In our church, we believe that the same authority Christ and His apostles used to organize the church, heal the sick, and do other miracles has been restored on the earth today. We have a prophet, much like Moses, who receives direct revelation from Jesus Christ himself to direct and guide the Church, as well as the whole world. The prophet today is Thomas S. Monson, and he is an incredibly kind, thoughtful, and selfless man. More than that, he is a man who was chosen by God to be His mouthpiece on earth. I know that's true, and I know that God has called him so that we can always feel sure that we can do the things we need to, in the proper way, in order to return to Him.

We also have twelve apostles, much like Jesus' twelve apostles, who are called as special witnesses for Christ and who we also sustain as prophets. They are inspired men of God, and I also know that all twelve of them have been chosen by God to help lead us and to testify of Christ and His divine role as our Savior.

One of these apostles is named M. Russell Ballard. Last week he came to visit my parents' stake, so I went to the conference with them. This is him:

The talks given by him, as well as the other visiting authority and the stake president, were uplifting, and through their words I received personal revelation for some things I needed to do in order to improve myself and be happier. I know that what they said was true because I have seen changes and blessings in my life in the week that I have been trying to apply their teachings. I also know that Elder Ballard is a servant of God, called by God, because as soon as he walked in the room I felt the Spirit testify to my heart of his goodness and righteousness.

My mom had been asked to play the piano to accompany a musical number during the meeting. Because the pages of her music would have obviously fallen down if she'd tried to turn them herself, I volunteered to sit on the stand with her and turn her pages. Translation: I volunteered to be closer to Elder Ballard. He sat about two rows in front of me through the whole meeting - about 6 feet - then after the meeting was over my mom and I moved down towards the part of the stand where he was exiting and we were able to shake his hand. I know that it seems simple - we shook his hand - but it is not a simple thing to shake the hand of a man who has been called by God to be one of fifteen special witnesses of Christ on the earth today. It was as if I had shaken the hand of Peter or James or John from the New Testament. He is just as much a servant of Christ as they were and I am confident that He works as closely with Christ as they did then, though Christ is not physically present in our day. It was a simple experience, but I am grateful to have had it. It strengthened my testimony of the apostles' role, mission, and divine call.

To learn more about prophets, apostles, and the priesthood in our church, click here.