The Spirit:
Messenger of Grace

“I love the spirit of adventure in life,” said Elder Robert E. Wells in general conference. When I heard the talk I had just recently graduated from Brigham Young University and was a young father. I was captivated as Elder Wells spoke of jaguars, alligators, and waterskiing on rivers full of man-eating piranha fish. Elder Wells told of flying his own airplane across continents and going on expeditions into danger-filled Amazon jungles. The movie Raiders of the Lost Ark had come out a few years earlier, and it seemed to me that Elder Wells was an LDS Indiana Jones! “I love the spirit of adventure,” he declared. “But I love more the adventures of the Spirit.”1

I also love the adventures of the Spirit. I’ve never piloted an airplane or run into jaguars in the Amazon, but I have had soul-stirring adventures with the Spirit that have changed me. In Ether 12:41 we read that grace can come from “God the Father, and also the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost” (emphasis added). Elder Neal A. Maxwell taught that “applying the Atonement” is accepting the “nurturing gifts of the Holy Ghost.”2 One of the times I was especially grateful for those nurturing gifts happened in Rome, Italy. It was a moment when I saw how personally God is involved in our lives and recognized how His Spirit acts as the messenger of grace.

God’s Hand

My wife and I were scheduled to direct a tour group tracing the footsteps of the Apostle Paul throughout the Mediterranean. Several weeks before we left, my friend Ugo A. Perego, who works for Seminaries and Institutes in Italy, contacted me and asked if I would speak at a fireside when our group was scheduled to be in Rome. “We will translate your talk,” he explained, “and broadcast it to youth and young single adults at various chapels throughout the country.”

I agreed, and Brother Perego requested that I write down what I planned to say and send a copy in advance so the translator could prepare for the broadcast. I complied and looked forward to a great evening in Rome.

When the night finally came, Brother Perego picked me up at my hotel and drove me to the chapel. I greeted the young people and leaders who were gathering and met the sister who would be translating. She showed me well-marked and highlighted copies of my talk in English and Italian. I thanked her for her extra effort and took my place on the stand. The minute I sat down, the Spirit prompted me to change my talk. It is common for me to receive little promptings to alter what I have prepared based on the needs of those listening, but not to change my entire talk—especially at the last minute. I tried to ignore the prompting, but it was clear.

Somewhere in the middle of the opening hymn, I finally had the courage to lean toward Brother Perego and say, “I need to change my talk.”

He tried to camouflage his surprise and whispered, “But the topic has been announced for weeks.”

I cringed inside as I said, “I know, but I need to change my talk.”

Brother Perego said, “But it has already been translated, and we are broadcasting live.”

I said, “I know, but I need to change my talk. Is the translator good enough to wing it?”

I don’t know what kind of bodily harm Brother Perego was planning to inflict on me after the meeting, but he calmly went to the side of the room and talked to the translator, who almost fainted. I thought, Why are you doing this, Brad? What’s the big deal? One talk or another, it’s all the same gospel message. Why are you causing such a problem for everyone? Yet, even as I questioned myself, I knew the answer. Some spiritual impressions are strong and consistent.

After I was introduced, I stood at the podium and said, “Tonight I would like to talk about why we believe in Christ.” The translator did a masterful job keeping up with me, and we forged ahead. I spoke of how Latter-day Saints do not simply believe in Christ because of Christian heritage, the Bible, or history alone. We believe because of Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon, living prophets and apostles, and because of the Spirit’s assurance that we are not wrong.

After the fireside I enjoyed visiting with the young people and met several investigators who were in attendance. Then I noticed four young elders standing toward the back of the chapel and stepped closer to say hello. Before I could even ask where they were from, one elder blurted, “Why did you change your talk tonight?”

I thought, Great! They were expecting the announced topic and now they are disappointed. I said, “Sorry if I messed you up, but I just felt prompted to change it. Maybe it was for the sake of the investigators who attended.”

The elder replied, “It wasn’t for the investigators. You changed your talk because we have been fasting all day that you would.”

The elder then pointed to one of the other missionaries, who said, “Earlier this week I took a train to the mission office and told the mission president I wanted to go home. He asked his assistants to bring me here tonight hoping you would answer my question.”

“And what was your question?” I asked.

