“A Record of What I Have Both Seen and Heard”

Posted on by Mitch Peterson

Last updated on August 25th, 2024 at 09:44 pm

General Conference Applied

S3 E19 – Thursday, August 22, 2024 | “A Record of What I Have Both Seen and Heard” by Elder Brent H. Nielson; April 2024 General Conference

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Podcast Episode Outline

Introduction

Doctrine: Revelation: “Individuals can receive revelation to help them with their specific needs, responsibilities, and questions and to help strengthen their testimonies. Most revelations to leaders and members of the Church come through impressions and thoughts from the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost speaks to the mind and heart in a still, small voice (see D&C 8:2–3). Revelation can also come through visions, dreams, and visitations by angels.”

Principle: Missionary Work: “There are many ways we can share the gospel. Following are some suggestions:

1. “We can show friends and others the joy we experience from living the truths of the gospel. In this way we will be a light to the world (see Matthew 5:16).
2. “We can overcome our natural shyness by being friendly to others and doing kind things for them. We can help them see that we are sincerely interested in them and are not seeking personal gain.
3. “We can explain the gospel to nonmember friends and others.
4. “We can invite friends who are interested in learning more about the gospel into our homes to be taught by the missionaries. If our nonmember friends live too far away, we can request that missionaries in their areas visit them.
5. “We can teach our children the importance of sharing the gospel, and we can prepare them spiritually and financially to go on missions. We can also prepare ourselves to serve full-time missions in our senior years.
6. “We can pay our tithing and contribute to the missionary fund. These donations are used for furthering missionary work.
7. “We can contribute to the ward, branch, or general missionary fund to give financial support to missionaries whose families are unable to support them.
8. “We can do family history research and temple work to help our ancestors receive the full blessings of the gospel.
9. “We can invite nonmembers to activities such as family home evenings and Church socials, conferences, and meetings.
10. “We can give copies of Church magazines. We can also share gospel messages by using features available on the Church’s official Internet sites, [churchofjesuschrist.org].

“Our Heavenly Father will help us be effective missionaries when we have the desire to share the gospel and pray for guidance. He will help us find ways to share the gospel with those around us.”

Christlike Attribute: Diligence: “Diligence is consistent, earnest effort. In missionary work, diligence is an expression of your love for the Lord. When you are diligent, you find joy and satisfaction in the Lord’s work (see Alma 26:16).

“Diligence includes doing many good things of your own free will instead of waiting for leaders to tell you what to do (see Doctrine and Covenants 58:27–29).

“Continue to do good even when it is hard or you are tired. Yet recognize the need for balance and rest so you do not ‘run faster than [you have] strength’ (Mosiah 4:27).

“Center your heart and interests on the Lord and His work. Avoid things that distract you from your priorities. Focus your time and efforts on the activities that will be most effective in your area and most helpful to the people you are teaching.”

Bio

  • “Elder Brent H. Nielson was sustained as a General Authority Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on April 4, 2009. He previously served as an Area Seventy in the Idaho Area. Elder Nielson has served as a Counselor in both the Pacific Area and the Philippines Area Presidencies and as the Philippines Area President. He served as the Executive Director of the Missionary Department from 2015 to 2020.

    “Elder Nielson was named a member of the Presidency of the Seventy on August 1, 2020. In that assignment he assisted members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in supervising the North America West, Europe Central, Caribbean, and Pacific Areas. He was granted Emeritus status effective August 1, 2024.

    “Elder Nielson has served in numerous Church callings, including full-time missionary in Finland, ward Young Men president, bishop, high councilor, counselor in a stake presidency, stake president, and Area Seventy.

    “Elder Nielson attended Brigham Young University and received a bachelor of arts degree in English in 1978. In 1981 he received a juris doctor degree in law from the University of Utah. He practiced law in Twin Falls, Idaho, for 29 years.

    “Brent Hatch Nielson was born in Burley, Idaho, on December 8, 1954. He married Marcia Ann Bradford in 1978. They are the parents of six children.”
  • This was Elder Nielson’s fourth general conference address:

What is the speaker inviting me to do, and how might I consider taking action?

