The Book of Mormon betters lives and brings people closer to Christ.
That was the message shared by Elder LeGrand R. Curtis Jr., General Authority Seventy. In his talk, he shared the experiences of several members whose lives were forever changed by the Book of Mormon.
Nicholas Ofosu-Hene was a young police officer assigned to guard a Mormon meetinghouse in Ghana during a difficult period in 1989-1990 when the government banned all Church activity. One night Nicholas discovered a discarded copy of the Book of Mormon. He had been told it was an evil book — but he felt strangely attracted to it. He began reading.
“He realized in the course of his reading he had received several spiritual promptings that this book was scripture, the most correct he had ever read,” said Elder Curtis. “He realized that the Latter-day Saints, contrary to what he had heard, strongly believe in Jesus Christ.”
Nicholas would be baptized when missionaries returned to Ghana and would become a devout leader of the Church in that African nation.
Alibert Davies, another Ghanaian, was given a copy of the Book of Mormon when he accompanied an LDS friend to a Church meeting. He began reading and could not put the book down. “He read by candlelight until 3 a.m. He did that for several nights, overwhelmed by what he read and what he felt. Alibert is now a member of the Church.”
An Italian man, Angelo Scarpulla, was a priest who searched many years, unsatisfied, for God's “true religion.” One day he met two Latter-day Saints. He was drawn to their message and accepted a copy of the Book of Mormon.
“That evening he started reading the book,” said Elder Curtis. “He felt overcome with joy. Through the Spirit, God gave Angelo an inner assurance that in the Book of Mormon he would find the truth for which he had been seeking for many years. Sweet feelings flooded through him.”
Angelo was baptized and eventually presided over the Rimini Italy Branch.
For some, a testimony of the Book of Mormon comes when they first open its pages. Others gain a witness gradually as they read and pray. For many, that witness comes slowly.
The Book of Mormon's greatest power is in bringing people closer to Jesus Christ, he said.
“It is a strong witness of Him and His redeeming mission. Through it we come to understand the majesty and power of His Atonement. It teaches His doctrines clearly.”
