Today, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints released the first video in its series of Book of Mormon videos. But the videos have been changing lives long before they have reached people’s homes.

The welfare system of the Church, formerly known as the Church Security Plan, has been around for more than 75 years. It is a sad historical fact that handouts create a society of slaves, dependent on the dole. The Church does not believe in robbing people of their sense of self-worth. Everything we receive from the Church in the form of aid requires some kind of work (at least it is supposed to be required) so as to help preserve the dignity of the individual receiving aid.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints continues to provide relief amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The Church is now distributing cash and commodities in response to an unprecedented number of humanitarian requests around the world.

Editor’s note: The following excerpt comes from a book about special witnesses of Jesus Christ. You can read this chapter in its entirety at truthwillprevail.xyz as well as other chapters as they are posted. This excerpt is republished here with permission.

In some cases, warnings may come as thoughts to our mind. In other cases, they will come as feelings. Many times both thoughts and feelings are involved.

The children of Israel were long oppressed in Egypt as strangers (foreigners) in a strange land. Even their ancestors Abraham and Jacob/Israel were Syrians dispossessed from their homeland. This fact was a regular part of an Israelite testimony as expressed during solemn worship services of thanksgiving and gratitude to God at the Jerusalem temple, “A Syrian ready to perish was my father, and he went down into Egypt, and sojourned there with a few, and became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous” (Deuteronomy 26:5).

The following is part of former NFL player Chad Lewis's 2012 BYU Women's Conferenceaddress "Mormon’s Warning: Arming Your Home and Family." During his address, Lewis shared how his parents taught him how to strengthen his home and family through a tragedy that happened just months before his mission.

This article is republished with permission from Book of Mormon Central. For more inspiring and instructive content on the Book of Mormon visit Book of Mormon Central, subscribe to our mailing list, see our YouTube videos, and follow us on Facebook.

Jane Elizabeth Manning was born in Connecticut in about 1820. Her mother had been enslaved, but she was emancipated by the time Jane was born. Jane’s father died when she was a young child and, perhaps in part for that reason, Jane began working as a domestic servant for a wealthy white family in the next town over. As a young woman, she was baptized and joined the local Congregational Church, but not long afterward she heard a missionary from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints preach and she was convinced by his message. She was baptized a short time later, and she appears to have persuaded her family to join the Church as well. In 1843, the Mannings joined an interracial group of converts for the journey to Nauvoo. Although they left the Northeast together, the group was separated at some point during the journey. The white members continued to Nauvoo on public transportation; the black members walked. When Jane and her family reached Nauvoo, they were welcomed by Emma and Joseph Smith and stayed in the mansion house for a short time while they found jobs and housing. Jane remained in the mansion house, working for the Smiths as a domestic servant.

When Korihor had his first-hand experience with the power of God he tried to explain to Alma why he had attacked the truth. According to his statement in Alma 30:53, this is the path he followed: