President Nelson Reminds Fijians of Their Divine Potential

[@wandayanez2454]

I couldn’t hold back my tears. I felt the love the Fijians have for the prophet and the prophet for the people. That last song was beautiful even though I don’t understand the language, but I feel the spirit of love.

[@daphneraven9439]

I got goose bumps and my eyes watered in hearing the beautiful song near the end of this clip. So many beautiful, faithful souls!

[@luluvn1875]

Such humble people. I felt the spirit of God watching this video.

[@churchnewsroom]

Thank you for sharing your feelings!

[@nailapeter51]

As a Pentecostal... I always have high respect for church missionaries who I see often on our streets here in Fiji. To leave behind their families and come over to Fiji is not easy. By the Grace of God they survive. Thank you so much.

[@churchnewsroom]

We appreciate your comment!

[@michaeltait131]

We are so happy for the Saints in Fiji to have this great opportunity to see the Prophet. Seeing and hearing the Whippys, Ernest Vitinavulagi, the LDS College students, and hearing "isa lei" brought back great memories of our time in Suva as ITEP missionaries.

[@mikemailei4491]

wow! feel blessed to have served my mission in Fiji in 03-05 the Church has grown so big there!

[@AkRavosai]

WE LOVE YOU PRESIDENT NELSON🙏🇫🇯❤️

[@gamerxd8720]

I was so blessed when he came. ❤️

[@soanataifane866]

We thank thee O God for a Prophet, to guide us in these latter days. I am a sinner and need God's guidance in my life every day.

[@fabianasmith6097]

Beautiful family

[@BuaTalei]

Vinaka President Nelson a true prophet of the Lord. You done well Fiji Saints in welcoming the prophet.

[@santigarcia4152]

love

[@tpbarron]

So awesome

[@floodmesocial4918]

Sacred! Blessed!

[@parkerplace2910]

I remember when the church was that simple and easy to believe in, and then I learned of some historical and doctrinal truths and that changed everything. I kind of wish I hadn't learned about them. My faith was simple and easy when, before knowledge, l could just say "I know the church is true, I know the BofM is true, I know we have a prophet".

[@parkerplace2910]

@@federicoigonzalez And you speak EXACTLY like I used to speak. I'm a 7th generation member. My ancestors knew Joseph Smith, housed him. They were in the salt lake valley 9 days after B.Young got here, helped settle several Utah cities. I served a mission, temple marriage, active temple attendance for decades,...and then, I started receiving my paycheck from the church. My life and beliefs were just as yours are. ..until .....I got more involved. It's like looking at a pretty photo of a mountain from afar....and then when you go to the mountain, you actually see the dirt. And PLEASE don't give me that line that the church is perfect but it's leaders are not. I know better now. President Nelsons a good guy, no doubt. He's my uncles cousin and well loved in the family, but I can reassure you. ...not everything is inspiration driven. Things are happening now that have been in the works for years and other general authorities and church presidents that are now dead would not have the changes happen. Some of the general authorities wanted these changes years ago and others did not. There are a lot of politics going on under the auspices of inspired meetings.

[@MakelleBell]

@@parkerplace2910 I've heard it all. Some of the things I've heard left me shaken for some time. My family are all Protestant and Lutheran converts, but I still retain my testimony, because what it all boils down to is that the power of the Holy Ghost testified to me that it was true. I can't deny those feelings I felt then, and what I feel now. Yes, there are a lot of things I don't understand, however, I don't let the things that I don't understand rob me of the things that I do know and have felt are true. It is the basics that will save you. The church isn't perfect either, that's why there are constant changes...but the principles and ordinances are true. And the prophet is God's mouthpiece and will not lead us astray. Focus on the basics, pray, read, and fast A LOT, and go to the temple for guidance. You can't go wrong by increasing light in your life. Satan is working overtime to deceive us all. Like it says in the song how firm a foundation, "that soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake, I'll never no never, no never forsake." Stand strong.

