Wan Stret mo Klin Hop
From Restoresen i talem tru bakegen fandesen trutok ia, se God i stap wok long wol ia, nao yumi save hop, mo yumi mas hop, iven taem yumi fesem ol taem we i had tumas blong winim.
Las Oktoba, Presiden Russel M. Nelson i bin invaetem yumi blong lukluk i go fored, mo rere from Epril 2020 konfrens long wei blong yumi nomo, blong lukbak long hamas han blong God i gat paoa blong putumbak gospel ia blong Jisas Kraes. Sista Holland mo mi i tekem invitesen blong profet ia i series. Mitufala i tingting long maen se mitufala i stap laef long ol eli yia blong eitin handred, mo mitufala i lukbak long ol bilif blong relijin long taem ia. Long kaen ples ia, we mitufala i mekemap long maen, mitufala i bin askem mitufalawan: “?Wanem nao i no gat long ples ia? ?Wanem nao mifala i wantem gat? ?Wanem nao mifala i hop se God bae i givim we bae i stret long wanem mifala i wet long saed blong spirit?”
Wan i we, mitufala i luksave se tu handred yia i pas, bae mifala i rili hop blong oli putumbak wan moa tru mo tabu tingting abaot God, we long tetaem ia, i haed long plante from se oli haedem Hem biaen long plante handred yia blong rong mistek, mo fasin blong no andastanem samting. Blong tekem wan sentens blong William Ellery Channing, wan haeman blong tetaem ia, bae yumi lukluk long “fasin blong God olsem wan papa,” we Channing i bin ting se i “fas bigfala doktrin blong Kristin bilif.”1 Wan doktrin olsem, bae i luksave se Hae God i wan Papa long Heven we i kea, be i no wan strong jaj we i putum wan strong jastis o i no wan ona blong haos we i nomo visitim ol kastoma blong hem be i bisi wetem ol nara samting long yunives ia.
Yes, ol hop blong mifala long 1820 ia, bae i blong faenem God i toktok mo soem rod olsem tedei semmak olsem we Hem i bin mekem bifo, faenem wan tru Papa we i evri samting we toktok ia i talem. Bae Hem i no wan lida we i gat kolkol mo strong fasin we i putum tingting blong Hem blong i jusum sam pipol nomo blong sevem, mo afta, i sendem nara haf famli blong man blong no save kam antap samtaem. No. Bae Hem i wan ia we evri aksen blong Hem, tru long tabu tok, bae i blong “helpem wol; from hem i lavem wol”2 mo evriwan we i stap laef insaed long wol. Lav ia, bae i stamba risen blong sendem Jisas Kraes, Stret Pikinini Ia Nomo blong Hem, i kam long wol ia.3
Taem yumi tokbaot Jisas, sapos yumi bin laef long ol fas yia blong nambanaentin senturi, bae yumi luksave kwik se ol tu tingting, se laef mo Laef Bakegen long Ded blong Sevya i tru o no, i stat blong stap strong insaed long Kristin man. From hemia, bae mifala i bin hop blong gat wan pruf i kam long ful wol, we bae i talem se tok long Baebol i tru, se Jisas Hem i Kraes, stret Pikinini blong God, i Alfa mo Omega, mo i wan Sevya ia nomo we wol bae i save. Bae mifala i hop bigwan se ol nara pruf long skripja oli kamaot, wan samting we bae i wan nara testeman abaot Jisas Kraes, we bae i givim moa strong save abaot taem ia we Hem i bon i kam long wol, bigfala seves blong Hem, sakrifaes we i pemaot man, mo glori taem we Hem i laef bakegen long ded. I tru, wan kaen pepa olsem bae i “stret mo gud fasin … we Hem i sendem i kamdaon aot long heven; trutok i go long wol.”4
Blong stap lukluk long Kristin wol blong tetaem ia, bae mifala i hop blong faenem wan we God i bin givim raet long Hem, we i gat tru prishud atoriti, we bae i save baptaesem yumi, givim presen we i Tabu Spirit, mo mekem evri odinens blong gospel we i nid blong save kam olsem wan god. Long 1820, bae mifala i hop blong luk ol gudfala promes blong Aesea, Maeka mo ol nara profet blong bifo long saed blong kambak blong hae tabu haos blong Lod, i kambak.5 Bae mifala i glad tumas blong luk glori blong ol tabu tempol i stanap bakegen, wetem Spirit, ol odinens, paoa mo atoriti blong tijim ol trutok ia we oli no save finis, hilim ol sobodi blong yumiwan, mo joenem ol famli tugeta blong oltaem. Bae mi lukaotem long eni ples mo long evri ples blong faenem wan we i gat raet blong talem long mi mo Patricia blong mi we mi lavem, se mared blong mitufala, long situesen olsem, i sil blong taem naoia mo ful taem we i no save finis, mo neva harem, o fosem mifala blong harem strong tok ia: “kasem ded i seperetem yutufala.” Mi save se “insaed long haos blong Papa blong yumi i gat plante rum,”6 be, mi toktok blong miwan nomo, be sapos mi laki tumas blong kasem wan long ol rum ia, bae i jes olsem wan roten salsal nomo long mi sapos Pat mo ol pikinini blong mitufala oli no stap wetem mi blong serem ples ia. Mo long ol bubu blong yumi, sam we oli bin laef mo ded long taem bifo, we oli neva harem nem ia blong Jisas Kraes, bae mitufala i hop se stret mo sore tijing ia long Baebol, bae oli putumbak—hemia i praktis ia se olgeta we oli stap laef oli mekem ol odinens blong sevem man long bihaf blong ol famli we oli ded finis.7 Mi ting se i no gat wan praktis, we bae i soemaot, wetem moa hae fasin, wari ia blong wan God we i gat lav long evriwan long ol pikinini blong Hem long wol ia, i nomata se wetaem oli bin laef mo weaples oli bin ded.
