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Show YOUR MOST IMPORTANT DUTY By W. M. Everton Here is an abstract of a letter received from one of our friends in San Francisco: "I have a husband and several small children and most of my time is taken up in caring for them and for our home. I'm very much interested in my church and would like to do, in the time that I have to spare, the things that are most important for me to do. I am a good teacher and enjoy teaching young folks very much, and I am kept pretty busy teaching in the different organizations. organiza-tions. Ours is a small ward and they seem to have a hard time to find teachers for all the calsses. "I often hear it said that the most important duty of the Latter-day Latter-day Saints is to. perform the work for their dead. I manage to put in. a little time in genealogical research, but not enough to accomplish accom-plish much. I am wondering just what I should dol "Should I devote all my time to genealogy or should I continue to teach the young folks in the various classes as' in the past? If I ask the bishop he will say continue with your teaching, and if I ask the genealogical leader he will say stop your teaching and devote de-vote all your time to genealogy." , This lady indicates that church leaders do not always1 agree as to just what is the most important thing to do. There may be some truth in what he says. A church officer, who had Wen given a special work to do by his presiding officers, was chided by a temple tem-ple offi ciator because he had not been regular in attendance at the temple. When it was explained that other church duties had prevented pre-vented him from going, the temple man said, "There is no church duty that is more important than going to the temple." It is the duty of the church to preach the gospel in all the world, both at home and abroad, to our young people and old people, and to all the nations of the earth. To do this the church must of necessity neces-sity .call upon its members' to do the teaching and preaching. This was the first great obligation which the Lord placed on the church in ancient times and it is still the greatest obligation of the church. It is the duty of members to obey the calls that come to them to help in this great mission. We have never heard one of the general authorities, a stake president or a bishop, say that he thought a mart-should mart-should be excused from teaching or preaching the gospel either at home or abroad because he had a lot of genealogical research to do or because he had a lot of temple work to do. The church assumes no responsibility for the temple work of any individual or family. Families and individuals are entirely responsible for this work. If you have never been sealed to your parents or have never had your mother sealed to your father, the church officials may advise you what to do, but that is as far as they go. No matter how long you wait, the bishop will never assign anyone to do that work for you. You preach the gospel or teach its laws' when you are called to do so, but you will never be called to do your own temple work. That is an individual responsibility and it is the greatest individual responsibility re-sponsibility that rests on the Latter-day Saints. We advised the San Francisco lady that she should continue to teach the gospel to the young people of the church. That she should respond to every call that she could fulfill without neglecting her family, and further, that she should embrace every opportunity to continue her genealogical research. |