[@parkerplace2910]

@@MakelleBell Thank you, but maybe you haven't heard everything. I do appreciate your very kind invitation though and I know it came from your heart. Please know, I have done and an doing those things though. You assume I have not? I used to work in the temple. I have over 450 LDS faith promoting books in my personal library. ..I worked in the LDS book industry for years. I've read nearly everyone. I am still "active"....I have a calling. I talked in sacrament meeting a month ago. It's getting very hard to not tell the truth when I speak. You admonish me to stick to the basics? You mean Article of Faith 4? Exactly what basics do you think I'm not and have not been doing. ...with full heart until recently. ...for decades? Which ones? Furthermore, which ordinances do I believe in the most? The ones now taught in the temple or the ones Brigham Young formulated for the endowment house? You are aware Joseph only taught the endowment to some handpicked brethren in the 2nd story of the store as the temple was only at ground level the day he died. Do I now just go with the endowment ceremony as taught or do I consider all of the old penalties of slashing myself open. ..neck or bowels...when I first went through in the 80s? The people going through today for the first time know nothing about acting out your own death. So. ..which ordinance do I follow because most definitely it was changed. The Holy Ghost also testifies to other religions that its true to their members and contrary to what Apostle John A. Widstoe said, the church don't hold the monopoly on truth. He said that in his book Evidences & Reconciliations. The basics are at the core of every religion....read, pray, have faith, etc. Baptism does throw an ordinance in that members will say has to be preformed by one holding authority, but I have real big issues with the priesthood restoration story...much to complicated to go into here. Those stories changed significantly over time. I have huge issues with the Book of Abraham. If you're well read, you'll know of those problems. "Sticking to the basics" doesn't erase knowledge. Facts don't care about the basics. Its for that reason the leaders tell everyone to srick with the basics. ..they know full well what happens at level 2. When was the last time you heard a leader tell us to really study and ponder the life of Joseph Smith and to follow his example? The church has completely whittled out of their history everything they don't want to talk about. It's like when you go in for a temple recommend interview and you deny something bad from you past. They want us as members to be transparent with them, but not them with us. They want us to be high school seniors in our ministering, tithing and responsibilities with a 2nd grade education.

[@MakelleBell]

@@parkerplace2910 You must excuse me if this is lengthy. However, you make some points that I would like to elaborate on. Firstly. I admonish no one outside of my family. I put no charge out there that I would not want to follow myself or the prophets and apostles already haven't said twice a year at general conference. I don't know who you are, how often you pray, and quite frankly, it's not necessary. But I think it's sound advice to give to anyone to put as much light in your life is possible. If you are doing those things, that is wonderful, and as long as you keep going in that direction, you will end up all right. Secondly, we should consider what it really means to “alter” the ordinances. This is particularly hairy in the case of the endowment. Did you know that there was no written endowment text for over thirty-five years? Until the St. George Temple was dedicated in 1877, endowment ceremonies were all done from memory-and, we may presume, were all slightly different from each other. As the St. George temple neared completion, Brigham Young worked with his secretary, L. John Nuttall, to commit the ceremony to paper for the first time. During this process Brigham Young told how, back in 1842, after the presentation of some early endowment ceremonies, Joseph Smith turned to him and stated: Brother Brigham, this is not arranged perfectly; however we have done the best we could under the circumstances in which we are placed. I wish you to take this matter in hand: organize and systematize all these ceremonies. Diary of L. John Nuttall, February 7, 1877. Historians tell us that even after the written text was developed, minor differences in the ceremony persisted from temple to temple until the early 20th century, when the First Presidency insisted that all temple presidents conform to the same written text. This problem in finding a definitive text for a saving priesthood ordinance is not limited to endowment ceremonies. Joseph Smith provided us with three different variants of the baptismal prayer (see D&C 20:73, compare 3 Ne 11:25 and Mosiah 18:13). If there is some absolutely “perfect” script for an ordinance and that script must never be altered in any way, then does that mean that our baptisms are ineffectual? Or Alma’s? Or the ones done after Christ’s appearance to the Nephites? I rather think not. For God to recognize a priesthood action, the required elements are authority and personal righteousness on the part of the priesthood holder. Clearly, man does not have the right to unilaterally change the forms of the ordinances and ceremonies that God has established (see, for example, Isaiah 24:5). We follow the current forms because we respect the divine authority of those whose responsibility it is to “preach the gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof” (5th Article of Faith). However, we should not therefore conclude that God Himself lacks the power to change those forms in order to maximize their spiritual or symbolic benefit to the participants, so long as the Church attempts to ensure that those performing the ordinance are duly ordained and making a sincere effort to live righteously and so long as the substance of the ordinance is preserved. What God will not do, is allow the ordinance to be changed to the point its core essence is no longer present. For example, coming back to the ordinance of baptism: While minor alterations to the baptismal prayer might be permissible, God would never authorize baptism’s degeneration to the point where its covenant aspect would be undermined or even denied (as is unfortunately the case in some Christian denominations today), or where Jesus Christ would be fundamentally written out of the rite (as is the case in a Jewish mikvot). Knowledge as we see things is not the whole picture. If we are humble, the Lord will give us answers in his own timetable-either in this life or the next. Until then, the Lord desires that we push forward with an eye of faith. That's what I have tried to do, despite my limited knowledge and understanding.

