The Restoration

While on my mission, a strange thing happened; Twinkies, along with all other Hostess products, went off the market. When the news came that Hostess was going out of Business because of a strike, many people flocked to the stores, Twinkies were being sold for high prices online as people prepared for a life without Twinkies. The time came, and Twinkies vanished from the stores, and soon many other companies started making their own version of the Twinkie. I never was a fan of Twinkies, but it was unexpected news, the snack that could survive a nuclear war could not survive the life span of a business. As I was shopping one day, something caught my eye, and I rushed over, and in joy, I bought a box of Twinkies. The snack that was once lost was restored.

The Twinkie coming back was big news for me, and I don't even like them. The box claims it is "the sweetest comeback in the history of ever", this might be true for food, but I can think of a much greater one; it happened close to two centuries ago, when a young boy asked a simple question, "what church should I join?"

About two thousand years ago, Jesus Christ walked the earth teaching the people. Along with this he called his disciples together and chose twelve of them to be apostles (see Luke 6:13). Christ knew that his time on earth would be short and that he would soon depart from mortal life, for His teachings to continue and spread after his death and resurrection, he called these apostles to be special witnesses of him. After his resurrection, he sent the apostles out telling them to "teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you" (Matt 28:19-20). These apostles went out and did as Christ instructed; however, people, just as they opposed Christ, started to oppose the apostles.

As Christ prophesied and Paul warned "grievous wolves" came and did not spare the flock (see Acts 20:28-30). Soon heated persecution lead to the apostles being killed, and when the last one was taken from the earth, there was no one to lead the church. With the lost of leaders people started to be "carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men" (see Ephesians 4:11-14) and just as was prophesied there was a famine in the land...of hearing the word of The Lord" (see Amos 8:11-12).

Many people recognized this famine, and wanted the truths that Christ taught, and when they saw that the churches of their time did not have those truths, they reformed them, just as many companies started making their own version of the Twinkie to satisfy the demand for the Twinkie; however, these good people could not bring back all the truths they could not bring back the true church just as these companies could not bring back the real Twinkie. These people did not have the authority to do so because the authority was lost with the apostles.

This famine lasted until 1820 when a young boy after reading James 1:5 decided to "ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth". In response to the prayer of Joseph Smith, God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared to him, and as they did in times old, they called him to be a prophet to restore those truths long last. The priesthood authority held by all ancient prophets and the apostles, that was lost for a time, was given to him. As Hostess had to come back to bring back the real Twinkie, God had to bring back his true church to end the famine, and as Amos taught, God reveals His secrets unto His servants the prophets (see Amos 3:7).

If I was excited to see that Twinkies, a snack that I don't even like, were back on the market, and bought a box to show others, how much greater is the news that God has restored His church to the earth so that we can enjoy all of His blessings. It is because of this message and a desire to help people, I chose to serve a mission. I hope that anyone who is curious about this will do as Joseph Smith did and ask of God who will tell you of its truthfulness. If you have more questions, then in the words of Elder Russell M. Nelson, one of God's apostles on the earth today, "ask the missionaries! They can help you!" 

Since that day in 1820, there has always been a prophet on the earth to help teach us all that God wants us to know. God loves each one of us, and wants us to be happy, that is why he has given us the gospel, that is why he sent Christ, that is why He restored His church and that is why he still speaks to us, individually and through a prophet, so that we can have joy.