He responded quietly, “I wondered why we even believe in Christ.” I embraced him, and he started to cry. The other missionaries and I began to cry too. He continued, “I wondered why I am out here. I know it’s for Christ, but then I started wondering why we even believe in Christ. I mean, can anyone prove He’s real? I just didn’t see the point in continuing with this charade when I don’t even know if God is there or if He loves me.”

I looked into the tear-filled eyes of this struggling elder and said, “Whenever you wonder if God is there and if He loves you, remember this moment. Remember God dragged me halfway around the world to hug you and that He prompted me to change my talk at the last minute for you. Now, go call your mission president and tell him you are staying!”

He and his companions did just that. His doubts and questions were many, but we worked through them as best we could via e-mails. That young man finished his mission strong.

In one of his final e-mails, he wrote, “I don’t even want to think about what would have happened had I gone home when I wanted to. That night in Rome was evidence to me of God’s existence and of His grace.”

I wrote back, “I am glad you recognize that only God could have orchestrated that moment.”

We both knew we had been involved in what Elder Robert E. Wells would have called an adventure of the Spirit, and we were both better for it. When most people think of Rome they think of the Colosseum or the Vatican. I think of an LDS chapel, a patient Brother Perego, a panicked translator, and four elders standing in the back fasting for a miracle. For many tourists, Rome means the Trevi Fountain. For me, Rome means a different fountain: “And my Spirit’s grace shall be like a fountain unto thee” (Hymns, no. 185).

Recognizing the Holy Ghost

The Holy Ghost is the third member of the Godhead and a personage of Spirit. He fills multiple roles for us. He is a witness of God and Christ and reveals truth. He is a comforter, guide, and sanctifier, to name only a few. We don’t experience His roles in sequence. Our needs dictate when one role may be more prominent than the others. In all these roles the Spirit acts as the messenger of grace as He provides divine assistance and power.

In 2 Corinthians 9:14–15 Paul wrote of “the exceeding grace of God in you” and then wrote, “Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.” New Testament commentaries link the two verses together, saying that God’s grace is too wonderful for words. However, the only other time the phrase unspeakable gift is mentioned in the standard works is in Doctrine and Covenants 121:26, where we read of “the unspeakable gift of the Holy Ghost.” The two references demonstrate a clear connection between the Holy Ghost and grace. Elder D. Todd Christofferson taught that the “‘power of godliness’ comes in the person and by the influence of the Holy Ghost. . . . It is the messenger of grace by which the blood of Christ is applied.”3

God loves all His children, and the influence of the Spirit can be felt by everyone, but it can pass into and out of people’s lives like air passes into and out of a balloon. When we receive the gift of the Holy Ghost after baptism, it is like a knot at the end of the balloon. It allows us to have the Spirit with us always as we strive to keep the commandments.

Despite receiving this important gift, some young Latter-day Saints tell me, “I’ve never felt the Spirit.” These young ­people have grown up in the Church and become so accustomed to having the Spirit with them, they take it for granted. They are like fish swimming around saying, “Water? What water? I don’t see any water.” Fish don’t notice the water until they are out of it. Then they realize they were surrounded all along. Sadly, many young Latter-day Saints don’t realize they were surrounded with the Spirit until, because of their poor choices, they distance themselves from Him. Then the difference ­becomes obvious.

One young woman said, “But, Brother Wilcox, everyone talks about feeling the Spirit in dramatic ways, and that has never happened in my life.”

I responded, “We sing, ‘The Spirit of God like a fire is burning’ (Hymns, no. 2), and I have felt that fire, but not all the time. Sometimes the Spirit is more like a furnace.”

If I came home and found my house on fire, I would notice. But when I come home on a cold day and enter my house, I don’t usually say, “Oh, good, the furnace is working.” I just go about my life feeling comfortable and happy. If I notice the furnace at all, it is when it is not working. Then I take steps quickly to correct the problem. It’s the same with the Spirit. I said to the young woman, “Instead of looking back and feeling shortchanged because you have not felt the Spirit more powerfully, think back on the darkness, loneliness, and discouragement you have felt when the Spirit hasn’t been with you, and be grateful those occasions are not the norm.”

Witness

The Holy Ghost “witnesses of the Father and the Son” (2 Nephi 31:18) and reveals the “truth of all things” (Moroni 10:5). Through the Spirit we can receive a testimony that carries more certainty than knowledge received through our physical senses.

