THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS I APRIL 2001 LIAHONA THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS I APRIL 2001 LIAHONA FEATURES 2 SPECIAL WITNESSES OF CHRIST: TEXT FROM A VIDEO PRESENTATION BY THE FIRST PRESIDENCY AND QUORUM OF THE TWELVE APOSTLES 25 VISITING TEACHING MESSAGE: INCREASING OUR FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST 42 ALBIN LOTRIC: THE WORTH OF A SOUL MARVIN K. GARDNER 48 USING THE APRIL 2001 LIAHONA ON THE COVER The Christus, by Bertel Thorvaldsen ESPECIALLY FOR YOUTH (Photograph by Craig Dimond). Inset: Photograph by Acey Harper, 26 LATTER-DAY SAINT VOICES: TRUSTING IN HIS CARE from The Mission. “THERE SHALL NOT BE ROOM ENOUGH TO RECEIVE IT” GLORIA OLAVE DAVID LED THE WAY SERGIO ARROYO 30 A PROPHET’S COUNSEL AND PRAYER FOR YOUTH PRESIDENT GORDON B. HINCKLEY THE FRIEND 2 EASTER: A STORY FOR YOU TO TELL 4 SHARING TIME: LISTEN TO A PROPHET’S VOICE DIANE S. NICHOLS 6 MAKING FRIENDS: NORBERTO HARIJAONA OF ANTANANARIVO, MADAGASCAR ANITA F. BOTT THE FRIEND COVER God’s Constant Care, 9 SONG: THE SACRED GROVE JOAN D. CAMPBELL AND HAL K. CAMPBELL by Sheri Lynn Boyer Doty. 10 NEW TESTAMENT STORIES: JESUS CHOOSES HIS APOSTLES 14 FICTION: THE TALK T. S. HETTINGER SEE PAGE 30 SEE PAGE 2 SEE THE FRIEND, PAGE 2 COMMENT ............................................................................................ April 2001 Vol. 25 No. 4 all who are in the dark to join us on this LIAHONA 21984 Official English International Magazine of The Church bright path. of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The First Presidency: Gordon B. Hinckley, Marina Ruseva, Thomas S. Monson, James E. Faust Stara Zagora Branch, Quorum of the Twelve: Boyd K. Packer, L. Tom Perry, David B. Haight, Neal A. Maxwell, Russell M. Nelson, Plovdiv Bulgaria District Dallin H. Oaks, M. Russell Ballard, Joseph B. Wirthlin, Richard G. Scott, Robert D. Hales, Jeffrey R. Holland, Henry B. Eyring Editor: Dennis B. Neuenschwander Advisers: L. Lionel Kendrick, Yoshihiko Kikuchi, John M. Madsen MISSIONARIES SERVE WITH PURE HEARTS Curriculum Department Administrators: My daughter and I read the Liahona Managing Director: Ronald L. Knighton Editorial Director: Richard M. Romney (Ukrainian), from which we find out about Graphics Director: Allan R. Loyborg the current events of The Church of Jesus Editorial Staff: Managing Editor: Marvin K. Gardner Christ of Latter-day Saints and about the Assistant Managing Editor: R. Val Johnson Associate Editor: Roger Terry lives of members in all corners of our Assistant Editor: Jenifer Greenwood planet. My heart delights when I read of Editorial Associate: Susan Barrett Publications Assistant: Collette Nebeker Aune the brothers and sisters who do missionary REASSURED BY LIAHONA Design Staff: work in many countries despite the hard- Magazine Graphics Manager: M. M. Kawasaki I have been a member of the Church Art Director: Scott Van Kampen ships that may await them. With pure Senior Designer: Sharri Cook since I was eight years old, and I would like Designers: Thomas S. Child, Randall J. Pixton hearts, great faith, and much love, they go Production Manager: Jane Ann Peters to tell you thanks for the edifying messages. Production: Reginald J. Christensen, Kari A. Couch, to every house, to every family, and do their Denise Kirby, Kelli Pratt, Claudia E. Warner Because of the Liahona (French), I am re- important work. By doing this, they help Digital Prepress: Jeff Martin assured and consoled in knowing that us—through the scriptures and their Printing and Distribution: there are faithful young people who hold Printing Director: Kay W. Briggs personal examples—get to know our Distribution Director (Subscriptions): Kris T. Christensen fast in spite of intense opposition. Heavenly Father better. This service pleases For subscriptions and prices outside the United States Seeing some of my own friends get off and Canada, contact your local Church distribution not only the eye, but the heart as well. center or ward or branch leader. the right road has been very painful. Often I Send manuscripts and queries to Liahona, Floor 24, Leonid Stepanovich Shkolny, 50 East North Temple, Salt Lake City, UT 84150-3223, have wondered if I would have the strength USA; or e-mail: [email protected] Vynohradars’ka Branch, and courage to resist their call to be part of The Liahona (a Book of Mormon term meaning Kyiv Ukraine Sviatoshyns’kyi District “compass” or “director”) is published in Albanian, the world. The sincere testimonies of the Amharic, Armenian (East), Bulgarian, Cebuano, young people whose words you publish have Chinese, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Fijian, Finnish, French, German, Haitian, Hiligaynon, GOD LIGHTS THE ROAD FOR US strengthened me. It is truly comforting to Hungarian, Icelandic, Ilokano, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Kiribati, Korean, Latvian, Lithuanian, I