[@parkerplace2910]

@@MakelleBell Again, thank you. Your very well written and footnoted reply is much appreciated, and I mean that. I very much like and agree with many of the things you said. I still encourage my family to attend church. We still have prayer and you couldn't be more correct in stating how important it is to try to follow light. The temple ceremony is very interesting as you know. I own and have read the L. John Nuttall diary. My copy is that one of those special edition Signature Book editions limited to 500 numbered copies, but know others have printed the journals. B.Y did say those things in relation to the temple ceremony finally being written down, although that's not entirely the case. .Fanny Stenhouse in her book, "Tell It All" mentions the memorized scripts they used in the endowment house for about 25 years. B.Y. was doing a good job of trying to square things up. They held April general conference in the St. George temple, he died in Aug. 1877. He did a territory revamp of priesthood quorums that same year. The 1st Presidency did make the announcement to get all temples on board with the same thing in 1927 after George F. Richards (then SLC temple pres) urged them to do so because St. George felt like they were the original and not subject to SLC temple instructions. At that same time, they got rid of the oath of vengeance as a temple covenant. It really doesn't bother me that there are 3 versions of baptismal prayer. It's kind of funny. ... in the mission field and after, missionaries like to point out that sprinkling for baptism isn't correct because one must be fully immersed. We fail to continue with such doctrine in our own washings & anointings now because originally, patrons were literally washed and anointed in very large bathtubs in the SLC temple. The church bought 12 of the largest bathtubs that the Standard Bath & Supply company made back in 1893 for this purpose. So let me ask you this. If what is the "core essence" of an ordinance is so important, why chsnge it for convenience sake or anything else? Are we too busy and obscured to understand ancient practices? I made an oath...swore to it. ..that my life would be taken by lashing my bowels or cutting my throat should I divulge. That's no where to be found now. If that's not "core essence" , nothing is. It wasn't figurative either. It was literal. Those going through today have no idea what will happen to them if they divulge? ...but it doesn't matter? Is that what u are saying? I would bet they think that's important. A death penalty is very core material and you are blinded if you think anything less. You do know why it was removed from the ceremony back in the early 1990s?....after the church questionnaire of 3400 people? Maybe you weren't on the list to fill out the survey and see the following changes. I, however, admit to a little more insight to that survey if you follow what I'm saying. I don't know if you were around during the days of the "September six" and BYU, but I witnessed a little more than I bargained for and the Strengthening Members Committee. It was so unfair and to watch church spokesman Michael Purdy on KZbin lie and say it doesn't exist is abhorrent and he knew EXACTLY what was going on 100%. Jeffrey Holland KZbin video denying that Mitt Romney made certain temple covenants and watch him scramble around the Book of Abraham. ..pathetic. You have quoted a few scriptures to me, let me quote one now: By their fruits ye shall know them. We should probably agree to disagree at this point. Sometime if you're ever curious about how the church (personal call by Gordon B. Hinckley) obtained Joseph Smiths wedding ring and the tithing arrangements made....you'd get a very interesting business type rendition. Next time you are at the church museum or browsing photos and see Josephs brown seer stone, go look up what Joseph Fielding Smith said about it and how he flat out denied it's existence when -as church president - he had it in his possession in his little green filing cabinet on wheels under lock and key. At least now. ..after 180 + years, they will finally admit it was used to "translate" the B of M. Maybe that's why they are 2 different prayer versions in the BofM. One from the Urim & Thummum and the other from the seerstone Joseph found at the bottom of the well. They need to fire that thing up, put it in the hat and give us all some clarification on a few topics that are in question. Surely God's words would appear on the stone as they did during translation? ....unless the users faith wasn't sufficient.

[@michelamar-khodja8591]

Well!

[@markchadwick6760]

I'm an inactive member and now realise how much this organisation ran my life sheer hell