Alma 34:8-9
"And now, behold, I will testify unto you of myself that these things are true. Behold, I say unto you, that I do know that Christ shall come among the children of men, to take upon him the transgressions of his people, and that he shall atone for the sins of the world; for the Lord God hath spoken it."

"For it is expedient that an atonement should be made; for according to the great plan of the Eternal God there must be an atonement made, or else all mankind must unavoidably perish; yea, all are hardened; yea, all are fallen and are lost, and must perish except it be through the atonement which it is expedient should be made."

Alma 7:11-12
"And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people."

"And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities."

It is through our Savior, Jesus Christ that we can return again to live with our Heavenly Father.

Because of the apostasy, prophesied by the Apostle Paul (2 Thessalonians 2:3) there was a need for the Church to be restored again to the earth. In the year 1820, the young Joseph Smith, then just 14 years old, was confused about religion. In upstate New York at that time there were many preachers saying, "My way is the right way." But they were all so different. Joseph knew that he wanted to join a church, but he didn't know which one was the true church. He was reading in the Bible one day and came across the verse in James 1:5 where it says, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God...". So he did just that. He went to a grove of trees and knelt down and prayed to God, with all the faith that he had, knowing that God would answer his prayer. And He did! Joseph has left us a record of his history, and in his own words this is what happened:

"I saw a pillar of light, exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me...
"and when the light rested upon me, I saw tow personages whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other, 'This is my beloved son, Hear Him!'" (Joseph Smith History 1:16-17)

In answer to Joseph Smith's prayer he saw God the Father and Jesus Christ his son. They told him at that time not to join any of the churches. They were all teaching good principles, but none of them had the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ as it did when Jesus Christ was on the earth.

Because of this and other experiences Joseph was a witness of Jesus Christ. He was called as a prophet of God and through him the gospel of Jesus Christ was restored to the earth on April 6, 1830 with the same organization that existed in the primitive church.

I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only true church on the face of the earth and is lead by a living prophet with Jesus Christ as th head of the church.

Another duty Joseph Smith had as a prophet of God was to translate the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ. We use it along with the Bible to help us better understand the plan our Heavenly Father has for us and Jesus Christ's role in that plan.

600 years before Jesus Christ was born, a prophet named Lehi lived in Jerusalem, and was commanded by God to take his family and a small group of other people to the American continent. There they built a great civilization. God continued to call prophets among these people. These prophets were commanded to keep a record of the people and the commandments of God.

The last prophet in the Book of Mormon was named Moroni and he left each of us a promise in Moroni 10:3-5, which says if any of you come across this book and you truly have the desire to know weather it is the true word of God, then you can read it, ponder the things you've read an ask God and, "he will manifest the truth of it unto you by the power of the Holy Ghost."

I have taken on this challenge that the prophet Moroni has given to us. I have read the Book of Moromon and I have prayed to my Heavenly Father to know of the truthfulness of this book and He answered my prayers through the power of the Holy Ghost by the good feelings I felt in my heart and in my mind. I know that the Book of Mormon is the true word of God. I know that it serves as another testament of Jesus Christ and through reading and studying it and abiding by it's precepts, I have received joy and peace in my life.

I know God answers prayers as long as we have the faith to ask. I say these words in the name of my Savior and redeemer, Jesus Christ, Amen.