It is now my privilege to introduce tonight's speaker. Richard Gordon Scott was sustained an Apostle in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on October 1, 1988. He served previously as a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy and in the presidency of that quorum. He was born in Pocatello, Idaho, to Kenneth Leroy and Mary Whittle Scott. He graduated from George Washington University as a mechanical engineer, served a full-time mission to Uruguay, and completed post-graduate work in nuclear engineering, a field in which he worked for many years. He presided over the Argentinian North Mission in Cordoba, Argentina. Elder Scott is blessed with a gifted wife, Jeanene Watkins, to whom he was sealed in the Manti Temple. She passed away in 1995. They are the parents of seven children. There's so much more that I could say about Elder Scott, but he likes short introductions. And so, I will just add that he loves our Father in Heaven, His Beloved Son, and all of the Father's other children. Elder Scott.

Thank you.

I have prayerfully prepared a message designed to bring you peace and happiness in a troubled world. I know that the truths it contains provide solutions, because my precious wife, Jeanene, and I have proven their worth in our own lives. For you to obtain the maximum benefit from our time together, I suggest that you carefully write down any impressions that come to you. They are personalized messages from the Lord, sent through the Holy Ghost for your guidance. Two of the vital pillars that sustain Father in Heaven's plan of happiness are the family and the home. Their lofty significance is underscored by Satan's relentless efforts to splinter the family and to undermine the significance of temple ordinances which bind the family together for eternity. He does this by constant encouragement to promote promiscuity and to defile the sacred, intimate expression of love between a husband and wife that results in the birth of children. Fifty-seven years ago, on July 16, 1953, my beloved Jeanene and I knelt, as a young couple, at an altar in the Manti Temple. President Lewis R. Anderson exercised the sealing authority and pronounced us husband and wife, wedded for time and all eternity. I have no power to describe the peace and serenity that come from the assurance that, as I continue to live to qualify, I will be able to be with my beloved Jeanene and our obedient children forever because of that sacred ordinance performed with the proper priesthood authority in the house of the Lord.

Our seven children are bound to us by the sacred ordinances of the temple. My precious wife, Jeanene, and two of our children are beyond the veil. They provide a powerful motivation for each remaining member of our family to live, so that together, we can receive all the eternal blessings promised in the temple. The sealing in the temple has greater meaning as life unfolds, and you discover the beauty of the differing characteristics between you, your spouse, and your children. You can share your love for each other and your gratitude for the blessing of being together. You can draw ever closer together and find greater fulfillment in mortality.

When my wife was carrying our third child, our second child was severely ill. Jeanene would hold him on her lap while they did fluoroscopic examination. She received excessive radiation, that, as a result, she was unable to have additional children, and the one that she was carrying passed away prematurely.

But we have them. They were born to us in the covenant. That is the blessing of the ordinances of the temple. Even though this mortal probation was different for different lengths, those who are sealed to us with the holy priesthood, through the ordinances of the holy temple, will be ours forever.

I know that I will have the privilege of being with that beautiful wife, who I love with all my heart, and with those children who are with her on the other side of the veil because of the opportunities made possible through the eternal ordinances that were performed in the Manti Temple. What a blessing to have, once again on the earth, a sealing authority, effective not only for this mortal life, but for the eternities. I am grateful that the Lord has restored His gospel in its fulness, including the ordinances that are required for us to be happy in the world and to live everlastingly joyous lives in the hereafter. What to me has become a vitally important part of remembering the blessings that come from the temple is that I love my wife more each day. I recognize that my sealing to my wife is, in a sense, not yet eternally conferred. We have lived the commandments. We've obeyed the blessings of the ordinances in the temple. We have honored those commandments. But she and I both must be found worthy beyond the veil, so that those ordinances can be sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise. The requirement that it be sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise is how Father in Heaven and the Savior assure that no one will gain those blessings unworthily. To mortals, an individual may be able to deceive by appearing to be righteous. But there can be no such deception with the Holy Ghost. I've asked Rebecca and Ben Marlowe, a recently married couple, to assist me as I try to help you prepare for eternal marriage.

