The kids didn't have school on Monday (Martin Luther King Day), so by the afternoon the Dan Rasband kids were bored so they called to see if they could walk over. All four of them showed up and played for a few hours.
Later, Nick and Sara had Roy and I come over to play a new game that they had. It took us an hour to figure out the instructions and we played for another hour. I won!
Since Roy had young men's on Wednesday night, and he's missed so often because we've been traveling, I used our season tickets at the local theater to take Yuna, Ori and Doyeon. The play was Peter and the Star Catchers. If any of you have seen it, you know it's kind of abstract in it's presentation. You have to use your imagination. The premise is how Peter Pan came to be Peter Pan and why he has some powers and never grew up. The girls loved it. I gave them a few explanations along the way, but mostly I think they just loved the action. Doyeon told me that her favorite character was one of the lost boys because he was "obsessed with food," and, she said, "I love food!" To demonstrate just how abstract the play is, Roy went down to the theater the night before to pick up our tickets for the season. An older couple were leaving (early) and he overheard the woman say, "I just don't get what this play is about."
 |
| Yuna, "Mollie" (remember Wendy in Peter Pan--she's her mother), Doyeon and Ori. |
We culminated our week visiting with Phil and Charlotte over dinner. They are headed to Slovania for a biking trip. On their trip they also want to visit Cinque Terra, so they asked for information. Roy told them to come over and we'd fill them in. Hopefully they weren't bored looking at all our Italy pictures.
Last week Phil wrote about The Testimony of the Three Witnesses of the Book of Mormon. As we are currently trying to study the restoration in preparation for conference (and I am also reading the book about my great great grandfather James Henry Hart), I thought I would put an excerpt from Phil's letter here.
From Phil:
Last week I gave a lesson in Gospel Doctrine. This year, we are studying the Book of Mormon and the first lesson in January was on the Introduction to it. As part of the Preface are written testimonies from three witnesses who were shown the gold plates by an angel. Eight others were shown the plates by Joseph Smith, whose testimonies also preface the Book of Mormon. If you’re not a member of our
church, gold plates and angels may sound odd, if not far‐fetched. However, we believe in the divine
origin of the Book of Mormon that was translated by Joseph Smith from gold plates made available to him from a heavenly source, and that belief comes from reading the Book of Mormon and praying for a spiritual confirmation that it is true.
THE TESTIMONY OF THREE WITNESSES
Be it known unto all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, unto whom this work shall come:
That we, through the grace of God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, have seen the
plates which contain this record, which is a record of the people of Nephi, and also of the
Lamanites, their brethren, and also of the people of Jared, who came from the tower of which hath
been spoken. And we also know that they have been translated by the gift and power of
God, for his voice hath declared it unto us; wherefore we know of a surety that the work is
true. And we also testify that we have seen the engravings which are upon the plates; and they
have been shown unto us by the power of God, and not of man. And we declare with words of
soberness, that an angel of God came down from heaven, and he brought and laid before our
eyes, that we beheld and saw the plates, and the engravings thereon; and we know that it is by
the grace of God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, that we beheld and bear record that these
things are true. And it is marvelous in our eyes. Nevertheless, the voice of the Lord commanded us
that we should bear record of it; wherefore, to be obedient unto the commandments of God, we
bear testimony of these things. And we know that if we are faithful in Christ, we shall rid our
garments of the blood of all men, and be found spotless before the judgment‐seat of Christ, and
shall dwell with him eternally in the heavens. And the honor be to the Father, and to the Son, and
to the Holy Ghost, which is one God. Amen.
OLIVER COWDERY
DAVID WHITMER
MARTIN HARRIS
(Underline added)
All three of these witnesses fell away from the Church for a time, but none of them renounced their
testimonies of what they had seen and experienced, and Oliver Cowdery and Martin Harris returned. In preparing my lesson, I was particularly interested in David Whitmer. He left the Church when its
members were experiencing significant persecution in Missouri in the 1830s, and never returned. He
stayed in Missouri and became a well‐respected citizen of the community in which he resided.
