Book of Mormon Forum: General Conference Link-up

As promised, today is our Book of Mormon Forum link-up.  If you have written a post recently bearing testimony of this sacred book of scripture, please link-up your post below or feel free to read and comment on what others have shared.  

Those of us in the Forum have decided to blog about references made to The Book of Mormon in the last General Conference.

I am so hungry for General Conference.  It's been a long five months, and I am ready to be spiritually fed anew.  

The picture above shows this new study method that I'm starting this time around.  Since a group of friends and I get together every week to study the words of the prophets at General Conference Book Club, I have for a long time wanted a way to keep track of what each Prophet and Apostle speaks about over time.

I have found the perfect way!  By using these General Conference Tabs (free printable here or here), I now have a journal where I can record my favorite bits of wisdom expounded by our leaders over multiple conference sessions.  I will most likely use this journal in my personal study, instead of during my original viewing of Conference. 

Four weeks until General Conference.  I am counting down the days!

Now here's my contribution to The Book of Mormon Forum:

For some reason, the story that stood out the most to me last General Conference was in Elder Larry Echo Hawk's talk "Come Unto Me, Oh Ye House of Israel."  It doesn't go into a ton of doctrine presented in The Book of Mormon.  Instead, it bears a poignant testimony of standing by our testimonies of this great book.

Elder Hawk said: I volunteered for service in the United States Marine Corps during the Vietnam War. Soon after my arrival in Quantico, Virginia, for basic training, I found myself standing at attention in front of my barrack’s bunk along with 54 other Marine Corps recruits. I met my drill instructor, a battle-hardened veteran, when he kicked open the door to the barracks and entered while screaming words laced with profanity.

After this terrifying introduction, he started at one end of the barracks and confronted each recruit with questions. Without exception, the drill instructor methodically found something about each recruit to ridicule with loud, vulgar language. Down the row he came, with each marine shouting back his answer as commanded: “Yes” or “No, Sergeant Instructor.” I could not see exactly what he was doing, because we had been ordered to stand at attention with our eyes looking straight ahead. When it was my turn, I could tell he grabbed my duffel bag and emptied the contents onto my mattress behind me. He looked through my belongings, then walked back to face me. I braced myself for his attack. In his hand was my Book of Mormon. I expected that he would yell at me; instead, he moved close to me and whispered, “Are you a Mormon?”

As commanded, I yelled, “Yes, Sergeant Instructor.”

Again I expected the worst. Instead, he paused and raised his hand that held my Book of Mormon and in a very quiet voice said, “Do you believe in this book?”

Again I shouted, “Yes, Sergeant Instructor.”

At this point I was sure he would scream disparaging words about Mormons and the Book of Mormon, but he just stood there in silence. After a moment he walked back to my bunk and carefully laid down my Book of Mormon. He then proceeded to walk by me without stopping and went on to ridicule and disparage with profane language all remaining recruits.

I have often wondered why that tough Marine Corps sergeant spared me that day. But I am grateful I was able to say without hesitation, “Yes, I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints” and “Yes, I know the Book of Mormon is true.” This testimony is a precious gift given to me through the Holy Ghost with the help of two missionaries and a priests quorum adviser.

I also have a testimony of this beautiful, true testament of Jesus Christ.  And I hope to stand by it as years pass, that through our faithfulness, we can help bring to pass the promised blessings contained therein.

This blends nicely with my other favorite talk from the last General Conference, by Elder Christofferson "Trial of Your Faith."  In the context of his talk, this excerpt from The Book of Mormon took on a slightly different meaning for me:

 6 And now, I, Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning these things; I would show unto the world that ^afaith is things which are^bhoped for and ^cnot seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no ^dwitness until after the ^etrial of your faith.