Invitations

1: “As the ancient prophet Mormon begins his record, he writes, ‘And now I, Mormon, make a record of the things which I have both seen and heard, and call it the Book of Mormon.'” (Mormon 1:1)

  • If you haven’t already, start now to make a spiritual record of the things which you have both seen and heard.
  • “Brothers and sisters, today I declare my witness and make a record of what I have both seen and heard during my sacred ministry as a Seventy of the Lord Jesus Christ. In doing so, I testify to you of a loving Heavenly Father and His benevolent Son, Jesus Christ, who suffered, died, and rose again to offer eternal life to God’s children. I testify of ‘a marvelous work and a wonder’ and that the Lord has set His hand once again to restore His gospel on the earth through His living prophets and apostles. I testify that based upon what I have both seen and heard, there has never been a better time to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints than today. I know this of my own knowledge, independent of any other source, because of what I have both seen and heard.” -Elder Nielson
  • Questions:
    1. Is it possible that the Book of Mormon is structured the way it is simply because some prophets wrote more than others?
    2. Why is both seeing and hearing so important in developing a testimony?
    3. What tools can we utilize to ‘make a record’?
    4. Who might benefit from reading your ‘record of the things which [you] have both seen and heard’?
    5. This was Elder Nielson’s final general conference address. Is this one of the reasons that ‘mak[ing] a record’ is on his mind?
    6. How might ‘mak[ing] a record of the things which [we] have both seen and heard’ help us identify truth and disprove the adversary’s lies?
      • “I testify today that I have observed this profound Restoration of the Savior’s gospel with my own eyes and heard it with my own ears. I am a witness of God’s work across the world. There has never been a better time to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints than today.” -Elder Nielson
      • Names Tokens and Covenants | Alma 43-47 | Class 32 from The Book of Mormon: A Master Class, by John Hilton III: “President [Spencer W.] Kimball told a story at the dedication of the St. George Temple of a mother with three boys. Their father had gone off to sea, never to return. As a reminder of her husband, and to remind the boys not to go to sea, she put up a picture in her living room of a beautiful clipper ship sailing on the ocean. Every day she stood there and told the boys, ‘Never go to sea.’

        “All three boys went to sea. Why? Because when they looked at that picture, they saw the adventure their father saw: the wind and the sails of that great clipper ship, the spray coming up. The visual image had a powerful effect upon the boys’ desires. (As recounted by Elder Robert D. Hales).”
      • What we search for, we find.
    7. Are ‘the things which [we] have both seen and heard’ drawing us nearer to Jesus Christ, or moving us away from Him?
    8. What changes should we make in our lives to see and hear better things than what the world has to offer?
    9. If you have developed a journaling habit, would you be willing to share your best practices with others?
    10. Did you know that you can request the patriarchal blessings of your deceased immediate family members (i.e., your grandparents, parents, etc.)?

2: “I honor the past and current missionaries of the Church and remind our rising generation of President Russell M. Nelson’s invitation to come and gather Israel.”

  • President Russell M. Nelson has stated that the gather of Israel is “the greatest challenge, the greatest cause, and the greatest work on earth today”. Thus, treat it as such.
  • Questions:
    1. Do you remember President Nelson’s concise definition of ‘gather[ing] Israel’?
      • “Hope of Israel“, President Russell M. Nelson, Worldwide Youth Devotional, June 3, 2018: “Anytime you do anything that helps anyone—on either side of the veil—take a step toward making covenants with God and receiving their essential baptismal and temple ordinances, you are helping to gather Israel. It is as simple as that.”
    2. What are some of the temporal and spiritual benefits of serving as a missionary?
    3. When was the last time you read your mission journal or reflected on your time as a missionary?
    4. If those who served with you during your full-time mission walked into the room right now, would you be able to look them in the eye and state that you are still a committed disciple of Jesus Christ?
    5. Which resources were specified in footnote 9 of Elder Nielson’s address?
      • “Hope of Israel“, President Russell M. Nelson, Worldwide Youth Devotional, June 3, 2018: “I am inviting every young woman and every young man between the ages of 12 and 18 in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to enlist in the youth battalion of the Lord to help gather Israel. …

