The Power of a True Testimony

I love General Conference. My favorite weekends of the year are the first weekends in October and April. I love the blessings of hearing scripture spoken from the pulpit. I am so blessed to live in Utah, where all I have to do is roll out of bed and sit in front of the TV to hear what my prophet has to say.

Today, I had the marvelous opportunity to hear an Apostle of the Lord bear true and absolute testimony of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. Elder Holland has always been one of my very favorite speakers, but this afternoon he gave one of the most powerful talks I have ever heard.

When Elder Holland started speaking, I had planned to get up and grab my lotion from the next room. I would still be able to hear the TV, so I wouldn't have missed anything. But as soon as Elder Holland started speaking, I was riveted to my chair. All I could think about was internalizing every word coming from his mouth. I couldn't have moved if I had wanted to.

Elder Holland bore testimony of the Book of Mormon in such a way that there was no doubt in my mind that every single person within hearing range of his voice was touched by the Spirit of the Lord. He said that Joseph and Hyrum Smith stood tall and bore testimony of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon in the very hour when they would lose their life for that testimony. Would they have met their God knowing that they were testifying of a work of fiction? No, they would not. Elder Holland called all attempts to discredit the Book of Mormon pathetic. He said that the Book of Mormon is possibly the most attacked book in all of religious history, and at least in modern religious history, but every attack has failed, and will continue to fail.

I cannot describe to you the power with which Elder Holland bore his testimony. Nothing I can say here can match the incredible Spirit that filled my heart as he spoke. All I can do is add my absolute testimony to his. As I listened, I knew without a doubt that the words Elder Holland was speaking were true. There was no way to misunderstand what he was saying, and I knew that the Spirit of the Lord was behind each and every word that this righteous man spoke. I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God, and it was translated with His power and authority. Joseph Smith was a prophet of God who acted on God's behalf to bring about the Restoration of His Gospel. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is Christ's church on the earth today. Following the principles of this Gospel will bring me closer to my Heavenly Father, and I am so grateful for that knowledge.

After hearing Elder Holland's testimony, I just felt like I needed to record a little bit of what I felt as he spoke. I want everybody to feel what I felt right then, and know what I know. This is why General Conference is so important to me. Where else would I have had the opportunity to hear what I have heard today?