April Bishopric Message

Over the years I have been fascinated by orienteering. On camp trips, it is fun to map out a route to a lake or ravine and find the way there by only using the rules of orienteering.

Years ago, our family went to explore Coyote Gulch in Southern Utah.
The land around Coyote Gulch is flat with only a few visible landmarks, which makes it perfect for orienteering. Armed with my map and compass I plotted our seven mile course from the parking lot to the ravine that would let us down into the Gulch. After hours of walking we ended up within feet of where we needed to be to enter the Gulch. What a thrill. Two days later we climbed out of the Gulch at a different location than we had entered and began our five mile walk on the plateau back to the parking lot. After walking about two miles we met a man who was all alone. We talked with him for a while and asked him where he was headed. He said that he had been camping a couple of days and was now headed back to his car at the parking lot.

I informed him that we were also headed to the parking lot and I pointed in its direction. He immediately corrected me. No, he said, it is not that direction. It is over there, pointing about 90 degrees from the direction that we were going. I assured him that I was experienced in orienteering and that the parking lot was in the direction that I had pointed. He then pulled out a brand new fancy GPS and said that his GPS was telling him it was in the direction that he had pointed. I asked him how long he had been using a GPS. He said this was his first time. I again tried to convince him of the direction to the parking lot. He did not believe me. We parted, my family and I walking in the direction that I knew would lead us to our car that would eventually take us home. He, alone, walked in the direction that led to the cliff of the Gulch. I have no idea what happened to that man. I hope he didn’t fall into the Gulch. I hope someone found him and did a better job than I of getting him to know where the parking lot was.

We have recently heard the speakers of General Conference. They somewhat represent the old fashion navigational method of orienteering. We may at times feel like our new GPS is the way to navigate for joy and happiness in life and at times we do pretty well.

Yet there are moments when our GPS does not agree with the orienteering of the Lord’s chosen servants. In the most humble invitation possible, I invite all of us to seek understanding by the Spirit and always follow the council of our General Authorities. May our desire always reflect the words of this primary song- “follow the prophet, follow the prophet, follow the prophet; don’t go astray. Follow the prophet, follow the prophet, follow the prophet; He knows the way.”

Brother Larsen