You are a child of God (see Romans 8:16). Because He lives in heaven, we often call God our Heavenly Father. In His eyes, we are all equal and are worthy of love and happiness. Since God is all-knowing, He understands you on an individual level. He knows your strengths, your weaknesses, your hopes, and your fears. Your loving Heavenly Father is patient and forgiving. No matter who you are or what you’ve done, God wants you to reach out to Him through prayer so He can help you. As you turn to Him and follow His Son, Jesus Christ, you can experience greater joy in your life.

God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to take upon Him the sins of everyone who would live on the earth so we could be forgiven (see John 3:16). Jesus also overcame death so we can live again. Jesus’s sacrifice on our behalf was possible because of His divinity and perfect life.

As we go through life, we will all make mistakes. But if we try to be better and pray to our Heavenly Father for forgiveness, we can become clean again. As you learn more about Jesus Christ and how to follow Him, you can experience the joy of God's forgiveness of past mistakes and receive strength from the Savior to overcome future challenges.

Our Heavenly Father sent us to earth to become more like Him: to gain a physical body and to learn and grow before someday returning to live in His presence.

Life provides many opportunities to experience joy. In fact, the Book of Mormon teaches a wonderful truth about your purpose: “Men are, that they might have joy” (2 Nephi 2:25). We will also face challenges and make hard choices between right and wrong. God promises great blessings to those who follow Him through good times and bad. The challenge is to have faith in His plan, even though we don’t have all of the answers.

Because we all sin, God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, so we can repent and be forgiven. Jesus makes it possible for us to become clean, enabling us to return home to live with God. When we accept Jesus Christ and follow His example, we find more meaning in life. We become less selfish and can enjoy greater love, peace, and happiness.

The Holy Bible is a collection of sacred books written by ancient prophets and historians. It teaches us about God, Jesus Christ, and their interactions with humankind throughout history. It outlines God’s commandments, shows us how to live and treat others, and helps us understand Jesus’s essential role in our salvation.

Like the Bible, the Book of Mormon is holy scripture that testifies of God and Jesus Christ. It centers on the experiences of God’s children in the Americas and details Jesus’s visit to them after His Resurrection. The Book of Mormon affirms Jesus Christ’s life, His ministry, and His act of saving us from sin and overcoming death. This additional witness (see 2 Corinthians 13:1) can deepen your understanding of the Savior and strengthen your faith in Him.

Both books help us understand that Heavenly Father extends the same blessings and opportunities to all His children and that His love isn’t confined to people from a single area of the world. No matter who we are or what language we speak, God loves us and wants us to come closer to Him.

Families are a big part of our Heavenly Father’s plan for our happiness. We are born into a family meant to help us learn and grow. We aspire to build strong family relationships. Home can be a place where we feel support, safety, and love.

God does not want family ties to end when we die. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to overcome sin and death for all of us. Because of that sacrifice, if you choose to follow God, you can be reunited with your family in the next life.

Jesus commanded His disciples to “go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). The gospel of Jesus Christ is the single most important message we could share with the world. It is a promise of joy, forgiveness, peace, and salvation. That is why our missionaries leave the comfort of their homes and spend up to two years of their lives teaching others about the beliefs they hold dear.

Want to come closer to Jesus Christ? We would love to meet with you in person, online, or by telephone to answer your questions and share this life-changing message.

When Jesus Christ was on the earth, He established a Church “built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets” (Ephesians 2:20). This follows the Old Testament pattern of God calling prophets like Noah, Moses, and Abraham to lead His people. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ continued this divine pattern in 1820 when a 14-year-old farmboy named Joseph Smith entered a grove of trees to pray. He wanted to know which church was true so he could join it. The answer He received was a miracle. God and Jesus appeared to him. They told Joseph not to join any of the existing churches. Through Joseph, Jesus Christ would restore His original Church.

Later, Joseph was led by an angel to an ancient record, written on gold plates. The record, known as the Book of Mormon, contained writings of prophets from the American continent, testifying of Jesus Christ. Joseph translated it by the power of God.

