Mormon Life - Home Teaching tag

Mormon Media Observer: Relief Society visiting teaching makes the news

Mon, 14 May 2012 10:21:00 -0600

source: deseretnews.com

When Gov. Mitt Romney last ran for president, I studied, as part of one of those boring doctoral dissertations, the way in which his faith — my faith — was covered by the national press from 2006-2008.

I studied more than 200 articles in depth, categorizing each across more than 20 dimensions. I evaluated the favorability of each article and the portrayal of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — all pretty standard stuff in the social science research method called content analysis.

In addition, I read scores of other new articles about the faith as I studied.

So, I observed in detail how Latter-day Saints were covered.

Vai's View: Reunion with Kleins triggers others' accounts

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 09:31:00 -0600

source: deseretnews.com

Seems I wasn't the only one interested in a reunion with Marty and Mary Ellen Klein.

Marty, if you remember, was my boyhood home teaching companion whom I wrote about reuniting with after 35 years in last week's column.

Three interesting emails found their way to me this week, one of them this morning. Steve Ostler lives in Highland, Utah, and reached me through the editors of Mormon Times. He served in Patchogue, Long Island, N.Y., in the mid-60s and knew the Kleins. He asked to be re-introduced. Hal Stock was also a young missionary serving in Patchogue in January 1967. His companion, an Elder Clarke, had baptized the Kleins before Elder Stock arrived, but he became very close to the Kleins. Hal Stock is now in the Missionary Training Center with his wife serving a full-time mission as senior missionary coordinators. He last saw the Kleins in the early '70s when Marty was attending BYU, and lost contact with them when the Kleins moved to Mesa, Ariz., after graduating from BYU.

Vai's View: A home-teaching companion reunion rekindles a testimony

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 11:14:00 -0600

source: MormonTimes.com

Editor's note: This is the first in an occasional series that follows and explores Vai Sikahema's quest to find and thank the people in his life who assisted him in his youth.

It took me a little more than a year to find Marty Klein.

Three months of that time was spent just trying to come up with his name. I sent an email to old friends from the LDS ward of my youth, the Mesa 24th Ward, with what I did remember of the man who was my first home teaching companion, hoping to jog someone's memory: "Tall, salt & pepper hair, taught at Mesa Junior High, drove a big, fancy car, married but without children."

Finally, an email came from an old friend in the ward named Ned Brimley: "Is it Marty Klein? He moved to Florida years ago. Try this email."

April 2012 Home Teaching Message: "He Is Risen" - a Prophet's Testimony

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 00:01:00 -0600

source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: This aid comes with links to the First Presidency message for April, as well as supplemental ideas for discussing the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

April First Presidency Message for home teaching:

“He Is Risen”

“The clarion call of Christendom,” President Thomas S. Monson has declared, is that Jesus of Nazareth rose from the dead. “The reality of the Resurrection provides to one and all the peace that surpasses understanding” (see Philippians 4:7).1

In the following excerpts, President Monson shares his testimony of and gratitude for the Savior’s Resurrection and declares that because the Son conquered death, all of the Father’s children who come to earth will live again.

Life beyond Mortality

“I believe that none of us can conceive the full import of what Christ did for us in Gethsemane, but I am grateful every day of my life for His atoning sacrifice in our behalf."

Click here to see the rest of the lesson.

Supplemental ideas:

Share the video "He Is Risen" from the Church's new Bible videos:

Share the following image from the home teaching message with any children in the family you teach. (Click here for a larger version.)

{Poll} What's Your Home or Visiting Teaching Style?

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 00:11:00 -0700

by Ashley Evanson
source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: Home and visiting teaching are invaluable programs for reaching out to all the members in our ranks, but they take on a different appearance for each person. How often do you go? When do you try to complete it? And what constitutes a visit? We'd love to know.