        “And now I invite you to prepare yourself by doing five more things—five things that will change you and help you change the world. …

        “My first invitation to you today is to disengage from a constant reliance on social media by holding a seven-day fast from social media.. …

        “My second invitation is to make a weekly sacrifice of time to the Lord, for three weeks in a row, to let Him know that you want to be part of His youth battalion—more than you want anything else. For three weeks give up something you like to do and use that time to help gather Israel. …

        “My third invitation is for you to do a thorough life assessment with the Lord, and perhaps with your parents and your bishop, to ensure that your feet are firmly planted on the covenant path. If you have wandered off, or if there are some things you need to let go of to help your mind and heart be more pure, today is the perfect time to change. …

        “My fourth invitation is for you to pray daily that all of God’s children might receive the blessings of the gospel of Jesus Christ. …

        “My fifth invitation is for you to stand out; be different from the world. You and I know that you are to be a light to the world. Therefore, the Lord needs you to look like, sound like, act like, and dress like a true disciple of Jesus Christ.”
      • “Preaching the Gospel of Peace“, President Russell M. Nelson, April 2022 General Conference: “Today I reaffirm strongly that the Lord has asked every worthy, able young man to prepare for and serve a mission. For Latter-day Saint young men, missionary service is a priesthood responsibility. You young men have been reserved for this time when the promised gathering of Israel is taking place. As you serve missions, you play a pivotal role in this unprecedented event!

        “For you young and able sisters, a mission is also a powerful, but optional, opportunity. We love sister missionaries and welcome them wholeheartedly. What you contribute to this work is magnificent! Pray to know if the Lord would have you serve a mission, and the Holy Ghost will respond to your heart and mind.

        “Dear young friends, you are each vital to the Lord. He has held you in reserve until now to help gather Israel. Your decision to serve a mission, whether a proselyting or a service mission, will bless you and many others. We also welcome senior couples to serve when their circumstances permit. Their efforts are simply irreplaceable.”
    6. Can you think of anything specific that you did today to ‘gather Israel’?
    7. Why is ‘gather[ing] Israel’ so important?
    8. What is Elder Nielson’s connection to missionary work?
      • “A Call to the Rising Generation“, Elder Brent H. Nielson, October 2009 General Conference: “On April 6, 1974, the Church sustained a new prophet, President Spencer W. Kimball. That same day I received my call to serve as a full-time missionary in Finland. I wasn’t aware at the time that President Kimball had just delivered a landmark address that week to the General Authorities and regional representatives of the Church. Later I learned that in that address President Kimball prophetically outlined his vision as to how we as a church would accomplish the Savior’s charge to ‘teach all nations.’ In his address, President Kimball invited the members of the Church to lengthen their stride and enlarge their vision. He asked that every worthy young man prepare to serve an honorable full-time mission. He encouraged the members in each country to prepare to supply their own missionaries, and he called upon ‘able men to assist the Twelve [Apostles] to move out into the world and to open the doors of every nation’ (‘When the World Will Be Converted,’ Ensign, Oct. 1974, 10).

        “President Kimball also said in his 1974 address that there were 3.3 million members of the Church, 18,600 full-time missionaries, and 633 stakes. He challenged us to do better and asked us to change our sights and raise our vision (see Ensign, Oct. 1974, 7–8).

        “In response, we as members of the Church began to pray regularly in our families, in our sacrament meetings, and in our stake conferences that the hearts of the leaders of nations would be softened and the doors opened to our missionaries. The members began to see more clearly their responsibility to share the gospel. Our young men stepped up, and a great army of missionaries was gathered. We witnessed President Kimball’s vision begin to unfold.

        “While serving in Finland, I learned that my mission president’s wife, Sister Lea Mahoney, was a native of Finland. As a young girl she had grown up in the eastern portion of Finland in a city named Viipuri. As the ravages of war engulfed Finland and other countries during World War II, she and her family left their home, and Viipuri became part of the Soviet Union and was renamed Vyborg. In our zone conferences, Sister Mahoney would tell us of those left behind in Viipuri and of her desire that the gospel be taken to them. Following President Kimball’s challenge, we unitedly prayed that the hearts of the leaders of that nation would be softened so that the gospel could be taken by our missionaries into the Soviet Union.

