A Message from Josh Burton

Moroni's Quest is always an amazing spiritual experience. On Sunday, it is a spiritually intense day of the reenactment of the Savior visiting the Nephites.  Then we walk to a meadow and partake of the Sacrament.  And it is on Fast Sunday, so we are fasting through the emotional day.

At the end of the day, we meet as wards for testimony meeting around a campfire.  The Spirit was there as we listened to testimonies.  I stood up and said that one of my favorite scriptures was that angels will be round about us to bear us up.  Our family has had some specific, clear experiences with angels bearing us up.  Usually when we think of our angels, we think of our loved ones who have died and our own ancestors.  But this week at Moroni's Quest, I had the thought that Nephites could also be our angels round about us.  The veil can be very thin at Moroni's Quest.

Then Austin stood up at the end, and said that he had a message from Josh Burton to his parents, Allan and Heather Burton, who were the Moroni's Quest coordinators this year and spent a million hours preparing.  Josh died on his mission to Guatemala a couple years ago.  Josh wanted to tell his parents that he loved them and thanks for teaching him the gospel in their home. He also had a message for Charity Burton and Benson Burton that their brother loves them. Then Bishop Nunn told the Burtons that their sacrifice for organizing Moroni's Quest was accepted by the Savior.

Charity had told Austin earlier that she hadn't ever really felt Josh's presence, but she did today while the Savior was there.

Be Still, My Soul

Aubrey Zemp just returned from her mission to Anaheim, California.  She gave an excellent homecoming talk and bore a powerful testimony.  At the end of the Sacrament Meeting, Austin said that instead of singing the planned closing hymn (Called to Serve), he had asked Aubrey if she would sing her favorite hymn.  He asked her after the Sacrament before she gave her talk if she would sing and what her favorite song was.  She chose to sing, "Be Still, My Soul" which was her favorite hymn. She has a beautiful, powerful voice.  It was very touching.

Right after Sacrament Meeting, Carolyn Leavitt came up to Austin and said she needed to talk to him right now in his office.  She told him that she had a rough week - it was the anniversary of the death of her husband (he had been killed by a chain/tractor accident) and the birthday of her little boy who had died in a snowmobile accident.  She was also struggling with her health.  And she is in charge of all of the food for Moroni's Quest the next week.  She was praying one night and she had the feeling to leave it to Heavenly Father, it would all work out.  Sunday morning as she was praying, the song "Be Still, My Soul" came to her mind and she thought how cool it would be if we sang it at church that day.  When Aubrey stood up to sing, she felt the overwhelming love of God and that was a special message just to her.

Austin was thankful to have followed the promptings of the Spirit.

Expired Temple Recommend

Our ward has our own session for Ward Temple Night - the first Wednesday of every month at 6:30 p.m.
June 1, 2016
The bishopric had made a special invitation for those who were involved with Moroni's Quest to come to the session - tribe leaders, youth leaders, and parents of youth.
We went to the recommend desk and Brother Fisher handed back his recommend and said you better get it renewed soon.  We started walking in, and Austin looked at his recommend. It had expired the day before. But they let us through so he went and changed.
We went to the chapel and he just couldn't do it. He went to talk to Brother Zemp (his first counselor who is also the Temple Recorder), and he told him the work would be exempt and he shouldn't come if it is expired.   So Austin left.
We had a nice session. I ended up sitting by Martha in the last room, and she asked if everything was okay with my family. I told her that his recommend had expired yesterday. She had been worrying.

So Austin left and called President Low. By the time we came out of our session, Austin had a current temple recommend.

Morale of the story - check the dates on your temple recommend.

Bishop Wearing Slippers at Church

Austin went to visit Lexie McMurray a couple weeks ago who hasn't been to church for a while due to health issues. When we visited her, she said she can't get shoes on because her feet are too swollen. Austin told her she could come in slippers and he would wear slippers too.  So she came to church today in slippers and Austin called and had us bring his slippers and he wore them all through church.

On a sidenote, this morning Carly came to me in her cowboy boot slippers and asked if she could wear them to church if she found a dress that matched.  I told her no because we don't wear slippers to church.

When Austin called this morning, Carly turned to me and said, "See."

Personal Relationship with Jesus Christ

Leavitt Ward Conference 2016

Bishop Austin Nunn

            Brothers and sisters, over the past few months knowing that this experience of speaking in ward conference would soon come, I have reflected again and again on what I might speak on, that might touch our hearts, that might cause the seed of faith to grow within our hearts, that might increase our desire to do right. I have sought input from family, our ward council, the youth in our Bishop’s Youth Council, and of course, my good and loving wife.

            Many topics have been suggested. They include love thy neighbor, paying of tithes and offerings, having the spirit of gratitude, commitment to the gospel, setting goals for personal self-reliance (both physical and temporal), doing the basics, keeping our thoughts and language clean.  These would all be outstanding talks and we would do well to consider them and how we are doing in each of these areas. I hope and pray the message I have prepared will touch your heart and cause personal and meaningful reflection and action.