We've become curious about how home and visiting teaching play out in real life. For me, I call it good when my visiting teachers come over and sit at the kitchen counter while I cook Sunday dinner and we chat about work, kids, school, and life. Sometimes they share a quick message, sometimes they don't, but I always feel loved. It's funny, on the Sundays they come over, the whole family gathers in the kitchen to be involved because the informality of it makes it fun.

But I know others who would never dream of doing it this way. The home/visiting teachers are escorted to the formal living room of their home and teach of spiritual message. And then there are those who drop off cookies at the doorstep, or leave a message on the answering machine and check it off their to-do list.

I'm not suggesting there's a right or wrong way to do it, I'm just curious about how you do it. Take our poll and leave a comment below on your own personal style.

Young Men Lesson 46: Effective Home Teaching

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 00:04:00 -0700

source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: "A feeling of responsibility for others is at the heart of faithful priesthood service." -Henry B. Eyring Discussion Questions
    • What are your responsibilities as a home teacher?
    • As an Aaronic Priesthood holder, how can you strengthen the families you home teach?
    • How have you been strengthened by home teaching?

Excerpt from "Man Down!," by President Henry B. Eyring, April 2009 General Conference:

I am grateful for the honor and the blessing of speaking to the priesthood of God. My purpose tonight is to help you to be brave and bold in your priesthood service.

You will need bravery and you will need boldness because you are enlisted in the Lord’s army in the last dispensation. This is not a time of peace. That has been so since Satan arrayed his forces against our Heavenly Father’s plan in the premortal existence. We don’t know the details of the combat then. But we know one result. Satan and his followers were cast down into the earth. And since the creation of Adam and Eve, the conflict has continued. We have seen it intensify. And the scriptures suggest that the war will become more violent and the spiritual casualties on the Lord’s side will mount.

Almost all of us have seen a battlefield portrayed in a film or read the description in a story. Over the din of explosions and the shouts of soldiers, there comes a cry, “Man down!”

When that cry sounds, faithful fellow soldiers will move toward the sound. Another soldier or a medic will ignore danger and move to the injured comrade. And the man down will know that help will come. Whatever the risk, someone will run low or crawl to get there in time to protect and give aid. That is true in every band of men joined in a difficult and dangerous mission which they are determined to fulfill at any sacrifice. The histories of such groups are full of stories of those loyal men who were determined that no man would be left behind.

To read the rest of this talk, click here.

Therapy dog goes visiting, home teaching

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 12:39:00 -0600

source: MormonTimes.com

I was home for the weekend to visit with my parents and sisters in September 2007. This particular Saturday, my sister, Joyce, was helping to do a dog transport for rescued dogs from two counties' dog pounds to go to a rescue shelter in Canada. When my sister had been asked to help with this transport, she told the group no several times. She finally consented to help with the transport from Findlay, Ohio, to Monroe, Mich. She asked me to go along with her, I thought it was OK but could think of things to do that would be more fun.

As I was sitting in the car, I felt an impression to go and see the beautiful brown dog. I listened and volunteered to take the big brown dog for a walk. He seemed to understand when I asked several things of him (slow down, sit, stay and shake hands). He happily got into the car and liked looking out the window. My sister saw him as another dog, with nothing really special about him. I felt this strong impression to ask about taking Max home to be a therapy dog. My sister started making telephone calls to see if we could Max off the transport so I could take him home with me. When we arrived in Monroe, the connecting transport staff was late in coming. Minutes before they arrived, the telephone call came stating that I could take Max home.

The church needs you

Wed, 09 Feb 2011 09:28:00 -0700

source: MormonTimes.com

Editor's note: Clayton Christensen is the Robert and Jane Cizik Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School and a member of the Deseret News' Editorial Advisory Board. The Deseret News recently asked Christensen, a Salt Lake City native and member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, to share this experience.

For better or worse, the very language that we use when describing a situation affects how we understand the situation and hence guides our behavior. Consider the different responses that we might get from the following two sentences: "You need the church" and "The church needs you."