Ben Marlowe, you are one extraordinarily blessed man. How did you capture the heart of an angel? I know; she is beautiful. It's the other way around. She's not only beautiful; she's very intelligent. [LAUGHTER] Yes, she is. And I know you're going to find that a blessing in your life as you continue your plans for the future. I'd like to ask you some questions, if I may. Rebecca, has your sealing to Ben brought all the happiness that you dreamed that it would? It's brought all of that happiness and more. And the reason why is because, now that we're sealed, we can do everything together. And that was something that I didn't fully comprehend before we were sealed. But being able to do everything together and go through everything together has been such a blessing. And just knowing that, no matter what happens, we'll be together forever is a wonderful blessing. How does he show his appreciation for you? Ben is so good at doing the little things, and for me that shows appreciation. Because it's not a big thing here or a big thing there. But it's consistently doing little things to show that he's grateful for me. What does Rebecca do to make your life happy? Everything she does makes me happy. [LAUGHTER] Men, remember that phrase when you become a husband! [LAUGHTER] That's outstanding.

Do you make the vital decisions together? How do you do that? We do. We have had a lot of opportunities, since we've been sealed, to talk and discuss about the things that are coming up in both of our futures. Sometimes, we may not totally agree. And that's something that is great for us, because then we know that we can rely on Heavenly Father, and that's something that we both always agree on. So, if there's a difference of opinion, you then work it out together through prayer with Heavenly Father? Absolutely. That is a wonderful, wonderful pattern for life.

How do you determine what should be the highest priority in your marriage? One thing that's been such a blessing for us is, ever since we've known each other, we have the same priorities in our lives. And that has helped our marriage a great deal, because we're working together towards the same goals. And we've determined that our priorities are first, the Lord and the gospel. And that's really helped our marriage. And then, each other, our families, and the family that we've created together. And then, everything else just kind of falls into place when you put those things first. Well, you can't go wrong when you pray to know what the will of the Lord is and then ask Him to help you fulfill it. That sounds like a wonderful pattern for a happy, productive, joyous, life. Thanks. Have you ever disagreed on anything in your marriage? [LAUGHTER] We have-- like I said earlier-- we've had some opportunities where we've been able to learn and grow together. [LAUGHTER] I think because of our backgrounds and different perspectives, of course there's going to be disagreements in marriage. But I think it's how you resolve them that is the important thing. And like Ben said earlier, no matter what we disagree on, we always agree about going to the Lord. And so, that's how we resolve any disagreements that we may have. But I don't know how you can disagree with Rebecca. [LAUGHTER] I think he's going to be a diplomat. [LAUGHTER] Do you study the scriptures together? We do. And it is such a special occasion when, every morning or every night, we have that opportunity to come together. One thing that we really try to do is, after we've had our personal study, we think of questions, maybe something we didn't understand. And then, when we come together as companions, we talk about those. And she gives her insight, because she's been blessed with a wonderful family who has given her so much knowledge in the gospel, and my mission and my family have helped me so much to gain gospel knowledge, but also everyday knowledge that everybody needs. You're both blessed to be supported by parents who love you and who agree with what you're doing. That is an enormous blessing in life. I'd like to ask you-- when I studied scriptures with my wife, she would read, I would read, we would comment. We didn't necessarily read together the passages. Is that a pattern that you've found useful? Or do you do it, just each a verse, or how does that work? Well, it just depends. Some days, well, we always do our personal scripture study. And sometimes, we'll come together and, like Ben said, we'll ask each other questions that we may have. And I always have a lot more questions than he has. But sometimes, we look at what's going on in our lives and the decisions that we're making, or challenges that we might be having, and we direct our personal study towards those thing, so that we can possibly find answers to our questions in the scriptures.

