Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
By Jim Greer
LW contributor
On Jan. 24, a virtual Stake Conference convened under the direction of Area 70, Elder Mark A. Mortensen and General Authority 70 Elder Devn Cornish. The conference reorganized the stake presidency, released Emerson Fersch and his counselors, and then sustained President Nate Fernley as president of the Long Beach California East Stake, with Roland Spongberg and Chad Donvito as counselors.
In his final address, Fersch recounted Jesus’ journey from Judea to Galilee by way of Samaria. Traveling through Samaria was a deliberate variance from Jewish custom that forbade interaction with Samaritans. But in his mercy, Jesus stopped at Jacob’s well, where he met a Samaritan woman.
In addressing the woman, he set aside convention and asked her to draw water for him. To which she replied, “How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria?” The savior replied, “If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, ‘Give me to drink,’ thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.”
Continuing his conversation with the woman, the Lord further testified, “Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” The faithful Samaritan woman then requested of the Lord, “Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not.”
During their conversation, Jesus told her of events in her life that no other person could know. His knowledge of her past and her familiarity with the scriptures confirmed that he was, in fact, a prophet. She confessed, “I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.” To which Jesus replied, “I that speak unto thee am he.”
“The first time the Lord acknowledged himself to be the Christ, it was to a Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well,” said Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. “And, hearing this, she hurriedly returned to her village and shared the good news. Upon hearing her report, villagers quickly went to the well where Jesus again revealed his true identity. To which they declared, ‘Now we believe, for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the savior of the world.’” This incident reveals: 1. In time, all Scripture will be fulfilled.
2. God’s enduring love for all of his children.
3. Christ rejects the cruel stigmas and burdens that societies place on groups and individuals.
Emphasizing these points, President Russell M. Nelson stated, “a fundamental doctrine and heartfelt conviction of our religion is that all people are God’s children. We truly believe that we are brothers and sisters—all part of the same divine family.” Also, “the true brotherhood of man and the true sisterhood of women… inspires us with passionate desire to build bridges of cooperation instead of walls of segregation.”