I grew up in Rose Park near downtown Salt Lake City. When I was a little boy, my dad home taught a gentleman named Phillip Strong. Phil had been baptized as a boy, but he never went to church, and he hated the church.

Every month, my faithful father would take me or one of my brothers as his home teaching companion. We would knock on Phillip's door. Phillip would come out on the porch and command my dad to get off his property. He would tell him "never to come back or I'll get the police here." But every month my dad would knock on the door, only to be told off.

Home teaching: 'Sacred calling' is an opportunity to nurture and inspire others

Tue, 11 Jan 2011 09:54:00 -0700

source: ldschurchnews.com

Mormon Life says: For faithful Mormon priesthood holders, the New Year's resolution to become a more effective, caring home teacher likely fits somewhere on their list between dropping a few pounds, spending more time at the temple and daily scripture study.

Indeed, as President Ezra Taft Benson taught, home teaching is not just another program. "It is the priesthood way of watching over the Saints and accomplishing the mission of the Church. Home teaching is not just an assignment. It is a sacred calling" (April 1987 general conference).

No such sacred calling is held by more men — and young men — across the globe. Almost all observant Melchizedek Priesthood holders, along with teachers and priests in the Aaronic Priesthood, are serving as home teachers in their wards and branches. Perhaps because of the pervasiveness of the call throughout the Church, it's tempting to undertake home teaching casually. It seems a small matter to, say, skip the occasional monthly visit or to make such visits without much thought or preparation.

Young Men Lesson 45: Effective Home Teaching

Fri, 19 Nov 2010 00:02:00 -0700

source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: In our families and in our stakes and districts, let us seek to build up Zion through unity, godliness, and charity. In much of the world, we are entering upon unsettled economic times. Let us look after one another the very best we can. I remember the story of a Vietnamese family that fled Saigon in 1975 and ended up living in a small mobile home in Provo, Utah. A young man in the refugee family became the home teaching companion to a Brother Johnson who lived nearby with his large family. The boy related the following:

“One day Brother Johnson noticed that our family had no kitchen table. He appeared the next day with an odd-looking but very functional table that fit nicely against the trailer wall across from the kitchen sink and counters. I say odd-looking because two of the table legs matched the tabletop and two did not. Also, several small wooden pegs stuck out along one edge of the worn surface.

“Soon we used this unique table daily for food preparation and for eating some quick meals. We still ate our family meals while we sat on the floor … in true Vietnamese fashion.

“One evening I stood inside Brother Johnson’s front door as I waited for him before a home teaching appointment. There in the nearby kitchen—I was surprised to see it—was a table practically identical to the one they had given to my family. The only difference was that where our table had pegs, the Johnsons’ table had holes! I then realized that, seeing our need, this charitable man had cut his kitchen table in half and had built two new legs for each half.

“It was obvious that the Johnson family could not fit around this small piece of furniture—they probably didn’t fit comfortably around it when it was whole. …

“Throughout my life this kind act has been a powerful reminder of true giving” (Son Quang Le, as told to Beth Ellis Le, “Two-of-a-Kind Table,” Liahona, July 2004, 45; Ensign, July 2004, 63).

The Prophet Joseph Smith said, “We ought to have the building up of Zion as our greatest object” (Teachings: Joseph Smith, 186). In our families and in our stakes and districts, let us seek to build up Zion through unity, godliness, and charity, preparing for that great day when Zion, the New Jerusalem, will arise. In the words of our hymn:

Israel, Israel, God is calling,  
Calling thee from lands of woe.  
Babylon the great is falling;  
God shall all her tow’rs o’erthrow. …

Come to Zion, come to Zion,  
And within her walls rejoice. …  
Come to Zion, come to Zion,  
For your coming Lord is nigh.  

(“Israel, Israel, God Is Calling,” Hymns, no. 7)

Young Men Lesson 44: Becoming a Better Home Teacher

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:00:00 -0700

by Thomas S. Monson
source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: The priesthood is not really so much a gift as it is a commission to serve, a privilege to lift, and an opportunity to bless the lives of others. Brethren of the priesthood, assembled here in the Conference Center and worldwide, I am humbled by the responsibility which is mine to address a few remarks to you. I pray for the Spirit of the Lord to attend me as I do so.

