On my mission in New England having Church canceled due to snowstorms happened quite frequently, in my last area it happened three out of the last four Sundays of my mission. But as I sat on the sofa at my in-laws taking the sacrament on Sunday it finally hit home for me: this is worldwide! Every Latter-day Saint is being affected by this. And we don’t know how long it will be for. I felt very strongly that I need to share some insights and thoughts on the Coronavirus.
“If ye are prepared ye shall not fear.”
When it comes to Coronavirus many people fall into one of two camps. Those who think this is all being overblown, and those who are in a full frenzied panic to buy a 38 year supply of toilet paper. With those thinking it was fake news being the loudest. When the Church moved general conference meetings to technology-only, things went crazy. I saw people attacking the church saying that they were feeding into fear and this will just blow over.
Because I am a news junkie, I have known about the Coronavirus since back in late December. For months I have warned my friends and family that we needed to ensure we where prepared, after all, the scriptures teach us, “If ye are prepared ye shall not fear.” (D&C 38:30). But even I was a bit shocked at the speed of how rapidly things have been changing. In a mere 48 hours, we went from Conference being on, to Sunday services being canceled.
But there is a smaller group, those who are not worried, not because they think it is fake, they don’t worry because they have followed the words of the prophet and prepared for the ‘rain’ so to speak.
Ezra Taft Benson.
Learning from the past.
The morning after the Church announced the changes to General Conference, I went on my morning 5k run. As I ran I listened to the new volume of Saints. It was talking about a large company of Saints who were preparing to cross the plains via handcart. It talked about how Franklin Richards, an Apostle, urged the Saints NOT to go to Salt Lake that season because it could be deadly, but the people thought that he was overreacting and that God would protect them so Edward Martin led our his company of Saints to Utah. We all know how this story ends a quarter of the company died, many others lost limbs or suffered from the effects of exposure for the rest of their lives.
As I listened to this story the murmurings of Saints on social media rang in my ears. Just the Saints in the Marin and Willie handcart companies who disregarded the warnings of their Church leaders in their day, many today still have a notion that God will insolate them from the tribulations that lie ahead.
It is true that Alama and Amulek were freed from the prison, and Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were not harmed when they were thrown into the furnace, Nephi was delivered from this brothers, and we have Jonah, Samuel the Lamanite, John Taylor, and others were spared death. These stories, out of historical context, start to embody the notion that all you have to do is believe and God will insolate you from the coming storm.
The notion that God will insolate you from the trials of life requires us to ignore the other stories of faithful saints who endued faithfully through trails and died in them. Countless Pioneers, Apostles, the Prophet Joseph, and even Jesus Christ were called to endure trials that included death.
In 1918 during the Spanish Flu Pandemic the temples were closed, church services were canceled, missionary work suspended, and still, thousands of Saints died either directly or indirectly because of the flu. The Prophet buried his son, and in turn, was buried later that year. But the Kingdom pulled through and continues to roll forth.
The real reason for food storage.
I will be honest, I found it slightly comical at the start. Everyone thronging stores, buying food. I felt vindicated in preparing and knowing we would be ok. I remember going to Walmart one night with my wife just to see the carnage, isle after isle was completely empty. I was literally laughing about how ridiculous it was. I ran into a fellow ward member who was sent to get a single item, we both expressed gratitude for our food storages and having enough food.
After we parted ways I turned the corner and saw an elderly man, probably in his late 70’s who looked desperate pushing a cart with a partially full case of chicken soup base, all that was left. And it hit me like a ton of bricks, we may be ok, but there are many who are not, and won’t be. With my wife, we started reaching out to our friends to ensure that they had a plan and to make sure they had food.
Decades ago when asked the ‘why’s’ behind food storage, and self-reliance, President Marion G. Romney taught, “Food for the hungry cannot come from empty shelves.” In other words, the purpose of your food storage is to enable you to keep your baptismal covenant to “feed the hungry.” This weekend it hit me. The true test is not if you got food storage, but rather if you keep your baptismal covenants.
For those who are unwilling to feed the hungry, who cite the Ten Virgins, a story about faith not food, as the reason why they need not share with those in need King Benjamin issued a rebuke:
17 Perhaps thou shalt say: The man has brought upon himself his misery; therefore I will stay my hand, and will not give unto him of my food, nor impart unto him of my substance that he may not suffer, for his punishments are just—
Mosiah 4:17-18
18 But I say unto you, O man, whosoever doeth this the same hath great cause to repent; and except he repenteth of that which he hath done he perisheth forever, and hath no interest in the kingdom of God.
