I just came awake from a wonderful night’s sleep, and was surprised to find dawn happening.  There was a thought in my mind—a thought that, strangely, I’ve never had before.  The thought was that I should write an epistle to my grandchildren.  I make it a point to act upon these first morning thoughts when they come this way, because they come from the Holy Ghost.

It’s strange that I’ve never before had the idea to write a general letter to my grandchildren, because my grandchildren are the reasons that I do all the writing that I do.  I do a lot of writing; and the reason that I write is because I want to have an influence upon you, upon your children, and upon their children.  I won’t be around long enough in this life to see your grandchildren; but I’m going to be highly interested in them, and if I leave some writings behind, I’m hopeful that you’ll share them with your grandchildren so that we can hold on to all of them.

The most important thing in all the world to me is you.  When it’s my turn to go back to Heavenly Father I’m going to be like Lehi leaving the land of Jerusalem.  I’m going to leave behind all my gold, my silver, my house, my land, and all my precious things, and take nothing with me save it be my family.  (2 Nephi 2:4).  I won’t literally be taking my family with me, but my family will be the one thing that I’ll get back again, and which I’ll have forever and ever.  The reason that I’ll be able to keep my family is because of the Lord’s Atonement, and because of my covenants.  You’re sealed to me, and you’ll be mine forever if you and I both keep our covenants and obey the commandments.

I have a goal, and so far I’m on track to realize it.  My goal is that when we all get over to the other side of the veil, there will be no empty places.  That means that I’ll be saving a seat for you, and I don’t want to have anyone missing.  I have 10 children, and I have the incredible blessing of knowing that all 10 are faithful in the gospel.  That doesn’t happen in this day and age.  I have 43 grandchildren, and every one of them is so far faithful in the Church.  I expect that there will eventually be 70 of you, and I want every one of you to be faithful.

That isn’t going to happen unless you’re each very careful about what you do and think.  You’re living in a very dangerous world.  The prophets have told us that our world today is as wicked as it was when the Lord had to start all over by destroying it with a flood.  The world today is many times more wicked than it was when I was your age.  It’s worse than it was when your parents were your age.  It’s way worse than it was just 5 years ago.  You’re here now because you are the very best, most faithful spirits that the Lord has.  You were reserved to come forth in this special, most wonderful, most difficult time because you’re strong enough to endure, and to be the leaders who will help others endure, and prepare the world for the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.  You are special.  Remember that.

It’s a wonderful world really, but you’re surrounded with influences which are designed to pull you down.  You need to understand that the adversary is real, and that he has a goal, too.  He wants to pull you down.  He wants you to be miserable like him.

I want you each to go look up 2 Nephi 2:25 and 27.   Those two verses sum up both the Lord’s and the adversary’s goals.  If the adversary had a written statement of purpose, it would be, “And this is my work and my purpose—to bring to pass the captivity and misery of all men.”  (Compare with Moses 1:39).

You are all way ahead of me when I was your age.  When I was your age I didn’t have the gospel.  I didn’t know a thing about religion.  I didn’t have the scriptures, I never prayed, I didn’t have the Holy Ghost to guide me, and I didn’t even know whether God existed or not.  I was scared, I was ignorant, and I made lots of mistakes.  My mind was filled with darkness.  I committed many sins.  I felt guilty and dirty because of my sins.  I wanted to be better, but I was powerless to do anything about my situation.  I was miserable, just like the scripture says.

And make no mistake about it.  Everyone around you who isn’t under covenant, and who isn’t trying hard to live the commandments, is miserable just like I was.  I’ve been there, and I know what I’m talking about.

Each of you is filled with light.  You’re filled with light because you each have the gift of the Holy Ghost.  He is your constant companion.  You can’t really appreciate that because you don’t know what it’s like to not have that constant influence.  You’ve always had it.  I didn’t, so again, I know what I’m talking about.

When I first started reading the Book of Mormon, all I wanted to do was to read that book.  I was glued to it.  As I read, I could feel the darkness in my head being pushed to the back.  I hadn’t known that my head was filled with darkness; but as I read, light came into the front part of my head, and pushed the darkness to the back until it finally exited my head completely.  I was no longer depressed.  I’d been very depressed for a long time.  I was no longer miserable.  I was soon in one of the most depressing places a man can be in (military boot camp), and I was supremely happy.  Every single soul around me was depressed, griping, and angry.  I, on the other hand, was having prayers answered daily.  I’d never experienced that before.  I knew who I was.  I knew my life had purpose.  I knew there was a God in heaven, and that He knew me.  I was filled with light.  There was a bounce in my step, and a smile on my face.

There were 60 men in my company at boot camp.  They wondered what was different about me.  I told them.  They elected me as the outstanding recruit of the company.  On our last Sunday there, 27 of them came to me, and asked if they could go to church with me.

I had light and happiness and joy for one whole year until I was called in for an interview with my stake president.  He offered me the Melchizedek Priesthood, and said that I would be sustained two days later in stake conference.  I left that interview, and the old depression that I used to feel settled back down upon me.  I was panic-stricken.  How could I accept the Melchizedek Priesthood if I felt like that?  What was wrong?  Something was terribly wrong.  I began a fast, and took a long walk in the hills of California.  I didn’t want to be around anyone.  I was sick, miserable, and very, very low.

There was a baptism scheduled for a friend whom I had helped to teach.  Feeling as I did, I didn’t want to attend the baptism, but because he was my friend, I went.  The speaker at the baptism talked about what the Savior went through during the Atonement.  He pointed out that the Savior had to do what He did all alone.  The Spirit had been taken from Him, and He cried out, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”  (Matthew 27:46).

When the speaker said that, a light came on in my mind, and I suddenly knew what had happened to me.  For the previous 24 hours the Lord had taken the Holy Ghost from me so that I could see what I had, and so that I could see the seriousness of the step I was taking in receiving the Melchizedek Priesthood.  I had light and joy in my life because I had the Holy Ghost as my constant companion.  The Holy Ghost has been my constant companion since that day, and I never want to be without it again.

Each of you has that constant companionship.  You don’t know what it’s like to not have the Holy Ghost as your light and guide.  Because of my experience, if you’ll accept my testimony, you won’t ever have to know how miserable you can be.

The number one, most important, thing in your life is to get and keep the Holy Ghost as your companion.  You can do that if you’ll do three simple things.  I want you to pray daily.  I ask you to read your Book of Mormon daily.  The Savior has asked that you keep His commandments.  Keeping the commandments is a simple thing.  Things only get hard when you don’t keep the commandments.  We can’t break the commandments:  we can only break ourselves against them.  The commandments were given to us by a loving Father so that we could be happy.  “Men are, that they might have joy.”  (2 Nephi 2:25).

Pray.  Read the Book of Mormon.  Keep the commandments.

That’s it in a nutshell.  Do those things, and I promise you that you’ll be happy.  If you’ll do those things I’ll realize my ultimate goal.  We’ll all be together in the eternities, and there will be no empty seats.

10 November 2013