Visiting Teaching Message:

Rejoice in the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ

Prayerfully select and read from this message the scriptures and teachings that meet the needs of the sisters you visit. Share your experiences and testimony. Invite those you teach to do the same.

Joseph Smith—History 1:18–19: “I asked the Personages who stood above me in the light, which of all the sects was right. … I was answered that I must join none of them.”

Why Is the Restoration Such a Glorious Event?

President Boyd K. Packer, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles:“Following the Crucifixion of Christ an apostasy occurred. Leaders began to ‘teach for doctrines the commandments of men’ [JS—H 1:19]. They lost the keys of authority and closed themselves off from the channels of revelation. That lost authority could not just be repossessed. It had to be restored by those who held the keys of authority anciently” (“The Standard of Truth Has Been Erected,” Liahona and Ensign, Nov. 2003, 24).

President Gordon B. Hinckley: “After centuries of darkness and pain and struggle, the time was ripe for the restoration of the gospel. … That glorious day dawned in the year 1820, when a boy, earnest and with faith, walked into a grove of trees and lifted his voice in prayer. …

“There came in response a glorious manifestation. God the Eternal Father and the risen Lord Jesus Christ appeared and spoke with him. The curtains which had been closed for much of two millennia were parted to usher in the dispensation of the fulness of times. …

“… Do you recognize our place in the great drama of human history? This is the focal point of all that has gone before. This is the season of restitution. These are the days of restoration” (“At the Summit of the Ages,” Liahona, Jan. 2000, 88–89; Ensign, Nov. 1999, 73–74).

How Can You Rejoice in the Restoration?

Elder Neal A. Maxwell (1926–2004) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles: “We can best express our gratitude for this glorious fulness [of the restored gospel] by developing a more full love for all of humankind. And why not, for the Restoration tells us who our neighbors really are! Let our gratitude likewise be expressed by striving to become, attribute by attribute, more and more as Jesus is” (“From the Beginning,” Ensign, Nov. 1993, 20).

Elder Robert D. Hales of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles: “Follow the example of Joseph Smith and the pattern of the Restoration. Turn to the scriptures. Kneel in prayer. Ask in faith. Listen to the Holy Ghost. Learn that your name and needs are known by our Heavenly Father, just as Joseph’s were. Live the gospel with patience and persistence” (“Receiving a Testimony of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ,” ,” Liahona and Ensign, Nov. 2003, 31).

Bonnie D. Parkin, Relief Society general president: “Few miracles compare with the miracle of the Restoration. In fact, many emanate from the Restoration. I’ve taught discussions with sister missionaries. I’ve heard them tell this simple story of Joseph Smith time and time again. And the Spirit has never failed to bear witness to me of the reality of that event. Knowing for myself truly changes everything!”

Joseph Smith Seeks Wisdom from the Bible, by Dale Kilbourn; photograph by Robert Casey, posed by model