Do we all have talents?

God has given each of us talents. How we use these talents are up to us. We can choose to perfect these talents or to loose them.

Elder Ronald A. Rasband said,

"Every person comes to earth as a unique individual. Similar threads may run in families, but each of us has a tapestry all our own. Elder Bruce R. McConkie (1915–85) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles wrote: “Each person in this life is endowed with those talents and capacities which his pre-earth life entitle him to receive. Some by obedience to law acquired one talent and some another.” ²

The Lord made it clear that it is not good enough for us simply to return to Him the talents He has given us. We are to improve upon and add to our talents. He has promised that if we multiply our talents we will receive eternal joy.

In modern revelation the Lord affirmed the principles in this parable: “But with some I am not well pleased, for … they hide the talent which I have given unto them, because of the fear of man. … Thou shalt not idle away thy time, neither shalt thou bury thy talent that it may not be known” (D&C 60:2, 13).

Applying the teachings of the parable of the talents has been a challenge and a blessing in my life. The following principles have been a great help to me in my efforts with this process.

Seek earnestly to discover the talents the Lord has given you. The talents God has given us first become apparent in the interests we pursue. If you are wondering about your talents, make a list of the things you like to do. Include all the activities you enjoy from different dimensions of your life—spiritual, musical, dramatic, academic, athletic, and so on. Study and ponder your patriarchal blessing for insights and inspiration. Consult family members, trusted friends, teachers, and leaders; others often can see in us what we find difficult to see in ourselves.

I remember a wonderful Primary teacher who frequently invited me to read the scriptures in front of the class. She told me what a nice reading voice I had and how well I read. What she said and the way she encouraged me helped me gain confidence and realize a talent from the Lord at an early age.

As a 19-year-old missionary, I yearned to know if I had been blessed with any helpful missionary-related talents. I felt a great desire to know how I could magnify whatever gifts I had so that I could be a more effective servant of the Lord. As I studied the scriptures and my patriarchal blessing, prayed fervently, and had various missionary experiences, several of my talents were made known to me.

Use your talents to build up the kingdom of God. Our first priority in helping others is our family. Parents are in a unique and powerful position to encourage and support their children in developing their talents. We also have many opportunities to help others identify their talents. I am grateful for the many people who have helped me add to my talents. The successes in life of those we assist, sponsor, mentor, and lift as they pursue their own talents can bring us great joy and satisfaction.

Focusing on serving the Savior can guide us toward making proper decisions in our daily lives. This perspective prepares us to do whatever the Lord may ask of us at any time. President Gordon B. Hinckley exemplifies this important attitude: “My talents may not be great, but I can use them to bless the lives of others. I can be one who does his work with pride in that which comes from his hand and mind.” ³

Acknowledge God’s hand in your success. We must never forget or stop acknowledging that all talents and abilities come from God. Some were given to us before our birth, while others have been acquired as we have developed. But in both cases, they are gifts from a benevolent Heavenly Father, whose gracious blessings are also the means for improving our talents and obtaining others. The Lord has said, “And in nothing doth man offend God, or against none is his wrath kindled, save those who confess not his hand in all things” (D&C 59:21).

I am thankful for the knowledge He has given us—that we are His children and that we are to magnify and multiply our talents to our fullest potential. I know that if we will work hard and do our best, using our talents to bless others and build the kingdom of God, we will be brought back into His presence and hear Him say, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord” (Matt. 25:21)."



An Ancient Record

Why is the Book of Mormon so important to those of the LDS faith? Have you ever seen somebody walking around with a Book of Mormon in their hand? Have you ever wondered what it is? Have you ever desired to read "the most correct of any book on earth" as Joseph Smith said? Well if you have ever wanted to know more about the Book of Mormon you are on a path that can lead to eternal life only after following its teachings.

