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Show A plea is made to missionary, no longer active An unmailed letter to a returned missionary was the basis for the Sunday afternoon address given by Elder Charles A. Didier of the First Quorum of the Seventy. With some note of sadness Gospel and gravity, two constant laws Elder William R. Bradford of the First Quorum of the Seventy, in his Simday afternoon address, made an analogy between the law of gravity and the law of the gospel of Jesus Christ. He said that although he isnt a scientist and has never seen gravity, he knows it exists. He knows if one jumps from a high place, he must descend. Men who jump from airplanes have discovered a saving law, he said. It is called the parachute. With proper study and application of this law man, falling through space, can be saved. He said if, however, a man jumps without a parachute, he will not be saved, although he has knowledge of its saving power. By this, he said, we can clearly see that not only the knowledge of a saving law is necessary for salvation, but also the application of it in our lives. He said that as he hds never seen gravity, he has never seen the law of Jesus Christ but that he has seen its powerful effects. Continuing the analogy, he said, Consider what would happen if the law of gravity were suspended from over the face of the earth for 20 seconds. An awesome thought, isnt it, considering that it would cause the total disorganization of all things that exist hereon. He completed this comparison by saying that the same thing would happen, to a grea- 18 CHURCH said that everyone must repent and be baptized by immersion ?fter the pattern of the law giver or he cannot be saved. Parents are required by the law of the gospel to teach their children to understand the doctrine of repentance, faith in Christ the Son of the living God, to pray and walk uprightly before the Lord and to bring them to the waters of baptism at the age of accountability, he said. There is no justification for parents to abandon this law, thereby abdicating their would-bthrones. Elder Bradford said that as a binding clause to the law the Lord has commanded that elders be sent forth to teach among the nations of the world. Will it, therefore, be justified for any who are these designated elders to put self before the law and shirk the clarion call from the prophet, who is the mouthpiece of God, who would send them out empowered to teach a falling world the saving laws of the Gospel of Jesus Christ? He said the saddest are those e Elder William . . . "law of R. Bradford the gospel" the law of the Gospel of Jesus Christ were suspended from over the face of the earth for 20 seconds. But the Gospel of Jesus Christ will not be suspended from over the face of the earth because the works, and the designs, and the purposes of God cannot be frustrated, neither can they come to naught. (D&C 3:1). That which is governed by law and that which will not obey the conditions of law will not be justified in salvation, he said. One of the laws of which he then spoke was baptism. He ter degree, WEEK ENDING OCTOBER if 8, 1977 who will not study the law of the gospel as found in the scriptures. He also said that there of sacrifice, are others laws service, moral cleanliness, tithes and offerings, honesty that comprise the law of the gospel that must be obeyed to prevent the spirit from falling. The law of the gospel, like the law of gravity, is all encompassing and cannot be defied. throughout the letter, Elder Didier traced the steps of the missionary who had first contacted and taught his family and, leaving the mission field, had fallen into inactivity. The letter, he explained, was shared as a tribute to missionary work but especially as a reminder of ones responsibilities towards returned missionaries. The letter told how he had admired the young elder the first time he saw him one hot summer afternoon, pushing his bicycle towards the hill where the Didier family lived and how thrilled they were with his message. Elder Didier recounted the familys conversion, baptism and activity in the Church and the missionarys transfer to another district and, finally, his release from the mission field. Having promised to keep in touch, the elder sent a picture along with a short note. It took us a little time to recognize you, Elder Didier wrote. Not because of the horse that you were riding, instead of your bicycle in the mission field; not because of the clothes, but rather because of the sideburns and the length your hair. We did not know that leaving the mission field also meant that you abandoned some of the characteristics that made you so special to us and one of the reasons why we invited you into our home. You were so different from the of world. Why was it so difficult to remain different? The family received wedding announcements from many missionaries but not from this one; they lost contact. Some time passud and the family visited Salt Lake City where, they learned for the first time through another elder, that the young man had become inactive. We wanted to visit with you, the letter continued. We still had the vision of you, Elder, smiling and testifying with tears in your eyes : I know that what I say is true because I asked my Heavenly Father and I received a personal answer. I could not resist or deny . . your testimony. You spoke to my heart and by the power of the Holy Ghost. That day, we wanted to tell you, the same way you told us, that we also knew. We wanted . Elder Charles A. Didier . . . "live it today." to say, Thank you, Elder. Thank you for what has happened in our lives because of your testimony. You prepared the way for the Lord. You made His paths straight. We drove in front of the gas station where you worked and stopped. I could detect panic on your face and I smiled as you were trying desparately to hide a cigarette that started to bum your fingers. We shook hands, asked about your wife, your children, your life, your future. Something was missing. You knew it and we knew it. Elder Didier said he hoped the former missionary wouldnt mind having this un- mailed letter shared with others, recalling some of the souvenirs of his micsinn. Why cant it be the same? he asked. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is not a gospel made of souvenirs. It is a gospel, presented to us, so that we may live it today, in order to know where we will be tomorrow. You have opened the gate to many. Why do you close it for yourself? May I put my foot in the door, as you once did in mine? Reach out your hand while there is still time and let us tell you that we love you. Now the time has come to leave, but you should know that what you once were, you can be again. May my testimony help you as yours did for me some years ago. |