A Period of Expansion

From 1898 to 1951, four prophets presided over an expanding Church—Lorenzo Snow, Joseph F. Smith, Heber J. Grant, and George Albert Smith. “These Presidents witnessed the transition from horse and buggy transportation to travel by [air]. Two world wars and a global depression challenged the Saints. During this time, nine temples were built. In 1901, there were approximately 300,000 members in 50 stakes” (Our Heritage, 105). By 1951 the Church had over 1,111,000 members gathered in 180 stakes throughout the world.

President Lorenzo Snow
A Revelation on Tithing

President Wilford Woodruff died in 1898 and the prophetic mantle fell on the experienced shoulders of President Lorenzo Snow, then 85 years old. No previous Church President had entered office at such an advanced age. Latter-day Saints looked to the new century with great hope and optimism. The missionary and temple work continued to progress, and the serious financial debt of the Church was addressed and resolved.

President Lorenzo Snow and Tithing

1. “After the death of President Woodruff, Lorenzo Snow, President of the Quorum of the Twelve, became President of the Church. He was a wise and loving leader who had been prepared well for his responsibilities. He had known and been taught by every latter-day prophet up to that time. In November 1900, he told the Saints assembled in the Tabernacle that he had often visited the Prophet Joseph Smith and his family, dined at his table, and had private interviews with him. He knew Joseph was a prophet of God because the Lord had shown him this truth ‘most clearly and completely’ [“The Redemption of Zion,” Millennial Star, Nov. 29, 1900, 754].

2. “During President Snow’s administration, the Church faced serious financial difficulties that had been brought about by the federal government’s legislation against plural marriage. President Snow pondered and prayed for guidance about how to free the Church from its debilitating debt. Following the April 1899 general conference, he felt inspired to visit St. George, Utah. While speaking at a meeting there he paused for some time, and when he continued, he declared that he had received a revelation. The people of the Church had neglected the law of tithing, and the Lord had told him that if Church members more faithfully paid a full tithing, blessings would be showered upon them.

3. “The prophet preached the importance of tithing to congregations throughout Utah. The Saints obeyed his counsel, and that year they paid twice as much tithing as the previous year. By 1907, the Church possessed sufficient funds to pay all its creditors and become debt-free.

4. “In 1898, at a reception for the general board of the Young Ladies Mutual Improvement Association, President George Q. Cannon announced that the First Presidency had made a decision to call ‘some of our wise and prudent women into the missionary field’ [“Biographical Sketches: Jennie Brimhall and Inez Knight,” Young Women’s Journal, June 1898, 245]. Before this time, a few sisters had accompanied their husbands on missions, but this was the first time that the Church had officially called and set apart sisters as missionary ambassadors of the Lord Jesus Christ. While sisters do not have the duty to serve missions, in the past decades thousands have exercised this privilege and served the Lord valiantly as full-time missionaries.

5. “President Lorenzo Snow led the Church into the twentieth century. When the new century dawned, the Church had 43 stakes, 20 missions, and 967 wards and branches. There were 283,765 members, most of whom resided in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. Four temples were in operation, and the Juvenile Instructor, Improvement Era, and Young Women’s Journal carried articles about the Church to its members. Rumors circulated that at least one new mission might be opened, and Latter-day Saints could scarcely imagine what the next hundred years would bring. Yet they were confident that prophecies concerning the destiny of the Church would be fulfilled” (Our Heritage, 103–4).

Understanding the Reading

The Teachings and Testimony of Lorenzo Snow

6. President Lorenzo Snow wrote about “a circumstance which occurred a short time [before a mission to England in 1840]—one which has been riveted on my memory, never to be erased, so extraordinary was the manifestation. At the time, I was at the house of Elder H. G. Sherwood; he was endeavering to explain the parable of our Savior, when speaking of the husbandman who hired servants and sent them forth at different hours of the day to labor in his vineyard.

7. “While attentively listening to his explanation, the Spirit of the Lord rested mightily upon me—the eyes of my understanding were opened, and I saw as clear as the sun at noonday, with wonder and astonishment, the pathway of God and man. I formed the following couplet which expresses the revelation, as it was shown me. . . .

8. As man now is, God once was:
    As God now is, man may be

9. “I felt this to be a sacred communication” (in Eliza R. Snow, Biography and Family Record of Lorenzo Snow [1884], 46).

10. “You sisters, I suppose, have read that poem which my sister, Eliza R. Snow Smith, composed, years ago, and which is sung quite frequently now in our meetings [see “O My Father,” Hymns, no. 292]. It tells us that we not only have a Father in ‘that high and glorious place,’ but that we have a Mother, too; and you sisters will become as great as your Mother, if you are faithful” (in LeRoi C. Snow, “Devotion to a Divine Inspiration,” Improvement Era, June 1919, 658).

11. Before Wilford Woodruff received the revelation that ended the practice of plural marriage (see Official Declaration 1), many members of the Church decided to stop paying tithing because of the laws that were passed that took money and property away from the Church. Because of these circumstances, the Church was deeply in debt. On May 8, 1899, soon after becoming President of the Church, President Lorenzo Snow was speaking at a stake conference in St. George, Utah. While he was speaking, he paused as he received a revelation from the Lord. He then said that he could see, as he had never realized before, how the law of tithing had been ignored. He said: “The word of the Lord to you is not anything new; it is simply this: THE TIME HAS NOW COME FOR EVERY LATTER-DAY SAINT, WHO CALCULATES TO BE PREPARED FOR THE FUTURE AND TO HOLD HIS FEET STRONG UPON A PROPER FOUNDATION, TO DO THE WILL OF THE LORD AND TO PAY HIS TITHING IN FULL. That is the word of the Lord to you, and it will be the word of the Lord to every settlement throughout the land of Zion” (“Discourse by President Lorenzo Snow,” Millennial Star, Aug. 24, 1899, 533).

12. About two weeks after he was baptized, Lorenzo Snow went to a grove of trees to pray for a greater testimony. He wrote: “I had no sooner opened my lips in an effort to pray, than I heard a sound, just above my head, like the rustling of silken robes, and immediately the Spirit of God descended upon me, completely enveloping my whole person, filling me, from the crown of my head to the soles of my feet, and O, the joy and happiness I felt! . . . I then received a perfect knowledge that God lives, that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and of the restoration of the holy Priesthood, and the fulness of the Gospel” (in Snow, Biography and Family Record of Lorenzo Snow, 8).