While our family served in Chile we met a wonderful sister, Maria Angelica, who was completely blind. She lived with her grown children, but she was the only one interested in learning about the Church. As soon as Maria Angelica began meeting with the missionaries, they asked my wife and me to pick her up for church meetings since she lived in our ward boundaries and had no other way of attending. Each Sunday when I helped her into our van, I would describe whatever tie I happened to be wearing and tell her how handsome I looked, since she was the only person I knew who couldn’t contradict me.

During the week, members volunteered to join the elders at Maria Angelica’s apartment and read to her from the Book of Mormon. We also arranged to get her the Book of Mormon on CD so she could listen on her own. When the missionaries asked how she felt about the book, she held it close to her heart and said, “Elders, I do not need to see it to know it’s true.”

After the Santiago Chile Temple was remodeled and before it was rededicated, there was an open house during which guests were escorted through in small groups. We made special arrangements for Maria Angelica to have her own tour so she could experience the temple in her way. My wife and I joined the missionaries and helped this sweet investigator from room to room, where she had been given permission to touch everything. She felt the sculpted carpet, the legs of the tables and chairs, and the handcrafted door handles. She was thrilled to discover what I had not even noticed: the national flower of Chile, the copihue, was carved into all the door handles and on the woodwork of the chairs in the sealing rooms. She cried as she brushed her hands across the tops of altars where families could be united forever. As we watched her, we were moved deeply by how clearly she “saw” the temple.

Shortly after that tour, Maria Angelica committed to baptism. Later, as her children recognized the positive changes in their ­mother’s life, they were also baptized. When our mission ended and it was time for us to leave Chile, Maria Angelica said to me, “President Wilcox, I know two things for sure. First, you are not as handsome as you think you are, and second, I know God and Jesus live and direct this Church.” She did not need to see to know. The Spirit testified truth to her spirit.

President Joseph Fielding Smith taught, “When a man has the manifestation from the Holy Ghost, it leaves an indelible impression on his soul, one that is not easily erased. It is Spirit speaking to spirit, and it comes with convincing force. A manifestation of an angel or even the Son of God himself, would impress the eye and mind, and eventually become dimmed, but the impressions of the Holy Ghost sink deeper into the soul and are more difficult to erase.”4

Surely a visitation by an angel would be accompanied by the Spirit, but even Alma, who saw an angel, said, “I testify unto you that I do know that these things whereof I have spoken are true. And how do ye suppose that I know of their surety? Behold, I say unto you they are made known unto me by the Holy Spirit of God” (Alma 5:45–46). The Spirit testifying to our spirits is a manifestation of grace. It is an infusion of divine help that enables us to draw closer to God and become more like Him.

Comforter

In addition to acting as a witness, the Holy Ghost is also a comforter. When children cry, they can usually be soothed by their parents’ loving voices. In the same way, our spirits recognize the comforting voice of the Holy Ghost as it calms our fears and fills us “with hope and perfect love” (Moroni 8:26).

When my daughter was little, she would sing “I Am a Child of God” (Hymns, no. 301), but instead of singing, “Lead me, guide me, walk beside me,” she would sing, “Lead me, guide me, rock-a-bye me.” Truly the Spirit allows us to feel “rock-a-byed” in times of distress.

I will always be grateful for the comfort I felt when my father, Ray T. Wilcox, passed away. He had a debilitating stroke that left him unable to speak or move. Once it was determined that nothing more could be done for him at the hospital, we brought him home and family members took turns caring for him. Before long, he slipped into a state of unconsciousness. The night he passed away, my son Russell and I were on duty. I took the first shift while Russell slept on the couch in the family room. I noticed Dad’s breathing became labored and sporadic, and I knew the end was near. I sat on the edge of his bed and took his hand in mine. I hoped he knew he was not alone. When he finally took his last breath, all I could do was pray and thank God for my wonderful father.

When I was a child the whole idea of death frightened me. The thought of ever being with a dead body was terrifying. I guess I had seen too many scary movies or heard too many ghost stories. Yet, as I sat there with my father in the moments after his passing, I felt nothing but peace. The Spirit comforted me. My parents’ bedroom window framed a view of the Provo Utah Temple across the valley from where they lived. As I looked at the temple lights that night, I was overwhelmed with gratitude for the Savior, the gospel, the temple, and the Spirit.

