Local church news- Elder and Sister Oaks Visit Singapore

It was indeed a pleasure to have a special witness of Jesus Christ amongst the Singapore Saints for two days. Elder Dallin and Sister Debra Oaks spoke to the youth on Wednesday afternoon before they set off for youth conference.

Sister Oaks reminded the youth that they had been born at this time to prepare the world for Christ's second coming. The bulk of her remarks were focused on the importance of being good friends with Heavenly Father, our parents, others and ourselves. She quoted a scripture found in D&C 88:133…

"Art thou a brother or brethren? I salute you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, in token or remembrance of the everlasting covenant, in which covenant I receive you to fellowship, in a determination that is fixed, immovable, and unchangeable, to be your friend and brother through the grace of God in the bonds of love, to walk in all the commandments of God blameless, in thanksgiving, forever and ever. Amen."

She quoted Joseph Smith on the subject of friendship:

"Friendship is one of the grand fundamental principles of "Mormonism"; [it is designed] to revolutionize and civilize the world, and cause wars and contentions to cease and men to become friends and brothers.

It is a time-honored adage that love begets love. Let us pour forth love -- show forth our kindness unto all mankind, and the Lord will reward us with everlasting increase; cast our bread upon the waters and we shall receive it after many days, increased to a hundredfold.”

She encouraged the youth to take the opportunity to build friendships as they spent the next few days together.

Elder Oaks began his remarks by giving the youth some sound advice concerning their conduct during youth conference. He said that the 10 Commandments mark the outer limits of proper behavior, but within those outer limits there was plenty of room for fun. Then he said, "Don't do anything dumb!"

He thanked them all for coming. "You are the future of the church in all the world, especially in Asia. God loves you and He knows you."

Elder Oaks talked about how important the Gift of the Holy Ghost is to keep us close to our Heavenly Father. The Holy Ghost is given to us so we can have Heavenly Father with us full-time. In order to have the Holy Ghost with us we need to honor our bodies and our spirits. The Holy Ghost can be our compass, a means for personal revelation concerning our family, school, occupation, marriage, etc.

There are certain conditions for having the Holy Ghost with us at all times:

Observe the Sabbath Day. We need to treat Sunday as a different day. We use Sunday to charge our spiritual batteries. Refrain from working on the Sabbath and go to church. If we do the 3 things that are outlined in the Sacrament prayers (take His name upon us, always remember Him, and keep His commandments) then we are promised that we will always have the Holy Ghost to be with us.

He advised the youth to avoid the destroyers:

-Violation of the law of chastity
-Abortion
-Violation of the Word of Wisdom
-Dishonesty
-Anger
-Embrace the strengtheners
-Prayer
-Scripture Study (read the manufacturer's handbook)
-Fulfill callings
-Service
-Repent

"The guidance of the Holy Ghost is fundamental. Cherish the gift of the Holy Ghost. Never miss the chance to partake of the sacrament."

To the Adults

(Left to Right: Larkins, Tan’s, Oaks, Chen’s)

The Oaks spoke to a full house on Thursday night. Sis Oaks felt prompted to open her remarks by speaking directly to the single members of the church.

"I have a talk prepared, but I feel prompted to talk to any single members who are in the audience. It is tough being a single member of the church when it is so family oriented. I know, because it wasn't until my mid 50's that I married Elder Oaks. The Church is not the problem. It is the only solution in this world. I want to encourage all of the single members to stick with it!"

Sis. Oaks was a convert to the Church. She has had to deal with some difficult challenges because of her membership. She said when she joined the Church her life was changed dramatically.

"It was like going from night to day". She attributes that difference to receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost and partaking of his constant care and guidance. She referred to 2 Nephi 28:30…

"For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have."

She encouraged us to keep learning and keep trying because if we did we would learn and understand even more.

Elder Oaks focus many of his remarks on the current growth and future growth of the church in Asia. "Singapore is an important hub for the church in Asia. Singapore is part of the great Chinese Empire. The Chinese influence is very large here. One of my favorite quotes comes from the famous US president, Abraham Lincoln. He said, 'The Lord must have loved the common man because He made so many of them'. Well I want to change that a bit and say, the Lord must have loved the Chinese because He made so many of them!"

Elder Oaks counseled us concerning obtaining things of the world He quoted Alma 39:14...

"Seek not after riches nor the vain things of this world; for behold, you cannot carry them with you."

Elder Oaks counseled us that some things are more important than others. “We must use our resources to go to the temple to make covenants, which will survive death. Property, prominence, power, and prestige will not survive death. They are very temporary. We need to focus on things that are everlasting.” He quoted Moses 1:39…

"For behold, this is my work and my glory--to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man."