13. President Snow’s granddaughter, Allie Young Pond, shared the following story:

14. “One evening while I was visiting grandpa Snow in his room in the Salt Lake Temple, I remained until the door keepers had gone and the night-watchmen had not yet come in, so grand-pa said he would take me to the main front entrance and let me out that way. He got his bunch of keys from his dresser. After we left his room and while we were still in the large corridor leading into the celestial room, I was walking several steps ahead of grand-pa when he stopped me and said: ‘Wait a moment, Allie, I want to tell you something. It was right here that the Lord Jesus Christ appeared to me at the time of the death of President Woodruff. He instructed me to go right ahead and reorganize the First Presidency of the Church at once and not wait as had been done after the death of the previous presidents, and that I was to succeed President Woodruff.’

15. “Then grand-pa came a step nearer and held out his left hand and said: ‘He stood right here, about three feet above the floor. It looked as though He stood on a plate of solid gold.’

16. “Grand-pa told me what a glorious personage the Savior is and described His hands, feet, countenance and beautiful white robes, all of which were of such a glory of whiteness and brightness that he could hardly gaze upon Him.

17. “Then he came another step nearer and put his right hand on my head and said: ‘Now, grand-daughter, I want you to remember that this is the testimony of your grand-father, that he told you with his own lips that he actually saw the Savior, here in the Temple, and talked with Him face to face’ ” (in LeRoi C. Snow, “An Experience of My Father’s,” Improvement Era, Sept. 1933, 677).

Understanding the Reading

Studying the Reading

Do activity A or B as you study “President Lorenzo Snow.”

Preparing for Missionary Service

1. Read Doctrine and Covenants 4:1–7 and list five qualities mentioned there that you think are important to being a successful missionary.

2. Select five stories, events, or teachings from President Lorenzo Snow’s life that you believe show he possessed those qualities.

3. Choose one of those qualities that you would like to develop more fully in your life and explain why it is important to you and what you can do to be better prepared in that area.

Give a Brief Explanation

Elder Dallin H. Oaks, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, said: “Some people say, ‘I can’t afford to pay tithing.’ Those who place their faith in the Lord’s promises say, ‘I can’t afford not to pay tithing’” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1994, 44; or Ensign, May 1994, 34).

1. Study Malachi 3:8–12 and list the blessings promised there to those who pay an honest tithing.

2. From your reading of “The Teachings and Testimony of Lorenzo Snow” (paragraphs 6–17), describe the blessings you see that have come to the Church because of faithful Saints who live the law of tithing.

3. What blessings have you received and will receive from paying an honest tithe?

President Joseph F. Smith
A Teacher of Gospel Doctrine

“President Joseph F. Smith served for 52 years as a General Authority of the Church—as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, as a Counselor to four Church Presidents, and for 17 years as the President of the Church. He taught the restored gospel of Jesus Christ with eloquence, tenderness, and conviction, calling for the people to ‘live in harmony with the designs of our Heavenly Father.’ His ministry was marked by his powerful witness of Jesus Christ: ‘I have received the witness of the Spirit in my own heart, and I testify before God, angels and men . . . that I know that my Redeemer lives’” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith [1998], v).

The Life of President Joseph F. Smith

1. “Joseph F. Smith was born in 1838 during the height of the Missouri persecutions in a small cabin near the temple site in Far West. At the time of Joseph’s birth, his father, Hyrum Smith, was imprisoned at Richmond, Missouri, and his mother, Mary Fielding Smith, was left alone to care for her children.

2. “Young Joseph moved with his family from Missouri to Nauvoo, Illinois, where an event occurred that he remembered for the rest of his life—the murder of his father and uncle at Carthage Jail. Joseph never forgot seeing his father for the last time when, on the way to Carthage on horseback, he picked up his son, kissed him, and set him down. Nor could he forget the terror of hearing a neighbor rap on the window at night to tell his mother that Hyrum had been killed. The sight of his father and uncle lying in their coffins in the Mansion House in Nauvoo never faded from his memory.

3. “The boy Joseph became a man almost overnight. When Mary Fielding Smith and her family joined the exodus from Nauvoo, 7-year-old Joseph was the teamster of one of her wagons. Joseph was 13 when his mother died, leaving him an orphan, and before he turned 16, he left on a mission to the Sandwich Islands (later called the Hawaiian Islands). Within three months after arriving in Honolulu, he spoke the native tongue fluently, a spiritual gift conferred upon him by Elders Parley P. Pratt and Orson Hyde of the Twelve, who set him apart. When he was 21, he left for another mission, this time for three years in the British Isles.

4. “Joseph was only 28 when President Brigham Young was impressed to ordain him an Apostle. In subsequent years he served as a Counselor to four Church Presidents. When Lorenzo Snow died in October 1901, Joseph F. Smith became the sixth President of the Church. He was well known for his ability to expound and defend gospel truths. His sermons and writings were compiled into a volume titled Gospel Doctrine, which has become one of the important doctrinal texts of the Church.

5. “In the opening decades of the twentieth century, the Church moved forward in several important ways. With the continued emphasis on tithing and the Saints’ faithful response, the Church was able to pay off all its debts. A period of prosperity followed, enabling the Church to build temples, chapels, and visitors’ centers and to purchase Church historical sites. The Church also built the Administration Building in Salt Lake City that still serves as its headquarters.

6. “President Smith recognized the need for temples throughout the world. At a 1906 conference in Bern, Switzerland, he stretched out his hand and declared, ‘The time will come when this land will be dotted with temples, where you can go and redeem your dead’ [quoted in Serge F. Ballif, in Conference Report, Oct. 1920, 90]. The first latter-day temple in Europe, the Swiss Temple, was dedicated nearly half a century later in a suburb of the city where President Smith made his prophecy. President Smith dedicated land for a temple in Cardston, Alberta, Canada, in 1913 and for a temple in Hawaii in 1915.

7. “Beginning in the early 1900s, Church leaders encouraged Saints to remain in their own lands rather than gather to Utah. In 1911 Joseph F. Smith and his Counselors in the First Presidency issued this statement: ‘It is desirable that our people shall remain in their native lands and form congregations of a permanent character to aid in the work of proselyting’ [in Clark, comp., Messages of the First Presidency, 4:222].

