Plan of Salvation (Kriss Gates Daughter)

I  have been asked to be the spiritual speaker today.  I know we have some in the audience that are not members of our church and we want to welcome you and thank you for being our family’s special friends.  I would like to take this opportunity to explain to you our concept of the Plan of Salvation.  This includes where we were before we were born and what will happen to us after we die.

I would like to help Grandma’s young grandchildren and great-grandchildren understand the Plan, so some of my talk is directed to them.

Once there was a little boy, named Bobby, whose grandma had just died.  He was very sad.  His mother sat him on the sofa and gave him a stack of brightly-colored books to read to cheer him up.  Soon, tears ran down his cheeks.  His mommy sat down beside him and pressed her cheek against his.  “I understand,” she said.  “I’ve been doing some crying myself.”

Bobby dug his fists into his eyes.  “Books are better!” 

Mommy stroked his hair.  “Books are better?”

“Book stories have good endings.” 

“Oh, I see.  And Grandma’s story…?”

“Had a terrible ending!  What is the use of being good if you just have a sad ending, anyway?”

Mommy sighed.  “Bobby, we haven’t seen the ending of Grandma’s story.”

“She’s dead!”

Mommy picked up one of Bobby’s favorite books,  “Bobby, is every page of this book happy?”

Bobby took the book and opened it.  “No” he said, this page is really sad, but it isn’t the last page.”

Mommy smiled.  “And we both know that Grandma’s death isn’t the last page of her story, either.”  Let’s pretend that we’re reading a book with Grandma’s story in it.  We’ve just read the sad page about her dying and it made us both cry.  Now, close your eyes, and imagine let’s turn to the next page.  Is it a dark, sad page or a bright, happy page?

Bobby closed his eyes.  “I can’t see it very well,” he said.  “I hope it’s a bright, happy page.”

“Look at the picture.  Is Grandma alone?”

“No, she’s with Heavenly Father.  And Grandpa!”

“Are they smiling or frowning?”

“They’re smiling.”  Tears still ran down Bobby’s face, but he was smiling too.

Is that the last page in the book?”  Mommy asked, “Or are there more?”

“More.  Someday we’ll be with Grandma and Grandpa too.”

“And will that be a sad page or a happy one?”

Bobby thought about it.  “Both, I guess.  Happy for us, but sad for the people we leave behind.”

Mommy nodded.  “Keep turning pages, and you’ll see that the story never ends.  But there will come a page when all the dying is finished , and our spirits are reunited with our bodies forever.  Can you see the picture of the One who made that possible?”

“Yes, it was Jesus.”

Mommy gave Bobby a tight hug.  “Yes it was, sweeheart, and if we follow Him, our stories may have sad pages, but no sad endings-OK?

Our mother’s story is a long story book.  It is going to take up at least 3 volumes.  




This book was written all about Mom and Dad and the family they created. It is the 2^nd volume.  This 1st book tells about what happened before we came to earth. Let’s talk what is in it.

Long before we were born, we attended a council in heaven and learned of Heavenly Father’s plan.  An important part of His plan was for the earth to be created, to which we could come and have physical bodies.  We could not become like Him if we didn’t.  Heavenly Father placed a veil (something that covers) across our minds so we couldn’t remember our pre-earth life.  That way, we could learn to have faith in Him and Jesus Christ, to control our minds and our bodies, and to obey the commandments and choose the right. 

Knowing that we would sin and make mistakes, Heavenly Father asked for a savior – someone to atone for us.  Jesus Christ said that He would be our Savior, and he was chosen.  He followed Heavenly Father’s plan:  He created the earth  for us.  He organized His church.  He suffered in Gethsemane and on the cross for our sins.  Then he overcame death so that we can overcome death, too.

Louine Shields, was Mom’s closest cousin.  Several years ago her husband, Gus spoke at a funeral for his daughter-in-law.  After the services, Dad called me in California and said that Gus’s talk on the Plan of Salvation was wonderful, and that he wanted me to try to get a copy of it, so we could use it someday at his funeral and at Moms.  

I now quote from that talk:

It is obvious that each of us is going to die.  Have you ever pictured yourself at your own funeral, seeing yourself lying in your casket?  Wondering what things will be said about you at your funeral? I have!  We all ought to; for as sure as the sun comes up, it will happen.  I don’t know if you realize it or not, but THE PURPOSE OF LIFE IS TO PREPARE TO DIE.  Let me say it again.  THE PURPOSE OF LIFE IS TO PREPARE TO DIE.  Alma, in the Book of Mormon, states the purpose of our life as follows:  “therefore this life became of probationary state, A TIME TO PREPARE TO MEET GOD, a time to prepare for that endless state, … which is after the resurrection of the dead.”  Alma 12:24. 

Death is a very important part of God’s plan.  If we couldn’t die, we would be damned in our eternal progression.  

What is most, most important is the SPIRITUAL condition we are in when we die, and the spiritual “direction” we are traveling when we die; that we are READY to meet God. 

Our Father’s chief objective is to make it possible for us, His children, to be happy forever.   We have lived with our Heavenly Parents on some other world for eons of time; millions and millions of years.   We were nurtured, trained, tutored and watched over by our Heavenly Parents.  BUT WE HAVE OUR FREE AGENCY!  We used it  wisely in that former existence when we voted to accept the Fathers plan to send Christ, his Only Begotten to this earth to make it possible for us to obtain the happiness he seeks for his children.  Christ, our elder spirit brother, made this possible by his atoning sacrifice; his suffering in Gethsemane and on the cross.  Because of Christ, no matter how much we sin, (let me repeat that) no matter what gross sins we commit, if we do not murder, we can repent and be forgiven of all sin and it will be with God just as though they never happened. 

