43, we get a clearer view of the context in which the admonition from the Lord was given. The Lord is making it very clear that the time is short and that we would soon see many signs and warnings that He would come soon. He gives counsel and assignments that are similar to those given to Abraham. Look at verses 15-35, particularly the call to “teach the children of men the things which I have put into your hands by the power of my spirit; and ye are to be taught from on high,” and be endowed with power as you are sanctified. He then issues graphic descriptions of warnings and events that we will see and that even in the midst of turmoil, His voice and mercy will still be heard and that “the riches of eternal life” would still be available to those willing to receive them, but that this is the last time that the inhabitants of the earth would be called upon, and the Millennium would soon come.
In our training, we focused on the great need for everyone to prepare for and always be worthy to enter the temple, where we would be endowed with that promised power and be taught more about “the solemnities of eternity” so that we might share those eternal truths with so many of our Father’s children who do not know Him or His plan for them. We tried to establish the link to Abraham’s promise and blessing by sharing the Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood from section 84, starting in verse 32. I will share just a few highlights and leave it to you to study in the section in greater detail. The Lord declares that as we faithfully obtain the priesthood and magnify our callings, we will be sanctified by the Spirit, unto the renewing of our bodies, and become the sons of Moses, Aaron, and the seed of Abraham. He promises that He has given heavenly hosts and angels charge concerning us, and that we should beware, to give heed to the words of ETERNAL LIFE. He describes the whole world being in the bondage of sin and darkness and admonishes us that condemnation will rest upon even the children of Zion, unless we repent and remember “the new covenant”, The Book of Mormon. He then later uses the word “solemnity” again as He indicates that we can be forgiven if we “remain steadfast in our minds, in solemnity and the spirit of prayer” and that we bear testimony to all the world of the things communicated to us. Again, later in the section, more great promises are given that will allow us more opportunities to feel the reality of eternal beings around us. Starting in verse 87, He promises that as we go out in His name to teach the world of a judgment that is coming that He will go before our face and “be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in our hearts and mine angels round about you to bear you up”. He then finishes the revelation with another powerful witness of eternal reality, verse 119: “For I the Lord have put forth my hand to exert the powers of heaven, ye cannot see it now, yet a little while and ye shall see it, and know that I am and that I will come and reign with my people.”
How then can we remember these eternal realities and prepare ourselves for that which is to come. Is it important to gain a personal witness that eternity is real? We know that the Lord has warned us many times about the dangers of being deceived, especially if we dwell only on the present, lose sight of our eternal destiny, and forget who we truly are. Recall the details of Lehi’s dream and the graphic descriptions of the many ways that we might lose our focus and lose our way. The eternal goal, life forever with our Father, surrounded by His love, represented by the tree of life is there, but it is a difficult path to get there. There are mists of darkness, confusion and criticisms from the world, personal shame and guilt, and too often the loss of our grip on the iron rod or the word of God.
One of my favorite quotes from The Lord of The Rings is Sam talking to Frodo as they too are leaving their familiar territory in the Shire and embarking on a journey that would be filled with danger and trials, as he shares counsel that he had received, “It is a dangerous business Frodo, going out of your door, you step into the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to”. We have been warned that in our day, “There shall arise false Christ’s and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders, insomuch that if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect”. 5 We have also heard the description that “men’s hearts shall fail them”. I would like to share a few thoughts on this from Elder Holland in his talk “Safety for the Soul” from October 2009 6 Conference. He asks us to “think of the heart as the figurative center of our faith, the poetic location of our loyalties and our values.” If these central structures of our character and identity are lost, then our “hearts” are truly failing as we become lost and confused without our eternal anchors.
With this in mind, let’s once again ask ourselves the questions, what evidence do we have that eternity is real, and is there really something beyond this life?