8. “Six weeks before President Smith died, he received an important revelation about the redemption of the dead. He saw in vision the Savior’s ministry in the spirit world and learned that faithful Saints have the opportunity to continue teaching the gospel in the world of spirits. This revelation was added to the Pearl of Great Price in 1976 and in 1979 was transferred to the Doctrine and Covenants as section 138” (Our Heritage, 105–7).

Understanding the Reading

The Teachings and Testimony of Joseph F. Smith

9. “While [President Joseph F. Smith] was President of the Church, he sought to clarify the identity and roles of the Father and the Son, especially since some scripture passages designate Jesus Christ as Father. In an effort to help the Saints better understand certain scriptures concerning the Father and the Son, the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve issued a doctrinal exposition on 30 June 1916 titled ‘The Father and the Son.’ This declaration affirmed the unity between God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, and clarified the distinct roles of each in the plan of salvation. It also explained the ways in which the term Father is applied in the scriptures to both our Father in Heaven and Jesus Christ” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith, 353). This doctrinal exposition explained three ways in which the term Father is applied to Jesus Christ: He is the Father of heaven and earth, He is the Father of those who abide in His gospel, and He is the Father by divine investiture of authority.

10. “[One] scriptural meaning of ‘Father’ is that of Creator. . . .

11. “. . . Jesus Christ, whom we also know as Jehovah, was the executive of the Father, Elohim, in the work of creation. . . . Jesus Christ, being the Creator, is consistently called the Father of heaven and earth . . . ; and since His creations are of eternal quality He is very properly called the Eternal Father of heaven and earth. . . .

12. “[Another] sense in which Jesus Christ is regarded as the ‘Father’ has reference to the relationship between Him and those who accept His Gospel and thereby become heirs of eternal life. . . .

13. “. . . By obedience to the Gospel men may become sons of God, both as sons of Jesus Christ, and, through Him, as sons of His Father, is set forth in many revelations given in the current dispensation [see D&C 11:28–30; 34:1–3; 35:1–2; 39:1–4; 45:7–8]. . . .

14. “By the new birth—that of water and the Spirit—mankind may become children of Jesus Christ. . . .

15. “[Another] reason for applying the title ‘Father’ to Jesus Christ is found in the fact that in all His dealings with the human family Jesus the Son has represented and yet represents Elohim His Father in power and authority. This is true of Christ in His preexistent, antemortal, or unembodied state, in the which He was known as Jehovah; also during His embodiment in the flesh; and during His labors as a disembodied spirit in the realm of the dead; and since that period in His resurrected state [see John 5:43; 10:25, 30; 14:28; 17:11, 22; 3 Nephi 20:35; 28:10; D&C 50:43]. Thus the Father placed His name upon the Son; and Jesus Christ spoke and ministered in and through the Father’s name; and so far as power, authority and Godship are concerned His words and acts were and are those of the Father” (“The Father and the Son: A Doctrinal Exposition by the First Presidency and the Twelve,” Improvement Era, Aug. 1916, 935–37, 939–40).

16. In 1909 President Joseph F. Smith and his counselors in the First Presidency issued a statement to answer inquiries “respecting the attitude of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . . . in relation to the origin of man. . . .

17. “. . . Let us now inquire: What was the form of man, in the spirit and in the body, as originally created? In a general way the answer is given in the words chosen as the text of this treatise. ‘God created man in his own image.’ . . . If, therefore, we can ascertain the form of the ‘Father of spirits,’ ‘The God of the spirits of all flesh,’ we shall be able to discover the form of the original man.

18. “Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is ‘the express image’ of His Father’s person (Hebrews 1:3). He walked the earth as a human being, as a perfect man, and said, in answer to a question put to Him: ‘He that hath seen me hath seen the Father’ (John 14:9). This alone ought to solve the problem to the satisfaction of every thoughtful, reverent mind. The conclusion is irresistible, that if the Son of God be the express image (that is, likeness) of His Father’s person, then His Father is in the form of man; for that was the form of the Son of God, not only during His mortal life, but before His mortal birth, and after His resurrection. . . . Then if God made man—the first man—in His own image and likeness, He must have made him like unto Christ, and consequently like unto men of Christ’s time and of the present day. . . .

19. “Adam, our great progenitor, ‘the first man,’ was, like Christ, a pre-existent spirit, and like Christ he took upon him an appropriate body, the body of a man, and so became a ‘living soul.’ The doctrine of the pre-existence,—revealed so plainly, particularly in latter days, pours a wonderful flood of light upon the otherwise mysterious problem of man’s origin. It shows that man, as a spirit, was begotten and born of heavenly parents, and reared to maturity in the eternal mansions of the Father, prior to coming upon the earth in a temporal body to undergo an experience in mortality. It teaches that all men existed in the spirit before any man existed in the flesh, and that all who have inhabited the earth since Adam have taken bodies and become souls in like manner.

20. “It is held by some that Adam was not the first man upon this earth, and that the original human being was a development from lower orders of the animal creation. These, however, are the theories of men. The word of the Lord declares that Adam was ‘the first man of all men’ (Moses 1:34), and we are therefore in duty bound to regard him as the primal parent of our race. . . .

21. “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, basing its belief on divine revelation, ancient and modern, proclaims man to be the direct and lineal offspring of Deity. God Himself is an exalted man, perfected, enthroned, and supreme. . . . He made the tadpole and the ape, the lion and the elephant; but He did not make them in His own image, nor endow them with Godlike reason and intelligence” (“The Origin of Man,” Improvement Era, Nov. 1909, 75, 77–78, 80–81).

22. “[The Prophet] Joseph Smith taught the doctrine that the infant child that was laid away in death would come up in the resurrection as a child; and, pointing to the mother of a lifeless child, he said to her: ‘You will have the joy, the pleasure and satisfaction of nurturing this child, after its resurrection, until it reaches the full stature of its spirit.’ There is restitution, there is growth, there is development after the resurrection from death. I love this truth. It speaks volumes of happiness, of joy and gratitude to my soul. Thank the Lord he has revealed these principles to us” (“Status of Children in the Resurrection,” Improvement Era, May 1918, 571).

23. In 1915 President Joseph F. Smith and his counselors in the First Presidency issued a letter “to the Presidents of Stakes, Bishops and Parents in Zion.”