I am aware that our audience this evening ranges from the most recently ordained deacon to the eldest high priest. To each, the restoration of the Aaronic Priesthood to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery by John the Baptist and the Melchizedek Priesthood to Joseph and Oliver by Peter, James, and John are sacred and treasured events.

To you deacons, may I say that I recall the time when I was ordained a deacon. Our bishopric stressed the sacred responsibility which was ours to pass the sacrament. Emphasized were proper dress, a dignified bearing, and the importance of being clean inside and out. As we were taught the procedure in passing the sacrament, we were told how we should assist Louis McDonald, a particular brother in our ward who was afflicted with a palsied condition, that he might have the opportunity to partake of the sacred emblems.

How I remember being assigned to pass the sacrament to the row where Brother McDonald sat. I was fearful and hesitant as I approached this wonderful brother, and then I saw his smile and the eager expression of gratitude that showed his desire to partake. Holding the tray in my left hand, I took a small piece of bread and pressed it to his lips. The water was later served in the same way. I felt I was on holy ground. And indeed I was. The privilege to pass the sacrament to Brother McDonald made better deacons of us all.

Just two months ago, on Sunday, July 31, I was at Fort A. P. Hill, Virginia, attending an LDS sacrament meeting held during the National Scout Jamboree. My purpose in being there was to speak to the 5,000 Latter-day Saint young men and their leaders who had spent the previous week participating in the activities of the jamboree. They sat reverently in a natural amphitheater as an impressive 400-voice Aaronic Priesthood chorus sang:

A Mormon boy, a Mormon boy, I am a Mormon boy. I might be envied by a king, For I am a Mormon boy. 1

The sacrament was blessed, with 65 priests officiating at the many large sacrament tables which had been placed throughout the assembled group. Approximately 180 deacons then passed the sacrament. Within the time it would take to handle the passing of the sacrament in a crowded ward chapel, this large gathering was served. What an awe-inspiring sight I witnessed that morning as these Aaronic Priesthood young men participated in this holy ordinance.

It is important for each deacon to be guided to a spiritual awareness of the sacredness of his ordained calling. In one ward, the lesson was effectively taught pertaining to the collection of fast offerings.

On fast day, the ward members were visited by deacons and teachers so that each family could make a contribution. The deacons were a bit disgruntled, having to arise earlier than usual to fulfill this assignment.

The inspiration came for the bishopric to take a busload of the deacons and teachers to Welfare Square in Salt Lake City. Here they saw needy children receiving new shoes and other items of clothing. Here they witnessed empty baskets being filled with groceries. There was no money exchanged. One brief comment was made: "Young men, this is what the money you collect on fast day provides - even food, clothing, and shelter for those who are in need." The Aaronic Priesthood young men smiled more, stepped higher, and served more willingly in filling their assignments.

Now, pertaining to the teachers and priests, every one of you should be given the assignment to home teach with a companion who holds the Melchizedek Priesthood. What an opportunity to prepare for a mission. What a privilege to learn the discipline of duty. A young man will automatically turn from concern for self when he is assigned to "watch over" others. 2

President David O. McKay counseled: "Home teaching is one of our most urgent and most rewarding opportunities to nurture and inspire, to counsel and direct our Father's children. . . . [It] is a divine service, a divine call. It is our duty as Home Teachers to carry the divine spirit into every home and heart." 3

Home teaching answers many prayers and permits us to see the occurrence of living miracles.

As I think of home teaching, I am reminded of a man by the name of Johann Denndorfer from Debrecen, Hungary. He had been converted to the Church years before in Germany, and now, following World War II, he found himself virtually a prisoner in his own land of Hungary. How he longed for contact with the Church. Then his home teachers visited. Brother Walter Krause and his companion went from the northeastern portion of Germany all the way to Hungary to fulfill their home teaching assignment. Before they left from their homes in Germany, Brother Krause had said to his companion, "Would you like to go home teaching with me this week?"

