PREFACE
On Sunday, November 12, 1989, Elder Neal A. Maxwell of the Quorum of the Twelve was the visiting General Authority at the Rochester Minnesota Stake Conference. At the conclusion of his talk on Sunday morning he pronounced an apostolic blessing upon our stake.
At the request of President Darrell W. Krueger in April 1996, members of the stake were asked to search their personal journals and submit their journal entries of this apostolic blessing. These were compiled by Sister Susan Peek of the Winona Branch and presented at Stake Conference on April 20, 1996. Sister Peek’s talk is reprinted here in addition to the journal entries from individual members of the Rochester Stake.
JOURNAL ENTRIES SUBMITTED BY MEMBERS OF THE ROCHESTER STAKE
The General Session was wonderful, outstanding! President Robb spoke on the Savior and Jody Hammond on her feelings about going to the temple recently….Martin Robinette on following the brethren and Elder Maxwell about the Savior. The highlight of the meeting was an apostolic blessing that Elder Maxwell bestowed upon our stake at the end of the meeting. I can’t remember everything but I do remember that he felt impressed to give the blessing because of our reverence and he blessed us with a thirst to study the scriptures and that our marriages would be happy, that our homes would be places where our families will want to be. It was almost like it must be having the Savior stand in our midst to give a blessing. I felt filled spiritually!
Elder Neal A. Maxwell, one of the Twelve Apostles, was here to speak at our Stake Conference. Elder Maxwell talked on the Atonement of Christ. He then pronounced an Apostolic Blessing on the stake. It was a very powerful talk. I was moved to tears. It also made me feel badly for having frustrating feelings about the children today.
Elder Maxwell pronounced a blessing on the Stake, that we would have an unquenchable thirst for the scriptures, that we would be able to use sweet boldness in sharing the gospel, that our children would taste the sweetness of the gospel in our homes so that if they did leave and taste the world it would be sour to them, and that there would be a spirit of meekness, not retribution, in marriages with problems. He said, “I leave my tears on your pulpit and my testimony in your hearts.” We were all drenched with the Spirit.
We attended Stake Conference today. Elder Neal A. Maxwell, who is currently an apostle in the Quorum of the Twelve, has been presiding and has spoken at all three meetings of conference. In his talk today, I was moved to tears as he spoke about Christ and the experiences he went through for our sake to atone for our sins and to be able to succor us. A constant theme in all of Elder Maxwell’s talks has been that we are all tried on earth – challenged – in our own customized way. The Lord knows what we need and in what ways we need to be stretched. At the end of his talk, Elder Maxwell said he was prompted to do something he does not always do. In reward for the reverence and faith of those present (and it had been especially reverent), he felt impressed to leave us with an apostolic blessing. This was a moving spiritual experience. Among other things, he blessed us with a thirst for the scriptures. He also blessed us that we would be able to make our homes places of love, that all of our children might taste of the sweetness of good Mormon homes, that it would so sweet to them that when they venture into the world, the evil will be bitter, and that they would come back to taste the sweet. There are few times in my life I have felt as spiritually motivated to do the right as when I came out of these meetings.
A term he used frequently in his address that we have often repeated is that we should “declare the Gospel with sweet boldness.” He said, “I leave you my tears on your pulpit.” He indicated we were receiving the blessing because of the faithfulness of the saints of our stake. We were blessed with love and unity and the Spirit of Christ in our homes. He blessed us to be productive in missionary work. He blessed the stake to be a ‘refuge’ for those in need, the humble, those seeking truth. He blessed the stake to be successful as a source of truth, faith, and obedience. I know I could only recall a small part of what he said; it is to be hoped that others will have more complete notes. At our presidency meeting, President Odd made one of his insightful observations, likening the blessing to the 7th chapter of Alma. Recall that Alma, as High Priest of the Church, had just had a disappointing ministry in Zarahemla (chapters 5 & 6), and went to Gideon where he was well received and he preached with power. At the end of the chapter he blessed the people of Gideon; see verses 26-27. “And now my beloved brethren, I have spoken these words unto you according to the Spirit which testifieth in me; and my soul doth exceedingly rejoice, because of the exceeding diligence and heed which ye have given unto my word. And now, may the peace of God rest upon you, and upon your houses and lands, and upon your flocks, and herds, and all that you possess, your women and your children, according to your faith and good works, from this time forth and forever. And thus I have spoken. Amen.” Helen recalls that he blessed us with knowledge, understanding and love of the scriptures. Helen took the promise to heart realizing that to be blessed, she must put forth the effort to study and ponder the scriptures daily. This she does, and has realized a measure of the blessings.
