Alma 17-22

READING: Matt. 11:28; 12:1-13; 7:36-50; 1310-17

The first section of this lesson talks about President Hunter’s personal example of being charitable or loving. He was an attorney, and he was known for putting people before profits and help before an accounting of time. His concern was that people got what they needed, not that they were charged what he was owed.

Mormon missionaries first arrived in Tonga in 1891, in the midst of a sea of religious turmoil, landing on the southern island group of Tongatapu. Their journals record vital details that might otherwise have been lost, including stories about their initial meeting with the king of Tonga to seek permission to preach the gospel, their urgent need for housing, and request to the premier of Tonga to build a mission home and school in Mu‘a.

In a bold disregard for male superiority, the Savior was not ashamed to describe Himself by using feminine images. He is the mother hen yearning to protect her own under her ample wings if they will come to Him in faith (Matthew 23:37; Luke 13:37), and the woman who searched her house until she found the lost coin (Luke 15:8–10). He invited all who were thirsty to come to Him and drink from His koilia (John 7:37–38), an interesting but debated image. The term refers to a “hollow of the body” and is typically translated as “belly” or “womb.”

My high school class ring was all bling. BHS, for Bountiful High School, stood out boldly on one side of a ruby stone. On the opposing side were the numerals ’71. It was gold and heavy and showy, and I liked it when it was new. But, the most durable feature of the ring didn’t come from the skillful hand of a jeweler. It came from church ball. It was during my sophomore year. Winter. A cold junior varsity locker room was being used by the local church basketball teams for a tournament. Earlier in the year I’d had a locker in that room as part of the school football team. The locks securing the faded green cubicles now belonged to the players not skilled enough to make the varsity hoops squad.

Around 6 a.m. Monday morning, the Las Vegas Police Department arrived at an LDS church after receiving a notification. They found that the church had been broken into with the door open and a haze of smoke filling the building.

The final round of the animated Disney poll is here! In the fight for the all-time favorite and title as your champion, only twelve movies remain after the round 1 and round 2 polls. Because of the category breakdown in the prelims, we've got a lot of variety for you to pick your winner from. It's anyone's guess who will emerge the victor!

Following a long winter and spring in Winter Quarters — where 700 homes had been built and the camp of 12,000 members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints divided into 22 wards — the first company was readied to make the journey. Some of the most seasoned and reliable brethren were selected, and at first the 148 in number were to be men only.

There are nearly seven million Mormons in America. This is the number the Mormons themselves use. It's not huge. Seven million is barely 2 percent of the country's population. It is the number of people who subscribe to Better Homes and Gardens magazine. London boasts seven million people. So does San Francisco. It's a million more people than live in the state of Washington; a million less than in the state of Virginia. It's so few, it's the same number as were watching the January 24, 2012, Republican debate. In fact, worldwide, there are only about fourteen million Mormons. That's fourteen million among a global population just reaching seven billion. Fourteen million is the population of Cairo or Mali or Guatemala. It's approximately the number of people who tune in for the latest hit show on network television every week. Fourteen million Americans ate Thanksgiving dinner in a restaurant in 2011. That's how few fourteen million is.