Yes, lis blong hop blong mitufala long 1820 bae i go i go, be mesej we i moa impoten, blong Restoresen ia, i we, ol kaen hop olsem, bae oli no blong nating. Stat wetem Tabu Bus mo i gogohed kasem tedei, ol samting ia we hat i wantem, i stat blong kam tru mo oli bin kam, olsem we Aposol Pol mo ol narawan oli talem, oli ol tru angka blong sol, oli sua mo oli strong.8 Wanem we bifo, oli bin hop from nomo, naoia i kam histri.
Olsem ia nao, lukluk blong mitufala i gobak 200 yia blong gud fasin blong God long wol. ?Be weswe long lukluk blong mitufala we i luk fored i go? Mitufala i gat ol hop ia yet we oli no kamtru yet. Iven, naoia we yumi stap toktok, yumi stap long wan mekem wo wetem KOVID-19, we i rimaenem yumi se wan bebet9 we i 100 taem moa smol long sid blong sanbij,10 i save mekem ol ful populesen mo ekonomi blong wol, i nildaon. Mifala i stap prea from olgeta we oli gat famli mo fren we oli ded finis from niu sik ia, mo tu, from olgeta we oli sik i stap. Mifala i stap prea tu from olgeta we oli mekem bigfala wok blong lukaot long ol sikman. Taem bae yumi winim sik ia—bae yumi winim—bae yumi evriwan i gat ikwol komitmen blong mekem wol ia i fri long bebet blong stap hanggri, blong ol neba mo ol nesen oli kam fri long bebet ia we i fasin blong stap pua. Yumi hop blong gat ol skul we oli stap tijim ol studen—i no blong stap mekem olgeta oli fraet se bae oli sutum ded olgeta—mo blong evri pikinini blong God i ting gud long hemwan, we i no gat eni kala blong skin, kantri o kalja i no spolem olgeta. Andanit long evri samting ia, i gat hop ia blong man i givim moa taem mo tingting long tufala hae komanmen ia: blong lavem God taem yumi kipim kaonsel blong Hem, mo blong lavem ol neba blong yumi taem yumi soem fasin blong stap kaen, gat lav mo sore, fasin blong wet longtaem mo stap fogiv.11 Tufala hae tabu komanmen ia oli stap yet—mo oli stap blong oltaem—wan ril hop ia nomo we yumi gat, blong givim long ol pikinini blong yumi wan wol we i gud moa bitim hemia we oli save long hem naoia.12
Antap long ol samting ia we wol i wantem, plante we oli stap lisin tedei, oli gat ol dip hop blong olgetawan: hop blong wan mared i kam gud moa, o samtaem jes hop blong mared nomo, hop blong winim wan adiksen, hop blong wan pikinini we i mestem rod blong kambak, hop blong soa long bodi mo filing we oli handred kaen, blong oli mas stop. From Restoresen i talem tru bakegen fandesen trutok ia, se God i stap wok long wol ia, nao yumi save hop, mo yumi mas hop, iven taem yumi fesem ol taem we i had tumas blong winim. Hemia nao skripja i minim taem we Ebraham i bin save hop agensem hop13—we i minim se, hem i bin save biliv nomata evri risen i stap blong hem i no biliv—se bae hem mo Sara bae tufala i save gat wan pikinini taem we i luk se hemia bae i no posibol. Mekem se mi askem: “Sapos ol fulap blong mitufala long 1820 ia oli stat blong kamtru wetem wan tabu laet we i kamaot long wan yangfala boe we i bin nildaon long wan bus blong ol tri long Niu Yok, ?from wanem nao bae yumi no save hop se ol stret mo gud tingting we hat i wantem mo oli olsem hemia blong Kraes, bae God blong evri hop bae i no save ansarem long wan merikel?” Yumi evriwan i nid blong biliv se wanem yumi wantem long stret mo gud fasin, sam dei, long sam wei, mo bae i hapen, se oli blong yu.