Upon completion of this presentation on the atonement of Jesus Christ, Elder Maxwell stated that because of the reverence and faith of those in attendance at this stake conference, he felt impressed to leave us with an apostolic blessing. It is an experience that I shall not forget. Despite the occasional cry of a small child, there was a reverent stillness that filled the air. As he spoke, I felt the Spirit bear testimony that the blessing was not only for us as a stake but also as individuals. He blessed us to come to have as never before an adoration for Jesus Christ, to know Him as our personal Savior. He blessed us that we would have a thirst in our homes for the scriptures which can’t be quenched. We were blessed with the spirit of missionary work and to use more boldness in sharing the gospel. In our marriages, we are to seek reconciliation. We were blessed with happiness in our marriages and added love in our families. Our homes were blessed to be places of love and harmony. He blessed us that once our children tasted of the sweetness of the Gospel in our home and then ventured into the world, the world would taste sour to them and they would return to the sweet. He sealed the blessing leaving his tears on the pulpit and his testimony in our hearts. The words elude me to express how deeply moving I found this experience. How can we return to our homes to be the same again? Knowing that the realization of that blessing depends upon our faithfulness to it, my heart is filled with resolve.
I bless you that you will come to have an adoration for Jesus Christ. I bless you that the Holy Scriptures will have greater meaning in your life. I bless you that you will have more boldness to share the gospel. I bless you for a greater constancy of purpose. I bless you with added affection in your homes. I bless you as friends, brothers and as a people. I said the closing prayer. I was touched by having experienced an apostolic blessing and of Neal Maxwell’s testimony of Christ and the insights I received as a result. He thanked me for the prayer and he said to me we need men like you and I bless you in your job. I felt his personal touch and feelings for me.
Last weekend we had our fall Stake Conference. Elder Neal Maxwell of the Council of the Twelve came and presided. You can imagine what a wonderful conference we had with an apostle there! We had more people attend every session than ever before in the history of the stake, and had almost 1,000 there at the blessing at the end of his remarks- we will forever remember and cherish it. He blessed our stake to be productive in missionary work, to be a refuge for the humble truth-seeker, to always have love and unity and peace among its members and to have love and harmony and the Spirit of Christ in each home. It is almost too sacred to speak about properly. There were no dry eyes in the entire congregation, including Elder Maxwell’s. He said, “I probably will not have the opportunity to be with you here again, but I leave my tears on your pulpit.” He thus hallowed that pulpit for every sermon, testimony, and prayer that will hence be pronounced there. It will always be one of the greatest spiritual highlights of my life. I know he is a true disciple and apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Elder Maxwell broke into an apostolic blessing. I was feeling the spirit so keenly that I became unable to write. I do remember him saying that we need to immerse ourselves in the scriptures. He blessed us that in our marriages we would have added love and affection for our spouses and our children. He blessed us that if we are faithful that our children will come back to the arms of the gospel. Oh how I wish I could have captured that feeling and blessing on paper. I truly comprehend when they say it is too sacred to record.
Today was Stake Conference; the theme was Alma 37:37: counsel with the Lord in all thy doings. Elder Maxwell of the Council of the Twelve was here and gave the main address. He spoke in depth of the Savior’s atonement and gave us an apostolic blessing. He blessed us with a greater love and adoration of Christ and a real sense of Him being our personal Savior, with a greater love and happiness in our homes, and an unending thirst of the scriptures. He blessed us with a greater boldness of the Gospel as we take it to our friends. He blessed us with the meekness of Christ and added love and affection in our families as we teach our children and that the things of this world will be bitter to them and if they stray they will come back.
Elder Maxwell expressed his desire to leave us with an apostolic blessing. With bowed heads and hearts bursting with joy we received the promises of the Lord to us. I wish I could recall his every word but I cannot now nor could I then. The bits I do with unwavering certainty recall are, “ I leave my tears on this pulpit,” the promise that if we would follow the commandments and counsel we received that as our children go out into the world that the things of the world would be bitter to them and that our homes would be sweet to them. As he concluded I was sure that this must have been the feelings the Nephites experienced when they were actually taught by the Savior Himself. They didn’t want him to leave; that longing for more was what we felt so intently. It was a quiet reverence of fulfillment and longing.
Stake Conference was marvelous with the presence of Elder Neal A. Maxwell especially as he bestowed upon us an Apostolic Blessing. In essence this is what he said: I bless you that you will have the adoration of Jesus Christ, a thirst for scriptures, a sweet boldness with sharing the gospel, that your marriages will be of meekness and reconciliation, that love and affection [will be added] in your families, that the gospel will be so sweet that the world will taste sour to them.
As he [Elder Maxwell] concluded his talk in praising Christ and adoring Him, he left an apostolic blessing upon the stake – realizing that he may never be here again. He blessed us with the spirit of missionary work, with homes unified with love so that our children would not want to be part of the world. He sealed his blessing with his tears upon the pulpit. I could feel that what he said was true, for I didn’t want him to quit speaking or the experience to end.