His companion asked, "When will we leave?"

Brother Krause's response: "Tomorrow."

Then came the question, "When will we come back?"

Brother Krause did not hesitate; he said, "Oh, in about a week."

And away they went to visit Brother Denndorfer and others. Brother Denndorfer had not had home teachers since before the war. Now, when he saw the servants of the Lord, he was overwhelmed. He did not shake hands with them; rather, he went to his bedroom and took from a secret hiding place his tithing that he had saved for years. This tithing he gave to his home teachers, and then he said, "Now I can shake your hands."

Now a word for the priests in the Aaronic Priesthood. You young men have the opportunity to bless the sacrament, to continue your home teaching duties, and to participate in the sacred ordinance of baptism.

Fifty-five years ago, I knew a young man, Robert Williams, who held the office of priest in the Aaronic Priesthood. As the bishop, I was his quorum president. When he spoke, Robert stuttered and stammered, void of control. He was self-conscious, shy, fearful of himself and everybody else; this impediment was devastating to him. Rarely did he accept an assignment; never would he look another person in the eye; always would he gaze downward. Then one day, through a set of unusual circumstances, he accepted an assignment to perform the responsibility to baptize another.

I sat next to Robert in the baptistry of the Salt Lake Tabernacle. I knew he needed all the help he could get. He was dressed in immaculate white, prepared for the ordinance he was to perform. I asked him how he felt. He gazed at the floor and stuttered almost uncontrollably that he felt terrible.

We both prayed fervently that he would be made equal to his task. The clerk then said, "Nancy Ann McArthur will now be baptized by Robert Williams, a priest."

Robert left my side, stepped into the font, took little Nancy by the hand, and helped her into that water which cleanses human lives and provides a spiritual rebirth. He spoke the words, "Nancy Ann McArthur, having been commissioned of Jesus Christ, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen."

And he baptized her. Not once did he stutter! Not once did he falter! A modern miracle had been witnessed. Robert then performed the baptismal ordinance for two or three other children in the same fashion.

In the dressing room, I hurried to congratulate Robert. I expected to hear this same uninterrupted flow of speech. I was wrong. He gazed downward and stammered his reply of gratitude.

I testify to you that when Robert acted in the authority of the Aaronic Priesthood, he spoke with power, with conviction, and with heavenly help.

Just over two years ago it was my privilege to speak at the funeral services for Robert Williams and to pay tribute to this faithful priesthood holder who tried his best throughout his life to honor his priesthood.

Some of you young men here tonight may be shy by nature or might consider yourselves inadequate to respond to a calling. Remember that this work is not yours and mine alone. We can look up and reach out for divine help.

Like some of you, I know what it is to face disappointment and youthful humiliation. As a boy, I played team softball in elementary and junior high school. Two captains were chosen, and then they, in turn, selected the players they desired on their respective teams. Of course, the best players were chosen first, then second, and third. To be selected fourth or fifth was not too bad, but to be chosen last and relegated to a remote position in the outfield was downright awful. I know; I was there.

How I hoped the ball would never be hit in my direction, for surely I would drop it, runners would score, and teammates would laugh.

As though it were just yesterday, I remember the very moment when all that changed in my life. The game started out as I have described: I was chosen last. I made my sorrowful way to the deep pocket of right field and watched as the other team filled the bases with runners. Two batters then went down on strikes. Suddenly, the next batter hit a mighty drive. I even heard him say, "This will be a home run." That was humiliating, since the ball was coming in my direction. Was it beyond my reach? I raced for the spot where I thought the ball would drop, uttered a prayer while running, and stretched forth my cupped hands. I surprised myself. I caught the ball! My team won the game.

