Doctrine and Covenants 104:15–18

Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin:

“The Lord’s way consists of helping people help themselves. The poor are exalted because they work for the temporary assistance they receive, they are taught correct principles, and they are able to lift themselves from poverty to self-reliance. The rich are made low because they humble themselves to give generously of their means to those in need” (“Inspired Church Welfare,” Ensign,May 1999, 77).

President Marion G. Romney:

“It would be a simple thing for the Lord to reveal to [the President of the Church] where the deposits of oil and precious ores are. We could then hire someone to dig them out and we could float in wealth—and we would float in wealth right down to Hades. No, the Lord doesn’t really need us to take care of the poor, but we need this experience; for it is only through our learning how to take care of each other that we develop within us the Christlike love and disposition necessary to qualify us to return to his presence” (“Living Welfare Principles,” Ensign, Nov. 1981, 92).

Elder D. Todd Christofferson:

“As we pursue the cause of Zion, each of us should prayerfully consider whether we are doing what we should and all that we should in the Lord’s eyes with respect to the poor and the needy” (“Come to Zion,” Ensignor Liahona, Nov. 2008, 39).

Doctrine and Covenants 104:16

Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf:

“There are many good people and organizations in the world that are trying to meet the pressing needs of the poor and needy everywhere. We are grateful for this, but the Lord’s way of caring for the needy is different from the world’s way. The Lord has said, ‘It must needs be done in mine own way’ [D&C 104:16]. He is not only interested in our immediate needs; He is also concerned about our eternal progression. For this reason, the Lord’s way has always included self-reliance and service to our neighbor in addition to caring for the poor” (“Providing in the Lord’s Way,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2011, 54).

President Marion G. Romney:

“The prime duty of help to the poor by the Church is not to bring temporal relief to their needs, but salvation to their souls” (“The Role of Bishops in Welfare Services,”Ensign, Nov. 1977, 81).

Doctrine and Covenants 105

Heber C. Kimball:

“We started on the 5th of May (1834), and truly this was a solemn morning to me. I took leave of my wife and children and friends, not knowing whether I would see them again in the flesh, as myself and brethren were threatened both in that country and in Missouri by enemies, that they would destroy us and exterminate us from the land” (in Orson F. Whitney, The Life of Heber C. Kimball [1945], 40).

The Prophet Joseph Smith:

“Notwithstanding our enemies were continually breathing threats of violence, we did not fear, neither did we hesitate to prosecute our journey, for God was with us, and His angels went before us, and the faith of our little band was unwavering. We know that angels were our companions, for we saw them” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith[2007], 288–89).

Doctrine and Covenants 105:5

Elder D. Todd Christofferson:

“The law of the celestial kingdom is … the gospel law and covenants, which include our constant remembrance of the Savior and our pledge of obedience, sacrifice, consecration, and fidelity” (“Come to Zion,” Ensign or Liahona,Nov. 2008, 38).

President Ezra Taft Benson:

“The law of the gospel embraces all laws, principles, and ordinances necessary for our exaltation” (The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson [1988], 337).

Doctrine and Covenants 105:18–19

The Prophet Joseph Smith:

“God did not want you to fight. He could not organize His kingdom with twelve men to open the Gospel door to the nations of the earth, and with seventy men under their direction to follow in their tracks, unless He took them from a body of men who had offered their lives, and who had made as great a sacrifice as did Abraham” (in History of the Church, 2:182; see also Church History in the Fulness of Times, 151).

Doctrine and Covenants 105:19

Elder Franklin D. Richards:

“The ‘journey of Zion’s Camp’ was regarded by many as an unprofitable and unsuccessful episode. A brother in Kirtland who did not go with the camp, meeting Brigham Young upon his return, said to him, ‘Well, what did you gain on this useless journey to Missouri with Joseph Smith?’ ‘All we went for,’ replied Brigham Young. ‘I would not exchange the experience I gained in that expedition for all the wealth of Geauga County,’ the county in which Kirtland was then located. (B. H. Roberts, “Brigham Young, A Character Sketch,” Improvement Era, vol. 6 [June 1903], p. 567.)” (“The Purpose of Life: To Be Proved,” Ensign, Dec. 1971, 50).

Elder Neal A. Maxwell:

“Those who marched in Zion’s Camp were not exploring the Missouri countryside but their own possibilities” (“Notwithstanding My Weakness,” Ensign, Nov. 1976, 14).