I was focused on David Whitmer because my great‐great grandfather, James H. Hart, had a conversation with Whitmer in 1883, when Whitmer would have been 78 years old. He had been out of the Church for 45 or so years at that time. I quote James H. Hart below. (The author of his biography said that James was known for taking careful shorthand and was meticulous in reporting the truth.) Here is what he wrote (in part):
“Having some business in Richmond, Ray County, I took occasion to call on Mr. David Whitmer.... I
remarked that although I had no doubt of the truth of his published statement and testimony in the
Book of Mormon, I should be pleased to hear the testimony from his own lips. He said, ‘Persons may
attempt to describe the presentation of the plates as shown to himself and other witnesses, but
there was a glory attending it that no one could describe, no human tongue could tell the glorious
scenes that were presented to them. Joseph Smith was there and Oliver Cowdery and himself –
Martin Harris did not come as expected, but they were shown to him a short time after.’
“’Did the personage or angel who showed you the plates tell you his name?’ I asked. Mr. Whitmer
replied: ‘No, he did not.... It is not important who he was, but I know he was a messenger from God.
I have been visited by thousands of people,’ he remarked,’ believers and unbelievers, amongst them
a Governor of this State, gentlemen and ladies of all degrees and from many nations, sometimes 15
or 20 in a day, all wanting to know if these things are true. I have been surrounded by hostile mobs,
on one occasion numbering four or five hundred, demanding I should deny what is published over
my name in the Book of Mormon; but the testimony I gave to that mob made them fear and
tremble, and I escaped from them. One gentleman, an unbeliever, told me afterwards that the bold
and fearless testimony borne on that occasion and the fear that seemed to take hold of the mob
had made him a believer in the Book of Mormon.’
“Mr. Whitmer said further: ‘I heard the voice of the angel, and saw the engravings on the plates, and
the plates just as stated in the Book of Mormon. And we were commanded to bear record of these
things and that the book was translated by the gift and power of God.’
“Mr. David Whitmer, Junr., spoke of the strange and wonderful preservation of the written copy of
the book which Oliver Cowdery left in his father’s charge, and the hieroglyphics which Martin Harris
took to Professor Anthon, of New York. In the cyclone that devastated the town of Richmond a few
years ago, the court‐house and many other buildings were swept entirely away. Some books
belonging to the court‐house were carried over 40 miles, and the Whitmer house was all destroyed,
except the small room in which the said documents were kept, in which not a window was broken.”
I also listened to a talk by Dallin H. Oaks on the witness of Martin Harris given at BYU. It is worth listening to. It is probably in print as well, but I could only find video versions.
Here is the link. Witness of Martin Harris
We know that out of two or three witnesses shall every word be established. 2 Corinthians 13:1
The Bible is one witness and the Book of Mormon is one witness, but the Lord doesn't stop there. We have many prophets and apostles that have also testified of these things. We cannot discount the testimonies of our ancestors that sacrificed so much so that we can be members of this church. I add my testimony that Jesus Christ's church has been restored to the earth and it is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
Last week Phil wrote about The Testimony of the Three Witnesses of the Book of Mormon. As we are currently trying to study the restoration in preparation for conference (and I am also reading the book about my great great grandfather James Henry Hart), I thought I would put an excerpt from Phil's letter here.
From Phil:
Last week I gave a lesson in Gospel Doctrine. This year, we are studying the Book of Mormon and the first lesson in January was on the Introduction to it. As part of the Preface are written testimonies from three witnesses who were shown the gold plates by an angel. Eight others were shown the plates by Joseph Smith, whose testimonies also preface the Book of Mormon. If you’re not a member of our
church, gold plates and angels may sound odd, if not far‐fetched. However, we believe in the divine
origin of the Book of Mormon that was translated by Joseph Smith from gold plates made available to him from a heavenly source, and that belief comes from reading the Book of Mormon and praying for a spiritual confirmation that it is true.
