"What is Priesthood?"

This morning my companion and I were teaching a woman about baptism and how it must be performed with proper authority or otherwise known as the Priesthood.  Naturally she responded by asking, "What is Priesthood?"

"The authority and power of God.  God gives this power to man to act in His name."  Because we cannot be saved without God's help, He has given His children Priesthood to act according to our needs within His will.  It was by the Priesthood that John baptized Jesus; that Jesus Christ organized his Church on the earth; that Peter, James and John lead the church after Christ's death and by that same authority that Christ's original church has been restored to the earth.  

Who holds the Priesthood?
 All worthy men (ages 12 and up) who have been baptized a member of Christ's church.

How do men get the priesthood?
After they have been deemed worthy by other authorized Priesthood holders, those same men lay their hands on the head of the man receiving the priesthood and confer upon them with a specific prayer the Priesthood.

What do they do with the Priesthood?
These men help lead the church and serve Heavenly Father's children.  Some are expected to lead congregations of the Church, perform the ordinances of the Church, such as baptism and to bless those who are sick.  "God expects those who hold this sacred priesthood authority to follow the example of Jesus Christ and serve with love, gentleness, and kindness."

For anymore information, please check out this website that explains more fully the history of the Priesthood and the role it has played in establishing God's church among His people:
History of the Church and Priesthood

"My friend just died. Where did she go?"

The other day we got to talk to a mother who's daughter had just lost a friend suddenly in a shooting.  Naturally her daughter had so many questions about death and the after-life, but she felt that she didn't have the answers. 

When we stopped by, she asked us the same questions and we discussed our thoughts on the subject.  We were able to share these scriptures from the Book of Mormon:

"Now concerning the state of the soul between death and the resurrection- Behold, it has been made known unto me by an angel, that the spirits of all men, as soon as they are departed from this mortal body, yea, the spirits of all men, whether they be good or evil, are taken home to that God who gave the life." -Alma 40:11 (pg. 308)

"Ye cannot say, when ye are brought to that awful crisis, that I will repent, that I will return to my God.  Nay, ye cannot say this; for that same spirit which doth possess your bodies at the time that ye go out of this life, that same spirit will have power to possess your body in that eternal world." -Alma 34:34 (pg.295)

Across time our lives are paralleled  with those before and after us.  These verses are the response of a father to his questioning child and they have been revealed and recorded so that those who come after don't have to search in darkness without hope or comfort.

I know that the words of Alma are true.  There is a Spirit World that we will return to after this life where we are able to see God again.  I know that we will be the same person there as we are here with all of our memories, desires and personalities. 

Q:"My friend just died. Where did she go?"

A: She has gone back "home to that God who gave them life".