The Testimony of Val John Jennings

In the Book of Mormon, Jarom 1:4, we read: “And there are many among us who have many revelations, for they are not all stiffnecked. And as many as are not stiffnecked and have faith, have communion with the Holy Spirit, which maketh manifest unto the children of men, according to their faith.”
My stubbornness has been subdued by the love I have found in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I know I have felt the Spirit and, although, I have not seen angels, I am sure that I have been ministered to by them, even to the preservation of my life. I have been saved from serious injury and near death both in times of obedience and in times of disobedience. God isn’t finished with me yet.

My testimony has grown over the years. I was born into a family that had pioneer ancestry on both sides.

My father didn’t join the church until after he met my mother and they were married in Reno, Nevada.
Many years later we were sealed as a family in the Manti temple. My mother was a great-grandaughter of John Doyle Lee and grandaughter of Joseph Leland Heywood, both noteable Mormon pioneers. She was a Prince. Her great-grandfather, George Prince was a convert from South Africa, having migrated there from England. His testimony is noteable and published. Her grandparents served as stake patriarchs and often gave testimony to the truths of the gospel.
My interest in genealogy began early as I thought I was kin to the Dalton Gang and Al Jennings, western outlaw. I later found out that the kinship wasn’t very close. My relatives had done a lot of genealogy and I read about my ancestors and was very impressed. It took me many years to find my connections, but I feel a special kinship to those who set the stage for the Restoration.
As a youth, I was raised by goodly parents and given every opportunity. I became an eagle scout, served a mission in the North Central States, married in the temple, and began to raise a family of seven wonderful children. I had a very righteous wife, but failed to cultivate the closeness that is needed to sustain our marriage, and later divorced. I have recently served as a senior missionary with my wife, Karla. We have a testimony of the value of the Career Workshop.
I feel I have always had a testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel. It has certainly been tested and grown over the years. My less than stellar journey through parenthood left us with disfunctional and troubled children. However, three of them are active, married in the temple, and serving faithfully. Karl, Kathy, and Donald served on missions.

I have given a lot of reflection to the disinformation that others give regarding the church. My ancestor, John Doyle Lee, supposedly wrote a “Confessions” that tells of unrighteous acts by the church leaders. However, as it was published by others after his death, it is not possible to confirm what was his story and what was given as truth by those who try to destroy faith by publishing doubt. It has, however, given me a springboard to evaluate what I know from the Spirit of Truth and compare it to what is delivered by the agents of the “Author of Deceit”.
Joseph Smith said that his name would be had for good and evil throughout the world. That is true prophecy. He brought forth the Book of Mormon that is the word of God. The testimony comes from reading it. It brings into the heart and mind the desire to live righteously and teaches how to commune with the Holy Spirit. It delivers true testimony. It brings forth good fruit.
My testimony is born in the poetry I write. A few examples can be found at poetry.com and mormonwiki.com. The following are a sampling of what I have written:
A Godly Garden
A Walk in the Woods
Baptism
Boy Scout Basics
He Walked
Integrity
One Starlight Night
Returning Home

This poem is written for this sharing of testimony. May it convey the Spirit to the reader!

My Testimony

I have a testimony.
Yes, I can say it’s true.
God has walked beside me
and helped to pull me through.

Doubt and faith can not both share
the same invading space.
Faith is a gift of God, my friend.
With it your doubt erase.

Faith, Repentance, Baptism,

They lead you to the gate.

Enter obediently into His arms.

Let Him there embrace.

The Holy Ghost is your friend.
He testifies of Christ.

He calls upon our memory.
His counsel, there, is wise.

Ask, Knock, Invite Him in.

Our Savior has come to stay.
We can know his will for us.

He asks us all to pray.

I’ve asked my Heavenly Father.

Is there only one?
One way, one hope, one path?

He answered, Yes, my son.

So did brother Joseph.

He saw them both, divine.
My testimony is my witness.
And yes, It’s truly mine!

Val John Jennings is a published poet, genealogist, webmaster, scouter, grandparent and an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He and his wife, Karla, reside in Norfolk, Virginia.

Elder Paul B. Pieper
Of the Seventy

By being the first in your family to accept the gospel, you become the first generation, a chosen generation through which generations past, present, and future may be blessed.

Elder Paul B. PieperSeveral days ago, we were discussing talks during a family meal. Clarissa, our 13-year-old daughter, was preparing a sacrament meeting talk for our branch in Moscow and felt some anxiety. I reassured her that all would be well and released a little anxiety of my own by saying that at least she didn’t have to speak in front of thousands of people in general conference. Clarissa gave me some advice of her own: “It will be OK, Dad. Just pretend it’s a big branch.” Brothers and sisters, you are indeed a very large branch.