This one experience bolstered my confidence, inspired my desire to practice, and led me from that last-to-be-chosen place to become a real contributor to the team.

We can experience that burst of confidence. We can feel that pride of performance. A three-word formula will help us: Never give up.

From the play Shenandoah comes the spoken line which inspires: "If we don't try, then we don't do; and if we don't do, then why are we here?"

Miracles are everywhere to be found when priesthood callings are magnified. When faith replaces doubt, when selfless service eliminates selfish striving, the power of God brings to pass His purposes. The priesthood is not really so much a gift as it is a commission to serve, a privilege to lift, and an opportunity to bless the lives of others.

The call of duty can come quietly as we who hold the priesthood respond to the assignments we receive. President George Albert Smith, that modest yet effective leader, declared, "It is your duty first of all to learn what the Lord wants and then by the power and strength of His holy Priesthood to magnify your calling in the presence of your fellows in such a way that the people will be glad to follow you." 4

And how does one magnify a calling? Simply by performing the service that pertains to it. An elder magnifies the ordained calling of an elder by learning what his duties as an elder are and then by doing them. As with an elder, so with a deacon, a teacher, a priest, a bishop, and each who holds office in the priesthood.

Brethren, it is in doing - not just dreaming - that lives are blessed, others are guided, and souls are saved. "Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves," 5 counseled James.

May all within the sound of my voice make a renewed effort to qualify for the Lord's guidance in our lives. There are many who plead and pray for help. There are those who are discouraged and in need of a helping hand.

Many years ago when I served as a bishop, I presided over a large ward with over 1,000 members, including 87 widows. On one occasion, I was visiting, along with one of my counselors, a widow and her mature handicapped daughter. As we left their apartment, a lady from the apartment across the hall was standing outside her door and stopped us. She spoke with a foreign accent and asked if I were a bishop; I replied that I was. She told me that she noticed I often visited with others. Then she said, "No one visits me or my bedfast husband. Do you have time to come in and visit with us, even though we are not members of your church?"

As we entered her apartment, we noticed that she and her husband were listening to the Tabernacle Choir on the radio. We talked with the couple for a while, then provided a blessing to the husband.

Following that initial visit, I stopped by as often as I could. The couple eventually met with the missionaries, and the wife, Angela Anastor, was baptized. Sometime later, her husband passed away, and I had the privilege of conducting and speaking at his funeral services. Sister Anastor, with her knowledge of the Greek language, later was to translate the widely used pamphlet Joseph Smith Tells His Own Story into the Greek language.

I love the motto: "Do [your] duty; that is best; Leave unto [the] Lord the rest!" 6

Active service in the Aaronic Priesthood will prepare you young men to receive the Melchizedek Priesthood, to serve missions, and to marry in the holy temple.

You will ever remember your Aaronic Priesthood quorum advisers and your fellow quorum members, thereby experiencing the truth, "God gave us memories, that we might have June roses in the December of our lives." 7

Young men of the Aaronic Priesthood, your future beckons; prepare for it. May Heavenly Father ever guide you as you do so. May He guide all of us as we strive to honor the priesthood which we hold and to magnify our callings, I pray humbly, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Notes

1. Evan Stephens, "A Mormon Boy," in Jack M. Lyon and others, eds., Best-Loved Poems of the LDS People (1996), 296.

2. See D&C 20:53.

3. Priesthood Home Teaching Handbook, rev. ed. (1967), ii-iii.

4. In Conference Report, Apr. 1942, 14.

5. James 1:22.

6. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, "The Legend Beautiful,' in The Complete Poetical Works of Longfellow (1893), 258.

7. Paraphrasing James Barrie, in Peter's Quotations: Ideas for Our Time, comp. Laurence J. Peter (1977), 335.

The Gift to Teach (Heber J. Grant Lesson 1)

Wed, 07 Jan 2004 11:03:00 -0700

source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: Read the following excerpt from Elder Boyd K. Packer's book, Teach Ye Diligently, for further insight into the first Heber J. Grant lesson of the new year, Learning and Teaching the Gospel. If you have come to the conclusion that you are going to be teaching at home and in the Church, you have made a good start. The next step is to want to be a successful teacher. You can become a very good teacher, and you can teach the gospel of Jesus Christ successfully to your own children and in the Church. But you must want to.