Do you have any counsel for the young people who are listening to this, single and married, of how you've found happiness in your marriage together? I think the greatest thing for myself is being able to spend personal time with Rebecca, always pushing aside work, or school, to make sure that we have some time together, that we can talk, we can communicate, and we can just continue to fall in love with one another. [LAUGHTER] Do you have a night when you date normally, you go out and do things? Yup. Friday night? Yeah, Friday night. He works at the MTC on Saturday nights, because I guess they have the married people work on the weekend so that the single people can date. But so, we go out. Friday night is our date night. Oh, that must be fun. Yeah, it is. What are some things you do on your date night? We love movies. That's probably one of our favorite things to do, is to sit and enjoy a movie. Because it blocks out the things that we're worrying about or stressing about. And it's just that time that we can be together. That may be great as a married couple, but I think it's a stupid idea for two people trying to get to know each other. [LAUGHTER] If you're a young man and trying to get to know a young girl, for heaven's sakes, don't take her to the movies. [LAUGHTER] Now, if you're married to an angel, I could understand why you'd do that. I would agree with that, though. Yeah, do exciting things. Figure out something that will make an interesting evening. But don't do what I did when I dated my wife one night. I passed a police car on the wrong side. They took us to this station. [LAUGHTER] Can you imagine trying to impress a young lady by being in a police station? It's more exciting than the movies. [LAUGHTER] That's just like Rebecca. She always turns everything into a positive, doesn't she? Makes life happy. Are you planning to have your own family? Yes, we are, absolutely. It's something that we constantly have on our minds, and we recognize that it's a commandment of Heavenly Father. And because we've had such wonderful families, we understand why it's so important in the gospel, and we desire to have that for ourselves.

Are you going to decide on how many children come? Or are you going to let the Lord decide that? She has a number. I'm letting the Lord decide. [LAUGHTER] We'll let the Lord decide.

I really want to thank you both for being so good to do this tonight. It's just a joy whenever I'm around either one of you. My life is enriched. You know, Ben, years ago, when this angel was just a young child, and my wife had passed away, she knew my spirit needed to be lifted. And she would call me, and I'd hear those words. It just thrilled my heart. "Hi, Elder Scott! This is Rebecca!" And from then on, it's just been a wonderful blessing to know you, and now, to see you both so very, very happy in marriage. We are, indeed, very, very happy.

Is there anything you'd like to comment on? You've got the world at your hand. Any suggestion you'd like to make? I think just one thing that Ben is really, really good at, that I've appreciated in our marriage, is, like I said, doing the little things, but doing the little things to help your relationship keep going, but also, spiritually, to read your scriptures every day and pray together and individually every day and go to the temple and do those little things. I know that Ben's mission has blessed us so much because he was able to create those habits on his mission that he's implemented into our marriage that have made it so much better. Thank you. My only advice would be to say "I love you" every day. And that's one thing that I have done in our marriage and has blessed us greatly, and not only to say it with your mouth, but to mean it with your heart, as well. Thank you both very, very much. Thank you. Thank you. We love you. We love you. We love you, Elder Scott. [LAUGHTER] Once, I learned an important lesson from my wife. I traveled extensively in my profession. I'd been gone almost two weeks and returned home one Saturday morning. I had four hours before going to a meeting. I noticed that our little washing machine had broken down, and my wife was washing the clothes by hand. Having an engineering background, I began to fix the machine. Jeanene came by and said, "Rich, what are you doing?" I said, "I'm repairing the washing machine so you don't have to do this by hand." She said, "No, go play with the children." I said, "I could play with them any time. I want to help you." She said, "Richard, please go play with the children." [LAUGHTER] When she spoke to me that authoritatively, I saluted and obeyed.

I had a marvelous time with our children. We chased each other around and rolled in the fall leaves. Later, I went to my meeting, and I probably would have forgotten that experience were it not for the lesson that she wanted me to learn. The next morning, about 4:00 a.m., I was awakened as I felt two little arms around my neck, a kiss on the cheek, and these words whispered to my ear that I will never forget: "Dad, I love you. You are my best, best friend." Are you having that kind of experience with your children? If not, you're missing one of the supernal joys of life. If you have not yet married, you can decide now that when you are a parent, the happiness of your children will be a very high priority in your life. When you live the commandments of Jesus Christ, you qualified to be led by the Lord. Therefore, you will not participate in the wrong things that go on around you. You can identify an eternal companion with whom you will have a marvelous life as you both express faith in the Savior and His power and to live worthily through your courtship.