            Over the past several years, I have read dozens of books on personal development and achievement, how to reach goals, overcoming difficulties in life, and on leadership and the skills it takes to be an effective leader. As I have tried to relate these books back to spiritual matters, the overriding principle that has come back to me is this: Our personal relationship with Jesus Christ will and should guide everything we do.

            As a 21-year-old returned missionary, I found myself taking on one of life’s greatest challenges – university. I had arrived home from my mission on December 20, worked until March, and then headed off to Utah State University, only having enough money to pay for tuition and books. After that was paid, I had $60 remaining. That $60 bought me what I needed to stay in school, a pair of non-lace up cowboy boots, but that is a different talk.

            I was living in a small garage of my uncle’s that part of had been turned into an office. I had a mattress on the floor, no running water, no cooking space, no bathroom. I was alone.

            One night after the first few days of classes, I sat in my small room, asking myself the question, “What am I doing here?”  I am broke, homeless and I know no one. Within a few minutes, I found myself walking the almost silent streets of North Logan.  This was one of the first times I found myself having a conversation with our Father in Heaven. I found myself speaking vocally asking questions and feeling as if I was going to get a vocal answer. I am not sure how long I walked and talked, but it lasted for some time.

            When I returned to my apartment, I found myself with a renewed desire to press forward and accomplish the task before me. From this and other experiences, I have come to understand and realize that the cure to many of life’s challenges can be overcome by our personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

            Elder Rex D. Pinegar said, “Each of us has that same responsibility and capability to develop a personal, warm and loving understanding with the Savior – our Savior. The One who came here to earth that you and I might have the potential of realizing our greatest potential.”

            In and amongst the books I have read to improve as a person and professional are books that address how to have good relationships. Although each book addresses these in a different manner, they all have the same common themes.  They include respect, valuing time together, sense of commitment, communication, agreed upon expectations, and a shared philosophy and trust. Although these are the world’s views of a healthy relationship, they can and do fit into our personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

            In October 1976, Elder James E. Faust spoke of establishing a positive relationship with Jesus Christ. May I share the five elements from his talk that will bring us closer to Jesus Christ.

            First is a daily communion with God in Christ’s name. For years our family has prayed for my good sister-in-law and her husband to have children. We have often added fasting to that prayer. After years of prayer, we attended the adoption proceedings of one little 7-year-old girl this past summer. Later in the fall the adoption process took place for her 4-year-old sister. In October my wife attended the sealing of this family. Prayers are answered.

            Although the formal language of prayer is important to show reverence to our maker, it is just as important that we talk to God. To the best of my knowledge, it is near impossible to develop a relationship without communication.  My good wife often reminds me of this when she is saying, talk to me, what’s on your mind, say something. The Lord probably feels the same way. We must talk to our Father in Heaven. We must talk to Him. We need to share our concerns and our doubts, our sins and our joys, and by so doing we will build a relationship with Him and our Savior, who knows who we are. He has taken upon us our “pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind” so that he can “succor his people according to their infirmities.” Daily communion involving prayer will lead us to a more personal relationship with God.

            I have found that when life becomes most difficult, most stressful, when at times I am in great despair and wishing to draw on the powers of heaven that selfless service to another has led to a stronger relationship with my Savior. The Savior’s life was one of service. His final act of service being the Atonement. I have found that in order to know someone better and understand them, we must serve them. President David O. McKay stated, “Man’s greatest happiness comes from losing himself for the good of others.”

            I hesitate to share the following story as I hope not to be seen as giving alms to be seen of men. Some years ago I was appointed to the position of assistant varsity girls basketball coach of a rather large high school in Utah. I was excited about this opportunity. At the time, I was teaching at the junior high. The girls basketball coach at the junior high had wanted the job, unknown to me. During those years while I was coaching, this lady seldom talked to me or even greeted me.

Four years later I was hired as the vice principal in the same school. She remained as our junior high coach. On one occasion she came to my office upset that her team had old uniforms and wanted to know what I was going to do about it. I quickly realized that this was my opportunity to serve and make a friend. Knowing that my last high school team had just purchased new uniforms, I headed to the storage room and dug out their old uniforms. I took the uniforms to a professional dry cleaner. Once the uniforms were returned to me, I waited until she was gone for the night, and using my master key I went into her office, neatly hung the clean, pressed uniforms, and headed home.

The next morning the coach came to my office with tears in her eyes, said thank you, and walked away.

Service must become a characteristic of who we are. To know the Savior, we must serve. “Behold I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of our fellow beings, ye are only in the service of our God.”