Last weekend was stake conference and Apostle Elder Neal Maxwell spoke. It was a good meeting. He blessed us to increase in the knowledge of Jesus, to grow spiritually, and he blessed our families to be strengthened. These blessings are predicated upon our efforts.
JOURNALS
Stake Conference – Saturday Evening Session
April 21, 1996
A young mother was explaining faith and the power of the priesthood to her five children. “With enough faith,” she explained, “the power of the priesthood can even move mountains. Your daddy has that priesthood.”
“Does daddy have enough faith?” queried one little girl.
“Well I don’t know. When he gets home, why don’t you ask him.”
The daughter’s reply was the greatest lesson on faith of all: “Okay. And then maybe we can move some mountains for home evening.” (Narda Wilson)
Brothers and sisters, I am grateful for this honor of addressing you this evening on a topic for which I have strong feelings – keeping a journal. I used to pride myself on my memory. In fact, I thought I would never forget some of the important spiritual events in my life. However, as time has gone by, the precious memories have become dimmer. It is only because of my journal that I am able to experience and receive strength from them again.
From a submission to the Deseret News I quote, “ If a man keeps no diary, the path crumbles away behind him as his feet leave it; and days gone by are but little more than a blank, broken by a few distorted shadows. His life is all confused within the limits of today. There must be a richness about the life of a person who keeps a diary.” (Deseret News, July 16, 1862)
With the passing of each year would the mother and children of that story I just told remember the faith a child had in her father and the holy priesthood which he holds?
The scripture I was given as the base for my talk is found in the 37th chapter of Alma, verse 8.
Part of my assignment regarding this talk was to assist in enlarging your memory of perhaps the greatest spiritual event of this stake – the weekend we had an Apostle of Jesus Christ pronounce a blessing upon us. Brothers and sisters, my ‘memory was enlarged’ and my spirit lifted up as I prepared for this talk.
I had the privilege in preparation for this evening to read through the journal entries that President Krueger has thus far received of that sacred event. As I read through them, my heart burned with memories of that day. Tears trickled down my cheeks as I attempted to pull together portions of his blessing. I have received permission from our Stake President, President Krueger, to encourage and admonish you to send in your journal entries of that event if you have not already done so.
What I am about to read to you is the blessing Elder Maxwell bestowed upon this Stake of Zion as recorded in those journal entries. I took all the entries and compiled them into the following summary.
On the 12th day of November 1989, Elder Neal A. Maxwell was present at the Stake Conference of the Rochester Minnesota Stake. With close to 1,000 people in attendance, the chapel, overflow area, and halls were filled. Following a tender and very moving discourse on the Atonement of Jesus Christ, Elder Maxwell stated he felt prompted to do something he does not always do. Because of the reverence and faith of those present, he felt impressed to leave us with an apostolic blessing.
He said:
I bless you that you will come to have as never before a greater love and adoration for Jesus Christ. I bless you with a real sense of Him being our personal Savior.
I bless you that the Holy Scriptures will have greater meaning in your life, that you would have a thirst in your homes for the scriptures which can’t be quenched.
I bless you that your marriages would be happy and that there would be a spirit of meekness, not retribution in marriages with problems. I bless you in your marriages to seek reconciliation.
I bless you with added affection in your homes, that you would be able to make your home places of love, places where your families will want to be. I bless you that all of your children might taste of the sweetness of the Gospel in your homes, that it would be so sweet to them that when they venture into the world it would be sour to them and that they would come back to taste the sweet. I bless you with homes unified in love so that your children would not want to be part of the world. I bless you that if you are faithful then your children who have strayed will come back to the arms of the gospel. I bless you with love and harmony and the spirit of Christ in each home.
I bless you with a greater constancy of purpose.
I bless you with the spirit of missionary work, that you will “declare the Gospel with sweet boldness.”
I bless you as friends, brothers, and as a people.
I bless the stake to always have love, unity, and peace among its members and to be source of truth, faith, and obedience. I bless it to be a refuge for the humble truth-seekers and those in need.
Elder Maxwell then concluded and sealed his blessing with this remark:
“I probably will not have the opportunity to be with you here again, but I leave my tears on your pulpit and my testimony in your hearts.”
In reference to that closing remark, President Robb in a letter to one of the missionaries from our Stake wrote, “He thus hallowed that pulpit for every sermon, testimony, and prayer that will hence be pronounced there.”
Brothers and sisters, I hope that even with my inadequacies, your memories were enlarged of that sacred event. Along with this summary of the blessing. I also extracted the following personal feelings people shared:
He indicated we were receiving the blessing because of the faithfulness of the saints of our stake.
I felt filled spiritually.
I could feel that what he said was true for I didn’t want him to quit speaking or the experience to end.
We were all drenched with the Spirit.
It was a very powerful talk. I was moved to tears.
