http://lds.org/general-conference/2009/10/safety-for-the-soul?lang=eng&media=video
But my Sunday started with Sacrament meeting, and three inspired talks. I was on parking lot duty, wo was listening with the head set. I was very focused on the talks. President Crockett talked about the Aaronic Priesthood, and how this priesthood holds the keys of the ministering of angels. He indicated this meant that the Aaronic Priesthood holders have the right to inspiration and protection from angels. He then related a couple of stories from a talk by Robert Herbertson:
A
priests quorum decided one winter to gather food for the needy as a
service project. This event soon developed into a competitive activity
with the Laurels to see who could gather the most food.
Jim,
one of the members of the quorum, became very excited about
participating in this activity. He planned to use a cart he had built
for a parade and was determined that he was going to collect more food
than anyone else.
The
night came, and the priests and Laurels met at the chapel. They went
out at the same time and returned at the specified time later in the
evening. Much to everyone’s surprise, Jim’s cart was empty. He was
rather sober and didn’t seem to want to talk to anyone. Some of the boys
made fun of him and asked, “Where’s your food, Jim? We thought you were
going to beat us all.”
Seeing
the situation Jim was in and knowing that he had an interest in
automobiles, the adviser grabbed him and said, “Come outside, Jim, I
want you to look at my car. It’s giving me some trouble.”
When
they got outside, the adviser said, “What’s wrong, Jim?” Jim began to
cry and said, “I don’t know if I want to talk about it.”
“Are you upset?”
“No,
not really. But when I went out to collect the food, I really got a
lot. My cart was full. As I was returning to the chapel, I stopped at
the home of a nonmember woman who is divorced and lives within our ward
boundaries. I knocked on the door and explained what we were doing, and
she invited me in. She began to look for something to give me. She
opened the refrigerator, and I could see there was hardly anything in
it. The cupboards were bare. Finally, she found a small can of peaches.
“I
could hardly believe it. There were all these little kids running
around that needed to be fed, and she handed me this can of peaches. I
took it and put it in my cart and went on up the street. I got about
halfway up the block when I just felt warm all over and knew I needed to
go back to that house. I gave her all the food.”
The adviser said, “Jim, don’t you ever forget the way you feel tonight, because that’s what it is all about.”
Because
of the priesthood Jim held, he had received the ministering of angels
and through the Holy Ghost had been guided to do something that was far
more important than winning the contest.
The second story is like this:
Let
me conclude with an old Indian legend. Many years ago, Indian youths
would go away in solitude to prepare for manhood. One such youth hiked
into a beautiful valley. There he fasted, and on the third day he
decided to test himself against the mountain. He put on his buffalo-hide
shirt, threw his blanket over his shoulders, and set off to climb the
peak.
When
he reached the top, he could see forever, and his heart swelled with
joy. Then he heard a rustle at his feet. Looking down, he saw a snake.
Before he could move, the snake spoke: “I am about to die. It is too
cold for me up here, and I am freezing. There is no food, and I am
starving. Put me under your shirt and take me down to the valley.”
“Oh, no,” said the youth. “I know your kind. You are a rattlesnake. If I pick you up, you will bite me, and I will die.”
“Not so,” said the snake. “I will treat you differently. If you do this for me, you will be special. I will not harm you.”
The
youth withstood for a while, but this was a very persuasive snake with
beautiful markings. At last the youth tucked it under his shirt and
carried it down to the valley. There he laid it gently on the grass.
Suddenly, the snake coiled, rattled, and struck, biting him on the leg.
“You knew what I was when you picked me up,” said the snake as it slithered away.
It has been a very good Sunday.
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