24. “We advise and urge the inauguration of a ‘Home Evening’ throughout the Church, at which time fathers and mothers may gather their boys and girls about them in the home and teach them the word of the Lord. . . .

25. “If the Saints obey this counsel, we promise that great blessings will result. Love at home and obedience to parents will increase. Faith will be developed in the hearts of the youth of Israel, and they will gain power to combat the evil influences and temptations which beset them” (“Home Evening,” Improvement Era, June 1915, 733–34).

26. “There is always something lacking in the man who spends his youth in wickedness and sin, and then turns to righteousness in later years. Of course, the Lord honors his repentance, and it is better far that a man should late turn from evil, than to continue in sin all his days, but the fact is clear that the best part of his life and strength are wasted, and there remains only poor broken service to offer the Lord. There are regrets and heartburnings in repenting late in life from the follies and sins of youth, but there is consolation and rich reward in serving the Lord in the vigorous days of early manhood” (“A Lesson for the Boys,” Improvement Era, Feb. 1906, 338).

27. President Joseph F. Smith recorded a dream he had as a young man on a mission:

28. “I dreamed that I was on a journey, and I was impressed that I ought to hurry. . . . Finally I came to a wonderful mansion. . . . As I passed towards it, as fast as I could, I saw a notice, ‘Bath.’ I turned aside quickly and went into the bath and washed myself clean. I opened up this little bundle that I had, and there was a pair of white, clean garments. . . . I put them on. Then I rushed to what appeared to be a great opening, or door. I knocked and the door opened, and the man who stood there was the Prophet Joseph Smith. He looked at me a little reprovingly, and the first words he said: ‘Joseph, you are late.’ Yet I took confidence and said:

29. “‘Yes, but I am clean—I am clean!’

30. “He clasped my hand and drew me in, then closed the great door” (Gospel Doctrine, 542).

31. One day, when Joseph F. Smith was returning home from his first mission, “after the little company of wagons had traveled a short distance and made their camp, a company of drunken men rode into the camp on horseback, cursing and swearing and threatening to kill any ‘Mormons’ that came within their path. It was the lot of Joseph F. Smith to meet these marauders first. . . . Joseph F. was a little distance from the camp gathering wood for the fire when these men rode up. When he saw them, he said, his first thought was to do what the other brethren had done, and seek shelter in the trees and in flight. Then the thought came to him, ‘Why should I run from these fellows?’ With that thought in mind he boldly marched up with his arms full of wood to the campfire. As he was about to deposit his wood, one of the ruffians, still with his pistols in his hands and pointing at the youthful Elder, and cursing as only a drunken rascal can, declaring that it was his duty to exterminate every ‘Mormon’ he should meet, demanded in a loud, angry voice, ‘Are you a “Mormon”?’

32. “Without a moment of hesitation and looking the ruffian in the eye, Joseph F. Smith boldly answered, ‘Yes, siree; dyed in the wool; true blue, through and through.’

33. “The answer was given boldly and without any sign of fear, which completely disarmed the belligerent man, and in his bewilderment, he grasped the missionary by the hand and said:

34. “‘Well, you are the . . . pleasantest man I ever met! Shake, young fellow, I am glad to see a man that stands up for his convictions.’

35. “Joseph F. said in later years that he fully expected to receive the charge from this man’s pistols, but he could take no other course even though it seemed that his death was to be the result. This man, evidently the leader of the band, then rode off, the others following him, and the Mormon company was not molested further”(Joseph Fielding Smith, comp., Life of Joseph F. Smith, 2nd ed. [1969], 188–89.)

36. “We believe in righteousness. We believe in all truth, no matter to what subject it may refer. No sect or religious denomination in the world possesses a single principle of truth that we do not accept or that we will reject. We are willing to receive all truth, from whatever source it may come; for truth will stand, truth will endure. No man’s faith, no man’s religion, no religious organization in all the world can ever rise above the truth. The truth must be at the foundation of religion, or it is in vain and it will fail of its purpose. I say that the truth is at the foundation, at the bottom and top of—and it entirely permeates this great work of the Lord that was established through the instrumentality of Joseph Smith, the prophet. God is with it; it is His work, not that of man; and it will succeed no matter what the opposition may be” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1909, 7).

37. “I know that my Redeemer lives. I feel it in every fiber of my being. I am just as satisfied of it as I am of my own existence. I cannot feel more sure of my own being than I do that my Redeemer lives, and that my God lives, the Father of my Savior. I feel it in my soul; I am converted to it in my whole being” (Gospel Doctrine, 69).

Understanding the Reading

Studying the Reading

Do two of the following activities (A–D) as you study “President Joseph F. Smith.”

Review President Smith’s Life

Study the life and presidency of Joseph F. Smith and list how old he was when the following events occurred:

1. His father, Hyrum Smith, was in Liberty Jail (see also D&C 121 heading).

2. His father and his uncle, the Prophet Joseph Smith, were killed (see also D&C 135:1).

3. He drove a wagon to the Salt Lake Valley.

4. He was baptized by President Heber C. Kimball.

5. His mother died.

6. He went on his first mission.

7. He was ordained an Apostle.

8. He married his first wife.

9. Official Declaration 1 was accepted by the Church.

10. He received the vision recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 138.

11. He died.

Find Examples

President Joseph F. Smith wrote: “To be a Latter-day Saint requires the sacrifice of worldly aims and pleasures; it requires fidelity, strength of character, love of truth, integrity to principle, and zealous desire to see the triumphant, forward march of truth” (“Principle, Not Popularity,” Improvement Era, July 1906, 733). Give three examples from his life that show he was a true Latter-day Saint.

Make a List

From the chart on the life and presidency of President Joseph F. Smith (p. 186), list when the seminaries were first organized, when the Church adopted the Boy Scouts, and when family home evenings were inaugurated. Write how each of these can help families and individuals resist or avoid temptations in the world today.

