Elder Ballard at BYUH

Recently there have been several talks given in church encouraging us to become more vocal about what we believe. More specifically, we have been told that we must communicate better with the world around us so that others know what we are really all about, and so that we aren’t defined by rumors or stories people have heard. In order to do this we need to be more diligent in our study of church doctrine and church history. I would like to be a part of making my faith better understood and will be doing my best to keep up on continually educating myself and keeping my mind and spirit sharp so that I can have a conversation at anytime and feel comfortable with it.

Here is Elder Ballard’s address to graduating students at BYU Hawaii on this topic. I think it is wonderful, and hope that it will give members a boost to realize that we can be more vocal and involved when it comes to the perception of our faith.

“…We are living in a world saturated with all kinds of voices. Perhaps now, more than ever, we have a major responsibility as Latter-day Saints to define ourselves, instead of letting others define us. Far too many people have a poor understanding of the Church because most of the information they hear about us is from news media reports that are often driven by controversies. Too much attention to controversy has a negative impact on peoples’ perceptions of what the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints really is…

…That you may make your contribution wisely, carefully, lovingly, filled with the promptings of power of the Spirit of God, that you too can join in declaring with your words and your voice, the great and glorious message of the restoration to the earth of the fullness of the everlasting gospel of Jesus Christ…”

-M Russell Ballard 15 December 2007