His countenance did smile upon them.

3 Nephi 19 – The twelve disciples minister and pray for the Holy Ghost. Jesus is talking to the twelve and teaches them to minister. He prays words that can't even be written. He attests to the faith of the Nephites.

I like verse 20 where Jesus is thanking Heavenly Father in prayer that he has given the Holy Ghost to those whom he has chosen. Why had he chosen them? Because of their belief in him. I would like to think that it is because of our faith in Jesus that we are chosen to help build his kingdom here on earth as well.

Verse 25 has a phrase that I really like: “his countenance did smile upon them. . .” I want to live worthy of my Savior's countenance to smile upon me. What would that look like? Maybe we see it all the time in the faces of those who have the spirit with them.

This reminds me of my earliest days as a converted member of the church. I know. I was born and raised in the church. I maintain that anyone with a testimony is a convert though. I worked at Hill Air Force Base. A friend of my ex-husband's wanted to know what my ex's wife looked like. (That would be me.) Her husband worked at HAFB and sought me out (unbeknownst to me, of course). The description he gave of me was “nondescript”, meaning “lacking distinctive or interesting qualities: dull, drab”. Of course, this got back to me or I wouldn't be writing this story. It was a little offensive to me at the time. A very short time later, after I had started studying the gospel and getting excited about it again, I had more than a few people come up to me and ask me questions like, “Did you cut your hair? Lose weight? Change makeup?” They saw a difference and did not know what it was. I didn't know then either, but I have since figured it out. It was the Spirit. Maybe even “his countenance did shine upon me”. I would like to think so.

In verse 27 it talks about purifying those whom the Savior has chosen. Why did he choose them? He chose them because of their faith in him. We too are purified through our faith in our Savior, and as we are purified, we too are “chosen” to do His work.

So how does this apply to me? We change. We change as we exercise faith in our Savior, Jesus Christ. As we exercise that faith, we will be given opportunities to serve and to grow in His gospel. As we continue to grow in His gospel and in service and exercise our faith, we are becoming purified. It is a process. It doesn't happen overnight. It is an ongoing process.