Review President Joseph F. Smith’s teachings in paragraphs 9–37, and answer the following questions:

1. Who was speaking to Emma Smith in Doctrine and Covenants 25:1—Heavenly Father or Jesus Christ?

2. What are some God-given differences between man and all other forms of animal life?

3. Will little children who die be resurrected as little children or as adults?

4. What are some promised blessings for holding family home evening?

5. Why are the years of youth an important part of life, and how might they be wasted?

Doctrine and Covenants 138
Vision of the Redemption of the Dead

“A glorious revelation was given to President Joseph F. Smith concerning the labors of the righteous in the world of spirits. On 3 October 1918, while President Smith was pondering the atonement of Jesus Christ, he opened his Bible and read in 1 Peter 3:18–20 and 4:6 about the Savior’s preaching to the spirits in prison. While he was meditating on these passages, the Spirit of the Lord rested upon him, and he saw in vision the ‘hosts of the dead’ who were gathered in the spirit world. He saw the Savior appear among them and preach the gospel to the righteous. He was shown that the Lord had commissioned others to continue this work of preaching, and that the faithful elders in the present dispensation would also preach to the dead after leaving mortality. Thus all of the dead may be redeemed.

“This ‘Vision of the Redemption of the Dead’ was presented by President Smith to the First Presidency and the Twelve, who unanimously accepted it as revelation. In 1976 this revelation was officially added to the standard works of the Church and soon afterward designated as section 138 in the Doctrine and Covenants” (Church History in the Fulness of Times, 493).

Understanding the Scriptures

Studying the Scriptures

Do two of the following activities (A–C) as you study Doctrine and Covenants 138.

Write a Letter

Imagine it is October 1918 and you are writing to a friend, explaining the events surrounding President Joseph F. Smith’s vision. Include a paragraph about what President Smith was doing before and during the vision, a brief summary of the vision, and what Doctrine and Covenants 138:1–6, 11, 28–29 teaches about preparing for and receiving revelation from God.

What Did President Smith Learn?

From what you learn in Doctrine and Covenants 138, answer the following questions:

1. Where do 1 Peter 3:18–20 and 4:6 (see D&C 138:7–10) teach Jesus Christ went between His death and Resurrection?

2. What further insight does Doctrine and Covenants 138:11–22 give about those the Savior visited and those He did not?

3. What question did President Smith have about Jesus’s visit to the spirit world? What answer did he receive? (See vv. 25–37.)

4. What did President Smith learn about the importance of temples? (see vv. 50–60).

A Vast Congregation of the Righteous

1. From Doctrine and Covenants 138:38–52, list the names of people who had died that President Smith saw in the spirit world. Explain what happened to them.

2. From verses 53–56, list the names of people from Church history that President Smith saw in the spirit world and write what President Smith “observed” about them.

3. List the names of five additional people you think might have been in the “vast congregation” (see vv. 39, 49).

4. List words and phrases that describe the people mentioned in verses 38–56, and list ways you could be more like them.

President Heber J. Grant
Determined to Serve the Lord

President James E. Faust, a counselor in the First Presidency, said: “Heber J. Grant was the first President of the Church I had the privilege of meeting. He was truly a great man. We admired him because part of his strength was his great determination for self-mastery.” President Faust went on to explain how, as a young man, Heber J. Grant could not throw a baseball, had poor handwriting, and could not carry a tune when singing. “By practicing all of his life, he made some improvement in singing but perhaps not as much as in baseball and penmanship, which he mastered. President Grant had a favorite quotation from Ralph Waldo Emerson which he lived by: ‘That which we persist in doing becomes easier for us to do; not that the nature of the thing itself is changed, but that our power to do is increased’” (in Conference Report, Apr. 2000, 56–57; or Ensign, May 2000, 44–45). His determination to improve blessed President Grant throughout his life.

Elder John Longden, who was an Assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, shared an experience told him by Elder Clifford E. Young, also an Assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve: “Three or four weeks before [President Grant] passed away, Brother Young was in his home visiting him. President Grant uttered this prayer: ‘O God, bless me that I shall not lose my testimony and [that I may] keep faithful to the end!’” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1958, 70).

The Life of President Heber J. Grant

1. “Shortly before his death in November 1918, President Joseph F. Smith took Heber J. Grant, then President of the Twelve, by the hand and said: ‘The Lord bless you, my boy, the Lord bless you, you have got a great responsibility. Always remember that this is the Lord’s work, and not man’s. The Lord is greater than any man. He knows whom He wants to lead His Church, and never makes any mistake’ [“Editorial,” Improvement Era, Nov. 1936, 692]. Heber J. Grant became the seventh President of the Church at age 62, having served as an Apostle since 1882.

2. “As a young man and throughout his life, Heber showed an unusual determination in achieving his goals. As an only child reared by a widowed mother, he was somewhat sheltered from the activities of other boys his age. When he tried out for the baseball team, he was teased for his awkwardness and lack of skill and was not accepted as a team member. Instead of becoming discouraged, he spent many hours of persistent practice in throwing a ball and eventually became a member of another team that won several local championships.

3. “As a boy he wanted to become a bookkeeper when he learned that it would pay much more than his job of shining shoes. In those days, being a bookkeeper required good penmanship skills, but his writing was so bad that two of his friends said it looked like hen tracks. Once again, he was not discouraged but spent many hours practicing his penmanship. He became well known for his ability to write beautifully, eventually taught penmanship at a university, and was often called on to write important documents. He was a great example to many people who saw his determination to do the best he could in serving the Lord and his fellowmen.

4. “President Grant was a wise and successful businessman whose skills helped him lead the Church through a worldwide financial depression and the personal problems that resulted from it. He firmly believed in being self-reliant and in depending on the Lord and his own hard work, not on the government. He blessed many needy people with the money he earned.

5. “In the 1930s the Saints, like many other people in the world, were struggling with unemployment and poverty during the Great Depression. In 1936, as a result of revelation from the Lord, President Grant established the welfare program of the Church to assist those in need and help all members become self-reliant. The First Presidency said of this program: ‘Our primary purpose was to set up, in so far as it might be possible, a system under which the curse of idleness would be done away with, the evils of a dole abolished, and independence, industry, thrift and self respect be once more established amongst our people. The aim of the Church is to help the people to help themselves. Work is to be re-enthroned as the ruling principle of the lives of our Church membership’ [First Presidency, in Conference Report, Oct. 1936, 3].

6. “[Elder Albert E. Bowen, who was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles,] emphasized, ‘The real long term objective of the Welfare Plan is the building of character in the members of the Church, givers and receivers, rescuing all that is finest down deep inside of them, and bringing to flower and fruitage the latent richness of the spirit’ [The Church Welfare Plan (Gospel Doctrine course of study, 1946), 44].