        “We would go to the border between Finland and the Soviet Union and see the guard towers and the fences, and we would wonder who those brave young men and young women would be and when they would cross that border to take the gospel to the people there. I must admit, at that time it seemed like an impossible task.

        “Three years ago, our son Eric received a mission call to serve in the Russia St. Petersburg Mission. In his first letter home, he wrote something like this: ‘Dear Mom and Dad, I have been assigned to my first city in Russia. Dad, you may have heard of it before. It is called Vyborg, but it was previously a Finnish city named Viipuri.’

        “Tears came to my eyes as I understood that Eric was in the very city we had prayed about 32 years earlier. Eric found a chapel there and a branch of faithful Saints. He was living and serving in a place that to me as a young man had seemed impossible to enter.

        “I did not realize those many years ago, as we prayed for the borders to open and the missionaries to go in, that I was praying for our son. Most importantly for you of the rising generation, our son Eric did not realize that he and his companions were the answer to the prayers that had been offered by thousands of faithful Saints so many years ago. You of the rising generation are the fulfillment of prophecy that in our day ‘the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done’ (Joseph Smith, in History of the Church, 4:540).”
    9. How often do you and your family interact with your Mission President and his wife?
      • Church News Podcast Episode 75: Elder Brent H. Nielson on the expansion of missionary work in a digital age:
        • [Scott Taylor – Church News staff and former president of the Arizona Phoenix Mission]: “From my experience as a mission president, I have developed great love, admiration and appreciation for some 650 individuals. That has grown to include family members, their spouses, their children, interest in who they are and what they’re becoming, and to cheer them on. My wife and I say, ‘We’re cheerleaders for you for life, in your journey of becoming.’ And to watch them to take their learnings, their experiences and build upon that throughout their life, and as Elder Nielson was talking about, the doctrine of Christ and ‘Preach My Gospel,’ to watch them continue to apply it. Sometimes when they have strayed off the covenant path, sometimes when they’ve experienced difficult challenges in their life, to use faith and repentance and covenants and ordinances and the spirit or the Holy Ghost, the confirmations of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end and progressing through life, and it’s been fascinating to watch that journey continue.”
    10. Have you made time recently to study Preach My Gospel: A Guide to Sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ?

3: “Under the direction of the Lord and the leadership of His prophets and apostles, we will continue to prepare missionaries, make and keep sacred covenants, establish Christ’s Church across the world, and receive the blessings that come as we keep the commandments of God. We are united. We are God’s children. We know Him and we love Him.

“I join all of you, my friends, as we unitedly testify that these things are true. We make a record of what we have both seen and heard. You and I are witnesses who testify.”

  • Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are counting on us to bear our testimonies to the world.
  • Questions:
    1. What does it mean to be a ‘witness’?
    2. Why is it so important to testify of what we know and believe?
      • Jacob (Enos): Enos 1:1-3 – “[1] Behold, it came to pass that I, Enos, knowing my father that he was a just man—for he taught me in his language, and also in the nurture and admonition of the Lord—and blessed be the name of my God for it— [2] And I will tell you of the wrestle which I had before God, before I received a remission of my sins. [3] Behold, I went to hunt beasts in the forests; and the words which I had often heard my father speak concerning eternal life, and the joy of the saints, sunk deep into my heart.”
      • Alma the Elder (Alma the Younger): Alma 36:16-19 – “[16] And now, for three days and for three nights was I racked, even with the pains of a damned soul. [17] And it came to pass that as I was thus racked with torment, while I was harrowed up by the memory of my many sins, behold, I remembered also to have heard my father prophesy unto the people concerning the coming of one Jesus Christ, a Son of God, to atone for the sins of the world. [18] Now, as my mind caught hold upon this thought, I cried within my heart: O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me, who am in the gall of bitterness, and am encircled about by the everlasting chains of death. [19] And now, behold, when I thought this, I could remember my pains no more; yea, I was harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more.”
      • President Russell M. Nelson (Dr. Zhang – Chinese doctor): “Heart of the Matter: What 100 Years of Living Have Taught Me” by President Russell M. Nelson: “Many years ago, I was invited to be a visiting professor of surgery in the People’s Republic of China. Upon meeting and becoming well acquainted with my host, Dr. Zhang, I found myself picturing him in white baptismal clothing. Then, when I met Dr. Zhang’s wife, I couldn’t help but think of the two of them dressed in white in the temple together. I realized these thoughts were not practical, as I was not permitted to talk about the gospel while in China and I strictly adhered to that rule. Nonetheless, over the course of many trips to China, Dr. Zhang and I became dear friends.