Over time, Joseph was visited by other heavenly beings, including John the Baptist and Peter, James, and John. They bestowed Jesus’s authority to baptize, heal the sick, call Apostles and other leaders, and more. Joseph officially organized The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1830. You can know for yourself if Joseph was a prophet and that he restored Jesus Christ’s Church by reading the Book of Mormon and praying to know if it’s true. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints continues to be led by a living prophet today.

We believe that temples are the house of the Lord here on earth. They are places where individuals can go and make sacred promises with God, feel the peace of the Holy Spirit, draw closer to Jesus Christ, and seek relief from the hectic demands of day-to-day life. 

In the temple, you can receive some of the greatest blessings God has to offer you. When couples get married in the temple, they are united for “time and all eternity” instead of “until death do us part.” God’s perfect love and mercy mean that no one will be denied blessings such as eternal marriage or baptism through no fault of their own. Temples make it possible for us to perform these and other ceremonies on behalf of our ancestors and loved ones who did not receive those blessings in this life, should they choose to accept them in the afterlife.

God is your loving Father in Heaven, and He wants to hear from you. You can reach out to Him by praying to Him. Prayer brings you closer to God and will help you receive answers to your personal questions. Your Heavenly Father wants to bless you with His help and guidance in your life.

Prayer can be done out loud or silently in your mind. You can speak to God like you would any other person. Your words do not have to be eloquent or memorized. It is more important to be open and sincere. Believe He is there and listening, because He is. Believe He will help you, because He will. As you draw closer to Him, you can learn to better recognize His answers to you.

These are the basic steps to prayer:

1. Address God.
2. Express gratitude.
3. Ask for blessings and help.
4. End your prayer with “In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.”
5. Act on the answers you receive.

Baptism is a covenant—or a promise—that you make with God. When you get baptized, you promise to serve Him and follow His commandments to the best of your abilities. In return, God promises you many blessings, including the guidance and comfort of the Holy Spirit and the washing away of all your sins.

Jesus Christ taught, “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:5). This means that baptism, or being “born of water,” is a requirement to get into heaven. Little children are an exception. Jesus said, “Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 19:14). Latter-day Saint children usually get baptized at age eight, when they are better able to discern between right and wrong and can choose to be baptized for themselves.

Jesus Christ was baptized by immersion, being submersed completely under the water, and we follow that example. He also asked someone with proper priesthood authority from God to baptize Him. John the Baptist, as a descendant of Aaron, held the priesthood, which allowed him to baptize. That same priesthood is found in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints today. That is why people are baptized when they join the Church, even if they’ve been baptized previously.

When we sin or choose poorly, we distance ourselves from God. The good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ is that the Savior suffered for our sins and mistakes. Because of Him, you can become clean and live with God again if you repent and try to do better.

Because God forgives us when we mess up, He expects us to do the same for others. That includes forgiving ourselves when we struggle and feel inadequate—something you will learn to do better as you practice following Jesus.

“And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:32).

God loves you and wants what’s best for you. He wants to hear from you. Accessing the power of prayer begins with recognizing prayer as a heartfelt, two-way conversation between you and God. As you pray regularly and sincerely, look diligently for answers, and live your life in a way that invites the influence of the Holy Spirit, you will learn to recognize the answers to your prayers.

Missionaries are volunteers who leave their everyday lives for up to two years to teach people the gospel of Jesus Christ. These young men and women put careers, education, relationships, and other pursuits on hold so they can focus on serving and teaching. Have you ever felt like something is missing in your life? Or that you believe in God but feel like you don’t have a strong relationship with Him? Missionaries want to share a life-changing message with you that answers:

• Where we came from, why we’re here on earth, and what happens after we die.
• How to pray and recognize answers to prayer.
• What happened to Jesus Christ’s original Church.
• How your family can be together forever.
• What God expects of you.

Sign up for a visit below. Missionaries can meet in person at your home or a public place, by telephone, or by video chat.