True Accounts

I was listening to LDS Conversations yesterday and in the Quentin Cook interview there was a section where he talked about Pres. Monson's influence on Preach My Gospel. Pres. Monson read it and said, "there's no 'true accounts' in here. Missionaries need true accounts". I'm pretty sure he might modern-day stories emphasizing the principles being taught.

That obviously sounds like him, but I was particularly struck by his point. We remember stories, and they illustrate the validity of principles. Over the last couple conferences I've tried to really think, "what is the point Pres. Monson is trying to make with this story?" For instance, his story about the lady traveling from the communist country she was in to West Germany and losing her kids along the way but not losing faith teaches us that we can all keep the faith no matter what happens. His latest story about the man who worked for 6 years away from home to send his family to the temple 2500 miles away teaches a great lesson as well. It's pretty hard for me to hear that story and not realize I can go to the temple at least once a month. It makes me want to "sacrifice" to go to the temple. (Hard to call a very good thing for us a sacrifice.)

It also makes me want to choose good true accounts to share in my talk this Sunday. It can help illustrate in a way that only saying principles can't. SAying, "you have to take on the full armor of God" is perhaps less powerful than saying, "I have a friend who didn't take on the full armor of God despite putting on some of it, and he didn't end up okay."

Have a great day. Remember the value of sharing "true accounts."