I then woke Russell and we called my brothers and their wives. We decided not to wake Mom until everyone had gathered. Once we were all there, we circled Mom’s bed, woke her, and told her Dad had passed away. She also felt the comfort of the Spirit as she nodded her head gently and said, “All is well! All is well!” (Hymns, no. 30).

Jesus told His disciples that when He could no longer be with them, He would send “the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost.” He promised, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:26–27). My family felt that peace when Dad passed. The comfort of the Spirit is a manifestation of grace, and it is one more way God can shape and change us.

Guide

Just as the Spirit can testify to us and comfort us, He can also guide us as we make important decisions. Corrina Carter, a young lady from St. George, Utah, told me about her uncle, Fernando Gonzales, who was in a rehabilitation center to overcome addictions. He was being taught he had to acknowledge a higher power in his life. The counselors took him out to a large corral, blindfolded him, and instructed him to find the horse. He had heard other participants talk of this exercise and thought he had figured out a way to beat the system. He brought an apple in his pocket, which he pulled out the minute he was blindfolded. He thought the horse would come to him to get the apple and was feeling pretty smug about his brilliant plan—until he had wandered around the corral for what seemed like forever holding out an apple. The horse never came. He thought he was so smart, but all he had done was provide a good laugh to the staff members who were watching. He felt completely helpless. How was he supposed to find the horse, let alone harness it as he had been instructed to do? It seemed impossible. Fernando felt totally stupid, lost, and forsaken.

Then he felt someone touching his shoulder. It was another participant, who had been sent to help but was not allowed to speak. Fernando figured out that the other participant’s taps were guiding him, and he finally found the horse and harnessed it. Only then was he allowed to take off his blindfold. His leaders gathered around him and told him this lesson was to teach him to stop thinking he could control everything and to depend instead on a higher power.

Fernando asked, “Okay, but if God is up in heaven, how does He touch my shoulder?”

Then someone remarked, “Come on, dude, this is Utah. Didn’t you grow up in the Mormon Church? The one tapping you on the shoulder is like the Holy Ghost!” Suddenly all the Primary lessons from Fernando’s childhood came flooding back, and everything made sense. He had once walked with God, but mortality was a time away from Him. The veil was his blindfold, but God could still lead him through the Spirit. Fernando said, “It was quite a spiritual moment for me.” We read in Proverbs 3:5–6, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

For Corrina’s uncle, the Holy Ghost was like someone tapping on his shoulder. To me, the Spirit’s direction is like following a spiritual traffic light. When I speak to the youth, I teach them that after they make a decision they may feel a “stupor of thought” (D&C 9:9) restraining them. “That is like a red light,” I say. Then I explain that sometimes after they make a decision they may feel a warm feeling—a confirming assurance of the Spirit that they are doing the right thing (see D&C 9:8). I tell them, “That is a green light.”

Just like when we are driving, we get into a mess if we go forward on a red light or stop on a green. Of course, traffic signals change frequently, and sometimes the Spirit will change His directions as well. Most of us know what to do when we see a green or red light. We can even deal with a change in direction as long as the message is clear. The problem is the yellow lights. What do we do when we study things out in our minds, make a decision, take it to God as scriptures instruct, and get no response? That is a yellow light. When we are feeling neither a burning nor a stupor, we must proceed—with caution, of course—but proceed all the same.

Elder Richard G. Scott taught, “When we explain a problem and a proposed solution [to Heavenly Father], sometimes He answers yes, sometimes no. Often He withholds an answer, not for lack of concern, but because He loves us—perfectly. He wants us to apply truths He has given us. For us to grow, we need to trust our ability to make correct decisions.”5

Some people become discouraged when they receive yellow lights. They assume it is evidence that God doesn’t care or that He is too busy for them. I try to take the opposite point of view and see yellow lights as evidence that God trusts me. He knows I have made correct decisions in the past, and He trusts me to do it again. To me it seems like a vote of confidence that He doesn’t feel He needs to direct my every move. We were sent to earth to obtain experience and develop faith. That purpose would be frustrated if the Spirit gave direction immediately for every decision. Elder Dallin H. Oaks taught, “We should study things out in our minds using the reasoning powers our Creator has placed within us. Then we should pray for guidance and act upon it if we receive it; if we do not receive guidance, we should act upon our best judgment.”6