Ol brata mo sista. Yumi save se sam samting long saed blong relijin, we oli no bin stret tumas long stat blong namba 19 senturi. Moa long hemia, yumi save se sam samting long relijin tedei we oli no stret, i stap lego yet sam oli stap hanggri mo gat hop we oli no kamtru. Yumi save se plante oli no glad, mekem se oli stap lidim wan bigfala namba blong ol pipol oli go longwe long ol nomol ples blong God. Yumi save tu se, olsem wan we i kros i bin raetem, se “plante lida blong ol relijin blong tedei, oli no save nating” wanem blong mekem blong fesem nogud fasin ia, mo stap ansa wetem “wan smol tingting giaman hiling, ol jip giaman toktok, ol flas toktok we oli nogud, [o samtaem,] krangke tingting”14mo evri samting ia, long wan taem we wol i nidim plante moa samting, long wan taem we jeneresen ia we i stap kam antap i nid blong gat plante moa, mo long wan taem we i blong Jisas, Hem i bin givim plante moa. Olsem ol disaepol blong Kraes, yumi save, long taem blong yumi tedei, stanap antap moa bitim ol Man Isrel bifo we oli bin komplen se: “Tingting blong mifala i foldaon olgeta, mo laef blong mifala long fiuja bambae i no moa gat, i olsem we mifala i ded finis.”15 i tru, sapos yumi stap lusum hop, yumi stap lusum wanem i stap sapotem yumi. Hem i ova long get blong hel we Dante i bin raetem wan woning i go long evriwan we i travel tru long Divina Commedia blong hem se: “Fogetem evri hop, yufala we i stap kam insaed ia.”16 I tru, taem we hop i go, i go ia nao. Wanem i stap i flem blong bigfala faea we i laet long evri saed.
Mekem se, taem yu arier be bak i fas long wol, olsem hym ia i talem: “ol narawan blong help oli go mo kamfot i ronwe,”17 long medel blong ol klin fasin we yumi nidim, bae i gat presen ia we i hop, we i joen evriwan long fet blong yumi long God, mo jareti we yumi gat long ol narafala man.
Long 200 yia ia, taem yumi luk i gobak blong luk evri samting we yumi bin givim, mo stap glad from yumi luksave se plante hop oli bin kamtru, mo talem bakegen filing blong naes yang riten misinari ia, we i bin talem long mifala long Joanesbeg sam manis i pas: “Mifala i no wokbaot longwe olsem blong stop long ples ia.”17
Blong talem long toktok blong mi, wan long ol gudfala toktok we oli bin raetem long ol skripja, mi talem wetem profet Nifae mo yangfala sista ia:
“Ol brata [mo sista] blong mi we mi lavem tumas, ?afta we [yumi kasem ol fasfala frut blong Kambak blong Gospel], bae mi askem yufala sapos evri samting i finis? Luk, mi talem long yu, No.
“ … Yufala i mas wokbaot fored wetem strong bilif long Kraes, wetem wan stret mo klin hop, mo wan lav blong God mo blong evri man. … Sapos yufala i gohed … Papa i talem: Bae yufala i kasem laef we i no save finis.”19
Mi talem tangkyu, ol brata mo sista blong mi, from evri samting ia we yumi bin kasem long las mo bigfala dispensesen ia, dispensesen ia blong gospel we i kambak blong Jisas Kraes. Ol presen mo ol blesing we oli kamaot long gospel ia, i minim evri samting long mi—evri samting—mekem se blong talem tangkyu long Papa blong mi we i stap long Heven from ol blesing ia, mi “gat ol promes blong kipim, mo ol kilometa blong wokbaot bifo mi slip, mo plante kilometa blong go bifo slip.”20 Bae yumi save go fored wetem lav insaed long hat blong yumi, mo wokbaot wetem “wan stret mo klin hop”21 we i stap saenem rod blong tabu hop ia we yumi stap long hem 200 yia nao i kam. Mi testifae se fiuja bae i fulap long ol merikel mo bae i gat plante blesing olsem i bin hapen bifo. Yumi gat evri risen blong hop from ol blesing ia, we oli bigwan moa bitim olgeta blesing we yumi bin kasem finis, from se hemia i wok blong God we I Gat Olgeta Paoa, hemia i Jos blong revelesen we i gogohed, mo hemia i gospel blong mekem gud we i no gat stop long hem. Mi witnes long evri trutok ia mo moa bakegen, long nem blong Jisas Kraes, amen.