Make the place where you live, no matter how humble or temporary, the embodiment of a clean, righteous environment where the Spirit can dwell. Keep it a haven of peace, free of conflict or dissension. This advice is given to both those who are married and those who are single. If you begin now to make a home an environment where the Spirit can dwell, it will be all the more likely that you'll be able to do so when you have a family of your own. Young men, don't waste time in idle pursuits. Serve a worthy mission. Then, make your highest priority that of finding a worthy eternal companion. Get on with life, and work it. Don't just coast through this period of life. It goes by too rapidly. When you find you're developing a strong interest in a young woman, show her that you are an exceptional person and that she would find interesting to know better. Take her places that are worthwhile. Show some ingenuity.

It's all right to go the movies after you're married, but it's stupid to do it beforehand. [LAUGHTER] Get to know each other. If you want to have a wonderful wife, you've got to be attractive to her. If you've found someone, begin to righteously grow those feelings together. You can form an extraordinarily wonderful courtship and marriage and be very, very happy-- eternally-- by staying within the bounds of worthiness the Lord has set. How can two people in love avoid crossing the boundary and falling into temptation? Let us define love. To love another righteously is to protect, to elevate, to keep pure and undefiled, to sacrifice oneself for the benefit of the other. To love is to hold and reserve sacred, intimate experiences for the sanctity of marriage. When these experiences are appropriately shared in marriage, they draw a husband and wife together and strengthen them for the growing responsibilities of parenthood. These sacred acts result in the formation of physical bodies for spirit children Father in Heaven entrusts to a mother and father.

In that sacred setting, appropriate intimate expression is beautiful and purposeful. When you remember these facts, you'll want to keep your courtship clean and pure. Now, I would like to speak to you who have already found your eternal companion. I invite those who are not yet married to listen closely, so that when that time comes, you can make your marriage the best it can be. The family proclamation states that a husband and wife should be equal partners. Many couples practice equal partnership with their companion to the benefit of both and the blessing of their children. However, many do not. I encourage anyone who is reluctant to develop an equal partnership with his or her spouse to obey the inspired counsel of the Lord and do it. Equal partnership yields its greatest benefit when both husband and wife seek the will of the Lord in making important decisions for themselves and their family, as Ben and Rebecca have told us they do. If you are married, are your faithful to your spouse mentally as well as physically? Are you loyal to your marriage covenants by never engaging in a conversation with another person that you wouldn't want your spouse to overhear? Are you kind and supportive of your own spouse and children? Brethren, do you assist your wife by doing some of the household chores? Do you lead out in family activities, such as scripture study, family prayer, family home evening? Or does your wife fill in the gap your lack of attention leaves in the home? Do you tell your wife often how very much you love her? Express gratitude for what your spouse does for you. Express that love and gratitude often, for that will make life far richer, more pleasant, and purposeful.

Many women seldom hear a complimentary comment and are not thanked for the multitude of good they do. That's a tragedy! As a husband, when you sense that your wife needs lifting, hold her in your arms, and tell how very much you love her. May each of us ever be tender and appreciative of the special companion who enriches our lives.

As a husband, be aware of what you might unconsciously communicate by how you treat your wife in public. As I shake hands with members at the end of a meeting, occasionally, I note a man that's in line in front of his wife.

That's inappropriate. As a matter of fact, it's just plain stupid.

It's demeaning to her. The simple gestures, like opening a door in the car, or in a room for a woman, shows how you want to give her the respect she deserves.

