Kansas City Missouri LDS Temple

One of the great lessons I have learned about prayer is the power that comes in praying out loud. For me, there is something about saying the words. It is one o...f the most meaningful ways that I have found to really reach through to heaven and hear the Lord’s voice. We need to carve out timegood time, high priority timewhen we can kneel, if possible, and be vocal. Say the words. I believe that this process is basic to how God communicates with us and how He intends for us to communicate with Him. #HearHim

Clearly, when we baptize, our eyes should gaze beyond the baptismal font to the holy temple. The great garner into which the sheaves should be gathered is the holy temple - Elder Neal A Maxwell . . . Photo courtesy of Valerie Popper Anderson, Giving River Images

It was an honor to be with family today at the groundbreaking of the Red Cliffs Utah Temple in St. George. Surely you can imagine some of the emotions Pat and I... feel as we get older and more nostalgic, with fewer and fewer trips to this land of our childhood. We have circled the globe more than once and have loved every place we have visited and all the people we have met, but there is nothing like coming home. As we find ourselves in the midst of this wonderful season of constructing and dedicating temples, I am reminded of these words from George A. Smith: We may build temples, erect stately domes, magnificent spires [and] grand towers, in honor of our religion, but if we fail to live the principles of that religion , and to acknowledge God in all our thoughts, we shall fall short of the blessings which its practical exercise would ensure (Deseret News Weekly, July 17, 1872, 348). We must be humble and conscientious. The honor and the glory of all that is good goes to God, and there is much still ahead of us that will be refining, even difficult, as He leads us from strength to strength.

Happy belated 100th birthday to my dear friend Gail Halvorsen! Many of you know Gail as the Candy Bomber. I recorded this video to wish him a happy birthday. ...Our birthdays are 20 years apart, and our birthplaces are about 5,300 miles (8,600 kilometers) apart. Nevertheless, I have been impacted by his Christlike service and impressed by his stature since I was 8 years old! When he flew the air bridge between West Germany and Berlin, he and his fellow soldiers gave the German people in the east and the west not only hope and confidence that freedom was not a lost cause, that the good and kind in humanity would prevail, but also that each life was important and was worthy of being rescued. These important truths have stayed with me all my life. Hal is a good man and I am deeply grateful and honored that I may call him my friend. Happy birthday, Hal!

Here’s a beautiful photo of the temple this morning! - Leisel Nye Malan

"Citizens of the United States have the privilege and duty of electing office holders and influencing public policy. Participation in the political process affects their communities and nation today and in the future. We urge Latter-day Saints to be active citizens by registering, exercising their right to vote, and engaging in civic affairs. We also urge you to spend the time needed to become informed about the issues and candidates you will be considering. Along with the op...tions available to you through the Internet, debates, and other sources, the Church occasionally posts information about particular moral issues on which it has taken a position at www.Newsroom.ChurchofJesusChrist.org. Principles compatible with the gospel may be found in various political parties, and members should seek candidates who best embody those principles. While the Church affirms its institutional neutrality regarding political parties and candidates, individual members should participate in the political process. Please strive to live the gospel in your own life by demonstrating Christlike love and civility in political discourse. Sincerely yours, Russell M. Nelson Dallin H. Oaks Henry B. Eyring"

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a majority of my meetings are now held in a virtual format. I am grateful for the technology that allows us to do that, but I also... miss the daily interaction and in-person meetings with other members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. There is nothing so enriching as associating with one another face to face and heart to heart. Because so many of our meetings are remote, I was delighted to actually be with President M. Russell Ballard at a virtual missionary devotional we recently held together. I love this man dearly. I have served with him as an Apostle and special witness of Jesus Christ for more than 25 years. He, in turn, has served for 35 years. There is a special kinship and brotherhood that comes with the sacred nature of our calling, and I am immensely grateful to President Ballard for his friendship, love, and kindness to me. Brothers and sisters, do not take for granted the personal friendships and associations you enjoy in your life. The time will come when you won’t have immediate association with each other. God expects us to lean on each other and love one another.

