Turn to Their Fathers

In the most recent general conference, Elder Jeremiah J. Morgan spoke about his unique path to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He related, “When I was a young teenager getting ready for school, my mother read to me from the Book of Mormon every day, out loud, whether I was listening or not. So, you might assume that I was raised in a family that belonged to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. But I was not. My family were members of a different church that also believes in the Book of Mormon and the prophetic mission of Joseph Smith.” He explained further in the notes to his talk, “I was raised in the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, now called the Community of Christ. There is an important relationship of mutual respect and cooperation between the leaders and members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Community of Christ, a relationship that is built upon many common beliefs and shared interests.” This was particularly interesting to me because my grandma’s mom (whom I never met) was also a member of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. My grandma wrote this in her life story, “As Iong as I can remember religious teachings played an important part in my home Iife. Mother was a member of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. We as a family attended the Methodist church in Rembrandt most of the time. About once every month or two we would drive to a branch of the Reorganized Church, about 25 miIes from home. As a small chiId, I used to ponder the questions, ‘Where did we come from?’ ‘Why are we here on this earth?’ and ‘Where do we go after this Iife?’” My grandma continued in her memoir, “During my chiIdhood l did not join a church, although l did attend Protestant services most of the time, ln the summer of 1948 I met a fellow who was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He was traveIing with the Army Band Which had performed in Des Moines, lowa. He seemed so different than most fellows l had known and after learning that he belonged to the Mormon Church, that led me to wonder just what the Mormons believed.  Some time later l started attending the branch of the Mormon Church in Des Moines, lowa, and studied the missionary lessons for several months before being baptized in April 1950.” I’m grateful for the faith that my great grandmother had and passed on to her daughter, which ultimately led my grandma to the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.

            In his talk, Elder Morgan spoke of the covenants his ancestors made and their impact on him. He told how he began to search for truth as a teenager and how he was led to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He related, “I can’t fully express the gratitude I have for my upbringing and the knowledge I had received; even so, I came to know that this is the Lord’s Church. It would be some time before I could join the Church, and though I would face questions and disappointment from my family, I had been given a gift—a testimony. And in the words of the Prophet Joseph Smith, ‘I knew it, and I knew that God knew it, and I could not deny it.’” He later wondered why he had taken an interest in religion as a young boy and why he was led to the testimony that he gained. Discussing this with his wife, she said to him, “I know what it was! It was covenants.” Elder Morgan continued, “You see, while my ancestors were united with the Saints in Nauvoo, they had made covenants in the temple. Rebecca then read some of the beautiful and comforting prophetic teachings on this topic, which provide that because of ‘the eternal sealings of faithful parents and the divine promises made to them[,] … though some of the sheep may wander, the eye of the Shepherd is upon them, and sooner or later they will feel the tentacles of Divine Providence reaching out after them and drawing them back to the fold.’ It was covenants; I felt it in that moment. And in these words, we begin to feel a sense of the awesome power of God in our covenants.” The covenants his ancestors made had sway on his heart hundreds of years later, helping him make the steps to find those same covenants. The Lord’s promise as revealed to Joseph Smith was found to be true for him: “And he shall plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers” (Doctrine and Covenants 2:2). His heart had been turned because of promises made to his fathers.

            Unlike Elder Morgan, my grandma’s ancestors had never joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Her maternal grandparents, David Cook and Mary Howard, joined the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints directly in 1893. Mary ultimately moved to Independence, Missouri, the headquarters of their church, where my great grandmother was raised in that faith. This ultimately plated the seeds for my grandmother’s faith, and now her posterity turned their hearts to their fathers through the ordinances and covenants of the temple. Mary and David were sealed through proxy work of their descendants 98 years after they joined the reorganized Church, and I can’t help but think that they have had a wonderful reunion with my grandmother who was the instrument in making that all possible by the covenants she chose to make. Elder Morgan finished his talk with these words of inspiration for all of our families, “I testify that the infinite power of God is in our covenants. Don’t ever give up. Your story, your family’s story, is not all written. God is the author and the finisher of it. I am a standing, breathing, believing demonstration of God’s love and the power of God in covenants.”