When I receive a yellow light, I proceed with faith and trust that if I really am about to mess up, God will stop me. I take comfort in the words Elder John H. Groberg once spoke to students at BYU: “Because [the Lord] knows we need growth, he generally does not point and say [the clear direction]. But if [a decision] is wrong, he will let us know—we will feel it for sure. I am positive of that. So rather than saying, ‘I will not move until I have this burning in my heart,’ let us turn it around and say, ‘I will move unless I feel it is wrong.’”7 The Spirit’s guidance and direction is a manifestation of grace—an expression of divine help. It is one more way God draws us to Him and teaches us to be more like Him.

Sanctifier

Grace is evident in the Spirit’s roles as witness, comforter, and guide, but perhaps it is in His role as sanctifier that we see grace most clearly. Through the Spirit we can be sanctified as we repent, receive ordinances, and remain true to our covenants (see Mosiah 5:1–6; 3 Nephi 27:20). “A redeemed man is a man who has partaken of the powers of Christ through the Atonement, repented of his sins, and been renewed through the Sanctifier, who is the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost is the midwife of salvation. He is the agent of the new birth, the sacred channel and power by which men and women are changed and renewed.”8

Two young missionaries met a professor who had received his credentials from Heidelberg University in Germany. They attempted to teach him, but his mind was far from open to their message. He wondered, What could these two young kids who have not even graduated from college ever teach me? The professor’s wife seemed interested, but when the elders tried to set a return appointment, the man refused.

Not long after, the professor discovered he had to have a major surgery. While he was recuperating in the hospital, his yard and garden suffered. The two missionaries took it upon themselves to mow the lawn, trim the hedges, and weed the flowers.

When the wife told her husband what the missionaries had done, the professor sent for the elders to come to the hospital. He actually fought back his emotions as he said, “Never in my entire adult life has anyone ever gone out of his way to do anything like that for me.” The act of service softened his heart, and he invited the missionaries to share their message. This time he set aside his pride and skepticism and listened to the lessons with new ears. Each time he and his wife met with the missionaries, he was visibly changed.

When the missionaries first asked him to pray, he refused. He said, “I prayed as a child, but I have long since given that practice up.” Now he was more meek and humble. He agreed to pray, and not long after, he received a testimony and was baptized along with his wife.

Had the hospital stay changed the man’s demeanor? Had the missionaries’ service made him feel guilty for rejecting them? Did the man decide to listen in an attempt to please his wife? People may come up with many explanations for the man’s change of heart, but in reality it was the Spirit that had touched him and begun to sanctify him.9

To share a more personal example, I first met Hal Jones shortly after he and his wife, Barbara, had joined the Church. He owned a successful road construction company in California and was a tough, hard-nosed businessman. He and Barbara first came in contact with the Church when they visited Temple Square. They had a layover in Salt Lake City, and Hal suggested they go see the Mormon Temple. Barbara, a faithful Catholic, refused. Hal said, “Think of it as a historical monument,” and off they went.

During the visit, Barbara had a very spiritual experience. When the sister missionaries passed the couple a card and asked if they wanted to be visited at their home, Hal said, “Be sure to mark no.” Barbara marked yes, and the rest is history. Hal and Barbara and their two children were baptized. Of course, Hal said he was only doing it for his kids. He looked at the Church like he did the Boy Scouts—a good organization for the youth. He paid tithing and quit drinking but considered these sacrifices the dues he paid to be part of a great club. It was obvious he was still pretty rough around the edges when he was asked to share his testimony shortly after his baptism and announced in a loud voice, “The Mormon Church is the best @#*$ thing to ever happen to America!”

Over the years I watched his crusty personality soften. I saw his motives change. He may have started out in the Church for his children, but soon he realized it was making a difference in his own life, too. He began to express love more consistently to his wife, and they enjoyed a closer marriage. I watched him become more refined, generous, and tender. He was often touched to the point of tears when he heard missionaries report their missions or young people share their experiences at Especially for Youth or youth conference. This important businessman—whose spare time had previously been spent playing handball or golf—now made time to go home teaching and read the Ensign each month. He loved attending general conference. Slowly but surely the layers of the old Hal began to fall away, revealing a new Hal in his place.

