Tag: Elder Anderson

Last night our family had a rare treat. Our stake in Florida was able to participate in an evening fireside with Elder Neil L. Anderson, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. We were excited to take our children to a meeting where they would be in the same room as an apostle, and we could all hear his counsel.

Our Stake President spoke briefly first. He challenged youth and adults to do five things this year

1) daily prayer morning and night

2) daily scripture study

3) live worthy to hold a temple recommend

Unfortunately, I can’t remember the last two (in between dealing with my children). I wish I had written it down!

Elder Rulon Munns of the Seventy was also present and spoke briefly. He quoted Elder Neal A. Maxwell,  “Patience is tied very closely for faith in our Heavenly Father”.

Sister Kathy Anderson then took some time to address us. She had been born and raised in Florida and thinks Florida is the best place to live! Her ancestors were some of the first people in Florida to join the church, and she spoke about their legacy of faith. She quoted Helaman 5:12, which was especially significant to me since that is our family scripture for this year. My children all perked up at the word “foundation”.

Elder Anderson then spoke for the remainder of the meeting. He focused on and testified of Jesus Christ, declaring that having a testimony of Jesus Christ is the most important thing. He made reference to a talk he gave in General Conference in 1999 (a talk given in interesting circumstances, since President Hinckley called him the Friday before and asked him to speak and fill in for Elder Hales who was ill). In that talk he talked about mole crickets (a common threat to grass in Florida) and how they eat away at the roots and destroy the grass. Satan works the same way, by eating away at our spiritual roots. Be watchful!

It was interesting to me that he referred to that talk, since I had actually just come across it this week while preparing for our Family Home Evening Lesson on prayer. Below are the points that stood out to me from his 1999 talk.

“We counsel parents and children to give highest priority to family prayer, family home evening, gospel study and instruction, and wholesome family activities. However worthy and appropriate other demands or activities may be, they must not be permitted to displace the divinely appointed duties that only parents and families can adequately perform” (“Policies, Announcements, and Appointments,” Ensign, June 1999, 80).

We all know the struggle necessary to retain family home evening. There are thieves among us who would steal our Monday nights. But the promises of the Lord made to families who hold family home evening, that were spoken by the First Presidency 84 years ago and reiterated by our Prophets today, have never been revoked and are there for us:

“If the Saints obey this counsel, we promise that great blessings will result. Love at home and obedience to parents will increase. Faith will be developed in the hearts of the youth of Israel, and they will gain power to combat the evil influence and temptations which beset them” (in James R. Clark, comp., Messages of the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 6 vols. [1965–75], 4:339).

Who within the sound of my voice would be willing to sell these promises to those who would confiscate our Monday nights? Not one of us.

For you and me, the disciples of Christ, these moments of building faith in the lives of our children must be strengthened. We will at times fall short as parents. I know I do. But we must begin again. The Lord sees our righteous efforts and will open the blessings of heaven as we give our families our highest priority.”

Neil L. Anderson, “Prophets and Spiritual Mole Crickets”. October 1999 General Conference.

What a blessing it was to hear an apostle speak in our own stake center, and feel his powerful witness of Jesus Christ.

“It is a crowning privilege of a husband and wife who are able to bear children to provide mortal bodies for these spirit children of God. We believe in families, and we believe in children.”

“We express deep gratitude for the enormous faith shown by husbands and wives (especially our wives) in their willingness to have children. When to have a child and how many children to have are private decisions to be made between a husband and wife and the Lord. These are sacred decisions—decisions that should be made with sincere prayer and acted on with great faith.”

“Many voices in the world today marginalize the importance of having children or suggest delaying or limiting children in a family. My daughters recently referred me to a blog written by a Christian mother (not of our faith) with five children. She commented: “[Growing] up in this culture, it is very hard to get a biblical perspective on motherhood. … Children rank way below college. Below world travel for sure. Below the ability to go out at night at your leisure. Below honing your body at the gym. Below any job you may have or hope to get.” She then adds: “Motherhood is not a hobby, it is a calling. You do not collect children because you find them cuter than stamps. It is not something to do if you can squeeze the time in. It is what God gave you time for.”

“In “the best of times [and] … the worst of times,”the true Saints of God, acting in faith, have never forgotten, dismissed, or neglected “God’s commandment … to multiply and replenish the earth.” We go forward in faith—realizing the decision of how many children to have and when to have them is between a husband and wife and the Lord. We should not judge one another on this matter.”

“And [Jesus] took a child … in his arms [and] said …“Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth … him that sent me.” What a wonderful blessing we have to receive sons and daughters of God into our home.”

Neil L. Anderson, “Children”. October 2011 General Conference.

“Many voices in the world today marginalize the importance of having children or suggest delaying or limiting children in a family. My daughters recently referred me to a blog written by a Christian mother (not of our faith) with five children. She commented: “[Growing] up in this culture, it is very hard to get a biblical perspective on motherhood. … Children rank way below college. Below world travel for sure. Below the ability to go out at night at your leisure. Below honing your body at the gym. Below any job you may have or hope to get.” She then adds: “Motherhood is not a hobby, it is a calling. You do not collect children because you find them cuter than stamps. It is not something to do if you can squeeze the time in. It is what God gave you time for.”⁷

Having young children is not easy. Many days are just difficult. A young mother got on a bus with seven children. The bus driver asked, “Are these all yours, lady? Or is it a picnic?”

“They’re all mine,” she replied. “And it’s no picnic!”⁸

As the world increasingly asks, “Are these all yours?” we thank you for creating within the Church a sanctuary for families, where we honor and help mothers with children.”

Elder Neil L. Anderson, “Children”. October 2011 General Conference.

*Note: If you love the above quote (in bold), you can get a beautiful decorative printable of those words here.

“The stories of Jesus can be like a rushing wind across the embers of faith in the hearts of our children. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” ⁸ The stories of Jesus shared over and over bring faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and strength to the foundation of testimony. Can you think of a more valuable gift for our children?

“To fathers and mothers, to grandfathers and grandmothers, and to those without children of their own who lovingly nurture children and youth, my counsel is to speak more frequently about Jesus Christ. In His holy name is great spiritual power. “There [is] no other name given nor any other way … whereby salvation can come unto the children of men, only in and through the name of Christ.”

“If a child is not listening, don’t despair. Time and truth are on your side. At the right moment, your words will return as if from heaven itself. Your testimony will never leave your children.

“As you reverently speak about the Savior—in the car, on the bus, at the dinner table, as you kneel in prayer, during scripture study, or in late-night conversations—the Spirit of the Lord will accompany your words.

“As you do your best, the testimony of Jesus will gently distill upon your children’s hearts. They will go to their Heavenly Father in humble prayer and feel His influence through the power of the Holy Ghost. A stronger personal faith in Jesus Christ will prepare them for the challenges they will most surely face.^“

Neil L. Anderson, “Tell Me the Stories of Jesus”, Ensign, May 2010.