Ballard - The Trek Continues! - October 2017

Elder Ballard continues a theme he has spoken about in several other conferences referring to our ancestors and the journeys they have made in following our Heavenly Father.  He talks about the need for us to remember these valiant servants and to follow their examples in the way we live our lives.

• The early Saints were not perfect, but they established a foundation upon which we are building families and a society that love and keep covenants, which is highlighted in various news stories around the world because of our commitment to Jesus Christ and our volunteer efforts to help those nearby and far away.

He talks about the need for us to keep ties with our ancestors or we will lose out on great examples of faith.

• If we lose our ties to those who have gone before us, including our pioneer forefathers and mothers, we will lose a very precious treasure.

He says we need to remember that we are on our own trek and that we must be faithful in all that we do.

• Although it is appropriate and important to remember the historic 19th-century Mormon pioneer trek, we need to remember that “the trek through life continues!” for each of us as we prove our own “faith in every footstep.”
• A trek back to our Heavenly Father is the most important trek of our lives, and it continues each day, each week, each month, and each year as we increase our faith in Him and in His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ.

Elder Ballard provides for us several things we can to do not lose our faith and keep on the path back to our Heavenly Father.

• Keep the doctrine of Christ pure and never be deceived by those who tamper with the doctrine. The gospel of the Father and the Son was restored through Joseph Smith, the prophet for this last dispensation.

• Do not listen to those who have not been ordained and/or set apart to their Church calling and are not acknowledged by common consent of the members of the Church.
• Be aware of organizations, groups, or individuals claiming secret answers to doctrinal questions that they say today’s apostles and prophets do not have or understand.
• Do not listen to those who entice you with get-rich schemes. Our members have lost far too much money, so be careful.

It is important that we use the example of our pioneer ancestors and help each other along the path that leads back to our Father in Heaven.

• For our pioneer ancestors, independence and self-reliance were vital, but their sense of community was just as important. They worked together and helped one another overcome the physical and emotional challenges of their time. For the men, there was the priesthood quorum, and the women were served by the Relief Society. These outcomes have not changed in our day.

He encourages us to work closely with the missionaries to help all of God's children learn about the power of the gospel.

• Let us use our energy, strength, and testimonies in assisting our missionaries to find, teach, and baptize God’s children so they may have the power of the gospel doctrine guiding their daily lives.

Elder Ballard concludes with the challenge that we see everyone as a child of God and help all of God's children to come unto Christ.

• We need to embrace God’s children compassionately and eliminate any prejudice, including racism, sexism, and nationalism. Let it be said that we truly believe the blessings of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ are for every child of God.

Elder Ballard does a great job of connecting our lives today to our ancestors of the past.  We all have people that have come before us in life.  We might not all have pioneer ancestors but we all have people that we can look into the past and see how they have shaped our lives and our current situations.  Some of these people may have been good influences that led us to the Savior and some my not have.  But each of us come from a Heavenly Father who loves us.  It is our challenge to build a foundation of righteousness for those that will follow behind us and make sure we are a strong example of ways we all should come unto Christ.