7. “A General Welfare Committee was established in 1936 to oversee welfare efforts in the Church. Harold B. Lee, president of the Pioneer Stake, was made the committee’s managing director. Later, Deseret Industries stores were developed to help the unemployed and handicapped, and farms and production projects were established to help the needy. The welfare program continues to bless thousands of people today, both needy Church members and others in destitute circumstances throughout the world. [For further information, see Glen L. Rudd, Pure Religion: The Story of Church Welfare Since 1930 (1995).]

8. “While missionary work continued at an expanded pace, President Grant was instrumental in a most unusual conversion. Vincenzo di Francesca, an Italian minister of religion, was walking down a New York City street toward his church when he saw a book without a cover in a barrel full of ashes. He picked up the book, turned the pages, and saw for the first time the names Nephi, Mosiah, Alma, and Moroni. He felt impressed to read the book even though he did not know its name or origin, and to pray about its truthfulness. As he did, he said that ‘a feeling of gladness, as of finding something precious and extraordinary, bore consolation to my soul and left me with a joy that human language cannot find words to describe.’ He began teaching the principles in the book to the members of his church. His church leaders disciplined him for doing so and even directed him to burn the book, something he refused to do.

9. “He later returned to Italy, where in 1930 he learned that the book was published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He wrote a letter to the Church in Utah that was forwarded to President Grant. President Grant sent him a copy of the Book of Mormon in Italian and gave his name to the president of the European mission. The difficulties of wartime prevented Vincenzo from being baptized for many years, but he was finally able to become a member of the Church on 18 January 1951, the first person baptized on the island of Sicily. Five years later he was endowed in the Swiss Temple. [See Vincenzo di Francesca, “I Will Not Burn the Book!” Ensign, Jan. 1988, 18.]

10. “On 6 May 1922 President Grant dedicated the Church’s first radio station. Two years later the station began broadcasting sessions of general conference, allowing many more Church members to hear the messages of the General Authorities. Not long thereafter, in July of 1929, the Tabernacle Choir aired the first program of Music and the Spoken Word, a weekly broadcast of inspirational music and spoken message. This program has continued to be broadcast each week to the present time.

11. “President Grant died on 14 May 1945. His 27 years of service as President of the Church are exceeded in length only by Brigham Young’s years of service” (Our Heritage, 107–10).

Understanding the Reading

The Teachings and Testimony of Heber J. Grant

12. In 1925 President Heber J. Grant and his counselors in the First Presidency issued the following statement concerning gambling: “The Church has been and now is unalterably opposed to gambling in any form whatever. It is opposed to any game of chance, occupation, or so-called business, which takes money from the person who may be possessed of it without giving value received in return. It is opposed to all practices the tendency of which is to encourage the spirit of reckless speculation, and particularly to that which tends to degrade or weaken the high moral standard which the members of the Church, and our community at large, have always maintained” (in “Gambling,” Improvement Era, Sept. 1926, 1100).

13. During World War II many Church members from different nations were required to go to war, sometimes even fighting against each other. In a statement read during the April 1942 general conference, President Heber J. Grant and his counselors in the First Presidency said:

14. “The gospel of Christ is a gospel of love and peace, of patience and long suffering, of forbearance and forgiveness, of kindness and good deeds, of charity and brotherly love. . . .

15. “Hate can have no place in the souls of the righteous. . . .

16. “. . . Hate is born of Satan; love is the offspring of God. We must drive out hate from our hearts, every one of us, and permit it not again to enter. . . .

17. “For one hundred years, the Church has been guided by the following principles: [They quote Doctrine and Covenants 134:1–6, 8.]

18. “Obedient to these principles, the members of the Church have always felt under obligation to come to the defense of their country when a call to arms was made. . . .

19. “. . . In the present war, righteous men of the Church in both camps have died, some with great heroism, for their own country’s sake. In all this our people have but served loyally the country of which they were citizens or subjects under the principles we have already stated. . . .

20. “. . . When . . . constitutional law, obedient to . . . principles [taught in Doctrine and Covenants 98:4–7], calls the manhood of the Church into the armed service of any country to which they owe allegiance, their highest civic duty requires that they meet that call. If, harkening to that call and obeying those in command over them, they shall take the lives of those who fight against them, that will not make of them murderers. . . .

21. “The whole world is in the midst of a war that seems the worst of all time. This Church is a worldwide Church. Its devoted members are in both camps. They are the innocent war instrumentalities of their warring sovereignties. On each side they believe they are fighting for home, and country, and freedom. On each side, our brethren pray to the same God, in the same name, for victory. Both sides cannot be wholly right; perhaps neither is without wrong. God will work out in His own due time and in His own sovereign way the justice and right of the conflict. . . .

22. “To our young men who go into service, no matter whom they serve or where, we say live clean, keep the commandments of the Lord, pray to Him constantly to preserve you in truth and righteousness, live as you pray, and then whatever betides you the Lord will be with you and nothing will happen to you that will not be to the honor and glory of God and to your salvation and exaltation” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1942, 90–91, 93–96).

23. “I leave with you my testimony that God lives, that Jesus is the Christ, that Joseph Smith was and is a prophet of God. . . . How do I know it? I know it as well as I know that I stand before you tonight. I know heat, I know cold; I know joy, and I know sorrow; and I say to you that in the hour of sorrow, in the hour of affliction, in the hour of death, God has heard and answered my prayers, and I know that he lives. I leave my testimony with you” (“Farewell Address of Apostle Heber J. Grant,” Improvement Era, July 1901, 691).

Understanding the Reading

Studying the Reading

Do activities A and B as you study “President Heber J. Grant.”

Set Two Goals

1. Study paragraphs 1–11 and list five of President Heber J. Grant’s accomplishments that you think are important.

2. Write a short paragraph about how you think he was able to accomplish those tasks and the difficult challenges he had to overcome in order to do so.

3. Write down two goals you would like to achieve and describe the difficulties you think might lie in the way of your achieving them. Explain what you plan to do to reach your goals and how long you think it will take to achieve them.

Guidance for Making Important Decisions

Read the following situations, and then identify which teaching or testimony of President Heber J. Grant would best apply to each situation. Also, briefly explain what you think the person in each situation should do, and why.

1. Olivia’s closest friend was recently killed in an automobile accident. She is upset and wondering whether there really is a God.

2. James is thinking of buying a lottery ticket for the million-dollar jackpot. He could really use the money.

3. Stephen is a soldier in the army during wartime. He worries that he may need to kill enemy soldiers.

4. Maria is having a hard time finding a job. She decides it would be easier to apply for a check each month from the government so she won’t have to work.

