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Imagine standing in the middle of the desert, located somewhat near Egypt. It is pitch dark, with no cities to be found within hundreds of miles. God has commanded you to go there. He has also commanded you to take the spectacles in your hands and look into the night sky. You do so. Through the spectacles, you see things unspeakable, with the most remarkable thing being a marvellous group of massive stars. God calls the biggest one ''Kolob'', because it is the nearest unto him. Kolob, you learn, governs all things according to it's order, which means it governs all planetary bodies. You also learn about your divine destiny, about space and stars, and God's plan for mankind.
Now imagine standing in a large palace. You are wearing a crown and people are under your command. A large record-that is, 24 records-made of pure gold are presented to you and are asked to translate it. Upon further inspection of the records, you find that they are written in a strange language you have never seen in your life. Nevertheless, having been commanded of God as usual, you put on the spectacles in your hands, and find that the bizarre engravings now are in the language you speak every day. The strange language now revealed provides a story of a people who crossed the ocean and because of great wickedness they destroyed themselves. Because of this, you are grieved. However, you rejoice that the records were able to be translated.
Those spectacles that Abraham and King Mosiah used to behold Kolob and Translate the Jaredite plates are known as the Urim and Thummim.
What exactly does Urim and Thummim mean, Elder Johnson? Does it look like I speak Hebrew?
Answer: Lights and Perfections. Think about this. When Abraham put on the Urim and Thummim, He saw things hidden from man, hence the ''Lights'' that revealed a great mystery of God. As He came to learn of His divine origin and destiny, however, He didn't just receive any ordinary type of knowledge afterwards, but His knowledge of some things had indeed been ''perfected''. For example, Abraham may have felt inadequate about being a father of many nations, but as God the Father said to him, ''Thou wast chosen before thou was born''. It seems to me that Abraham could not have felt any more like a Father ready to receive a nation as His children after that.
Of course, King Mosiah's knowledge about the land marred with bones and rusted swords couldn't have exceeded that of an estimated guess, but the mystery was revealed about this nation's history and even additional and consequential doctrine found in Mosiah and Ether resulted in the perfection of knowledge of the millions of people who have ever read those words fervently and prayerfully when that faithful king put those spectacles on and read those records.
That is God's pattern. He sheds light forth and then He helps us to know what we need to do in order to be perfected. He has given us our personal Urim and Thummim. The Holy Ghost.
A couple weeks ago, My companion and I were tracting, but feeling a little discouraged, we decided to pray for guidance. About this time, it was raining in the distance. But, after I looked around for some ideas, I saw a ray of sunshine from miles away beam through clouds and rest upon a larger house just in walking distance. It was indeed an answer to our prayers.
And to me, all of you are an answer to my prayers. Thank you so much for all that you do for me. I am grateful to be serving here in Madagascar for another 5 months until I say goodbye to Madagascar on July 1st, 2020 as I enter the plane to go home.
I look forward to seeing you all again and I am wishing lots of luck and love! God bless you all,
Elder Johnson
The large white building is the church building where I shook Gary E. Stevenson's hand and where I played the piano streaming live all over Madagascar and 2 other islands.
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