1971

this year I am reading all the talks President Monson gave in General Conference 

here are my thoughts on the talks he gave in 1971

April 1971

Lost Battalions

When President Monson was a boy, he enjoyed reading about the "lost battalion." An unit of the 77th infantry division in world war one. When they became surrounded by their enemies, other units of the 77th division did all they could to rescue them. They were successful in their efforts.

He then asks the question, "Are there "lost battalions" even today?

The answer is yes! Specifically the handicapped, the lame, the speechless, the sightless, the aged, the widowed, and the sick.

I think we all know some of these "lost battalions." 

We must serve with LOVE.

I think one of President Monson's favorite scriptures is found in Matthew, "And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."

The savior has the power to rescue the lost, and we are here to aid in those efforts. 

October 1971

With Hand and Heart

This was such a beautiful talk about how the Savior lifted other up. He taught by example, so we are needed to LIFT others up as well.

President Monson says, "The Savior was faithful to his divine mission. He lifted other up toward God."

I love this quote, "He lived not so to be ministered unto, but to minister; not to receive, but to give; not to save his life, but to pour it out to others." We can't get a better example about what we are to do while here on the earth. "Each of us has a charge to be not a doubter, but a doer; not a leaner, but a lifter." I want to be this person. I want to lift others towards Heavenly Father. One way we can achieve this is simply by looking up. I don't mean symbolically, but literally look up. We can't help people if we are looking down, or probably more likely, looking at our phones.

I chose the quote on the top of the post because it is so true, "When we see beyond the outward appearance and recognize the true worth of a human soul - miracles occur."

I know this has been true in my own life. I will link the story of a boy that I use to work with. Once I was able to see him as the Lord does, a miracle truly did occur. (to read that story click here)

President Monson also mentions that only one thing "can alter human lives and change human nature and that is LOVE."

"With hand and heart, do as the Savior did, lift and love our neighbor to a newness of life."

this story that President Monson shared was too much for me. I absolutley loved it

Prison warden Kenyon J. Scudder has related this experience: A friend of his happened to be sitting in a railroad coach next to a young man who was obviously depressed. Finally the man revealed that he was a paroled convict returning from a distant prison. His imprisonment had brought shame to his family, and they had neither visited him nor written often. He hoped, however, that this was only because they were too poor to travel and too uneducated to write. He hoped, despite the evidence, that they had forgiven him.

To make it easy for them, however, he had written them to put up a signal for him when the train passed their little farm on the outskirts of town. If his family had forgiven him, they were to put a white ribbon in the big apple tree which stood near the tracks. If they didn’t want him to return, they were to do nothing, and he would remain on the train as it traveled west.

As the train neared his home town, the suspense became so great he couldn’t bear to look out of his window. He exclaimed, “In just five minutes the engineer will sound the whistle, indicating our approach to the long bend which opens into the valley I know as home. Will you watch for the apple tree at the side of the track?” His companion changed places with him and said he would. The minutes seemed like hours, but then there came the shrill sound of the train whistle. The young man asked, “Can you see the tree? Is there a white ribbon?”

Came the reply: “I see the tree. I see not one white ribbon, but many. There must be a white ribbon on every branch. Son, someone surely does love you.”

In that instant he stood cleansed by Christ.


His friend said, “I felt as if I had witnessed a miracle.”

I can feel what this young man must have felt when he was told that there must be a ribbon on every tree. It pulled at my heart to know that he was loved and forgiven. That is the power of the atonement in our lives. I am sure the same thing happens when we question if God could ever love or forgive us. When we think those thought look to our tree and we will surely see not one ribbon, but many.

to read the lost battalions talk click here

to read with hand and heart talk click here