        “Six years after my call to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, I received an unexpected letter from Dr. Zhang. He said that he had lived under both Japanese and Chinese rule and had also worked in a Presbyterian hospital. Then he said that he was now seventy years old, and the only way of living that made sense to him was Dr. Russell Nelson’s. He wanted to know if he could be taught the gospel if he and his wife moved to Toronto, Canada. I of course told him that I would be delighted to arrange for him to meet with missionaries.

        “A few weeks after contacting the mission president in Toronto, I learned that these dear friends were ready to be baptized. I flew to Toronto to participate in their baptismal service. After their confirmations, I told them that I would return in one year to perform their sealing as a couple in the Toronto Ontario Temple, which I did. These were singular treasured experiences that commenced by visualizing them dressed in white.”
    3. How can I effectively testify of what I ‘have both seen and heard’ on social media?
      • Church News Podcast Episode 75: Elder Brent H. Nielson on the expansion of missionary work in a digital age:
        • [Sarah Jane Weaver]: “How did having missionaries have devices actually impact missionary work?”
          [Elder Nielson]: “Well, it was a long process, because just handing a missionary a new phone didn’t do anything. To them, it was just a device, and so in the background, with the direction of President Nelson and Elder Bednar, we were working diligently to figure out, ‘How can we allow people to see the gospel of Jesus Christ online, and then pull our missionaries to them, rather than us trying to push things on people?’ And so our goal was to make it a pull instead of a push. … For years and years, we’ve done missionary work by sending our missionaries out. They’re either on the street or they’re knocking on doors, or they’re on the bus; they’re always looking. … The challenge with that is it limits the number of people we can find, but it also, sometimes people feel that we’re pushing things on them instead of them being interested in it themselves. And so by using social media, we find those people who actually are asking us to come and teach them, ‘Will you come and teach me?’ And it makes all the difference when someone is asking for us.”
      • “Flooding the Earth with Christ’s Message“, Elder David A. Bednar, August 18, 2024: “I think as we focus on the work of proclaiming the gospel, we emphasize ‘just be normal and natural’. If an individual or a family would consider just their normal routine, what’s something that they would be interested in posting? It doesn’t have to be a gospel message – we are the gospel message. I think it could help people to understand that what we do is much more important than what we may write or say.”
    4. What blessings come to those who testify of the gospel of Jesus Christ?
    5. What does ‘unitedly testify[ing]’ look like?
    6. Who is someone you would consider to be a powerful ‘witness who testif[ies]’? What is it that they are doing that is so powerful?
    7. What is our purpose when we testify of the gospel of Jesus Christ to others?
    8. What do we really mean when we say the Church is true?
    9. Can you think of powerful scriptural examples of ‘witnesses who testif[ied]’?
    10. Would you be willing to share a story of a time when you testified of the gospel of Jesus Christ?

Take Action

My final question for you is: How will you take action on the invitations extended in this General Conference address?

Conclusion

As we conclude this episode, I have some important information. Show notes for this and all other episodes can be found on my website, mitchellryanpeterson.com. On my website, you will also find my weekly What? Eye. Read. 💡 newsletter.

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I promise that you will get more out of each General Conference Applied episode when you study the General Conference address first. Thank you for joining me in this effort to become doers of the word and to take action on general conference invitations.

Tags

Church Growth | Gathering | Missionary Service | Testimony

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