"How Great Shall Be Your Joy"

And again, verily I say unto you, if a man marry a wife by my word, which is my law, and by the new and everlasting covenant, and it is sealed unto them by the Holy Spirit of promise, by him who is anointed, unto whom I have appointed this power and the keys of this priesthood; and it shall be said unto them—Ye shall come forth in the first resurrection; and if it be after the first resurrection, in the next resurrection; and shall inherit thrones, kingdoms, principalities, and powers, dominions, all heights and depths—then shall it be written in the Lamb’s Book of Life,...and if ye abide in my covenant,...it shall be done unto them in all things whatsoever my servant hath put upon them, in time, and through all eternity; and shall be of full force when they are out of the world; and they shall pass by the angels, and the gods, which are set there, to their exaltation and glory in all things, as hath been sealed upon their heads, which glory shall be a fulness and a continuation of the seeds forever and ever.

In my opinion, these are some of the most beautiful and profound words in all of scripture. I received news today that the Zarrelli family from Naples, Italy will at long last make the trip to Switzerland to the nearest temple. There they will receive their endowment and be sealed as an eternal family. Aside from enduring to the end and receiving eternal life, this is the consummate desire of every missionary for his/her investigators. It is an answer to many prayers!

And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!

I do not suggest that I brought any souls, particularly the souls of this family, to Him. The whole process was pure miracle. They were prepared and the Spirit bore powerful witness to their humble hearts. However, I was able to be an instrument in His hands to teach this beautiful family the principles of the gospel. I'll never forget that. Now they are going to the temple. My joy is already overflowing, I can't imagine what it will be like with them in the kingdom of our Father. You have no idea how tempted I am to book a flight! Who cares about the money - this is once in eternity!