Elder Faust’s third point is to daily strive for an increase in our Obedience. Recently I visited my brother who has always had a love for working with dogs. As a teenager, he dreamed of running the Iditarod, a long-distance dogsled race in Alaska. He trained for years. Each night after school and on weekends, he would train and run his dogs for hours. Over the years of training, his dogs got better and better. They would listen to the slightest voice command and change direction, speed up, slow down, stop, and move out all based on his voice command. His dogs would obey every command. Obedience by the dogs to their master’s voice allowed for a great experience and a lifetime of adventure.

The Master is training us. We are being asked to be obedient to the commandments. If we are to build our relationship with love and trust with Christ, we must strive for personal improvement every day. “There is a law irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundation of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated. And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated.” D&C 130:20-21.

President Monson stated, “Oftimes the wisdom of God appears as foolishness to men, but the greatest simple lesson we can learn in mortality is that, when God speaks and a man obeys, man will always be right.”

The fourth way we can improve and strengthen our relationship with Christ is by a daily acknowledgement of His divinity.

Do we look around us and see Christ in all we do, in all we are? Do we see Christ in our day to day interactions with people? Do we see people as Christ sees them?

C.S. Lewis stated, “There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilization – these are mortal and their life is to ours as the life of gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub and exploit… There are no ordinary people – no ciphers, no zeros – only potential gods and goddesses.”

If we desire a greater personal relationship with our Savior, then should we not look to treat each other with Christ-like love and service.

Learn of me, is a commandment given to us. In order to learn of our Savior, we must read of Him. The fifth way to develop a personal relationship with Jesus Christ is to read the scriptures daily. They tell of his humble birth, of his protective & loving parents, of his temptations, of his baptism, of his love and ministering, how he healed the sick, the blind, & the lame, his compassion & love of children.  It is a record of his trial and his death. We must daily feast on the words of Christ. President Howard W. Hunter said, “We must know Christ better than we know Him. We must remember Him more than we remember Him.”

Brothers and sisters, if you are struggling with personal fear or doubt, if you are unclear of the direction you are going, if you feel that sin is weighing you down, if you are fearful of your future, if you are concerned about your children, your marriage, your family, if you desire to understand greater, start with improving your relationship with Jesus Christ.

Sixteen years ago, I arrived early one morning to rope with a friend of mine. As I walked toward the arena, I noticed a horse standing in a pen with his head tied down between his legs. On closer observation, I realized this horse had been tied that way for most of the night. His mouth was bleeding. The reins ran between his front legs up over his back and tied together. His front legs were rubbed raw. The muscles in his neck were quivering from the stress of being flexed all night.

I quickly and quietly climbed the fence and untied the reins. It was at this moment that our relationship and bond started. It was my releasing him from bondage that this horse and I began a relationship of trust and respect that began 16 years ago.

Our Savior Jesus Christ has untied our reins of bondage. He has overcome death and sin. His arms of love are open to all who wish to build a personal relationship with Him.

King Lamoni’s father “cried mightily saying, “O God, Aaron hath told me that there is a God; and if there is a God; and if thou art God, wilt thou make thyself known unto me, and I will give away all my sins to know thee…”

I pray that we will each have this prayer in our hearts that we might know our Redeemer and Savior on a greater personal level.

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Stillborn Baby Seely

Tim and Rachel Seely are members of the Leavitt Ward who were expecting baby #6. Unfortunately, the baby was stillborn. It was heartbreaking for their whole family.

Austin spoke at a memorial at the cemetery as they buried their baby boy.

I wish in some way I could answer every question that has come into your minds over the past five days. I am unable to do so. Those answers will come over time. They will come in still, quiet moments as you continue to live lives of righteousness, partake of the Sacrament, attend the temple, and prepare yourselves to be an eternal family.

            I cannot answer all of the whys, but I can give you eternal hope in what we do know and I know. I know that you will see your son again. I know that he was taken home to a loving Father in Heaven who has a plan for each of us. I know that our Father in Heaven knows and understands your loss, your pain, your heartache. He himself had to turn away as His own Son suffered for our pain. I know because of His atonement, you can see your son, and you will embrace and find joy in that glorious reunion.

            You have been asked to walk a difficult road. President James E. Faust stated, “In life we all have our Gethsemanes. A Gethsemane is a necessary experience, a growth experience. A Gethsemane is a time to draw near to God, a time of deep anguish and suffering. The Gethsemane of the Savior was without question the greatest suffering that has come to mankind. And out of it came the greatest good in the promise of eternal life.”

            The prophet Alma taught, “He shall go forth suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind, and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith He will take upon him the pains and sickness of His people. And He will take upon Him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and He will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy.”

            Our Savior knows you. He knows your suffering. He knows your pain. Because of His suffering, we will all return to Him. You have the promise of a joyous reunion. You have the promise of an eternal family. It is now up to us to live worthy, good lives so that we can be together forever. This I bear witness in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

I promise

Bishop Nunn spoke at the opening kickoff fireside for Moroni's Quest. He bore a strong testimony that at some point during Moroni's Quest each of us will know personally that Jesus Christ knows us.