If you desire to be a successful teacher, and desire it enough to be willing to earn it, you can have your desire. It is a righteous desire. Can you think of anything the Lord would want you to desire more than to be able to teach righteousness successfully?

The scriptures testify that He will grant unto men according to their desires. The prophet Alma bore testimony of this.

I know that he granteth unto men according to their desire, whether it be unto death or unto life: yea, I know that he allotteth unto men according to their wills, whether they be unto salvation or unto destruction.

Yea, and I know that good and evil have come before all men; he that knoweth not good from evil is blameless; but he that knoweth good and evil, to him it is given according to his desires, whether he desireth good or evil, life or death, joy or remorse of conscience. (Alma 29:4-5. Italics added.)

There is something important about our deciding that we want to be a good teacher-a good parent. There is something equally important about making that desire known to the Lord. Many of us have the desire, but we keep it to ourselves. An important key is turned when we go through the formality of stating our desires to Him who can grant them.

There is no theme in holy scripture more oft-repeated than the simple injunction, "Ask, and ye shall receive." This theme is in the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price. No theme is repeated in more ways and more often than this simple counsel. Consider these sample references:

Bible

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:

For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?

Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?

If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? (Matthew 7:7-11.)

And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. (Matthew 21:22.)

Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. (Mark 11:24.)

And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. (Luke 11:9.)

And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. (John 14:13-14.)

If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will and it shall be done unto you. (John 15:7.)

And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. (John 16:23.)

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. (Philippians 4:6.)

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. (James 1:5.)

And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. (John 3:22.)

And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:

And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him. (1 John 5:14-15.)

Book of Mormon

Do ye not remember the things which the Lord hath said?—If ye will not harden your hearts, and ask me in faith, believing that ye shall receive, with diligence in keeping my commandments, surely these things shall be made known unto you. (1 Nephi 15:11.)

Yea, I know that God will give liberally to him that asketh. (2 Nephi 4:35.)

Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good. (Alma 37:37.)

Ask, and it shall be given unto you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. (3 Nephi 14:7.)

And whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is right, believing that ye shall receive, behold it shall be given unto you. (3 Nephi 20:18.)

And now I go unto the Father. And verily I say unto you, whatsoever things ye shall ask the Father in my name shall be given unto you.

Therefore, ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you; for he that asketh, receiveth; and unto him that knocketh, it shall be opened. (3 Nephi 27:28-29.)

. . . O Lord, thou hast given us a commandment that we must call upon thee, that from thee we may receive according to our desires. (Ether 3:2.)

Whatsoever thing ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is good, in faith believing that ye shall receive, behold, it shall be done unto you. (Moroni 7:26.)

Doctrine and Covenants

Ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. (D&C 4:7.)

Therefore, if you will ask of me you shall receive; if you will knock it shall be opened unto you. (D&C 6:5; 14:5.)

And, as it is written—Whatsoever ye shall ask in faith, being united in prayer according to my command, ye shall receive. (D&C 29:6.)

Therefore, he that lacketh wisdom, let him ask of me, and I will give him liberally and upbraid him not. (D&C 42:68.)

But ye are commanded in all things to ask of God, who giveth liberally. (D&C 46:7.)

Behold, I say unto you, go forth as I have commanded you; repent of all your sins; ask and ye shall receive, knock and it shall be opened unto you. (D&C 49:26.)

Lay your hands upon the sick, and they shall recover. Return not till I, the Lord, shall send you. Be patient in affliction. Ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. (D&C 66:9.)

Let them ask and they shall receive, knock and it shall be opened unto them, and be made known from on high, even by the Comforter, whither they shall go. (D&C 75:27.)

Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me; ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

Whatsoever ye ask the Father in my name it shall be given unto you, that is expedient for you. (D&C 88:63-64.)

Behold this is my will; ask and ye shall receive. (D&C 103:31.)

Be thou humble; and the Lord thy God shall lead thee by the hand, and give thee answer to thy prayers. (D&C 112:10.)

Pearl of Great Price

. . . asking all things in his name, and whatsoever ye shall ask, it shall be given you. (Moses 6:52.)

While I was laboring under the extreme difficulties caused by the contests of these parties of religionists, I was one day reading the Epistle of James, first chapter and fifth verse, which reads: If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. (Joseph Smith 2:11.)

The Initiative Is Ours

It is clear that the Lord wants us to come unto Him and ask Him for whatever we need. The simple invitation to "ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you" was repeated by the Lord on many occasions. He gave this message to the people He taught while He lived on earth. He repeated it twice to the people of the New World at the time of His visit to them following His resurrection, including His last words He gave them before returning to His Father in heaven. Interestingly, the Lord repeated the same invitation seven times in the Doctrine and Covenants. In varying ways throughout the scriptures, He has invited us to ask Him for whatever we need in righteousness, that He might give it unto us.

The initiative, then, is ours. We must ask and pray and seek, and then we will find.

There are several paintings depicting Christ at the door, illustrating a New Testament scripture: "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: If any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." (Revelation 3:20.) In the more famous paintings He is shown holding a lantern as he knocks at the door.

The story is told that a little girl once remarked to one painter that his painting of Jesus at the door was not finished. "You have left something out," she said. "You have left out the door latch." The artist replied, "The painting is complete. That door represents the door of the human heart. It opens only from within."

The ability to teach successfully as a missionary, as a parent, as an officer, or as a teacher in the Church is well worth learning. It is well worth asking for. And it can come to each of us.

It is often said of someone who is successful as a teacher that he is talented or that he has the "gift." However, this gift must be developed and earned. There is much truth in these lines by an unknown writer:

He worked by day and toiled by night;
He gave up play and all delight.
Dry books he read, new things to learn,
And forged ahead, success to earn.
He plodded on with faith and pluck,
And when he won, men called it luck.

There is substance to the thought that one can receive a gift to teach. This is promised in the scriptures:

Deny not the power of God; for he worketh by power, according to the faith of the children of men, the same today and tomorrow, and forever.

And again, I exhort you, my brethren, that ye deny not the gifts of God, for they are many; and they come from the same God. And there are different ways that these gifts are administered; but it is the same God who worketh all in all; and they are given by the manifestations of the Spirit of God unto men, to profit them.

For behold, to one is given by the Spirit of God, that he may teach the word of wisdom;

And to another, that he may teach the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; . . .

And all these gifts come by the Spirit of Christ; and they come unto every man severally, according as he will. (Moroni 10:7-10, 17. Italics added.)

I have thought that the last phrase, "every man severally, according as he will," refers to the man himself. If a man wills that the gift should come to him, and he desires it, the gift shall be his.

A Supreme Gift

Many years ago I read this scripture and pondered it. I thought that among the gifts one might have in order to make himself useful to the Lord, the gift to teach by the Spirit would be supreme. The gift to teach the Word of Wisdom and to teach the word of knowledge by the Spirit is much to be desired. Why should such a gift not come to us if we desire it? If we desire to succeed as a teacher and we're willing to earn that ability, why should it not come to us? If we're willing to ask for it and pray for it, and we believe with sufficient faith that we can possess it, why should it be withheld from us?

Where would we turn to develop such a gift? Where do we go for an example? That, of course, brings us to Him who is the Master Teacher, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Only Begotten of the Father. In the scriptures He is addressed constantly as "Master," which by interpretation means "teacher." He is the Master Teacher, and from Him and His example, we also may learn to be master teachers.

(Boyd K. Packer, Teach Ye Diligently [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1975], 13.)

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