The Work of This Last Dispensation

I noted with interest this morning that the Church reported a total membership of 17,887,212 at the end of December, 2025. In the first quarter of this year we no doubt have passed 18,000,000 members.

The world's population is now estimated at 8,300,000,000. If one were to plug those numbers into a calculator, you get a number like .002168% that represents the total percentage of people who have been baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in this final dispensation. 

Clearly, when one ponders this reality it can be a very disheartening prospect if we consider ourselves to be a missionary church as we do. Conversely, if one were to take the positive point of view with the same set of facts, why not conclude that our opportunities that await us in converting the world to the true blessings of the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ are virtually unlimited. We are expanding our reach throughout the world now with new missionaries and new missions being organized in record numbers. 

Twin Granddaughter
Missionaries Being Endowed

I was edified this morning as I reviewed a pivotal address on an Easter Sunday by President Dallin H. Oaks in General Conference in 2018. He entitled it "Small and Simple Things." He encourages us to consider just how impactful our influence can be in situations we might be tempted by Satan to think are meaningless and so trivial that we can easily become discouraged or disheartened. The monumental tasks ahead of us seem insurmountable at times when we look at the raw data.

However, think of the rising number of our young people who are routinely answering the calls into the mission field worldwide these days. It's staggering to contemplate the collective influence for good their efforts represent. 

Remember, these are the most innocent and inexperienced people we could possibly imagine, yet they answer their calls with hope and anticipation unfettered by the judgments of the world. And perhaps most importantly, they are succeeding in staggering numbers as baptisms continue to rise and temples are spreading throughout the world to provide eternal ordinances for those seeking a covenant relationship with their Heavenly Father and their Savior Jesus Christ.

Second Coming

My conclusion today is that we may be intimidated by the sheer magnitude of the mountain yet to climb in this dispensation as we prepare the world for the Second Coming of our Savior Jesus Christ. But (and it's a BIG BUT) we are promised the final victory in this small sample from the gospel of John:

“I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6).

“I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” (John 8:12).

“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33).

Have You Become Internet Dependent?

I asked myself that question all of last week with the demise of my router that had died of "old age." I had it tested to discover why my access to the internet had slowly been degrading over the last several weeks. I use STARLINK as my provider, and they agreed through their interactive AI "consultant" who spoke perfect English with a lilting and cheerful voice that "she" would be happy to send me a replacement disk and router at no charge to me. It was a week in transit, and when I received it yesterday via FedEx I was up and running within minutes. Internet access has become "plug and play."

Lindon Temple

During my week of internet exile, I was able to fill in the downtime by attending several temples nearby in Utah. One day I had a "double-header" with an endowment session for two twin granddaughters in the Mount Timpanogos Temple as they prepare to leave on their missions. Then the next day one of their sisters was sealed in the new Lindon Temple. 

Another day I was headed up north for the live endowment of a grandson, also preparing for his mission to Brazil later this summer. Along the way with ample time to spare I took in an initiatory and endowment session in the Brigham City Temple, then caught a bite to eat before moving on to Logan for the session with my grandson in the Logan Temple. It was a long day, to be sure, and I arrived home after 10:30 p.m. filled with the fulfillment that can only come in participating with beloved family members. 

The good brother who was supervising the initiatory ordinances in Brigham City Temple asked me if I were related the Goates family that lives in the Woodland Ward. I was stunned! I replied, "Well, yes I am. That's me!" His daughter lives in our ward, and she had been talking about our family with him for years. No matter how large the Church becomes there seems to be no end of obscure but meaningful connections among us. We are still personal in all our relationships.

Wednesday of last week was also filled with a drop-in endowment session in the Bountiful Temple, because I couldn't make a reservation without my internet access. I realized just how helpless I was when I couldn't even print a family name slip for any of my outings last week.

I live alone in my "now-it's-way-too-big" home. With access to the internet I am playing background music continually from my Apple Music library. Without the internet I am listening to nothing but the sounds of silence, and my loneliness is compounded. 

I am also connected through the worldwide community of "X" (formerly Twitter), which was absent from my life last week. Increasingly the members of the Church are connecting through that medium, and I am grateful to have discovered that population ever since Elon Musk, its creator, has cleaned it up for a more meaningful experience for all participants.

Logan Temple

Brigham City Temple

I will be the first to raise my hand in favor of the internet in my life. I will also admit to my dependency upon it these days. Even a week without it brought immeasurable joy as I picked up my delivery yesterday from FedEx and installed my new components to restore my access.