Merry Christmas everyone.  I love this time of year. I love all of the family get-togethers that my family and my in-laws have throughout the holiday season.  What a wonderful time to be with friends and family.

I also love the story of the Saviors birth.  I love hearing it and reading the passages in Luke 2.  But for this post I would like to focus on the other scripture story of the Saviors Birth found in 3 Nephi.

As you may recall Samuel the Lamanite had prophesied of the Savior's birth five years before Jesus was born.  During that five years those who were against the Church grew stronger as did their persecution of those who believed in the Savior.  Those who were against the Church said that the time for Samuel's prophecy had past and that the Savior would not come.  I will let Nephi tell the story from here (3 Nephi 1: 9 - 21).

9 Now it came to pass that there was a day set apart by the unbelievers, that all those who believed in those traditions should be put to death except the sign should come to pass, which had been given by Samuel the prophet.

 10 Now it came to pass that when Nephi, the son of Nephi, saw this wickedness of his people, his heart was exceedingly sorrowful.

 11 And it came to pass that he went out and bowed himself down upon the earth, and cried mightily to his God in behalf of his people, yea, those who were about to be destroyed because of their faith in the tradition of their fathers.

 12 And it came to pass that he cried mightily unto the Lord all that day; and behold, the voice of the Lord came unto him, saying:

 13 Lift up your head and be of good cheer; for behold, the time is at hand, and on this night shall the sign be given, and on the morrow come I into the world, to show unto the world that I will fulfil all that which I have caused to be spoken by the mouth of my holy prophets.

 14 Behold, I come unto my own, to fulfil all things which I have made known unto the children of men from the foundation of the world, and to do the will, both of the Father and of the Son—of the Father because of me, and of the Son because of my flesh. And behold, the time is at hand, and this night shall the sign be given.

 15 And it came to pass that the words which came unto Nephi were fulfilled, according as they had been spoken; for behold, at the going down of the sun there was no darkness; and the people began to be astonished because there was no darkness when the night came.

 16 And there were many, who had not believed the words of the prophets, who fell to the earth and became as if they were dead, for they knew that the great plan of destruction which they had laid for those who believed in the words of the prophets had been frustrated; for the sign which had been given was already at hand.

 17 And they began to know that the Son of God must shortly appear; yea, in fine, all the people upon the face of the whole earth from the west to the east, both in the land north and in the land south, were so exceedingly astonished that they fell to the earth.

 18 For they knew that the prophets had testified of these things for many years, and that the sign which had been given was already at hand; and they began to fear because of their iniquity and their unbelief.

 19 And it came to pass that there was no darkness in all that night, but it was as light as though it was mid-day. And it came to pass that the sun did rise in the morning again, according to its proper order; and they knew that it was the day that the Lord should be born, because of the sign which had been given.

 20 And it had come to pass, yea, all things, every whit, according to the words of the prophets.

 21 And it came to pass also that a new star did appear, according to the word.

What a wonderful account of faith.  Faith in the Lord, faith in the Lord's servants, and faith in prayer.  Also what a wonderful account of the Lord keeping all of His promises. I hope that those who read this will have the same faith in the Lord when in need.  I hope that my faith is never tested to the extent that Nephi's faith was tested.  But I hope and pray that when my faith is tested, I can pass the test as Nephi did.

I ask that all of you will take the time this holiday season to read and share the account of the Savior's birth found in Luke.  Then right after read and share the other account of the Savior's birth shown above and found in 3 Nephi.

I have a testimony that both accounts are true. I have a testimony that the Savior was born and did teach and minister and perform miracles on this earth.  Then He willingly died for each and every one of us that we may repent and return to live with our Heavenly Father.

Again, merry Christmas. Please keep the Savior in your hearts and minds throughout all you do this holiday season.

In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Stake High Councilor Andy Archibald

The Fountain of Living Waters

I am truly saddened by the loss of a 10-year old boy in our stake and even more pained at the agony that others are feeling at this time over this tragic accident.

Several weeks ago my girls and I shot photos and a video sequence in Smithfield Canyon. The creek was clear and pure, and the air was fresh and filling. I had been pondering for a few weeks on our Savior Jesus Christ and how he is truly the fountain of living waters. In the book of Revelations in the New Testament, John the Revelator is given a great vision and in the vision one of the elders speaks to him and says: 

“For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.” (Revelations 7:17 - https://www.lds.org/scriptures/nt/rev/7.17?lang=eng#16)

This photo resulted from the outing with my daughters and now hangs in my office. To me it represents our Savior Jesus Christ, the Fountain of Living Waters and reminds me daily of Him.

I too have lost very close friends and family. Six of these people all died before their time. Sorrowfully I have shed many tears. I have waded in deep agony through the dregs of grief and sadness for many months at a time. In each case I pleaded daily with my Father in Heaven for mercy and comfort. It was in answer to these diligent prayers that I finally felt the “living fountains of waters” rush over me to bring fresh relief and take away my grief.

I know that our Savior is the Fountain of Living Waters. He will bring cool relief to our hearts and minds heated in anguish and pain if we will diligently and consistently pray to our Father in Heaven for peace.

He will answer.

-Brother Travis Hilton

A Message from Conference and the Mission Field

In years past I have usually listened to the Saturday morning and afternoon sessions of General Conference while I worked on some project in or around my home.  This year I decided I was going watch,  and  pay full attention to, all of the sessions. I was blessed for doing so.  One of the blessings that I received was the opportunity to sustain the First Presidency, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and the other General Authorities.  As everyone knows, three new members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles were called and then sustained Saturday afternoon. I don't personally know all of the three men called, but I do know that they are faithful, worthy men of God. I also know that they were called by the Lord through a Prophet, Seer, and Revelator, President Thomas S. Monson.

In the Sunday morning session Elder Renlund touched my heart and helped me to feel the Spirit very, very strongly when he talked about how we can truly magnify our service to the Lord only when we forget ourselves and focus on what the Lord wants us to do.    Elder Renlund states: "To effectively serve others, we must see them through a parent’s eyes, through Heavenly Father’s eyes. Only then can we comprehend the true worth of a soul. Only then can we sense the love that Heavenly Father has for all of His children. Only then can we sense the Savior’s caring concern for them".

Our missionaries work hard to see people through God's eyes and know of our Heavenly Father's love for each of them.  My son, Elder Archibald is serving in a small town in Mexico.  He relates this example of the blessings that come when you forget yourself and try to see people through our Heavenly Father's eyes.  He says: "We continue to work hard here with little result.  We work hard because I know that there is someone here who needs God.  I have never worked so hard, or thought of so many ways to help people, and every time have everything thrown back in my face.  If I look at my situation, in reality, my life here should be horrible, but somehow I am always super happy.  I know that I am happy because I truly live the gospel of Jesus Christ.  We really have nothing else".

I have a testimony that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is led by our Savior through inspired men and women who love each of us and love God. I also know that God loves all of us more than we can ever imagine.  In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

-Brother Andy Archibald, Smithfield Utah South Stake High Councilor