The plan of our Father for our eternal happiness was to create an earth and send us away from Him and those in heaven, for a short period of time; take our memory of the past existence away temporarily, and give us an opportunity to show how much we love the Father and the Son as we EXERCISE OUR AGENCY AGAIN.

This is the 3^rd volume.  

OUR GOAL IS TO BECOME JUST LIKE OUR HEAVENLY PARENTS. 

Now, we know that perfection in this life is impossible, but it’s not impossible to “start” on the path that leads to perfection.  If we are ON THAT PATH when we die, we will then have the opportunity to continue on that path after death until  “EVENTUALLY” we will gain perfection.  If we die and are not on the right path, having had an opportunity to enter into the right path, that chance may be lost forever.   

It’s quite a simple plan the Father instituted.  We come to this earth for two reasons.  One, to obtain a body of flesh and bone to house our spirit body.  A very important reason for a body of flesh and bone is that you have to have a body of flesh and bone in order to “procreate”, or have children or have sex.  As long as we lived as spirits, not one of us ever had the opportunity to create life (procreation) or participate in sex until we came to this earth.  And after we die NO one, including you and I, will never participate in that God-like power of creating life, unless we reach, through worthiness, the highest degree of the Celestial kingdom. 

The second reason for earth life is to be “TESTED”; to see which of two great powers on this earth we will follow; Christ or Satan.  Here again, we have our free agency.  Our test is to see if we will follow Christ or Satan;  it's that simple.  This earth life is our FINAL test for eternity.  If we pass it, we will go on to our perfection. 

Let me tell you you what happens to people when they die, as I understand it.  Of course, our body goes into the grave, but our spiritis, the real “you” goes into the spirit world, or into the “room across the hall.”  Life goes on there similar to how it goes on here; we just don’t have our physical bodies; we have spirit bodies.

We have a partial judgement at that time.   There are three places, or different conditions, all people are assigned to when they die;  Hell, Spirit Prison or Paradise.   Hopefully, most of us will go to Paradise.  We are taught that there are 3 different degrees of glory, or places, we can be put in after the resurrection and the final judgement… telestial, terrestrial and celestial.  Our placement is determined by the choices we make here on earth.

Do you want to repent?  To repent is STOP DOING THE BAD THINGS (BREAKING GOD’S COMMANDMENTS) AND START DOING THE GOOD THINGS (KEEPING HIS COMMANDMENTS.)

How do we do this?  NONE of us can do it on our own.  The help we all need is called the Gift of the Holy Ghost.  The Holy Ghost is a man; the third member of the Godhead.  His body is not composed of flesh and bones like the Father and Son.  He has a body of “Spirit”.  He is made of matter too sacred for us to comprehend.  He, the man, can only be in one place at a time.  However, there is a great power that radiates from this spirit man, the Holy Ghost, and can dwell in our bodies of flesh & bones, if we qualify for it.  If we listen to our promptings from the Holy Ghost, we will know how to Stop doing the bad things Start doing the good things. 

Thanks again to Gus for putting these profound concepts into sentences we can understand.

One of the best things we can ever do is be sealed in the temple for time and all eternity.  This means that a family can be together for ever.  My Mom and Dad were sealed about 68 Years ago.  I am glad to know that I can be with Mom and Dad and my brothers and sisters forever.  Just picture us up in heaven, having one of our Bodell Reunions.  Just think how we will be able to invite all our ancestors to join us in visiting, and playing games, and having barn dances.  One of our  family’s favorite parts of our barn dances is the Chicken Dance when we get to hook arms at the elbows and swing around from one beloved relative to another.  Perhaps we will not only swing around with Grandma Jim, Grandpa Bodell, and Grandma and Grandpa Brown, but we will get to party and study and visit with our brave pioneer ancestors who traveled from Europe, and eventually crossed the plains to get to a place that they could worship God, the Father, and his Son Jesus Christ, as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. 

I have a little great niece named Jasmine who always arrives at her Grandma Jimae’s home and throws open the door and excitedly hollers “I’m here, I’m here everybody, I am here!” Three months ago we lost her father, David Kenney, in a tragic car accident.  A couple of weeks ago his little, barely 3 year old daughter, Jasmine, told her Grandma Jimae upon seeing a picture of her father, said that when she goes up to heaven she is going to say, “I’m here, I’m here, Daddy, I’m here!” 

Mom loved family reunions.  Can you imagine what it was like on Monday as she peacefully slipped from this earthly life and her earthly body, and her spirit went to heaven?  I’ll bet she went through the veil and said… “I’m here, I’m here Heavenly Father and Jesus!  I’m here, Mom, Dad, Nora, Ray, Ruth, Maurine, Louise, Albert, and Ronald.  I’m here Grandma Jim and all the Bodells!  I’m here, my beloved grandsons, John David, James and David.  I’m here and Jim will be joining us as soon as he finishes his mission on Earth.”  Oh, what a family reunion they must have had the past few days!  I’ll bet she even tapped Dance to “On the Good Ship Lollipop” in the family talent show. 

I know that Christ atoned for us to be able to live again.  I know that it is possible for us to all be together again.  I know that I will die some day, and I hope and pray that I can live the kind of life that I will be able to be with Mom and celebrate  in a great family reunion, not only with my ancestors, but my descendents.  Probably at least 3/4s of the people here are related to us.  We get to be with you.

I bear my testimony of the truthfulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  I am grateful that we have the concept of the Plan of Salvation and that we know that Families are Forever.