I have chosen to address my remarks this morning to first-generation members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You are those who are the first in your family to hear and embrace the message that the gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored to the earth in our day with living prophets, seers, and revelators. You humbled yourselves, exercised faith, and repented of all your sins, taking upon you the name of Jesus Christ through baptism by immersion, and received the Holy Ghost.1 By being the first in your family to accept the gospel, you become the first generation, a chosen generation through which generations past, present, and future may be blessed.2

Being a first-generation member of the Church is not always easy. You will walk where no one in your family has walked before. Conditions around you may be challenging. You may have few, or no, friends or relatives to understand and support you. At times you may become discouraged, wondering if it is all worth it. My purpose this morning is to assure you that it is.

First-generation members occupy a special and important place in the Church and their families. Did you know that first-generation members constitute more than half of the membership of the Church?3 Perhaps not since the early days of the Church has the first generation constituted such a large percentage of total Church membership as it does today. Your faith and testimonies are a great strength and blessing to others. Through you, we gain a deeper understanding of gospel principles and our testimonies are strengthened.

You add great strength to the Church when you use your testimony, talents, abilities, and energy to build the kingdom in your wards and branches. You are great examples of sharing the gospel, serving missions, sending children on missions, and welcoming new members. You reach out in kindness to those around you, lifting and blessing them through inspired service. So much of what is done in the Church today could not be done without your efforts.

More importantly, as a first-generation member, you occupy an important place in your family. You are an example to your family of a true disciple of Jesus Christ. Whether they are members of the Church or not, as you live the gospel at home, those around you will feel the Savior’s love through you. They know that you are engaged in something good, even if they do not understand it or have enough faith to accept it. Be patient and kind, pray each day to know how you can serve them, and the Lord will help you and bless you to influence your family for good. By being consistently good and upright, you will establish patterns of faithfulness and righteousness. Those patterns will shape your life, but more importantly, they will become a standard for your family and posterity.

As the first generation, you are also the key to opening the Lord’s blessings to family members who died without hearing the gospel and receiving saving ordinances. Yours is the unique opportunity and privilege to begin this work on their behalf. They are anxious for you to identify them and will help you in your search for their records. Once they are identified, your worthy life will permit you to attend the temple and perform essential ordinances for them. These ordinances will bind you to your ancestors and bring great spiritual power into your life.

Because you are a first-generation member, each choice you make is important. Seemingly small, insignificant decisions will impact past and future generations, as well as your own life. One young first-generation member, Chris, was offered a drink of alcohol at work the day after his baptism. His friends were all there and were drinking. There was considerable pressure. No one else knew that the day before, he had been baptized and made promises to the Lord. He made the decision not to drink and was treated poorly. Reflecting on that event later, he wrote: “It is now forty years since I made those [baptismal] promises and I can truthfully say that I have . . . kept the Word of Wisdom. . . . I believe if I had accepted [that] drink that I would, perhaps, never have been able to keep the Word of Wisdom.”4

But Chris kept his baptismal promises. Later he met and married a faithful member. Together they raised eight children in the gospel. Now in the sixth generation, his faithful descendants number in the hundreds. Dozens have served missions and introduced the gospel to others. His efforts in family history opened the blessings of the gospel to hundreds more. One small decision by a first-generation member made a difference for thousands.

Can you see now why the first generation is so important? Can you understand the position you occupy and the influence you can have for good? Please never underestimate who you are and the power that you have to affect others. Satan understands who you are and will do all possible to entice you to make wrong choices. At times, despite our best efforts, we all make mistakes. Fortunately, Heavenly Father has prepared a way for us to overcome them through repentance and reliance on the Atonement of His Son. Do not be discouraged if you make a mistake. Repenting and continuing to press forward are perhaps the most important patterns to develop in the first generation. Be patient and move forward in obedience.

In the Church we read and speak much about pioneers in early Church history. They were first-generation members just like you. They lived each day meeting the challenges of family, work, and faith. They lived good, ordinary lives and were faithful, serving in the Church and blessing their families. When they fell down, they got back up and moved on. Now, those of us who are their descendants look back with reverence and gratitude for their faithfulness.

Their legacy can be yours as fellow members of the first generation. Be faithful, serve your fellowman, bless your family, and make proper choices. You are the first generation, a chosen generation to bless past, present, and future generations. We honor you. Past and future generations will honor you. But most importantly, God will honor you for being faithful in the first generation. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

I love the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I love the hope, love and happiness it brings into my life. Even when I am having the worst day ever, I can always rejoice in the fact that my Father in heaven loved me enough to send His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ to suffer and die for me and even more so that He rose again, overcoming death so that I can too return to my Heavenly Father. I know that He loves us. I know that the Atonement of Jesus Christ paid the debt we could not pay for ourselves. I know that Joseph Smith restored the gospel of Jesus Christ on the earth so that we can all know of this wonderful news. Heavenly Father is the literal father of our spirits. Jesus Christ is truly Jehovah, Savior and Redeemer. Joseph Smith truly was a prophet. The Book of Mormon is truly the word of God. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is truly God’s church once again established and organized on the earth. This is my testimony, deeply embedded in the fleshy tables of my heart and within my soul, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.