I was touched by having experienced an apostolic blessing and of Neal Maxwell’s testimony of Christ and the insights I received as a result.
I felt the Spirit so keenly that I became unable to write.
I felt the Holy Ghost powerfully. We were all edified and grateful for this experience.
I felt that the blessing was quite unusual and that it was done to strengthen the saints in this stake for extreme difficulties.
I took the promises to heart and have put forth effort to study and ponder the scriptures daily. By doing so, I have realized a measure of the blessings.
Elder Maxwell shook the hands of my two sons and said they would “be a great pair of missionaries.”
It was a moving spiritual experience. There are few times in my life I have felt as spiritually motivated to do the right as when I came out of these meetings.
He spoke of Christ. How well he knows him (Christ)! Such a humbling, strengthening moment.
I liken Elder Maxwell’s blessing to the blessing in the 7th chapter of Alma. Recall that Alma, as High Priest of the Church, had just had a disappointing ministry in Zarahemla and went to Gideon where he was well received and he preached with power. At the end of the chapter he blessed the people of Gideon.
After my prayer, I turned and shook hands with Elder Maxwell. He thanked me for the prayer and he said to me we need men like you and I bless you in your job. I felt his personal touch and feelings for me.
It is almost too sacred to speak about properly. It will always be one of the greatest spiritual highlights of my life. I know he is a true disciple and apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ.
According to Brother Theodore M. Burton, “Much of what we now regard as scripture was not anything more or less than men writing of their own spiritual experiences for the benefit of their posterity. These scriptures are family records.” Our journals entries are intended to provide the “same uplifting, faith-promoting strength that the ancient scriptures now give us.” Think for a moment – when was the last time you recorded your personal testimony in your journal? When was the last time you wrote about the workings of the Spirit in your life? When was the last time you expressed your love for the Savior in writing? Do you have recorded spiritual thoughts shared by your Branch President or Bishop and Stake President in your interviews with them? Have you written down the promises given you when you have been set apart for a calling or when you have received a blessing of comfort and or healing? Do the insights you’ve received at conferences and sacrament meetings have a place in your journals?
Gawain and Gayle Wells in the Ensign; July 1986, shared their insights on journals:
“Our journals should become our own books of personal revelation. If we are careful and diligent in recording the promptings and insights we receive, we will begin to see a pattern of how the Spirit works in our lives. We will become more aware of the fact that we are indeed being guided in ways that we may not have recognized, and we will become more responsive to these thoughts, ideas and influences as they come to us. We can be blessed as we write about our prayers and answers to prayers, our scriptural understandings, and our struggles to draw closer to the Lord.”
In our journals, we need to do as Nephi did (2 Nephi 4:15) and write the things of our souls.
When I began searching through my journals for my recordings of that November day, I also recalled that I had filed my Conference notes in a file box. After locating my journal entry, I rummaged through my file box of notes. Attached to the notes of that Stake Conference was a loose journal entry dated July 5, 1989. I do not know how it came to be attached to my notes but what was recorded was applicable to this evening’s talk. Permit me to share it with you.
I had recorded that I had been praying to know what I should be doing as I felt overwhelmed with the many responsibilities before me. The answer was genealogy. With so many waiting I was admonished to submit their names now. As I knelt pondering this response, I asked if there was anything else of which I needed to be aware. The words came rushing forth: “Be prepared. Prepare yourself spiritually. The time is close at hand and you’ll be called to pass through trials beyond belief. Record all moments in your journal for my Spirit will not always strive with men.”
I share this personal event with you because the scriptures tell us that the Spirit of the Lord will be taken from the earth. And I know as that occurs we will need to “enlarge our memories” as Alma admonished. We will need to remember the many times we felt the Lord’s hand in OUR PERSONAL lives and know that He knows each of us personally.
Michael K. Parson in the Ensign; October 1989 reminded us that the Savior in 3 Nephi chapter 23, asked for the records the Nephites had kept to be brought to Him. After he cast his eyes upon them, the Savior reminded the Nephites of Samuel’s prophecy that at the time of the Savior’s resurrection, many Saints would arise from the dead and would appear to and minister unto many. He asked the Nephites if this prophecy had not been fulfilled. When they acknowledged that it had, he asked, “How be it that ye have not written this thing that many Saints did arise and appear unto many and did minister unto them?” (3 Nephi 23:11) Perhaps the day will come that the Savior will point out the experiences of our lives and ask, “Wasn’t that important? Significant? Sacred?” And when we agree, perhaps He will say, “Why are these things not recorded in your journal?”
Brothers and sisters, with all my heart I encourage you to be faithful to the charge we received from President Krueger to be diligent in keeping our journals. Don’t let any moment dear to your soul fade into darkness because you didn’t record it. Allow those recorded memories to enlarge your memory and bring you and your posterity closer to our Lord and Savior.