"Temples, no matter where they are, rise above the ways of the world. Every Latter-day Saint temple in the worldall 168 of themstand as testaments to our faith in eternal life and the joy of spending it with our families and our Heavenly Father. Attending the temple increases our understanding of the Godhead and the everlasting gospel, our commitment to live and teach truth, and our willingness to follow the example of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ." - Ronald A Rasband . . . Photo courtesy of Valerie Popper Anderson, Giving River Images

For years my eye doctor invited me to have a lens replacement surgery done to increase the quality of my vision. As a military and professional pilot, I had exc...ellent vision throughout my life. To have surgery performed on my eyes scared me quite a bit. Talking with friends who went through the same experience helped me a lot to gain courage and confidence. It was the right step to take and would influence my vision for the rest of my life. Since we are living in the year 2020, what time would be better to regain 20/20 vision? The doctor did one eye first and asked me to compare the vision with the uncorrected eye. When I did, I realized that through my uncorrected eye everything appeared darker, as through a brown filter. Through the restored eye, I could see more clearly, brightly, and in its true color. With the help of the doctor, something was taken off my eyes that had slowly developed over many years and had limited my vision without me really noticing it. I am still amazed and grateful as I now enjoy my regained ability to see things as they really are. Thanks to all who helped me to take that important step. I believe that such a step also occurs when we first learn about the gospel of Jesus Christ, or when we decide to recalibrate our life the Lord’s way. The path of repentance and forgiveness may at times seem a bit scary and hard to do. The Savior is the Master Healer. His divine sacrifice and love for us are the path to regain the clear and true vision of things as they really are. By the power and gift of the Holy Ghost, obstructions are taken away, and we will see with clarity how to decide and move forward in our lives. It is only after our vision is cleared that we realize what we had missed before. Let us pray for each other, help each other, and walk the Lord’s path together. I send my love and invite each of us to let Him open our eyes so we may see things as they really are. #HearHim

The Old Testament prophet Isaiah warned of tactics that would be used in these latter days to confuse Heavenly Father’s children. We are cautioned, Woe unto th...em that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! (Isaiah 5:20). An equally worrisome couplet for our time would be, Woe unto them that make complex that which is simple. The things of Christ are straightforward, requiring small and simple actions on our part. When we make complex that which is simple, we probably suffer from hyperopia (far-sightedness) in that important things that are close to us become blurred. I suspect this is an equally worrisome disease as myopia (near-sightedness; see Russell M. Nelson, Let God Prevail, Oct. 2020 general conference), when the big picture is blurred. With "hyperopia" we sometimes fail to appreciate that which is closest to us. Whether we are suffering from myopia or hyperopia, wise medical professionals can prescribe corrective lenses that help us to see clearly. The simplicity of the doctrine of Christ can serve as the corrective lenses to our spiritual myopia or hyperopia. As we exercise and strengthen our faith, recognize simple changes we need to make in our lives, partake of the sacrament, and listen carefully to the direction of the Holy Ghost, our vision can be just right. It’s simple, not complex.

Talk about the temple with your family and friends because Jesus Christ is at the center of everything we do at the temple. - President Russell M Nelson . . .... Photo courtesy of Valerie Popper Anderson See more

As a fighter pilot and airline captain, I learned that while I could not choose the adversity I would encounter during a flight, I could choose how I prepared a...nd how I reacted. What is needed during times of crisis is calm and clear-headed trust. How do we do this? We face the facts and return to the fundamentals, to the basic gospel principles, to what matters most. You strengthen your private religious behaviorlike prayer and scripture study and keeping God’s commandments. You make the decisions based on best proven practices. Focus on the things you can do and not on the things you cannot do. You muster your faith. And you listen for the guiding word of the Lord and His prophet to lead you to safety.

"For both parents and children, the temple is the best opportunity to gain a feeling for and a love of heavenly places. That is especially true when the children are young. Children are born with the Light of Christ. Even a baby can feel that a temple is sacred. Because parents love their little children, the temple represents for them the hope that they can have their children to love in their eternal familyforever." - Henry B Eyring . . . Photo courtesy of Scott Holman... . . . https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org//gen/2019/04/16eyring See more