In this month’s New Era, President Henry B. Eyring begins his message by saying, “When I was a young man I wondered why the Lord needed to have the Prophet Joseph Smith translate the Book of Mormon to begin the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ.” The rest of this article, titled “Why the Book of Mormon?” answers this question. President Eyring began finding answers when he started his service as a missionary. He focuses on four main answers: it is a powerful missionary tool, it testifies of Christ, it brings the Spirit, and it teaches and invites. As always, President Eyring offers simple but profound insights.
I believe that many other returned missionaries can tell similar stories of how their understanding of and relationship with the Book of Mormon grew through their missionary service. I know mine did. And, yes, I think that I now understand better why the Lord introduced the Book of Mormon at the beginning of the Restoration. This “marvelous work” is indeed both a strange and a wonderful thing, and it deserves much closer attention than most in the world are willing to give it.
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