Dear brothers and sisters,
Happy New Year! We extend our love and warm greetings to each of you. It is a privilege to worship together as we journey throughout the Asia North Area. We pray that this new year will bring you increased joy in drawing closer to our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, recognizing the abundant influence of the Holy Ghost as you strive to follow the Savior.
Reflecting on the past year, we witnessed remarkable blessings as we went beyond the challenges of the pandemic. The dedication of the Japan Okinawa Temple brought profound blessings to the saints there, now able to partake in temple ordinances without leaving Okinawa. In addition to the six temples already operating in our area, we rejoice in the announcements of the three new temples: in Busan Korea, Osaka Japan, and Ulaanbaatar Mongolia. Further, we anticipate holding FSY and YSA conferences at various locations this year, and welcoming more full-time missionaries as their numbers increase in the coming months.
We are excited to focus on studying the Book of Mormon in 2024, both in our homes and at church, through the Come Follow Me curriculum. The purpose of all gospel learning is to deepen our conversion and align ourselves to become more like Jesus Christ.i As you diligently study, pray, and live Christ’s teachings found within the Book of Mormon, you will undoubtedly feel the transformative power of the Savior in your life.ii We hope you will be inspired to share this power and its effects with those you love.
In light of this incredible opportunity to focus on the Book of Mormon this year, we, as an Area Presidency, invite you to share your insights and experiences with your loved ones. Whether it’s sharing verses that have brought you comfort or insights that answer personal questions—questions of the soul—please take the time to read and discuss these verses with them.iii Share your testimony of the Savior and His love, recount how you have come to know Him, and explain how the teachings of the Book of Mormon are relevant to your lives today.iv We promise that as you do so, you will feel guided by the Holy Ghost, and recognize the Book of Mormon as the “most powerful resource in conversion.”v
Joseph Smith declared the Book of Mormon to be “the most correct of any book on earth,” asserting that we “would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book”.vi President Russell M. Nelson underscores this sentiment, emphasizing that “[s]omething powerful happens when a child of God seeks to know more about Him and His Beloved Son. Nowhere are those truths taught more clearly and powerfully than in the Book of Mormon. . . . When I think of the Book of Mormon, I think of the word power. The truths of the Book of Mormon have the power to heal, comfort, restore, succor, strengthen, console, and cheer our souls.”vii
Contained within the Book of Mormon is the doctrine of the Savior, Jesus Christ. The Lord made this powerful promise to you: as you earnestly strive to keep the covenants you made at baptism and receiving the Holy Ghost, Christ’s words will show you “all things [you] should do.”viii Navigating life with the Book of Mormon will allow the Holy Ghost to guide you, helping you “think Celestial” as President Nelson recently encouraged, finding joy today in the journey back to our heavenly home.ix
In 2023, the second edition of “Preach My Gospel” was distributed throughout the world, with translated versions in Japanese, Korean, and Mongolian now available digitally and soon in print. Notably, the revised edition has an increased focus on all members as missionaries. President Oaks urges you a to “internalize the power of the Book of Mormon in teaching the restored gospel, first by applying it in [your] own lives and then by sharing it with those [you] teach”x So, as you embark on the First Book of Nephi, contemplating Nephi and his family’s journey to the promised land, liken their journey to your own, applying their learnings for your “profit and learning.”xi Just as Lehi shared the love of God with his family in in his dream,xii may you feel God’s abundant love and share it with your loved ones. As they “try the virtue “or “experiment upon” the words you share, you will witness their faith to grow, and they will be forever grateful for recognizing its “great worth.”xiii
Download PhotoIn conclusion, may we repeat President Russell M. Nelson’s powerful promise to us concerning the Book of Mormon:
“My dear brothers and sisters, I promise that as you prayerfully study the Book of Mormon every day, you will make better decisions—every day. I promise that as you ponder what you study, the windows of heaven will open, and you will receive answers to your own questions and direction for your own life. I promise that as you daily immerse yourself in the Book of Mormon, you can be immunized against the evils of the day, even the gripping plague of pornography and other mind-numbing addictions.”xiv
We love you and eagerly anticipate being with you as we visit your congregations and in temples in 2024.
With love and gratitude,
Area Presidency
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1 “Conversion Is Our Goal
The aim of all gospel learning and teaching is to deepen our conversion and help us become more like Jesus Christ. For this reason, when we study the gospel, we’re not just looking for new information; we want to become a “new creature” (2 Corinthians 5:17). This means relying on Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ to help us change our hearts, our views, our actions, and our very natures.” (Come Follow Me—For Individuals and Families: Doctrine and Covenants 2021, Introductory Materials, conversion is our goal)
2 “The Book of Mormon is not just a history of ancient American civilizations. It seeks to convince all ‘that Jesus is the Christ’ (title page of the Book of Mormon), and God Himself directed how it was written, preserved, and made available to us. This year, as you read the Book of Mormon, pray about it, and apply its teachings, you will invite the Savior’s power into your life.” (Come Follow Me—For Home and Church: Book of Mormon 2024, January 1-7: Another Testament of Jesus Christ).
3 “The Book of Mormon Addresses Questions of the Soul
Reading the Book of Mormon with the guidance of the Spirit can help people find answers or insights to their personal questions—or questions of the soul. Help people see how the teachings in the Book of Mormon address life’s questions.” (Preach My Gospel, Chapter 5, Page 117)
4 “When reading the Book of Mormon with people, share your testimony of the spiritual power you have felt as you have read it. Emphasize the importance of its witness of Jesus Christ and His Atonement. Share passages that can help people feel their Savior’s love. Help them see how they can come to know the Savior better through its pages.
Read passages that will lift and strengthen people. Focus on their needs. Share examples of how the teachings in the Book of Mormon apply to our lives today.”
(Preach My Gospel, Chapter 5, page 120 (emphasis added))
5 The Book of Mormon, combined with the Spirit, is your most powerful resource in conversion. (Preach My Gospel, Chapter 5, page 113)
6 The Prophet Joseph Smith: “I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith [2007], 64).
7 President Russell M. Nelson, “The Book of Mormon: What Would Your Life Be Like without It?” General Conference October 2017.
8 2 Nephi 32:3
9 “Think Celestial!” President Russell M. Nelson, General Conference October 2023
10 President Dallin H. Oaks, “Counsel for Mission Leaders,” seminar for new mission leaders, June 25, 2022).
11 1 Nephi 19:23
12 1 Nephi 8:12 “And as I partook of the fruit thereof it filled my soul with exceedingly great joy; wherefore, I began to be desirous that my family should partake of it also; for I knew that it was desirable above all other fruit.”
13 See 1 Nephi 5:21. The records which the Lord commanded Lehi and Nephi to obtain were “desirable” and “of great worth unto us.”; Alma 31:5 “try the virtue” of the word; Alma 32:28-30 “experiment upon the word”.
14 President Russell M. Nelson, “The Book of Mormon: What Would Your Life Be Like without It?” General Conference October 2017).