Face to Face with Elder Rasband, Sister Oscarson and Brother Owen
“Well, at that point I was stunned and speechless. And the only thing I could really say to President Monson was "Well, President, I'm completely overwhelmed by this calling." And President Monson, in his loving way, said to me, ‘Brother Rasband, just know that we've all been overwhelmed by it for all these years.’”
2 Nephi 31:20
20 Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life.
John 15:16
16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
“I think a lot of youth struggle with their feelings of self-worth. And I prefer that term over self-esteem because I think it's more reflective of the answer to their question. And that is, where do you find your validation in life?”
“Every single week our young women stand up and repeat the Young Women theme. And they say, ‘We are daughters of our Heavenly Father, who loves us.’ And yet I wonder if we really have that in our hearts, because if we really understood that we are literal sons and daughters of Heavenly Father, I don't think we would ever question our value again. He loves us. Just like a father here on earth loves his children, our Heavenly Father loves us with even more power. And that should give us power.”
“And I think the greatest evidence that Heavenly Father loves each one of us is that He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to this earth to suffer and die for our sins. And that should give us just even an inkling of the value we have in our Heavenly Father's eyes--that He would send His Son to do that for us. He must love us beyond our comprehension to understand that. We are of infinite value to Him.”
“And when we turned 14, I remember my friends started drinking and smoking. And it was a real challenge for me to be with my friends because I felt when I was with my friends, I had to defend my parents, because my parents were noticing this. When I was with my parents,I felt like I had to defend my friends.”
“How can I stand for what's right without offending my nonmember friends?”
“Love and example are contagious. And other people will catch your love, and they will catch your example. And you can help to change an environment by being loving, being understanding and not judgmental, and be an example of one of the believers. And Heavenly Father can work through you to be a great miracle for others even in your own family, amongst those who love you the most.”
“I was the only LDS girl in my high school when I was in high school. And I think what helped me answer questions and kind of be different was just to own it, to be joyful in my beliefs and be proud of what I was. And that goes a long way towards having other people accept it. If you own who you are and what you are and just stand up for that cheerfully, people tend to accept that and respect that. “
Moroni 7:16
16 For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge; for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God.
“Isn't that a great clue for how we know if something comes from the Spirit or from us? If it persuades us to do good, if it persuades us to believe in Christ, it's good. It comes from God. It's the Spirit.”
“It's not always going to be clear. He wants us to work at it a little bit. And we have to do our part for it. But I can promise you that that's one of the greatest spiritual abilities that you can learn to develop in your life, is listening to the Spirit.”
“I think I've gotten better at listening to the Spirit, the older I've gotten. And as I act upon the things that I'm given, then He's going to give me more.”
“How can I do better at not letting outside influences take over that peace and confidence that I get on Sunday from the gospel?"
“Well, at church on Sunday, we partake of the sacrament. And at the end of the sacrament prayer, we're given a promise that we will always have His Spirit to be with us. And so you must remember, as you go through your daily battles in life, that you've been given the gift of the Holy Ghost to be your constant companion and that you're making covenants every week in the sacrament where Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are promising you if you'll do your part of the sacrament prayer, They will bless you to always have the Lord's Spirit with you.”
They talked a lot about having the holy ghost with us. To strengthen us and to give us revelation.
“One of the things I think someone who is preparing for a mission needs to do is--Elder Bednar has taught this a lot--become a missionary before you go on a mission. Don't just go on a mission--’I'm going on a mission’--but prepare and become a missionary now, in your youth. That doesn't mean that you need to wear a white shirt and a tie and have a name tag or a dress, but what you need to do is prepare so that you can talk to people.”
“So engaging people in a conversation--and get rid of the cell phones every once in awhile and start talking in a face-to-face setting like we're doing right now, and really engage them in a conversation. And you know what happens when you engage someone in a conversation is, you begin to understand them, because when you become a missionary,we teach people, not lessons.”
“We can't just read it and let it stay up here in our head. It has to sink deep into our heart so that you can understand what someone who is learning about the Church might be feeling, so that you can sense the Spirit, recognize the Spirit. It's very, very important that you in your youth now--that's one of the ways to become a missionary, is be sensitive to the Spirit and then follow it.”
“...we can't make other people do anything. We're only responsible for our own attitudes and feelings towards things, but we can love family members. We can set a good example for them. We can influence them by serving them and being patient and loving with them.”