Hal valued education. When I was teaching elementary school, he encouraged me to get my master’s degree, which I did. Next he prodded me to earn my doctorate. I remember sitting at a restaurant with a group of friends when Hal asked if I had applied to any doctoral programs. I just smiled and said, “Hey, I just finished my master’s degree. I need a break.”

Later that evening Hal pulled me aside privately and pushed me again to apply. I explained, “Hal, I have to be honest with you. Debi and I have four kids, and we are living on my teaching salary and the paycheck my wife brings home from working a few days a week as a nurse. I don’t have the money for a doctorate.”

I will never forget how selflessly he replied, “Money? Is that all that is holding you back? For goodness’ sake, Brad, I have money! I will help you pay for school.” And, true to his word, he did.

When Hal passed away, Debi and I attended his viewing and funeral. I stood before Hal’s body, which was dressed in his white temple clothes, and marveled at how he had been sanctified through the years. I saw firsthand how the Spirit had changed this hard-shelled, tough-talking road builder into a godly man. The change didn’t happen overnight, but it happened. In the New Testament, Paul wrote, “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). As surely as a caterpillar turns into a butterfly, I saw Hal Jones become a new creature in Christ.

We all stand in awe of Captain Moroni. The Book of Mormon says, “If all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever” (Alma 48:17). But Moroni did not start out that way. He also had to be sanctified by the Holy Ghost. My friend Joe Cochran, who speaks often to the youth, pointed out to me that in the next verse we are told that Captain Moroni “was a man like unto Ammon, the son of Mosiah, yea, and even the other sons of Mosiah, yea, and also Alma and his sons, for they were all men of God” (Alma 48:18).

Men of God? Remember that at one point Alma and the sons of Mosiah were “numbered among the unbelievers” and went “about secretly . . . seeking to destroy the church, and to lead astray the people of the Lord” (Mosiah 27:8, 10). Yet later we read they were men of God like Captain Moroni. One of the sons of Alma was Corianton, who went home early from his mission due to his immorality (see Alma 39). Yet several chapters later we read that he was a man of God (see Alma 48:18; 43:1; 49:30). That is the miracle of grace! Through the sanctifying power of the Holy Ghost, those who appear to be bound for hell can become the very people who cause the powers of hell to shake. The sanctification of the Spirit is a manifestation of grace that enables us to change and become more like God. As it happened for Alma and the sons of Mosiah, it happened for the professor who joined the Church and happened for Hal Jones. As it happened for them, it can happen for us.

Remember that Elder Robert E. Wells spoke of the adventures of the Spirit—unforgettable experiences during which we see how intimately God is involved in our lives. These are the moments when we recognize the Holy Ghost as it witnesses, comforts, and guides us—moments when we receive grace from the messenger of grace and are sanctified. I’ll leave jaguars, piranhas, and piloting airplanes to Elder Wells and his equally adventurous wife, Helen. I don’t share their same spirit of adventure. But, like them, I could never give up the adventures of the Spirit. They are the ones that change us forever.

Notes

1. Robert E. Wells, “Adventures of the Spirit,” Ensign, November 1985, 27.

2. Neal A. Maxwell, “‘Apply the Atoning Blood of Christ,’” Ensign, November 1997, 24.

3. D. Todd Christofferson, “The Power of Covenants,” Ensign, May 2009, 22.

4. Joseph Fielding Smith, Answers to Gospel Questions, 5 vols., comp. Joseph Fielding Smith Jr. (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1957–66), 2:151.

5. Richard G. Scott, “Learning to Recognize Answers to Prayer,” Ensign, November 1989, 31.

6. Dallin H. Oaks, With Full Purpose of Heart (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2002), 169.

7. John H. Groberg, “What Is Your Mission?” BYU Devotional Address, 1 May 1979, 7.

8. Joseph Fielding McConkie and Robert L. Millet, Joseph Smith: The Choice Seer (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1996), 75; see also Robert L. Millet, By Grace Are We Saved (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1989), 56.

9. See Robert E. Wells, “Adventures of the Spirit,” Ensign, November 1985, 28.