PROVO, Utah — Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles was 15 years old when his older brother, Joe Cook, faced a choice between medical school and serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
After discussing the matter, the brothers felt the decision should depend on three questions — questions Elder Cook would later call “keystones of faith”:
- Is Jesus Christ divine?
- Is the Book of Mormon the word of God?
- Is Joseph Smith the Prophet of the Restoration?
The brothers decided if all three answers were yes, a mission couldn’t wait — not even for medical school.
That night, young Quentin prayed “fervently and with real intent,” and the Holy Ghost confirmed each truth in an “undeniably powerful way.” It was a “seminal” testimony-strengthening experience that has shaped every major decision of his life, the Apostle recalled.
Speaking to missionaries at a Sept. 1 devotional at the Provo Missionary Training Center, Elder Cook taught that “true conversion is the result of the conscious acceptance of the will of God, and we can be guided in our actions by the Holy Ghost.”
He encouraged the missionaries to nurture and cultivate those three keystones of faith and testify of them throughout their service.
Elder Cook was accompanied by his wife, Sister Mary Cook. His remarks were broadcast to MTCs around the world.
Lessons from Wilford Woodruff
Elder Cook called Wilford Woodruff, the Church’s fourth president, one of the most successful missionaries of this dispensation. “It is significant that you know more about his service,” he told the missionaries.
Elder Cook noted that 10 of Woodruff’s first 15 years in the Church were spent on missions in the United States and Great Britain, during which he baptized more than 2,000 people, most notably those among the United Brethren at John Benbow’s farm in Herefordshire, England.
Elder Cook said some of Woodruff’s counsel to missionaries is still applicable today. Wrote Woodruff: “Never proceed to do anything until you go and labor in prayer and get the Holy Spirit. Wherever the Spirit dictates you to go or to do, that will be right.”
Woodruff wrote that following the Holy Spirit leads to conversion: “We preach the same gospel in all its simplicity and plainness that Jesus preached, and the Holy Ghost rests upon those who receive it.”
Elder Cook played a historic 1897 Edison phonograph recording of 90-year-old President Woodruff testifying, “Joseph Smith was a true Prophet of God, ordained of God to lay the foundation of His Church and Kingdom in the last dispensation and fullness of times.”
Elder Cook invited Provo MTC President Stephen W. Owen — a direct descendant of Wilford Woodruff, whose middle name he carries — to share his testimony.
Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon
One of Elder Cook’s memorable apostolic assignments in recent years was to read and review the Joseph Smith Papers documents and research that led to the publication of the multivolume “Saints” series.
“My testimony and admiration of the Prophet Joseph Smith has been greatly strengthened and enhanced after reading the inspiring details of his life and foreordained prophetic ministry,” he said. “Joseph’s translation of the Book of Mormon by the gift and power of God was foundational to the Restoration.”
With the help of Church History Department archivist Brandon Metcalf, Elder Cook showed missionaries pages from both the original and printer’s manuscripts of the Book of Mormon, as well as a first edition — one of 5,000 printed in Palmyra, New York, in 1830. Metcalf was also invited to share his testimony.
Said Elder Cook: “I testify that Joseph Smith was righteous, full of faith and an instrument in the Lord’s hands in bringing forth the Book of Mormon.”
4 loves of missionary work
Elder Cook concluded by sharing what he calls “the four loves of missionary work,” illustrating each one with personal stories and examples.
- Love your companions.
- Love the people where you are called to serve.
- Love your mission president and his companion wife.
- Love the Lord Jesus Christ.
Ending with his testimony, Elder Cook said: “I testify that Jesus Christ lives and that through missionary work, we can bring light and hope to a world that is in great need. May we all strive to be true disciples of Jesus Christ, sharing His gospel with all those with whom we come in contact and bringing the blessings of His love and grace to all the world.”
What missionaries learned
Afterward, missionaries shared what they had learned from the Spirit during the devotional.
Sister Allison Wright, of Layton, Utah, assigned to the Ohio Columbus Mission, appreciated Elder Cook’s four loves of missionary work with the keyword being “love.”
“That’s what Christ is, and that’s what He does. He atoned for our sins because He loves us,” she said. “We’re doing His work because we love everyone, we love Jesus, and we want to spread His gospel.”
Her companion, Sister Scarlett Brock, of Coalville, Utah, also going to the Ohio Columbus Mission, learned about listening to and acting upon the promptings of the Holy Ghost.
“Whatever the Spirit invites us to do, that’s what we should follow,” she said.