As a missionary we go out with the Book of Mormon in our hand and always thinking about it in our heart and studying it in our mind. We have come to know what this book can bring to any man, woman or child. We go about sharing the message of the Book of Mormon. We go around giving our life if needs be to spread the good word of God. We give all knowing what Heavenly Father has instore for those who do not yet have the fulness of the Gospel in their lives. So with this said what is contained in the Book of Mormon? "It is a record of God's dealings with the ancient inhabitants of the Americas and contains, as does the Bible, the fulness of the everlasting gospel."(Introduction) The Book of Mormon was written by the ancestors of the Native Americans. It was written by prophets just like the Bible. The Book of Mormon does not take away from the Bible but adds a second witness of the Master Jesus Christ. The Book of Mormon as stated in the Introduction it was written in the ancient americas whereas the Bible was written in ancient Jerusalem. Introduction states, "The crowning event recorded in the Book of Mormon is the personal ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ among the Nephites(a group of people) soon after His resurrection. It puts forth the doctrines of the gospel, outlines the plan of Salvation, and tells men what they must do to gain peace in this life and eternal salvation in the life to come."

The ancient record or the Gold Plates were preserved from generation to generation until the Prophet Moroni sealed them up until the day that they were to be brought forth. The Angel Moroni appeared to the Prophet Joseph Smith and directed him to these ancient records which were buried in a hill called Cumorah. Joseph Smith translated the record from ancient text that nobody on earth knew to english by the Power of God. The only way that this could have been was by the power of God.


God new that so many people were going to be stubborn and hard headed like in the scriptures and want tangible evidence of this record. So He provided the Gold Plates to be shown to eleven other men by the Power of God. These eleven men are special witnesses of the truth and divinity of the Book of Mormon. These eleven men bore witness of the plates and all that was contained in them. They bore testimony about the Prophet Joseph Smith and the work which was accomplished through him. The tangible evidence that everyone looks for is the testimonies of these witnesses and the Book of Mormon itself. They can know by reading the Book of Mormon, pondering the message it contains in their hearts and then by asking God if the Book of Mormon is true. If they pray with a sincere heart, having faith in Christ and real intent they will come to know the Book of Mormon is true by the power of the Holy Ghost. "Those who gain this divine witness from the Holy Spirit will also come to know by the same power that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world, that Joseph Smith is His revelator in the last days, and that THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS is the Lord's kingdom once again established prepatory to the second coming of the Messiah.


I do witness unto all that read this that I know by the Power of the Holy Ghost that the Book of Mormon is true. I know that you to can find this out by the same power if you so desire. I know that Jesus Christ appeared to the people here in the Americas. I know with all my soul that the Book of Mormon will change your life for the best and bring you salvation if you heed to the principles and gospel found therein.

For a free copy of the Book of Mormon, please call
1 (888) 537-2200

What is the Book of Mormon?

Many people look at the Book of Mormon and just look away because they have always been told that it is just a Latter-day Saint version of the Bible. Well I am here to tell you you have been mislead. Who ever told you that has never actually read the Book of Mormon. They have never actually studied the Book of Mormon itself. It is not Joseph Smith's version of the Bible. It is as it says on the front cover of the Book of Mormon Another Testament of Jesus Christ. El Libro de Mormon Otro Testamento de JesuCristo. I am here to more explain the Book of Mormon and the prophecies in the Bible about the Book of Mormon.




Prophecies about Book of Mormon
In the Old Testament in the Book of Ezekiel in chapter 37 verse

15The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying,

 16Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions:

 17And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand.

We know the Bible is the Stick of Judah. And well many people do not know how to explain the Stick of Joseph. The Stick of Joseph was written by the descendants of Joseph. In the Book of Mormon in the Book of 1st Nephi it talks about this. In the Book of Mormon it starts out with the Prophet Lehi. He is in Jerusalem and in the first few chapters of the Book of Mormon. In the fifth chapter fourteenth verse it states, "And it came to pass that my father, Lehi, also found upon the plates of brass a genealogy of his fathers; wherefore he knew that he was a descendant of Joseph; yea, even that Joseph who was the son of Jacob, who was sold into Egypt, and who was preserved by the hand of the Lord, that he might preserve his father, Jacob, and all his household from perishing with famine." Before this his sons were commanded to go back to Jerusalem to obtain the record of genealogy for Lehi. The reason they left is they were commanded to by God because people were seeking to kill Lehi like any other prophet. So here in this verse from the Book of Mormon it talks about them being descendants of Joseph in the Bible. This fulfills prophecy from the Book of Mormon. It also talks about in those verses in Ezekiel how the Stick of Judah and Stick of Joseph will be one in hand. And we have copies of the Bible and the Book of Mormon. This is incredible to know. Now that I have talked about the prophecies in the Bible lets talk about what the Book of Mormon is.

