A congregation in the Mormon Church is called a ward. There are between 5-12 wards combined together to form a stake. The stake has a president who leads the stake. He has a few councilors and a high council that help him direct the work in that area. All positions in the church are volunteer, nobody get's paid, they have their own professions that they work at full time to support themselves and their families. Two weeks ago we were in stake conference. It is a meeting we have twice a year in the Mormon church. Every stake has their own stake conference that is directed and overseen by the stake president. Different members of the stake are asked to speak on various topics, assigned by the stake president. A few years ago the church started also having a regional conference every few years in place of one of these bi-annual stake conferences. These were broadcast from one central location to various buildings in the stake so nobody would have to travel further then they usually did. At our last Stake Conference, 2 weeks ago, our stake president announced that 2 weeks from that day we would be having a broadcast from Salt Lake in addition to the regular stake conference we were then having. I have been a member of the church all of my life, and it is a very organized and regulated church. This broadcast was something new; new things do not happen very often in the Mormon Church. Over the last few weeks I have heard quite a bit of speculation about why we could be having this meeting. Here are some of the statements I have heard in the last few weeks. Maybe they are going to make church two hours instead of three; Maybe it has something to do with all of the gay and lesbian stuff going on in the media and the announcements the church has made; Ooh, it's just a broadcast? I don't do those, I will just stay home.
This week in my Book of Mormon class we have been studying Helaman chapters 10-16 in the Book of Mormon. I have found it interesting to read, and imagine what it would have been like to see him up on the wall preaching repentance to all of the Nephites. Just a few years before they had been a righteous people, but they no longer were. Because the stones and arrows didn't hit him, it caused a few people to have their eyes opened and they went to Nephi to learn more about what Samual was talking about. Not only did Samual preach repentance, he prophesied about some major things that would be happening. He told them that in 5 years there would be a day and a night and a day without darkness. The sun would come up and go down, but it wouldn't get dark. He also said there would be a new star in the heavens, there would be many signs and wonders in heaven and that all people would be amazed and fall to the earth. He told them that these would be signs that Jesus Christ had been born in Jerusalem.
He also taught them how they needed prepare for the Savior. They needed to believe in God, and repent to be forgiven through Christ. Also that we are all free to act for ourselves. The other prophesy's that he gave were about the death of the Savior. The sun would be darkened for three days, there would be thunder, lightning and earthquakes; the earth would be broken up; great storms and that mountains would become valleys and valleys mountains; highways and cities would be destroyed; and that graves would open and resurrected saints would minister to the people.
I am sure you are wondering what our regional conference tomorrow and Samual the laminate have to do with each other. As I was thinking about these two things, I thought what things do the prophet and his councilors have to say to us? Is something important happening? It could be something new and exciting, it could be the same important things that they have been telling us, that we don't always completely listen to. These are the last days, there are daily signs that these are the last days, but who knows how long the last days will last. The things that Samual the Laminate prophesied about weren't new. The prophets had been prophesying about the savior coming since the beginning of time. As humans we tend to get cynical and let the natural man come out. We think that it is some time far in the future and wonder if it will ever effect me. My prayers this week have been that I will realize that everything that the prophet says is important and that they are things that the Lord wants me to hear now. I want to always remember "but as for me an my house, we will serve the Lord" (Joshua 24:15)
