On Sunday morning, President Uchtdorf shared a deeply personal story about his childhood in war-torn Germany.
He began his general conference address abruptly, with this poignant description:
"One of my haunting childhood memories begins with the howl of distant air-raid sirens that awaken me from sleep. Before long, another sound, the rattle and hum of propellers, gradually increases until it shakes the very air. Trained well by our mother, we children each grab our bag and run up the hill to a bomb shelter. As we hurry through the pitch-dark night, green and white flares drop from the sky to mark the targets for the bombers. Strangely enough, everyone calls these flares Christmas trees.
"I am four years old, and I am a witness to a world at war."
Image from LDS.org.
But, out of this darkness and destruction, President Uchtdorf shared a story of redemption when he described a Church in Dresden, Germany. Seventy years after 90 percent of the city was destroyed by firestorms and "thousands of tons of explosives," the beautiful Lutheran church at its heart, Frauenkirche or the Church of Our Lady, was rebuilt from the rubble.
Image from LDS.org.
"Today you can see these fire-blackened stones pockmarking the outer walls," President Uchtdorf said. "These 'scars' are not only a reminder of the war history of this building but also a monument to hope—a magnificent symbol of man’s ability to create new life from ashes."
Image from LDS.org.
Frauenkirche's current website allows people to virtually tour this magnificent building, to see the beauty that has risen from the ashes of war.
You can tour the church for yourself here, or check out some of the stunning images below.
All images from frauenkirche-dresden.de.
Looking at these pictures, President Uchtdorf's words take on a new meaning, "It matters not how completely ruined our lives may seem. It matters not how scarlet our sins, how deep our bitterness, how lonely, abandoned, or broken our hearts may be. Even those who are without hope, who live in despair, who have betrayed trust, surrendered their integrity, or turned away from God can be rebuilt."
And what qualifies us of this divine attention? Of this love and care and hope? President Uchtdorf answers this question through the parable of the lost sheep:
"Does the sheep need to know how to use a complicated sextant to calculate its coordinates? Does it need to be able to use a GPS to define its position? Does it have to have the expertise to create an app that will call for help? Does the sheep need endorsements by a sponsor before the Good Shepherd will come to the rescue?
"No. Certainly not! The sheep is worthy of divine rescue simply because it is loved by the Good Shepherd . . .
"Our Savior, the Good Shepherd . . . knows and loves you. . . .
Because He loves you, He will find you. He will place you upon His shoulders, rejoicing. And when He brings you home, He will say to one and all, “Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost."
You can take the virtual tour of the church here.