In his book Here We Stand, Joseph Fielding McConkie declared this important instructive counsel:
“The way we answer questions about our faith ought to be by finding the quickest and most direct route to the Sacred Grove. That is our ground. It is sacred ground. It is where the heavens are opened and the God of heaven speaks. It is where testimonies are born and the greatest truths of heaven are unveiled.” 7
Joseph Smith was told in Section 122:1-2 that “The ends of the earth shall inquire after thy name, and fools shall have thee in derision, and hell shall rage against thee; While the pure in heart, and the wise and the noble, and the virtuous, shall seek counsel, and authority, and blessings constantly from under thy hand.” 8
Note again the reference to “heart,” but this time is the often used phrase “pure in heart.” How “pure” is the heart of our own personal testimony of the truths declared and restored through the prophet Joseph?
How well are our hearts prepared that we will not be deceived by the multitude of voices that will surround us and try to convince us that Joseph Smith was a fraud and that we are fools to follow him?
Remember the warning from Section 84 about forgetting the Book of Mormon. President Benson spoke frequently about the importance of having a personal testimony of Joseph Smith and The Book of Mormon.
In his conference talk in October, 1986, he explained in great detail why this is “The KEYSTONE of our religion,” and how important it is in obtaining and maintaining our own personal witness of the eternal truths that are there for us to learn.
“My beloved brethren and sisters, today I would like to speak about one of the most significant gifts given to the world in modern times. The gift I am thinking of is more important than any of the inventions that have come out of the industrial and technological revolutions. This is a gift of greater value to mankind than even the many wonderful advances we have seen in modern medicine. It is of greater worth to mankind than the development of flight or space travel. I speak of the gift of the Book of Mormon, given to mankind 156 years ago.
This gift was prepared by the hand of the Lord over a period of more than a thousand years, then hidden up by Him so that it would be preserved in its purity for our generation. Perhaps there is nothing that testifies more clearly of the importance of this modern book of scripture than what the Lord Himself has said about it.
By His own mouth He has borne witness (1) that it is true, 9 (2) that it contains the truth and His words, 10 (3) that it was translated by power from on high, 11 (4) that it contains the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ, 12 (5) that it was given by inspiration and confirmed by the ministering of angels, 13 (6) that it gives evidence that the holy scriptures are true, 14 and (7) that those who receive it in faith shall receive eternal life. 15
The Book of Mormon is the keystone of our religion. This was the Prophet Joseph Smith’s statement. He testified that “the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion”. 16 A keystone is the central stone in an arch. It holds all the other stones in place, and if removed, the arch crumbles….
The Book of Mormon is the keystone of testimony. Just as the arch crumbles if the keystone is removed, so does all the Church stand or fall with the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. The enemies of the Church understand this clearly. This is why they go to such great lengths to try to disprove the Book of Mormon, for if it can be discredited, the Prophet Joseph Smith goes with it. So does our claim to priesthood keys, and revelation, and the restored Church. But in like manner, if the Book of Mormon be true—and millions have now testified that they have the witness of the Spirit that it is indeed true—then one must accept the claims of the Restoration and all that accompanies it.
There are three ways in which the Book of Mormon is the keystone of our religion. It is the keystone in our witness of Christ. It is the keystone of our doctrine. It is the keystone of testimony.
Brethren and sisters, I implore you with all my heart that you consider with great solemnity the importance of the Book of Mormon to you personally and to the Church collectively.
Over ten years ago I made the following statement regarding the Book of Mormon:
Do eternal consequences rest upon our response to this book? Yes, either to our blessing or our condemnation.
Every Latter-day Saint should make the study of this book a lifetime pursuit. Otherwise he is placing his soul in jeopardy and neglecting that which could give spiritual and intellectual unity to his whole life. There is a difference between a convert who is built on the rock of Christ through the Book of Mormon and stays hold of that iron rod, and one who is not”. 17
I reaffirm those words to you this day. Let us not remain under condemnation, with its scourge and judgment, by treating lightly this great and marvelous gift the Lord has given to us. Rather, let us win the promises associated with treasuring it up in our hearts.”
We will all face our own personal trials, times of pain and doubt, fear, and may begin to question whether or not He is truly there. We will be able to stand through these times if we have put forth the effort to know for ourselves that Joseph Smith is the Lord’s prophet and that the Book of Mormon is truly a second witness that He lives, and that our lives have eternal purpose. Remember the promises and counsel that the Lord gave to the prophet as he was imprisoned in Liberty jail, as he pleaded with the Lord, wondering where He was and why so many hard trials had come to him and the rest of the members of the church who were being persecuted, driven from their homes, and many losing their lives. The Lord reminded Joseph of the reality of priesthood power and how to access it. He outlined several essential attributes that we would all need to develop and understand: persuasion, long suffering, gentleness, meekness, love unfeigned, charity, virtue. Then, as we make these attributes part of the “heart” of our lives and behavior, He gives the promise that our confidence would wax strong in His presence, in other words we will feel worthy and comfortable to be where He is, and that His priesthood power would “distill upon our souls”. We would have the constant companionship of The Holy Ghost and have an everlasting dominion. He then counseled the prophet in section 122 about all of the fierce trials that might come, and that He understands them all, as He declared “The Son of Man hath descended below them all, art thou greater than He? Therefore, hold on thy way, and the priesthood shall remain with thee; for their bounds are set, they cannot pass. Thy days are known, and thy years shall not be numbered less; therefore, fear not what man can do, for God shall be with you forever and ever.”
This promise has been a great comfort to us so often in our lives, and I have shared it many times with so many of our Father’s children who felt lost, lonely, hopeless, and that life seemed so unfair. Let’s listen to the words to one of our favorite Primary songs.
“A Child’s Prayer”
Lyrics
1. Heavenly Father, are you really there?
And do you hear and answer ev'ry child's prayer?
Some say that heaven is far away,
But I feel it close around me as I pray.
Heavenly Father, I remember now
Something that Jesus told disciples long ago:
"Suffer the children to come to me."
Father, in prayer I'm coming now to thee.
2. Pray, he is there;
Speak, he is list'ning.
You are his child;
His love now surrounds you.
He hears your prayer;
He loves the children.
Of such is the kingdom, the kingdom of heav'n. 18
I would like to share a few personal experiences from our lives as we have felt and seen and personally witnessed the unmistakable power and love of our living Father in Heaven.
We have known many great and noble spirits here in this special place. Our faith and testimonies have been forever strengthened by what we have witnessed in the lives of so many faithful servants of our Father. In my work in medicine, I have felt on countless occasions His healing power step in where my professional knowledge and skill had reached their limit. I have witnessed miraculous healings. Some who had crossed the veil came back and told me of their experiences being on both sides. I have seen the hand of our Father reach out to His children and felt His thoughts and words flow through my mind and my mouth to express His love for them. I have felt impressions come to my mind to look for something or think of something that I would not have otherwise done without His influence and His love for each individual. I have also seen many times when healing did not occur and witnessed the pain and heartache of loss. It is often difficult to understand or explain when it seems that prayers are not being answered in the way that we want. These are truly the times when our “hearts” are tested and tried. Do we really trust Him and put ourselves in His hands and say, “Thy will be done.” We had some dear friends who lost a young son in a flash flood while he was on his first overnight camp with the Boy Scouts. He and our son were walking together and both were swept into the flood waters together. How do you explain why one is taken to the other side of the veil, and the other one, our son, remains here? It is in these times, however, that we feel His comforting reassurance that eternity truly is our “rock and our salvation”, that the promises given by The Lord in D&C 121-122 are literally true, and that He understands.
The beginning of our eternal family was July 21, 1972, when Madelyn and I knelt together across the altar in the St. George Temple and were sealed for eternity. The transcendent joy of that hour and the eternal promises given on that day gave us strength to face other days of trial and testing that surely came and will continue to come as long as we are here on this side of the veil. How grateful I am for a loving, devoted, faithful daughter of God who is my eternal companion. She has truly put her life in jeopardy, and demonstrated great faith in becoming a mother to our five children. Priesthood power has preserved her life and theirs. We have witnessed heavenly visits from across the veil that came as answers to heartfelt prayers regarding our children.
