Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do.

The speaker read from the Book of Mormon. He read a scripture from Isaiah. He read from the New Testament. He read from the Doctrine and Covenants. His scriptures were well-marked, and worn from much use.

Each scripture taught a truth. He did not seem to be talking from a written script, but his talk was organized and flowed smoothly. Sometimes the audience laughed with him; sometimes there were tears. Even the children were quiet as their parents’ attention focused on the speaker.

He spoke of spending two weeks in the bukid, or remote jungle area. He said he had been hungry; then read Matt 4:4

But he answered and said, it is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. 

The speaker was eighteen years old and would enter the Mission Training Center in Manila on Friday. He had spent six weeks as a missionary in Balamban , and then two weeks in Lamac. He did the work of a full time missionary. But the full-time missionaries receive monthly support money to pay their expenses. He did not, and he had no money of his own. He, in essence, served “without purse or script.”

Though his stomach may at times have been empty, he feasted on the words of Christ.

We are so proud of these young missionaries, who, despite all obstacles, prepare themselves to serve the Lord and bring a much-needed message to the inhabitants of this earth.

Boyd K Packer has said,

We live in troubled times—very troubled times. We hope, we pray, for better days. But that is not to be. The prophecies tell us that. We will not as a people, as families, or as individuals be exempt from the trials to come. No one will be spared the trials common to home and family, work, disappointment, grief, health, aging, ultimately death.

 What then shall we do? That question was asked of the Twelve on the day of Pentecost. Peter answered, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”

The [restored] priesthood is structured to ensure an unbroken line of authority to baptize and confer the Holy Ghost.

 The Holy Ghost is awakened with prayer and cultivated “by obedience to the laws and

ordinances of the gospel.”

[But] the tempter—the adversary—uses [the] channels of the mind and heart to inspire us to evil, to laziness, to contention, even to acts of darkness. He can take over our thoughts and lead us to mischief.

[However] always nearby are leaders and teachers called and set apart to teach and to correct us. We can learn to sort out the promptings from the temptations and follow the inspiration of the Holy Ghost.

It is a glorious time to live! No matter what trials await us, we can find the answer to that question, “What shall we do?” We, and those we love, will be guided and corrected and protected, and we will be comforted. (President Boyd K Packer, May 2000)

The Holy Ghost always speaks the words that Christ Himself would speak to us if we were in His presence. Through the power of the Holy Ghost, each of us can joyfully feast on the unchanging words of Christ.

 

The Legend of he Mango

A long time ago in a faraway town, a very rich, happy couple resides and they have three boys. The sad part was, the wife died too early which left the three boys and their father. The father was so sad and heart broken when his beautiful wife died. He just can’t accept that she was already gone.

The days was consumed with him being drunk, all day long. Alcohol was his companion and the only thing that makes him deal with the bitter situation the family didn’t expect to happen.

The young son approached his father one day and told him, “Please stop what you doing to yourself dad. We are still here, please hold on.” But his dad didn’t listened to him. He continued what he was doing and he had neglected their livelihood.

Soon, the family is heavily indebted. And the family lawyers had advice the siblings that the inheritance should be divided to all three of them. The eldest son had a thought of it and he decided they should have the shares of the properties before all was gone.

And because he was the eldest, he got all the land, and the second son got the big house for himself and all the properties in it.

The youngest son? Oh, he had decided to take care of their father on a small nipa hut on the end of the land his older brother had given him.

At last their father had come to his senses! But it was already too late. He got sick and his body slowed down.

Then the day had come that the father was already on the brink of death. He called onto his youngest son who is taking care of him and ask for forgiveness.

“I’m so sorry my youngest son. I would be gone and I have nothing left for you other than the heart of your mom and me.”

What the father was referring to? It was a fortunate seed that his father and mother had been keeping that is shape like a heart. The very ill father had instructed his youngest son to take care of the seed just like the way he loved and took cared of his negligent father.

When the father passed a way, the youngest son planted the heart shaped seed and everyday he takes care of it. He water it daily and pull weeds around the sprout. Soon, the sprout grew to be a strong, big tree.

The day came that the tree bears cluster of green fruits that shaped like hearts. And when the fruits ripened, they turned out to be yellow in color and so sweet!

The youngest son was so lucky! When he sold the ripe fruits, the wholesalers paid him a lot of money. And he planted again the seeds of the remaining ripe fruits so the trees will multiply. And so the next year, he got a land of his own where he planted a lot more fruits.

In case you are wondering about his two elder brothers, well, they both had consumed all their shares as years passed while their youngest brother’s effort had all paid off in all that he did.

Then the time came when the youngest son had bought their old family home and the lands his parents owned before. And he also invited his two elder brothers to live with him in the new house on the center of the land he had got for mango plantation