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By Rachel Sterzer Gibson, Church News
In 1820, Joseph Smith described the world as filled with “division amongst the people,” “great confusion and bad feeling,” “a strife of words,” “a contest about opinions,” a “war of words” and a “tumult of opinions” (Joseph Smith—History 1:5-6, 10).
That could just as easily describe today as well as the Nephites and Lamanites in the centuries before Christ visited them, noted Sister Reyna I. Aburto on Friday, January 19.
But knowing the calamities, divisiveness, wickedness and conflict that would exist, God — in His infinite wisdom and mercy — “provided a way for a record to be kept by many prophets, preserved by valiant hands, brought to light by divine means and translated into English by the gift and power of God,” said the former counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency.
Speaking to those gathered in the Joseph Smith Building Auditorium on the Brigham Young University campus for the 52nd annual Sidney B. Sperry Symposium, Sister Aburto offered a keynote address titled “The Book of Mormon’s Relevance for Us.”
During her address — one of 22 offered during the two-day symposium on “I Glory in My Jesus: Understanding Christ in the Book of Mormon” — she spoke of the promises in the Book of Mormon about Christ and from Christ.
As individuals study the Book of Mormon, they can find relevance and solace in the promises, Sister Aburto testified, “particularly in the promises concerning our day, and, together with Nephi, we can say, ‘I glory in my Jesus, for he hath redeemed my soul from hell’” (2 Nephi 33:6).
Finding Relevance in the Book of Mormon
As covenant members of the Lord’s Church, all Latter-day Saints have opportunities to be gospel teachers and invite others to draw closer to Christ by studying and searching the Book of Mormon, Sister Aburto said.
“A key part of sparking desire in learners is to help them see the relevance of what we are teaching to their lives,” she noted.
As Latter-day Saints help family and class members study the Book of Mormon this year, they can follow Jesus Christ’s example of teaching in a way that is relevant to them. “What did He do to help His followers learn about truths in a relevant way? He used parables, He asked questions, He beheld people, He listened to them, He prophesied and showed how some prophecies had already been fulfilled, and He extended promises,” Sister Aburto said.
Like Nephi, teachers and learners can “liken all scriptures unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning” (1 Nephi 19:23).
Sister Aburto shared the responses of several young adults who reported how the Book of Mormon is relevant for them. One young woman, Brooke, shared how she applied lessons from the Book of Mormon to dating. Another young man, Glen, spoke of how it helps him when he feels alone. According to a young woman named Elena, who just returned from a mission, the Book of Mormon can help with every question or problem.
“These examples show that the truths found in the Book of Mormon can speak to our souls and bring comfort to us,” Sister Aburto said. “The Book of Mormon is certainly another testament of Jesus Christ.”
‘The Book of Mormon Was Written for Today’
From start to finish, the Book of Mormon testifies of Jesus Christ and of His divine mission. “It was written for us and for our time, and in it we find guidance specific for the latter days,” Sister Aburto said.
She shared a quote from Church President Ezra Taft Benson, who taught, “The Nephites never had the book; neither did the Lamanites of ancient times. It was meant for us. Mormon wrote near the end of the Nephite civilization. Under the inspiration of God, who sees all things from the beginning, he abridged centuries of records, choosing the stories, speeches, and events that would be most helpful to us” (“Ensign,” Oct. 2011).
As she reads the Book of Mormon, Sister Aburto said she loves to find passages written specifically for readers in the latter days. “I like to call them ‘parentheses’ because they are parenthetical reflections made by the writers on what they learned from the accounts they chose to write about and the relevance that they would have for us in the latter days.”
For example, Nephi wrote, “But behold, I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance” (1 Nephi 1:20).
Who is he speaking to? Sister Aburto asked. “To you. To me. That is how personal the Book of Mormon is. That is how personal the scriptures are. That is how personal the gospel of Jesus Christ is.”
Promises in the Book of Mormon
When Sister Aburto found the Latter-day Saint missionaries at 26 years old, she had just separated from her husband and was a single mother to her 3-year-old son. One of the promises that stood out to her at the time when she first started reading the Book of Mormon was found in 1 Nephi 2:20. “And inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments, ye shall prosper.”
“I hung on to that promise, and it made a big difference in my life,” Sister Aburto recalled. “Somehow, I knew that it did not necessarily mean that I would become wealthy.”
Besides prosperity, the Book of Mormon also includes a promise that the remnants will be gathered in and be “brought to the knowledge of the Lord their God” (3 Nephi 20:12-13).
“I came to the knowledge of the gospel of my Redeemer and of His doctrine when I needed it most,” Sister Aburto said. “I was shown the iron rod that would lead me to the tree of life that represents the love of God. Because of that, I have tasted of that fruit that is the most desirable, and I can certainly declare that ‘I glory in my Jesus, for he hath redeemed my soul from hell.’”
Sister Aburto’s husband, Carlos Aburto, joined the Church at age 9 in Mexico, but due to various circumstances, his family did not remain active. When Carlos Aburto was 27, he broke up with a girlfriend; in his devastation picked up the Book of Mormon and started reading. He finished reading it in just two weeks, even ignoring the FIFA World Cup, one of his passions.
“As Carlos read the Book of Mormon, he had a change of heart and became a new man,” Sister Aburto recalled. “He came back to church every Sunday, again renewing the covenant he had made in his childhood. By that simple act of faith of reaching up to the Savior by reading the Book of Mormon, he discovered a whole universe of truth and light in his life.”
Fulfillment of Promises
Latter-day Saints today are witnessing the fulfillment of the Savior’s promises as He continues to gather the House of Israel in the latter days, Sister Aburto declared.
“As we study the Book of Mormon, we can see how the Lord ‘suit[s] his mercies according to the conditions of the children of men [and women]’ (Doctrine and Covenants 46:15). We can also see how simple and powerful the gospel of Jesus Christ is and echo the words of Nephi, when he said, ‘For my soul delighteth in plainness; for after this manner doth the Lord God work among the children of men. For the Lord God giveth light unto the understanding; for he speaketh unto men according to their language, unto their understanding’” (2 Nephi 31:3).
Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles attended the Friday night event to support his daughter, Camey Andersen, who was presenting at a subsequent class. He spoke briefly following Sister Aburto’s presentation and thanked her for her “beautiful testimony” and for speaking with the Spirit of the Lord.
“Who can doubt if she believes what she spoke?” he said.
The Apostle shared his testimony. “I give you my humble and sure witness that Jesus is the Christ, that He lives, that He is the Son of God. I confirm to you what Sister Aburto has said so powerfully that we find Him in great measure in this sacred book, the Book of Mormon.”
— Will Matheson contributed to this report.
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