President George Albert Smith
A Noble Servant

President Thomas S. Monson, a counselor in the First Presidency, shared the following story about President George Albert Smith: “Junius Burt of Salt Lake City, a longtime worker in the Streets Department, related a touching and inspirational experience. He declared that on a cold winter morning, the street cleaning crew of which he was a member was removing large chunks of ice from the street gutters. The regular crew was assisted by temporary laborers who desperately needed the work. One such wore only a lightweight sweater and was suffering from the cold. A slender man with a well-groomed beard stopped by the crew and asked the worker, ‘You need more than that sweater on a morning like this. Where is your coat?’ The man replied that he had no coat to wear. The visitor then removed his own overcoat, handed it to the man and said, ‘This coat is yours. It is heavy wool and will keep you warm. I just work across the street.’ The street was South Temple. The good Samaritan who walked into the Church Administration Building to his daily work and without his coat was President George Albert Smith of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. His selfless act of generosity revealed his tender heart. Surely he was his brother’s keeper” (in Conference Report, Mar.–Apr. 1990, 62; or Ensign, May 1990, 47).

The Life of President George Albert Smith

1. “George Albert Smith succeeded Heber J. Grant as Church President. President Smith, whose life was an example of the happiness found in gospel living, testified: ‘Every happiness and every joy that has been worthy of the name has been the result of keeping the commandments of God and observing his advice and counsel’ [in Conference Report, Apr. 1948, 162].

2. “Obeying the commandments of God and the counsel of Church leaders had been a pattern of righteousness in President Smith’s family for generations. He was named for his paternal grandfather, George A. Smith, who was a cousin to the Prophet Joseph and a Counselor to President Brigham Young. George Albert’s father, John Henry Smith, served in the First Presidency under Joseph F. Smith. At the age of 33, George Albert Smith was called to the Quorum of the Twelve. From 1903 to 1910, John Henry and George Albert served together in the Quorum of the Twelve, the only time in this dispensation that a father and son have served together in that Quorum.

3. “George Albert Smith’s 42 years in the Quorum of the Twelve were filled with noble service, despite episodes of poor health. His eyes were damaged by the sun while surveying for the railroad in southern Utah, and surgery failed to correct his near blindness. Increased pressures and demands on his time weakened his frail body, and in 1909 he collapsed from exhaustion. The doctor’s order of complete rest eroded his self-confidence, created feelings of worthlessness, and aggravated his tension.

4. “During this difficult time, George had a dream in which he saw a beautiful forest near a large lake. After he had walked some distance through the forest, he recognized his beloved grandfather, George A. Smith, coming toward him. George hurried forward, but as his grandfather drew near, he stopped and said, ‘I would like to know what you have done with my name.’ A panorama of his life passed through George’s mind and he humbly replied, ‘I have never done anything with your name of which you need be ashamed.’ This dream renewed George’s spirit and physical stamina and he was soon able to return to work. Later he often described the experience as a major turning point in his life [George Albert Smith, Sharing the Gospel with Others, sel. Preston Nibley (1948), 110–12].

5. “During President George Albert Smith’s administration, which lasted from 1945 to 1951, the number of members in the Church reached one million; the temple in Idaho Falls, Idaho, was dedicated; and missionary work was resumed after World War II.

6. “Also, efforts were organized for relief of the European Saints who had become destitute as a result of the war. Church members in the United State s were encouraged to contribute clothing and other commodities. President Smith met with Harry S. Truman, president of the United States, to receive approval to send the collected food, clothing, and bedding to Europe. President Smith described the meeting in this way:

7. “President Truman said: ‘“What do you want to ship it over there for? Their money isn’t any good.”

8. “‘I said, “We don’t want their money.” He looked at me and asked: “You don’t mean you are going to give it to them?”

9. “‘I said: “Of course, we would give it to them. They are our brothers and sisters and are in distress. God has blessed us with a surplus, and we will be glad to send it if we can have the co-operation of the government.”

10. “‘He said: “You are on the right track,” and added, “we will be glad to help you in any way we can”’ [in Conference Report, Oct. 1947, 5–6].

11. “While the donations were being sorted and packaged in Utah to ship overseas, President Smith came to observe the preparations. Tears ran down his face when he saw the great volume of commodities that had been so generously contributed. After a few minutes he removed his new overcoat and said, ‘Please ship this.’ Although several people standing nearby told him that he needed his coat on the cold wintry day, he insisted that it be sent. [See Rudd, Pure Religion, 248.]

12. “Elder Ezra Taft Benson of the Quorum of the Twelve was assigned to reopen the missions in Europe, see to the distribution of relief supplies, and administer to the spiritual needs of the Saints. One of Elder Benson’s early visits was to a conference of the Saints in Karlsruhe, a German city on the Rhine River. Elder Benson said of the experience:

13. “‘We finally found our way to the meeting place, a partially bombed-out building located in the interior of a block. The Saints had been in session for some two hours waiting for us, hoping that we would come because the word had reached them that we might be there for the conference. And then for the first time in my life I saw almost an entire audience in tears as we walked up onto the platform, and they realized that at last, after six or seven long years, representatives from Zion, as they put it, had finally come back to them. . . . As I looked into their upturned faces, pale, thin, many of these Saints dressed in rags, some of them barefooted, I could see the light of faith in their eyes as they bore testimony to the divinity of this great latter-day work, and expressed their gratitude for the blessings of the Lord’ [in Conference Report, Apr. 1947, 154].

14. “Among his many responsibilities, Elder Benson supervised the distribution of 127 railroad carloads of food, clothing, bedding, and medicine throughout Europe. Years later when President Thomas S. Monson was dedicating a new chapel in Zwickau, Germany, an older brother came forward with tears in his eyes and asked to be remembered to President Ezra Taft Benson. He said to ‘tell him he saved my life, and those of scores of my brothers and sisters in my native land because of the food and clothing he brought to us from members of the Church in America’ [in Gerry Avant, “War Divides, but the Gospel Unites,” Church News, Aug. 19, 1995, 5].

15. “The Dutch Saints had the opportunity to give true Christian service to the starving Saints in Germany. The Dutch members had suffered much during the war and then had received welfare assistance from Church members in the United States. In the spring of 1947, they were asked to begin welfare projects of their own, which they enthusiastically did. They primarily planted potatoes and were expecting a large harvest.