Most recently we have been called upon to face some of the most difficult challenges of our lives, as my dear sweetheart again went to deaths doorstep with a massive stroke three and a half years ago, that left her paralyzed on her left side. Through all of that time, we have again witnessed the undeniable power, and reassurance of our Father, that His will would prevail, and that our eternal covenants, made in His holy temple bind us together and assure us of eternity together if we stay the course, “hold on our way”, and not lose our “hearts”, the core of eternal truths that we will never deny. We have felt the presence of loved ones and friends from across the veil, knowing that our Father is keeping His promise to send them to be “round about us to bear us up.”
This scene here today, with her being here and us bearing testimony to you, was shown to me in a dream on the Sunday morning two days after her stroke. It was that day that she had the surgery on her brain that saved her life. However, we still did not know how much damage had been done and whether she would wake up. The image in the dream, I know, was a tender mercy, an expression of reassurance from our loving Father, that we still had things to do together on this side of the veil. The reason I am not wearing a suit today, but am wearing my white shirt and white tie that I wear in the temple is to remember a very sacred event that took place on Christmas Eve 2012, ten days after she had her stroke. As we were getting ready to go to the hospital as a family to be with her on that night, I felt strongly impressed to put on this shirt and tie. We went to the hospital where she was still unconscious in the ICU. She had not opened her eyes for ten days. We sang Christmas songs around her bed, and I again felt strong impressions come to my mind, that I should take her right hand and bless her to awaken and return with me to the house of the Lord. As I said these words in my mind, she squeezed my hand and briefly opened her eyes. Even though she still had breathing tubes in her mouth and throat, she gave me a small, beautiful smile, then closed her eyes again for another two weeks.
We will be forever grateful for so many of you and for our dear children and extended family who have truly been “angels round about us, to bear us up” during this most difficult time in our lives. We know that you have been the promised angels sent to us on this side of the veil, just like those on the other side who care for us.
Thank you for the sacrifices that you have made for us. We are reminded of the promise of the Savior in the song “A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief”: “These deeds shall thy memorial be, fear not thou didst them unto me.” Surely you have filled your spiritual lamps with your loving service.
The reality of angels on both sides of the veil, is yet another witness of the reality of eternity.
Elder Holland testified of the importance of and the reality of angels in his article in The Ensign, January 1996:
“Moroni who, quoting his father, says:
‘And now I come to that faith, of which I said I would speak; and I will tell you the way whereby ye may lay hold on every good thing.
“For behold, God knowing all things, being from everlasting to everlasting, behold, he sent angels to minister unto the children of men, to make manifest concerning the coming of Christ. …
“Wherefore, by the ministering of angels, and by every word which proceeded forth out of the mouth of God, men began to exercise faith in Christ” (Moro. 7:21–22, 25; emphasis added).
I am convinced that one of the profound themes of the Book of Mormon is the role and prevalence and central participation of angels in the gospel story.” 19
He again testified of “The Ministry of Angels” in his conference talk in October 2008
“I testify that angels are still sent to help us, even as they were sent to help Adam and Eve, to help the prophets, and indeed to help the Savior of the world himself.
We have spoken here of heavenly help, of angels dispatched to bless us in time of need. But when we speak of those who are instruments in the hand of God, we are reminded that not all angels are from the other side of the veil. Some of them we walk with and talk with—here, now, every day. Some of them reside in our own neighborhoods. Some of them gave birth to us, and in my case, one of them consented to marry me. Indeed heaven never seems closer than when we see the love of God manifested in the kindness and devotion of people so good and so pure that angelic is the only word that comes to mind.