THE TESTIMONY OF THREE WITNESSES
Be it known unto all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, unto whom this work shall come:
That we, through the grace of God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, have seen the
plates which contain this record, which is a record of the people of Nephi, and also of the
Lamanites, their brethren, and also of the people of Jared, who came from the tower of which hath
been spoken. And we also know that they have been translated by the gift and power of
God, for his voice hath declared it unto us; wherefore we know of a surety that the work is
true. And we also testify that we have seen the engravings which are upon the plates; and they
have been shown unto us by the power of God, and not of man. And we declare with words of
soberness, that an angel of God came down from heaven, and he brought and laid before our
eyes, that we beheld and saw the plates, and the engravings thereon; and we know that it is by
the grace of God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, that we beheld and bear record that these
things are true. And it is marvelous in our eyes. Nevertheless, the voice of the Lord commanded us
that we should bear record of it; wherefore, to be obedient unto the commandments of God, we
bear testimony of these things. And we know that if we are faithful in Christ, we shall rid our
garments of the blood of all men, and be found spotless before the judgment‐seat of Christ, and
shall dwell with him eternally in the heavens. And the honor be to the Father, and to the Son, and
to the Holy Ghost, which is one God. Amen.
OLIVER COWDERY
DAVID WHITMER
MARTIN HARRIS
(Underline added)
All three of these witnesses fell away from the Church for a time, but none of them renounced their
testimonies of what they had seen and experienced, and Oliver Cowdery and Martin Harris returned. In preparing my lesson, I was particularly interested in David Whitmer. He left the Church when its
members were experiencing significant persecution in Missouri in the 1830s, and never returned. He
stayed in Missouri and became a well‐respected citizen of the community in which he resided.
I was focused on David Whitmer because my great‐great grandfather, James H. Hart, had a conversation with Whitmer in 1883, when Whitmer would have been 78 years old. He had been out of the Church for 45 or so years at that time. I quote James H. Hart below. (The author of his biography said that James was known for taking careful shorthand and was meticulous in reporting the truth.) Here is what he wrote (in part):
“Having some business in Richmond, Ray County, I took occasion to call on Mr. David Whitmer.... I
remarked that although I had no doubt of the truth of his published statement and testimony in the
Book of Mormon, I should be pleased to hear the testimony from his own lips. He said, ‘Persons may
attempt to describe the presentation of the plates as shown to himself and other witnesses, but
there was a glory attending it that no one could describe, no human tongue could tell the glorious
scenes that were presented to them. Joseph Smith was there and Oliver Cowdery and himself –
Martin Harris did not come as expected, but they were shown to him a short time after.’
“’Did the personage or angel who showed you the plates tell you his name?’ I asked. Mr. Whitmer
replied: ‘No, he did not.... It is not important who he was, but I know he was a messenger from God.
I have been visited by thousands of people,’ he remarked,’ believers and unbelievers, amongst them
a Governor of this State, gentlemen and ladies of all degrees and from many nations, sometimes 15
or 20 in a day, all wanting to know if these things are true. I have been surrounded by hostile mobs,
on one occasion numbering four or five hundred, demanding I should deny what is published over
my name in the Book of Mormon; but the testimony I gave to that mob made them fear and
tremble, and I escaped from them. One gentleman, an unbeliever, told me afterwards that the bold
and fearless testimony borne on that occasion and the fear that seemed to take hold of the mob
had made him a believer in the Book of Mormon.’
“Mr. Whitmer said further: ‘I heard the voice of the angel, and saw the engravings on the plates, and
the plates just as stated in the Book of Mormon. And we were commanded to bear record of these
things and that the book was translated by the gift and power of God.’
“Mr. David Whitmer, Junr., spoke of the strange and wonderful preservation of the written copy of
the book which Oliver Cowdery left in his father’s charge, and the hieroglyphics which Martin Harris
took to Professor Anthon, of New York. In the cyclone that devastated the town of Richmond a few
years ago, the court‐house and many other buildings were swept entirely away. Some books
belonging to the court‐house were carried over 40 miles, and the Whitmer house was all destroyed,
except the small room in which the said documents were kept, in which not a window was broken.”
I also listened to a talk by Dallin H. Oaks on the witness of Martin Harris given at BYU. It is worth listening to. It is probably in print as well, but I could only find video versions.
Here is the link. Witness of Martin Harris
We know that out of two or three witnesses shall every word be established. 2 Corinthians 13:1
The Bible is one witness and the Book of Mormon is one witness, but the Lord doesn't stop there. We have many prophets and apostles that have also testified of these things. We cannot discount the testimonies of our ancestors that sacrificed so much so that we can be members of this church. I add my testimony that Jesus Christ's church has been restored to the earth and it is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
No comments:
Post a Comment