13 It also included the overriding principle of agency.Īfter several centuries as a powerful people, including the reigns of Saul, David, and Solomon, Israel was divided. It included certain laws and ordinances of the priesthood instituted before the foundation of the world and predicated upon the gathering. “And I will bless through thy name for as many as receive this Gospel shall be called after thy name, and shall be accounted thy seed, and shall rise up and bless thee, as their father.”ĭuring the Council in Heaven in the premortal existence, the plan of salvation was discussed and sustained. “And I will make of thee a great nation, … The original promise and covenant to Father Abraham is set forth in Abraham 2:9–10, which reads in part: 12 It came to represent the posterity of Abraham through Isaac and Jacob. The distinctive name “Israel” was the title conferred upon Jacob. Until the Restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ, including the coming forth of the Book of Mormon and the revelation and priesthood keys given to the Prophet Joseph Smith, understanding of the gathering of Israel was fragmentary and limited. President Nelson has continuously emphasized that the gathering of Israel is “ the greatest challenge, … cause, and … work on earth today.” 10 These examples are just a part of a much larger picture. Our doctrine is clear that there will be a time and a season for all people to receive and to respond to the gospel message. She paid tribute to her ancestors who had been converted in 1845 on Tubuai, two years before early Church members arrived in the Salt Lake Valley. I once listened to a 17-year-old girl on a distant Tahitian island who was a seventh-generation member. Today almost 25 percent of Polynesians, in the Polynesian Islands, are members of the Church. 7 Many Polynesians already believed in eternal families and accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior. It commenced in 1844 when Addison Pratt arrived in what is now French Polynesia. Perhaps less well known is the ongoing missionary effort to the Polynesian Islands. I admire the Filipino people they have a deep and abiding love for the Savior. Amazingly, there are over 850,000 members of the Church today in the Philippine Islands. At that time there was only one Filipino Melchizedek Priesthood holder. Hinckley visited and initiated full-time missionary efforts in the Philippine Islands. By 1851, over half the members of the Church were baptized converts living in the British Isles. This was one year after Joseph Smith’s dedication of the Kirtland Temple, where Moses committed “the keys of the gathering of Israel from the four parts of the earth, and the leading of the ten tribes from the land of the north.” 5 The early success in the British Isles is legendary.
Missionaries first arrived in the British Isles in 1837.
I first served as a young missionary to the British Isles, second as a new General Authority in the Philippine Islands, and then as Area President in the Pacific Islands, which includes many Polynesian islands.Īll three of these areas have successfully gathered believers to the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. I love that the very first verse in the Doctrine and Covenants includes the people who are on “the islands of the sea.” I have had three specific calls to serve and live on the islands of the sea. 3 In the Lord’s preface to the Doctrine and Covenants, He declares, “Hearken ye people from afar and ye that are upon the islands of the sea, listen together.” 4 Moreover, we desire for all of God’s children to come unto Him and receive the eternal blessings He offers through His gospel. This doctrine accords with those who deeply desire for people of diverse economic and racial status to experience better lives. The divinely inspired doctrine that we are all brothers and sisters and “all are alike unto God” underlies this great work of gathering. Father’s plan is based on righteousness, keeping His commandments, and receiving sacred ordinances and honoring the covenants we make. Our Heavenly Father’s plan for safely gathering His children to our heavenly home is not based on worldly success, economic status, education, race, or gender. 1 The Father of our spirits desires His children to be safely gathered home. Nelson, our beloved prophet, has profoundly emphasized that our unique responsibility is to help gather scattered Israel and prepare the world for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
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