“So when you have these somewhat difficult challenges in your family or in your school or with your friends, always remember before you make a comment, before you draw a conclusion, before you become judgmental, think of how first you can love them. Once you have that foundation of love, you'll be amazed at how you're inspired to take the next step.”
“So we have to listen to His words, and then we do as He has done.”
“I love Elder Oaks's talk about ‘good, better, and best.’ And sometimes we have to make choices about what things we're going to get involved in. And if we find ourselves neglecting family home evening and Mutual night and some things that are going to nourish us spiritually, then maybe we have to let go of some things that are good to choose something better.”
“What can she do to ensure a successful marriage for all eternity?”
“I would say to Jane that as important as the Church makes missionary service sound, in terms of your eternal progression, nothing is more important than for all of you to set a goal on attending the temple and ultimately being sealed there for time and all eternity with your companion. That ensures your eternal salvation in the highest degree of Heavenly Father's kingdom.
“So that ought to suggest that if that's the highest goal, if eternal life is the greatest blessing,we ought to make sure what we're doing in our lives is working towards that goal, working towards a temple experience and a temple sealing.”
“And I know there are many of you around the world who are listening to this tonight. You may not live exactly close to a temple. But you can get the temple spirit by doing family history work. This is called the spirit of Elijah. It's a spirit that broods in us to care for our departed ancestors.”
“Here we have some of our grandchildren here tonight, and my heart turns to them. But my heart has also turned to my grandparents, who are gone. And so I'm in a wonderful time of life to be able to see this eternal family.”
“I think that's the difference between a lot of marriages that you may be view in the world, is that often marriage is viewed as something--’Well, if it's inconvenient or it doesn't fit what I want to do with my life, then we can always just get a divorce.’ We don't view marriage like that, do we? We see it as something that is eternal, that when you prepare for marriage, it's going to be forever.
“And so that puts some responsibility on you to be the kind of person who, number one, is worthy and ready to go to the temple for that kind of commitment. But you're going to be looking for someone who shares the same values you do. And if you both have the same values and both have your eyes on the Savior and serving Him through your whole life, you have a much better prospect of having an eternal marriage. That's what our goal is. And if we can keep that as our model and example, then I think we'll be OK.”
“I didn't quite know that in my call to be a Seventy, I would receive the sealing power of God,which is a very, very sacred authority. The highest authority of the Melchizedek Priesthood is the sealing power.”
“I think the key to raising children in a wicked world--and it is out there--I think, as parents, sometimes you must be scared to let your kids go out the door--is to create a haven within your home, to make your home a place that puts the shield and the armor of God on them so that when they walk out that door, they're protected.
“It's in the home where we teach the children to be strong and to withstand temptation and what's right and what's wrong. So take advantage--if you live in a home where you're being taught the truths of the gospel, that's your sanctuary and that's your protection for when you walk out into the world. Remember the values that you've been taught.”
“So wherever we live in the world, we can have the stakes, our homes, the temples in very wicked places. But there we can come to know our Redeemer.”
“How can I prepare to be a mother? Well, number one, we've looked at Jesus Christ. He sets the example for us in all things. He's the perfect example for both men and women. And you look at the attributes that Christ had and exemplified, and those are the attributes a mother needs, too.
“But I think we also have great role models around us. Look to your own mother and see what qualities she has that have helped you become the good person you are. And look to your grandparents; look to your grandmothers.
“And then look to your Young Women leaders. Look to your bishop's wife. There are some great role models around you in your home and in the Church that can teach you how to be a good mother someday. And at the basis of it all is Christlike behavior.”
“When we are resurrected, will our body be the same age as when we died? For example, will those who died in childhood rise as children?
“Well, that's a good doctrinal question you're very steeped in, right?
“Oh, boy. I defer to you on that one, Elder Rasband.
“Well, I think the right answer for that is, it precisely has not been revealed to us yet. Did you hear what I said? Yeah. I mean, several of the leaders of the Church over the years have opined on that question, but I wouldn't know where to turn unless someone could help me to a scripture or something that could give you an absolutely scriptural, doctrinal answer to that.
“And I think that that's a good lesson for all of you. You don't always also have to have the answer to a question when you're asked a question. I'll tell you one thing I'm going to do is study that a little bit more. And if I can give you a better answer, I'll get back to you and I'll give you a better answer.
“But sometimes you might be confronted by one of your friends with a question that, in the moment, you don't have the foggiest idea how to answer. You can always say, ‘I don't know, but I will do my best to try and find out.’ And that's my answer tonight.”