And if you still don’t want to share with those in need, then don’t worry, there is a kingdom for those who are not valiant in their covenants. How can we expect entrance into the celestial kingdom, if we break our baptismal covenants to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and afflicted?
Therefore What?
No one really knows what will happen with the Coronavirus. Hopefully, it will die out and everyone will be thankful it was not worse. But it might be as bad as some analysts predict with millions dying worldwide. Either way, just like the move to home-church helped prepare members for church services to be held completely at home, the move to ministering should help us approach our duty to help minister to those in need. Please reach out to those you minister too, and those who simply live around you and ensure that they are taken care of. The Elderly particularly are at risk and may be afraid of going out grocery shopping.
Take this as an opportunity to keep your baptismal covenant to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted. Ultimately this is how a quorum, ward, and church should function. Knowing that you are not alone and someone has your back. I think this story shared by Elder Christofferson embodies what we should be doing:
Elmer Jorgensen
Sunday 19th of September 2021
My growing concern is the division that I am seeing so much with our fellow saints. I was reading earlier today a story about the Tabernacle Choir returning to singing - but needing to do so cautiously. I have so missed them in General Conference.
I have a cousin who sings in the choir and so I have been especially sensitive to the hardship placed upon the choir who so loves to sing and edify others with their music and who have been silenced for way too long.
I read the article and then glanced through the comments and immediately noted the bickering back and forth: "If all of you non vaxers were obedient to the prophet, we wouldn't be in this mess", and then the oposing side would through in their jab and back and forth. There shouldn't be "sides" in the kingdom of God. It is not for me to judge why someone might honestly and prayerfully feel that a vaccination might not be appropriate for them. I even read one comment accusing our Prophet of having sold out to Leftist nut jobs.
Like any disease or misfortune, some will suffer more than others. But like the Savior taught when asked: Who did sin, this man or his parents that he was born blind? Death, as well as being saved from death are all parts of our mortal exam. We should make prayerful decisions, follow counsel and do our best -- and even then, it won't always be a story book ending. But we certainly do not point fingers (as though we had taken up residence in the Great and Spacious Building to condemn each other for not making the same decisions that we would have made.
Ric Pugmire
Wednesday 18th of March 2020
I recommend this conference talk from 1974, which Elder Burton gave while I was on my mission in Esbjerg, Denmark. The saints there had just received instruction that their gathering place was Denmark, and that they should follow the counsel to accumulate a year's supply. A young married couple struggled over how to follow the counsel on too little income and too small an apartment. This talk came as an answer to their prayers and ours. There have always been only two great commandments, and they will not be set aside during hard times. Indeed, they are never more definitive than in hard times.
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/1974/04/the-power-of-elijah?lang=eng
Kathy
Tuesday 17th of March 2020
Thank you for sharing. I really appreciate your thoughts and they got me thinking. Thank you.
Mae
Tuesday 17th of March 2020
What would your advice be to those that may be willing but have been living off of their food storage and others generosity for months even before the first whisper of Coronavirus?
Elmer Jorgensen
Sunday 19th of September 2021
@Mae, I have always been taught that, like King Benjamin proclaimed in his famous talk from the tower --- that even if you don't have the means don't have the ability, it was sufficient in God's eyes to sincerely say: "If I had, I would give". Modern prophets have taught us that there should be no shame felt or conveyed to anyone who was struggling and needing assistance, so long as they are willing to do what they can; when they can. The Lord doesn't care how often he has to have someone open the store house--- He's happy to do it each and every time. What he doesn't like is when we pool our resources so that we can get a house or appartment closer to the storehouse so we don't have to go as far next time. I would suggest that the concern is that we do not become bitter - because we feel like others are starting to resent our constantly needing to be assisted -- some are guilty of that and they drift away from the gospel because they are sure that others are looking down on them and want to be free of the judging eyes. Never feel that way. A new day will come and you may well find yourself in a position of being able to render aid. And when you do, cease upon that moment and run with it and never look back or become weary of the hands which are now open in your direction.
Melanee
Tuesday 17th of March 2020
Amen