Hello good saints and friends,
What a thought-provoking week. The uplifting and testimony sustaining messages from conference. The celebration of the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The call to place our faith into action by fasting and praying, with the whole world, to find, if not solutions, peace during this pandemic. The week leading to this Easter morning has been eventful. This morning, however, let us all turn our thoughts to the one event that is the purpose for this existence. All things from the beginning of time have pointed toward this event and all things since have looked back on this event. The closure of the gap between our Father in Heaven and his children. This universal event of atonement and resurrection, executed by our Lord and Savior and made possible by the power, majesty and holiness of our Heavenly Father, is our cause for celebration, shouts of hosanna, and humble gratitude today.
I have asked a couple of members share their thoughts and testimonies today. I believe their words will inspire us. First, we’ll hear from Shelley Monson. Following Shelley, Ryan Curtis will share his testimony.
SHELLEY MONSON
Joseph Smith once observed that, “by proving contraries, truth is made manifest”. In the play, Man of La Mancha, the author uses a contrary to manifest a truth. He accentuates reality by taking an insane man as his lead character and follows a pattern of putting things upside down to show right-side-up ness. The paradox is that the character of Don Quixote seems to be the sanest person in the story.
In the opening scene, Miguel Cervantes, and his faithful servant, are cast into a dungeon with all of their belongings. They are political prisoners during the Spanish Inquisition. Other political prisoners in the dungeon, steal all of Cervantes belongings. They find a heavy manuscript in his trunk and try to burn it. Cervantes tells them they can have all of his belongings but begs them not to burn his manuscript. They agree to hold a trial, where Cervantes will have an opportunity to convince them why they should not destroy his papers. In his defense, Cervantes assigns each prisoner a part in a play, and helps them act out a story.
It is the story of Alfonzo Quijana who spent all his days reading books about noble knights and their chivalrous deeds. Alfonzo’s mind eventually leaves reality, and he begins to live in a false world of knight errantry. With his faithful friend and neighbor, Sancho Panza he leaves his home, in search of dragons to slay, maidens to rescue, and wrongs to put right. He becomes Don Quixote, de la Mancha. He is crazy. He sees six armed dragons in windmills and tries to fight them. He comes to a shabby Inn he declares a castle. He takes a barber’s shaving bowl, sets it on his head and calls it the “Golden Helmet of Mambrino”.
At this Inn, Don Quixote and Sancho meet Aldonza, a bar maid who sells her virtue for money. She is dressed in rags. But Don Quixote sees her as Dulcinea a lady of great virtue and beauty. He treats her with reverence and homage, bowing before her. Aldonza has never been treated kindly before in her life. In trying to convince Don Quixote who she really is, she declares she was “born on a dung heap, to die on a dung heap”. To Don Quixote she is still Dulcinea, his dream. Through his continued kind treatment of her, Aldonza become dissatisfied with her ugly life and begins to believe in a better life for herself. She asks Don Quixote, “Why do you do the things you do?” “Why do fight battles that are not your own?” “Where to you see all the good that see?” Then we come to the show-stopper moment of the stage play. Don Quixote steps to the center of the stage, surrounded by the prisoners with the audience before him. All around him is darkened and only Don Quixote is seen in the spotlight. He answers Aldonza’s question with these words.
It is to dream the impossible dream It is to fight the unbeatable foe To bear with unbearable sorrow And to run where the brave dare not go. It is to right the un-right-able wrong To love pure and chaste from afar To try when your arms are too weary To reach the unreachable star. This is my quest, to follow that star No matter how hopeless, No matter how far To fight for the right, without question or pause To be willing to march into hell for a heavenly cause. And I know if I'll only be true to this glorious quest That my heart will lie peaceful and calm when I'm laid to my rest. And the world will be better for this That one man, scorned and covered with scars, Still strove with his last ounce of courage To reach the unreachable star.
The author of the book, Miguel Cervantes, wanted to show that if we could all see the good in people, see their worth and treat them differently the world would be different. The world would be better.
Our Savior, Jesus Christ sees people differently. He loves the scorner, and the scorned. He loves the weak and the strong. He loves those who do not know him, and he loves those who do. He loves those who died without a chance to know him. He provided a way for them to be saved.
Because of him our dream is not impossible, and our quest is not hopeless. Why?
Because one night, on a lonely hill, in a Garden called Gethsemane, one perfect man, soon to be scorned and covered with scars, paid the price for our sins. In an act of upside-down-ness, the only perfect man suffered for our sins so we would have our chance at right-side-up-ness.
In the preexistence, when we chose to follow Jesus Christ. We put all our faith in the seemingly impossible. We trusted Him. We trusted that he would complete his mission, so we would have our chance to become like Him and our Father in Heaven.