As a husband and wife, work as a partnership to build on each others' strengths. Listen to each other and help each other. I have seen men reject counsel from a wife who likely had struggled for a long time to find just the right moment to mention something the husband needed to change. Don't do that. I'll share an example to illustrate what I mean. Early in our marriage, Jeanene found just the right time to talk about something I noticed she had probably noticed ever since we had met. She said, "Rich, when you talk to people, look in their eyes. You look at the ceiling, the walls, the floor, but you never look in their eyes." That suggestion profoundly changed my life. My precious companion loved me enough to help me by telling me what I needed to know. I learned from my wife the importance of exchanging notes. Early in our marriage, I would open my scriptures to give a message. I would see an affectionate, supportive note slipped into the pages. Sometimes, they were so tender that I could hardly talk. Those precious notes from a loving wife were, and are, a priceless treasure of comfort. I began to do the same thing with her, not realizing how much they truly meant to her. When she passed away, I found in her private things how much she appreciated the simple messages we shared with each other. I found that she not only kept the notes, but that she protected them in plastic covering as if there were a valuable treasure. There's only one that she didn't put with the others.

It's still behind the glass in our kitchen clock. It reads, "Jeanene, it's time to tell you I love you." It remains there to remind me constantly of that exceptional daughter of Father in Heaven. In her final days of illness, I tried to find supporting scriptures that would help her. I printed copies of them around the house. I found each one of those messages carefully protected, as if they were very valuable.

In like manner, I have kept the precious notes she has given me.

As I have thought back over our life together, I realize how blessed we've been. There has never been an argument in our home, never an unkind word between us. Now, I realize that blessing came because of her. It resulted from our willingness to give, to share, and to never think of herself. In our later life together, I tried to emulate her example. I suggest that, as husband and wife, you do the same in your home. And when you singles are married, plan to do the same with your companion.

Now, I will speak of something that is most sacred. When we were created, Father in Heaven put, in our body, the capacity to stir powerful emotions. Within the covenant of marriage, when properly used in ways acceptable to both the Lord and each other, those emotions open the doors for children to come to earth. Such sacred expressions of love are an essential part of the covenant of marriage. Within marriage, those emotions should be used to allow a couple to draw closer in oneness to the beautiful, appropriate expression of these feelings between a husband and wife. There are times in her life, brethren, when you need to constrain those feelings. There are times when you need to allow their full expression. Always be sensitive to her feelings. Let the Lord guide you in ways that will enrich your marriage.

There are men, and unfortunately some women, who experiment with stimulating those emotions by influences outside of the covenant of marriage. There is a powerful difference between love and lust. Pure love yields happiness and engenders trust. It is the foundation of eternal joy. Lust will destroy that which is enriching and beautiful. A married couple must have no private, hidden activities that are kept as secret from each other. That pattern provides a powerful spiritual insurance. When you travel, take along a picture of your wife. Set it before you, so that you can constantly see it to remember how you are loved and trusted. You will not be tempted to contaminate your mind or violate your covenants.

Pure love is an incomparable, potent power for good. Righteous love is the foundation of a successful marriage. It is the primary cause of contented, well-developed children. Who can justly measure the righteous influence of a mother's love? What enduring fruits will result from the seeds of truth that you, as a mother, can carefully plant and lovingly cultivate in the fertile soil of your own child's trusting mind and heart? As a mother, you have been given divine instincts to help you sense your child's special talents and unique capacities. With your husband, you can nurture, strengthen, and cause those traits to flower. Brethren, as a husband, consistently tell your wife how much you love her. It will bring her great happiness.

I've heard men tell me when I say that, "Oh, she knows."

You need to tell her. A woman needs that reassurance-- flowers and grows and is greatly blessed from it. Don't withhold those natural expressions of love.

And it works a lot better if you're holding her close while you're telling her.

As a son, tell your mother how you love her. It will give her great joy. Let us be grateful to our Father in Heaven for His precious daughters. Let us help them as much as we can. Let us encourage every woman who questions her value to turn to her Heavenly Father and His glorified Son for a supernal confirmation of her immense individual worth. I testify that as each woman seeks that assurance in faith and obedience, the Savior will continually provide it through the Holy Ghost. That guidance will lead her to fulfillment, peace, and consuming joy through magnifying her divine appointment, sacred womanhood.

Marriage is so wonderful.

I feel sorry for you who haven't yet made that choice, or haven't had the opportunity.