Book of Mormon

The Book of Mormon is a volume of holy scripture comparable to the Bible. It is a record of God’s dealings with the ancient inhabitants of the Americas and contains the fulness of the everlasting gospel. (taken from the Introduction) It is not the Bible but is comparable to the Bible. The Book of Mormon was recorded between the years of 600 B.C. and 400 A.D.. It starts out in Jerusalem and then they build a ship as commanded by God and sail across the Ocean to the Americas. That is why it says as stated above, "A record of God's dealings with the ancient inhabitants of the America's." It was written here in the America's.  The Book of Mormon talks about the wars that happened here in the America's. It tells of the time that Jesus Christ after His resurrection came here to the America's and taught the people. Our God is a loving God so why wouldn't He come and teach His people here? This record is in the Book of Mormon, 3 Nephi chapters 11-28. It foretells the coming of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ throughout The Book of Mormon.

How can we know it is true?
The last Prophet in the Book of Mormon gave us a promise to finding out if the Book of Mormon is true. In this he said in Moroni chapter 10 verses 3-5,

"3Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.

4And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.

5And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things."

Here he promises us that if we ask God our Eternal Father in the name of Christ, really wanting to know He will tell us by the power of the Holy Ghost. Which means by our thoughts and feelings. The Spirit is described as a still small voice not a voice of thunder or being really loud. It comes softly and we have to be looking for our answer with no distractions. This is how all men and women may come to know if the Book of Mormon is true. God is willing to tell us but we have to be willing to listen for His answer. Usually he does not hit us in the head with a 2x4. But by good and uplifting thoughs and feelings. This is how I came to know that the Book of Mormon is true, and because of the answer I received I desire to tell all about The Book of Mormon. I know how much it will bless others lives as it has blessed mine and my families lives. We have to really want to know if it is true otherwise God will not tell us. We can't take mans word for it we need to ask God for our answer. We need to be willing to share our testimony of it in order to receive our answer.

When we receive our answer because it is only true or false and if it is true then that means that Joseph Smith is a Prophet of God, that Jesus is the Christ our Savior and Redeemer, and that the Priesthood of God has been restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith meaning the authority given to act in God's name. It also means that THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS is the Lord's Kingdom here upon this earth prepatory to the Second Coming of the Messiah. Meaning that the LDS Faith has the Fulness of the Everlasting Gospel, Priesthood Restored, a Living Prophet of God,  

I am not saying that any other church is bad. I am just saying they don't have the fulness of the Gospel as described in the Book of Mormon. They still teach truth but they don't have all of the truth. Is is either true or not. The only way to find out is by asking God if THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAYS SAINTS is His kingdom here upon the earth.

 JEFFREY R. HOLLAND QUORUM OF THE TWELVE APOSTLES

“[I] give [my name] unto the world, to witness unto the world that which [I] have seen.” And like them, “[I] lie not, God bearing witness of it.” ¹³

I ask that my testimony of the Book of Mormon and all that it implies, given today under my own oath and office, be recorded by men on earth and angels in heaven. I hope I have a few years left in my “last days,” but whether I do or do not, I want it absolutely clear when I stand before the judgment bar of God that I declared to the world, in the most straightforward language I could summon, that the Book of Mormon is true, that it came forth the way Joseph said it came forth and was given to bring happiness and hope to the faithful in the travail of the latter days.

My witness echoes that of Nephi, who wrote part of the book in his “last days”:

“Hearken unto these words and believe in Christ; and if ye believe not in these words believe in Christ. And if ye shall believe in Christ ye will believe in these words, for they are the words of Christ, … and they teach all men that they should do good.

“And if they are not the words of Christ, judge ye—for Christ will show unto you, with power and great glory, that they are his words, at the last day.”

2 Nephi 25:26

"And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins."

With this I bear my witness of the Living reality of our God. I bear my witness that Jesus is teh Christ. I know the Book of Mormon truly is Another Testament of Jesus Christ. I have prayed about it and God has told me it is true. I know you have felt the Spirit as you have read this. That is the same spirit that will tell you The Book of Mormon is true. Heed to the words spoken and read and pray about The Book of Mormon. I know and promise it will bless your life. This I testify of this in the Sacred Name of our Savior and Redeemer. Jesus Christ. Amen.

For a free copy of the Book of Mormon please call

1 (888) 537-2200