My beloved brothers and sisters, I testify of angels, both the heavenly and the mortal kind. In doing so I am testifying that God never leaves us alone, never leaves us unaided in the challenges that we face. Nor will he, so long as time shall last, or the earth shall stand, or there shall be one man or woman or child upon the face thereof to be saved. 13 On occasions, global or personal, we may feel we are distanced from God, shut out from heaven, lost, alone in dark and dreary places. Often enough that distress can be of our own making, but even then the Father of us all is watching and assisting. And always there are those angels who come and go all around us, seen and unseen, known and unknown, mortal and immortal.” 20
Our opportunity to live here at this time, in this place, is not just by chance. Some of the most important things that we can do to prepare for eternal life is to learn to become like the Savior and develop the attributes that He outlined that allow the power of the priesthood to flow through us, to help sustain and strengthen each other, and to always be ready to act in His stead as angels sent from Him. Then the promised “confidence” will come, and our “hearts” will be strong in the knowledge that He lives and loves us and that we will be with Him again soon. These are the “solemnities of eternity” that He wants us to “treasure in our hearts” and “rest upon our minds.”
As I close this talk and close this chapter of our lives here, I would like to share some quotes that have been very special to us, from a book called “Priests of the Most High God” by Donald E. Goff.
James E. Talmage declared, “What is man in this boundless setting of sublime splendor? I answer you: Potentially now and actually to be, he is greater and grander, more precious in the arithmetic of God than all the planets and the suns of space. For him they were created. They are His handiwork and man is His son.”
With this glory and majesty upon us, in the words of John Taylor, “We ought to be full of light and life and the power and spirit of the Living God and feel that we are messengers to the nations of the earth; we ought to feel the word of God burning like fire in our bones, feeling desirous to go and snatch men from the powers of darkness and the chains of corruption with which they are bound, and lead them in the paths of life. This should be our heart, and soul, something near and dear to us, the motivating force of our lives.”
Elder Wilford Woodruff declared: “There never was a generation of the inhabitants of the earth in any age of the world who had greater events awaiting them than the present… And an age fraught with greater interest to the children of men than the one in which we live never dawned since the creation of the world.”
Brother Goff then concludes with these words,
“We really need to wake up to the glorious and magnificent challenge of our day and time, and become a great and mighty people as God designed for us, a glorious standard of righteousness, an ensign to the nations and a welcoming beacon of brilliant light on the horizon, like the rising sun full of life giving light, inviting all people to enjoy the fullness of the glory of Christ and all that the Father hath, which is more than any of us can imagine. (D&C 84:38)
To do this we need to realize who we are and act in full accord with our true identity as followers of light and truth, guardians of the crowning birthright blessings of Israel, and messengers of the covenant. We are sleeping giants with beautiful power beyond imagination. We can do great things, in His name, for we are involved in the greatest and most glorious work that was ever done for humanity. May we overflow with love for God and His children that the brilliant light of the Son of God might shine so beautifully in our lives that we magnify Him, whose servants we are”. 21
Again, we thank you all for the love and light that you have shared with us.
May we all firmly establish in our hearts the eternal promises that we all share and may we always share the spirit of this very special place wherever we are called to serve Him throughout the world.
I leave my personal witness that I know beyond any doubt that our Father lives and loves us. His Son Jesus Christ stands at the head of this church. His priesthood power was restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith and remains with us through eternity. Thomas S. Monson is God’s living prophet on earth today. God bless you our dear eternal friends, until we meet again.
In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
[1] 1 Nephi 3:7
[2] 1 Nephi 4:6
[3] Abraham 2:16
[4] D&C 43:34-35
[5] Matthew 24:24
[6] “Safety for the Soul” from October 2009
[7] Here We Stand (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 1995)
[8] D&C 122:1-2
[9] D&C 17:6
[10] D&C 19:26
[11] D&C 20:8
[12] D&C 20:9, D&C 42:12
[13] D&C 20:10
[14] D&C 20:11
[15] D&C 20:14
[16] Introduction to the Book of Mormon
[17] Ezra Taft Benson, Ensign, May 1975, p. 65
[18] “A Child’s Prayer” Page #12
[19] "For A Wise Purpose" Elder Holland, Ensign, January 1996
[20] “The Ministry of Angels” in his conference talk in October 2008
[21] “Priests of the Most High God” by Donald E. Goff