You get to know each other very well. In time, you begin to think alike, have the same ideas and impressions. You have times when you're extremely happy, times of testing, times of trial. But the Lord guides you through all of those growth experiences together. I remember on one occasion, we had a little boy who was very ill.

He was in the hospital and passed away.

As we drove from the hospital, we pulled over to the side of the road.

I held her in my arms. Each of us cried a little. But we realized we would have him beyond the veil, because we had made those covenants in the temple.

And that made it much easier.

Jeanene's kindness taught me so many valuable things. I was so immature. And she was so disciplined, so mature, and so spiritual.

It is so rewarding to be married. One night, our little boy with a heart problem awoke. Two of us heard it. Normally, my wife always got up to take care of a crying baby, but this time, I said, "I'll take care of him." Because of his problem, when he began to cry, his little heart would pound very rapidly. He would lose any food that he had eaten and soil his bed clothing. I knew that that had happened. So I held him very close, trying to calm his racing heart and stop his crying as I changed his clothes and put on new bed sheets. I held him until he went to sleep.

I didn't know then that just a few months later he would pass away. I'll always remember holding him in my arms. Some parents are not physically able to have children they most desire to form their own family. I'm a witness that the Lord can guide such parents to spirits He would have in their home through the process of adoption. Later, when those children are sealed in the temple by the authority of the priesthood, they are in every sense equivalent to children born to that couple in the covenant. Marriage enables you to really find out who you are. It provides an ideal setting for overcoming any tendency to be selfish or self-centered. I think one of the reasons that you're counseled to get married early in life is so that you won't develop inappropriate character traits that are hard to change. I'm grateful that Father in Heaven made women more sensitive, with greater capacity to express love, more able to show patience, and to keep things on an even keel. For women, the difference between right and wrong is as vivid as black and white. But many of us men see a wide range of gray.

We haven't had arguments in our homes, but that was because of a compassionate wife who always kept things in proper balance.

My precious wife, although afflicted with an aggressive terminal disease, consistently found joy in life. She understood the plan of happiness and had received the temple ordinances and was doing her best to qualify for the promised blessings. Her personal journal records, quote, "It is a beautiful day. I picked up the mail and sat down on the swing. I was so happy and content in the warm sun. The sweet smell of nature and the trees around me. I just sat and gloried in the fact that I'm still alive on this earth. The Lord has been so good to me. How I thank him that I'm still here, and feeling so good.

I am so happy. I just want to shout and dance through this beautiful house as the sun streams into the big windows. I love being alive." I know what it is to love a daughter of Father in Heaven who, with grace and devotion, lived the full feminine splendor of her righteous womanhood. I loved my dearest wife, Jeanene. She was always joyously happy, and much of it came from service to others.

Even while very ill, in her morning prayer, she would ask her Father in Heaven to lead her to someone she could help. That sincere supplication was answered time and again. The burdens of many were eased. Their lives were brightened. She was blessed continually for being an instrument directed by the Lord.

Please pardon me for speaking of my precious wife, Jeanene, but we are an eternal family. Although she is on the other side of the veil, that love and appreciation for each other continues to grow and mature. I am confident that when I, in the future, see her again beyond the veil, that we'll recognize that we are more deeply in love. We'll appreciate each other even more, having spent this time separated by the veil. We've grown closer together through the kindness of the Lord.

Some of you may feel lonely and unappreciated and cannot see how it will be possible for you to have the blessing of marriage and children for your own family. All things are possible to the Lord. And He keeps the promises He inspires His prophets to declare. Eternity is a long time. Have faith in those promises, and live to be worthy of them, so that in His time, the Lord can make them come true in your life. With certainty, you'll receive every promised blessing for which you are worthy. I pray that it'll be on this side of the veil.

In closing, I share an eternal principle that will assure you of a rich, purposeful life. Whether you're single or married, I have found that the best way to live life is to seek to know the will of the Lord as guided by the Holy Spirit. He knows what is best for you. With obedience and faith in Him, He will help you realize His will for you in your life. May the Lord inspire, guide, and richly bless each of you. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen. Amen.