Reminding conference-goers "we are all travelers — even explorers in mortality," President Thomas S. Monson in his opening remarks Sunday morning quoted the poem by Will Allen Dromgoole, "The Bridge Builder."

Photo by Tom Smart

Members of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve stand and join the congregation during the singing of the intermediate hymn in the Sunday morning session of general conference.

President Thomas S. Monson

"The message of the poem has prompted my thinking and comforted my soul, for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, was the Supreme Architect and Builder of Bridges for you, for me, for all mankind. He has built the bridges over which we must cross if we are to reach our Heavenly Home."

Continuing, President Monson, first counselor in the First Presidency, asked: "What personal bridges did He build, did He cross here in mortality, showing us the way to follow? He knew mortality would be filled with dangers and difficulties."

President Monson then suggested three bridges built by the Master.

"Jesus provided The Bridge of Obedience. He was an unfailing example of personal obedience as He kept the commandments of His Father."

President Monson recounted the Savior's temptations in the wilderness, while weak from fasting. "Satan was at his seductive best in the offerings he proffered. His first was to satisfy the Savior's physical needs, including His hunger. To this the Savior replied, 'It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.'

" 'Next, Satan offered power. Responded the Savior, 'It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.' "

When offered wealth and earthly glory, the Savior responded, "Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.' "

President Monson added some subtle humor by relating the account of a conversation between Mark Twain and a friend, in which the friend said he wanted to climb Mount Sinai and read the Ten Commandments aloud. "Why don't you stay home and keep them!" was Twain's reply.

"The second bridge provided by the Master for us to cross is The Bridge of Service," President Monson continued. "We look to the Savior as our example of service. Although He came to earth as the Son of God, He humbly served those around Him. He came forth from Heaven to live on earth as mortal man and to establish the kingdom of God. His glorious gospel reshaped the thinking of the world. He blessed the sick, he caused the lame to walk, the blind to see, the deaf to hear. He even raised the dead to life."

President Monson related the personal account of "an opportunity of service which came to me unexpectedly and in an unusual manner."

He received a telephone call from the granddaughter of Francis Brems, President Monson's former Sunday School teacher. She told President Monson her 105-year-old grandfather had announced he would die the following week.

"Will you please call Tommy Monson and tell him this. He'll know what to do," the elderly man requested.

The very next evening, President Monson visited Brother Brems, who was blind and deaf. The family told President Monson they communicated by tracing letters on the palm of Brother Brems' left hand. President Monson traced T-O-M-M-Y M-O-N-S-O-N.

"Brother Brems became excited and, taking my hands, placed them on his head. I knew his desire was to receive a priesthood blessing. The driver who had taken me to the care center joined me as we placed our hands on the head of Brother Brems and provided the desired blessing. Afterward, tears streamed from his sightless eyes. He grasped our hands, and we read the movement of his lips. The message: 'Thank you so much.' " Within a week, the elderly man died.

President Monson continued: "How thankful I am that a response to render service was not delayed. The bridge of service invites us to cross over it frequently.

"Finally, the Lord provided us The Bridge of Prayer," President Monson continued. He shared a portion of a mother's letter to him wherein she said she sometimes wondered if she made a difference in her children's lives, especially as a single mother working two jobs.

The mother wrote how they were watching a general conference session when President Monson was speaking about prayer. Her son said, "Mother, you've already taught us that." She said, "What do you mean?"

"Well, you've taught us to pray and showed us how, but the other night I came to your room to ask something and found you on your knees praying to Heavenly Father. If He's important to you, He'll be important to me."

The mother concluded in her letter: "I guess you never know what kind of influence you'll be until a child observes you doing yourself what you have tried to teach him to do."

President Monson then spoke of the prayer offered by Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. "I believe Luke describes it best: 'He . . . went . . . to the mount of Olives; and his disciples also followed him. And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation. And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me; nevertheless not my will, but thine be done. And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.' "

Later, upon the cross, the Savior uttered, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do."

"At length," President Monson continued, "Jesus declared, 'It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.'

"These events, coupled with His glorious resurrection, completed the final bridge of our trilogy: The Bridge of Obedience, The Bridge of Service, The Bridge of Prayer.

"Jesus, the Bridge Builder, spanned that vast chasm we call death. 'For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.' He did for us what we could not do for ourselves; hence, mankind can cross the bridges he built — into eternal life."

President Monson concluded by paraphrasing the poem, "The Bridge Builder:"

" 'You have crossed the chasm, deep and wide — Why build you the bridge at the eventide?"

" 'There followeth after me today A vast throng whose feet must pass this way. This chasm that has been naught to me To that great throng may a pitfall be. They too must cross in the twilight dim. Good friend, I am building the bridge for them.' "

"[Christ] was an unfailing example of personal obedience as He kept the commandments of His Father"