Sometimes I wonder what it might have been like for me that night as I waited through his suffering. Did I pray for him? As a spirit never experiencing the pain of a physical body did I fully understand the agony that would cause him to bleed from every pore? Did I understand the mental and emotional pain of guilt, of sorrow, or anguish of the soul? I do not know the answers. Isaiah prophesied:
“But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”
For every wound he received, for every lash of the whip, for every piercing of the nail and sword, I am healed? Yes! He came to do the impossible. And he did it! So this week as I have studied the atonement, and the crucifixion, instead of thinking he died for me, I want to remember and ponder what he lived through for me. For me it is personal. He made “his soul an offering for sin”, for me and for you. He lived through it all. Then He died nailed to a cross and they pierced his side. On the 3rd day He lived again. I know He lives. One man, my Savior, scorned and covered with scars strove with unbelievable courage, so I could reach what otherwise would have been an unreachable star. I love Him.
RYAN CURTIS:
Dear Brothers and Sisters. I want to share my testimony of this being the true Church of Jesus Christ. I was born and raised in the church. I went inactive in my late teens. Making many mistakes in my life, I didn’t believe that I would ever be involved in the church again.
A few years ago, I was going through some very difficult times. Being the loving Heavenly Messenger that my Mother is, she convinced me to seek out my Bishop. I did not want to, but she finally won. I met with him and left thinking, “this isn’t going to work.”
A week or so later, Sister Shepherd came to my house to check on Carrera and me. As she was leaving and about to walk out of my house, I fought with all the energy I had to not ask the question, “what time does church start on Sunday?” Reluctantly, I did. The “Good Shepard” literally came to my house and saved me.
I attended Sacrament Meeting two weeks later thinking that would be a good start. I found out that week that there were members of this ward who are aware of some past mistakes I made. I immediately thought “there goes this idea” leaving church thinking I’d certainly never come back. For some reason, I came back the following week.
This was just part of the humility Spencer W Kimball speaks of in “The Miracle of Forgiveness”. I soon came to realize these families and ward members were accepting of me. Amazed at that, and meeting with the bishop regularly, I kept coming week after week, wanting to learn more. He set goals for me I thought I’d never accomplish. I never thought I’d receive my Patriarchal Blessing. Never thought I’d receive the Priesthood. I never believed I’d ever set foot inside of a Temple. I testify that bishop Knight is a man of God. A couple years ago my father told me, “you must have an amazing bishop. For him to accomplish what he has with you in a year compared to the 20 years your mother and I have been trying and praying to happen as well, is pretty remarkable.”
I know I was sent to this ward for a reason. The reason was to bring me back to the Gospel of Christ. I know this church is true. I know because everything has told me to not go down this path. But I did and have. And now as I continue to do so every week, I am glad I choose to. I know this is the restored Gospel of Christ brought forth by Joseph Smith. I know Russell M Nelson is our living Prophet of God. It’s very obvious he is here leading us through revelation from God. I love our Savior. I love this Church. I love this ward. I want to thank James (Lisonbee), Norm, Richard, Cory, Spencer, Bruce, Joe (Porter), Patriarch Hamblen, Sister Nye, and the Good Shepard…Myrna for being good loving friends and instrumental in keeping me coming back every week.
Carrera loves you all, and that’s good enough for me to love you back. For showing your love to Carrera and my son Kaleb. Ariana, thank you for helping Kaleb with his student teaching. My kids are the most important part of my life. I love them both with all my heart. I am thankful for 2 loving parents that I have. They recently returned home from serving a Mission. I am very thankful for the love this ward stepped up and provided for myself and Carrera during that time. And finally, thank you Bishop Knight for accomplishing what many believed, including myself, would be impossible. You did it. I love you all. You’ve all been integral in this miracle. I close my testimony with love, In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Thank you, Shelley and Ryan. Your words are inspiring. We are all in this together. This is our quest. Many will say we are, indeed, “tilting at windmills” but, we know that this is a quest that has been finished. It has been completed. The Savior of the world completed this quest. Not for glory, He gave that to the Father. Not for gain, He asks us only to follow Him. The quest was completed out of the most simple and basic need of every human, love. Godly, unqualified, unmeasurable, irrespective of person, place or circumstance, love.
From Ryan’s remarks, I am reminded of a scene from the movie, “Field of Dreams”. At the end of the movie after the lead character, Ray, has heard voices urging him to do crazy things to bring Shoeless Joe Jackson and other baseball legends back from beyond to play ball. One of those that comes back is Ray’s father. Shoeless Joe urges Ray to talk to his father. At which point, Ray says, believing that Shoeless Joe was the voice urging him to do those crazy things, “It was you.” To which Shoeless Joe replies, “No, Ray. It was you.”
We are all instruments in each other’s lives. Those instruments are, at times, not particularly useful until we allow and welcome the change ourselves. We decide when and how we will follow the Lord. How and when we apply the great atoning power in our lives. When we decide to move forward, to put past stumbling blocks away, to seek a new and better path, immediately the spirit confirms to us, sometimes through those around us, that this is the path. There are many among us who are struggling through truly harrowing, life or death health, emotional or financial problems. I pray at this time of great turmoil that we will continue to love and support one another with messages of peace, prayers and emulation of the single greatest act of service ever known. For that is the way, the truth and the light.
Happy Easter.
Riverdale 7th Ward 
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