16. “During this time, President Walter Stover of the East German Mission came to Holland and, with tears in his eyes, told of the hunger and desolation of the Church members in Germany. President Cornelius Zappey, the president of the Netherlands Mission, asked his members whether they would supply their growing potatoes to the Germans, who had been their enemies during the war. The members willingly agreed and began to watch their potato crops with increased interest. The harvest was far greater than anyone had expected, and the Dutch Saints were able to send 75 tons of potatoes to their brothers and sisters in Germany. One year later, the Dutch Saints sent 90 tons of potatoes and 9 tons of herring to the Saints in Germany. [For further information, see Rudd, Pure Religion, 254–61.]

17. “The outpouring of Christlike love shown by these Saints was typical of President George Albert Smith, who radiated the love of Christ to an extraordinary extent. He said, ‘I can say to you, my brethren and sisters, the happiest people in this world are those who love their neighbors as themselves and manifest their appreciation of God’s blessings by their conduct in life’ [in Conference Report, Apr. 1949, 10]” (Our Heritage, 110–14).

Understanding the Reading

The Teachings and Testimony of George Albert Smith

18. “When I was a child I recognized, or thought I did, that the commandments of the Lord were His laws and regulations for my guidance. I thought I recognized in the disobedience to those laws that punishment would follow, and as a child I presume I may have felt that the Lord had so arranged affairs and so ordained matters in this life that I must obey certain laws or swift retribution would follow. But as I grew older I have learned the lesson from another viewpoint, and now to me the laws of the Lord . . . are but the sweet music of the voice of our Father in heaven in His mercy to us. They are but the advice and counsel of a loving parent, . . . and consequently that which at one time seemed to bear the harsh name of law to me is now the loving and tender advice of an all-wise heavenly Father” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1911, 43–44; see also Mosiah 2:41).

19. “One of the beautiful things to me in the Gospel of Jesus Christ is that it brings us all to a common level. It is not necessary for a man to be a president of a stake, or a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, in order to attain a high place in the celestial kingdom. The humblest member of the Church, if he keeps the commandments of God, will obtain an exaltation just as much as any other man in the celestial kingdom. The beauty of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is that it makes us all equal in as far as we keep the commandments of the Lord. In as far as we observe to keep the laws of the Church we have equal opportunities for exaltation” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1933, 25).

20. “My grandfather [Apostle George A. Smith] used to say to his family, ‘There is a line of demarcation, well defined, between the Lord’s territory and the devil’s. If you will stay on the Lord’s side of the line you will be under his influence and will have no desire to do wrong; but if you cross to the devil’s side of the line one inch, you are in the tempter’s power, and if he is successful, you will not be able to think or even reason properly, because you will have lost the spirit of the Lord.’

21. “When I have been tempted sometimes to do a certain thing, I have asked myself, ‘Which side of the line am I on?’ If I determined to be on the safe side, the Lord’s side, I would do the right thing every time. So when temptation comes, think prayerfully about your problem, and the influence of the spirit of the Lord will enable you to decide wisely. There is safety for us only on the Lord’s side of the line.

22. “If you want to be happy, remember, that all happiness worthy of the name is on the Lord’s side of the line and all sorrow and disappointment is on the devil’s side of the line” (Sharing the Gospel with Others, comp. Preston Nibley (1948), 42–43).

23. “We cannot force people into doing things, but we may love them into doing what is right, and into righteousness” (cited by Elder Arwell L. Pierce, a former president of the Mexican Mission, in Conference Report, Apr. 1951, 114).

24. “I remember upon one occasion a man said to me, after we had talked for some time, ‘Well, from all I can learn your church is just as good as any other church.’ I presume he thought he was paying us a great compliment, but I said to him: ‘If the church I represent here is not of more importance to the children of men than any other church, then I am mistaken in my duty here. We have come not to take away from you the truth and virtue you possess. We have come not to find fault with you nor to criticize you. We have not come here to berate you because of things you have not done; but we have come here as your brethren. We are giving our time and our means voluntarily, and have come to your land with love in our hearts, with the desire to do you good, to encourage you to repent of your sins, wherein you are sinful, and encourage you to retain your virtues wherein you are virtuous, and to say to you: ‘Keep all the good that you have, and let us bring to you more good, in order that you may be happier and in order that you may be prepared to enter into the presence of our Heavenly Father’” (Sharing the Gospel with Others, 12–13).

25. “This very day upon which we meet here to worship, . . . the Sabbath, has become the play-day of this great nation—the day set apart by thousands to violate the commandment that God gave long, long ago, and I am persuaded that much of the sorrow and distress that is afflicting and will continue to afflict mankind is traceable to the fact that they have ignored his admonition to keep the Sabbath day holy” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1935, 120).

26. “After eighty years in mortality, traveling in many parts of the world, associating with many great and good men and women I witness to you, that I know today better than I ever knew before that God lives; that Jesus is the Christ; that Joseph Smith was a prophet of the Living God; and that the Church that he organized under the direction of our Heavenly Father, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—the Church that was driven into the wilderness—is operating under the power and authority of the same priesthood that was conferred by Peter, James, and John upon Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery. I know this, as I know that I live, and I realize that to bear this testimony to you is a very serious matter and that I shall be held accountable by my Heavenly Father for this and all other things that I have taught in his name. Realizing this and knowing that if I were to mislead you that I would be held accountable for it, with love and kindness in my heart for all, I bear this witness in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord” (“After Eighty Years,” Improvement Era, Apr 1950, 263–64).

Understanding the Reading

Studying the Reading

Do activities A and B as you study “President George Albert Smith.”

How Might He Answer?

Imagine that you have the opportunity to interview President George Albert Smith. After studying paragraphs 1–17, write down how you think he might answer the following questions:

1. What do you feel is your greatest accomplishment?

2. What member of your family has had a great impact on you? Why?

3. What service have you given your fellowmen that you most remember?

4. Why do you think it is important to radiate love and show charity to others?

Apply the Teachings

From your reading of “The Teachings and Testimony of George Albert Smith,” choose five of his teachings that were significant and meaningful to you. For each teaching, describe a present-day situation that could be helped or answered by what President Smith taught. After each situation, explain how the truths President Smith taught could help a person to do what is right.