want to say to all the readers of the know that I am not the only young person Malagasy, Marshallese, Mongolian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Samoan, Slovenian, Liahona how important it is to have God to have hope in the truth, to practice the Spanish, Swedish, Tagalog, Tahitian, Thai, Tongan, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese. (Frequency varies by in our lives. I became a totally different gospel, and to strive to have high principles. language.) person when I joined the Church. Life is so Thanks very much for that help. The © 2001 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. much easier now. I’m thankful for our Liahona is a compass in this world. Heavenly Father’s wisdom, kindness, For Readers in the United States and Canada: Vayana Mataoa, April 2001 Vol. 25 No. 4. LIAHONA (USPS 311-480) patience, protection, and love. Problems English (ISSN 1080-9554) is published monthly by The Arue Ward, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 50 East North haven’t disappeared. They still exist, but Temple, Salt Lake City, UT 84150. USA subscription price Arue Tahiti Stake is $10.00 per year; Canada, $15.50 plus applicable God helps me overcome adversity. taxes. Periodicals Postage Paid at Salt Lake City, Utah, and at additional mailing offices. Sixty days’ notice required for I know now that just as the moon change of address. Include address label from a recent issue; old and new address must be included. Send USA makes a dark road visible, God lights for us Editors’ note: In this issue, “Special and Canadian subscriptions to Salt Lake Distribution Center at address below. Subscription help line: the road that leads to His heavenly Witnesses of Christ” replaces the First 1-800-537-5971. Credit card orders (Visa, MasterCard, American Express) may be taken by phone. (Canada Poste kingdom. We can open our arms and invite Presidency Message. Home teachers are Information: Publication Agreement #1604821) encouraged to use this message during the POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Salt Lake Distribution Center, Church Magazines, PO Box 26368, month of April. Salt Lake City, UT 84126-0368. APRIL 2001 1 THE MISSION EY HARPER, FROM C A Y OGRAPH B T PHO Special Witnesses of Christ Following is the text from a video presentation by the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The presentation was broadcast by satellite between general conference sessions on 1–2 April 2000. President Gordon B. Hinckley his great and ancient city of babe who was destined to become Jerusalem—it has always been the Savior of the world. anT inspiration to me. It is so because He spent His boyhood in this place bears the imprint of the Nazareth of Galilee to the north of Son of God. Two thousand years ago, us. When 12 years of age, He was SIMON DEWEY Y B the Savior of mankind was born in brought back here to Jerusalem. , Bethlehem, a short distance to the Here He was found by His mother south. He was brought here to the temple when He was conversing with the doctors in the temple, “and they an infant. Here Mary and Joseph heard the wonderful were hearing him, and asking him questions” (Joseph ORD IS MY SHEPHERD prophecies spoken by Simeon and Anna about this tiny Smith Translation, Luke 2:46). THE L LIAHONA 2 It was near here that He gazed out over this city and Now, 2,000 years have come and gone since His birth said with sorrow, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that in Bethlehem. Surely this is a time for remembrance and killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent recommitment. In our day the Lord has called 15 special unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children witnesses to testify of His divinity before all the world. together, . and ye would not!” (Matthew 23:37). Theirs is a unique calling; they are Apostles of the Lord Jerusalem was the scene of the final days of the mortal Jesus Christ, chosen and commissioned by Him. They life of the Son of God. Here He suffered the agony of have been commanded to bear witness of His living Gethsemane, His arrest, His trials, His condemnation, reality by the power and authority of the holy apostleship the unspeakable pain of His death on the cross, His in them vested. burial in Joseph’s tomb, and the triumphant coming forth I invite you to listen to the testimonies of these special in the Resurrection. witnesses. They will speak to us from various locations None can fully comprehend the splendor of His life, the around the earth, testifying of His premortal, mortal, and majesty of His death, the universality of His gift to postmortal ministry. God be thanked for the gift of His mankind. We declare with the centurion, who said at His Son, the Redeemer of the world, the Savior of mankind, death, “Truly this man was the Son of God” (Mark 15:39).