WEBVTT 00:00:07.519 --> 00:00:09.640 Welcome to Closer to Christ through General Conference, 00:00:09.880 --> 00:00:12.080 where two friends who love Jesus share our own 00:00:12.080 --> 00:00:13.960 approach to studying the most recent General 00:00:13.960 --> 00:00:16.879 Conference talks. This is Abby and Amy. Let's 00:00:16.879 --> 00:00:28.780 jump into it. Today we're discussing compensating 00:00:28.780 --> 00:00:32.520 blessings. This is by Bishop Gerald Gosset. He's 00:00:32.520 --> 00:00:35.719 the presiding bishop right now. I loved this 00:00:35.719 --> 00:00:38.659 talk, Abby. I listened to it again and was just 00:00:38.659 --> 00:00:41.280 like, man, this is just, again, a timely message. 00:00:42.340 --> 00:00:45.119 Elder Gosset has a unique opportunity to see 00:00:45.119 --> 00:00:47.380 people around the world as he serves in the presiding 00:00:47.380 --> 00:00:49.990 bishopric. Despite varying life circumstances, 00:00:50.469 --> 00:00:52.990 he's been inspired by the abiding faith and devotion 00:00:52.990 --> 00:00:54.950 to the Lord Jesus Christ that he has witnessed 00:00:54.950 --> 00:00:57.729 in God's children throughout the globe. He has 00:00:57.729 --> 00:00:59.969 also been moved by the diverse and often difficult 00:00:59.969 --> 00:01:04.030 circumstances many face from challenges. like 00:01:04.030 --> 00:01:07.329 illness disability limited resources fewer opportunities 00:01:07.329 --> 00:01:10.549 for marriage or education abuse by others and 00:01:10.549 --> 00:01:13.469 other limitations or constraints at times he 00:01:13.469 --> 00:01:15.950 says these trials may seem to hinder your progress 00:01:15.950 --> 00:01:18.390 and challenge your genuine efforts to live the 00:01:18.390 --> 00:01:20.930 gospel fully making it more difficult to serve 00:01:20.930 --> 00:01:25.310 worship and fulfill sacred duties Isn't his testimony 00:01:25.310 --> 00:01:27.950 just pure and simple? Yes. He says, if you ever 00:01:27.950 --> 00:01:30.170 feel limited or disadvantaged by the circumstances 00:01:30.170 --> 00:01:32.810 of your life, I want you to know this. The Lord 00:01:32.810 --> 00:01:35.030 loves you personally. He knows your circumstances. 00:01:35.430 --> 00:01:37.730 And the door to his blessings remain wide open 00:01:37.730 --> 00:01:40.549 to you, no matter the challenges you face. Yes. 00:01:41.310 --> 00:01:43.049 It's interesting because as I'm listening to 00:01:43.049 --> 00:01:44.430 this, you know, as we're listening to this talk, 00:01:44.609 --> 00:01:46.870 you can feel, like you said, his testimony was 00:01:46.870 --> 00:01:49.849 sweet and pure. And it feels like... You just 00:01:49.849 --> 00:01:52.650 feel his heart going out to every person that 00:01:52.650 --> 00:01:54.750 he's come across in all of these different circumstances 00:01:54.750 --> 00:01:57.590 that he's talked about. And actually, the next 00:01:57.590 --> 00:01:59.629 talk that we'll be talking about next week is 00:01:59.629 --> 00:02:02.829 Elder Gong's. And I feel like there was, again, 00:02:03.069 --> 00:02:05.390 an echo there. He talked about the different 00:02:05.390 --> 00:02:07.170 things that are going on with people in the world. 00:02:07.230 --> 00:02:09.449 I think he talked about someone in some part 00:02:09.449 --> 00:02:11.310 of the world. I think it was Brazil. And he talked 00:02:11.310 --> 00:02:13.120 about their... the challenge that they're going 00:02:13.120 --> 00:02:15.120 through right now and how one of them cried for 00:02:15.120 --> 00:02:18.020 his son and he said and i cried too like as he 00:02:18.020 --> 00:02:21.319 told him about it so i just love hearing this 00:02:21.319 --> 00:02:26.120 especially as you pair that with how christ was 00:02:26.120 --> 00:02:30.860 when he listened to um you know the mourning 00:02:30.860 --> 00:02:33.539 over lazarus you could say he knew that lazarus 00:02:33.539 --> 00:02:36.069 was going to be Raised. Raised in a matter of 00:02:36.069 --> 00:02:38.169 minutes. Doesn't prevent him from. But he still 00:02:38.169 --> 00:02:40.810 mourned with those who mourn. And I think that 00:02:40.810 --> 00:02:43.009 it's just a beautiful thing to see that those 00:02:43.009 --> 00:02:45.349 who are following in the footsteps of Christ. 00:02:45.629 --> 00:02:47.370 Representing Jesus Christ on the earth right 00:02:47.370 --> 00:02:49.569 now. They do the same thing. They have a heart. 00:02:49.629 --> 00:02:53.389 And it's a great, great example to me. While 00:02:53.389 --> 00:02:55.469 many circumstances in my life may be beyond. 00:02:55.590 --> 00:02:59.199 Oh, sorry. While many circumstances in life may 00:02:59.199 --> 00:03:01.360 be beyond our control, none of us is beyond the 00:03:01.360 --> 00:03:04.460 reach of the Lord's infinite blessings. It is 00:03:04.460 --> 00:03:06.620 precisely the plan of God that we will experience 00:03:06.620 --> 00:03:09.599 challenges, but he never said that we have to 00:03:09.599 --> 00:03:12.060 face these challenges alone. This talk gives 00:03:12.060 --> 00:03:14.199 us very good direction on how to recognize the 00:03:14.199 --> 00:03:16.699 hand of God in our lives despite the challenges 00:03:16.699 --> 00:03:20.270 that we face. And we all face them, right? Absolutely. 00:03:20.469 --> 00:03:23.069 The way that this talk is written made me think 00:03:23.069 --> 00:03:25.229 back to Elder Dushku's talk on Pillars and Rays 00:03:25.229 --> 00:03:29.210 of Developing Testimony. Seemingly minor unrelated 00:03:29.210 --> 00:03:34.569 events, you know, when looked back on, combined 00:03:34.569 --> 00:03:36.969 to make an unmistakable, unshakable testimony 00:03:36.969 --> 00:03:38.710 of the things we've learned for ourselves with 00:03:38.710 --> 00:03:41.330 experience. That's so great. What I mean is like 00:03:41.330 --> 00:03:43.789 looking back on periods of time when we perceive 00:03:43.789 --> 00:03:46.919 them as trials, you know, hardships. challenging 00:03:46.919 --> 00:03:49.860 times of life. On the other side of it, we can 00:03:49.860 --> 00:03:54.780 choose to pick out the blessings that came during 00:03:54.780 --> 00:03:57.039 those dark times. And then we get a blessing 00:03:57.039 --> 00:04:00.340 of how, yes, the things were hard, but he absolutely 00:04:00.340 --> 00:04:03.180 sent calm. compensatory or compensating blessings. 00:04:03.259 --> 00:04:05.280 For sure. I think that's interesting too, that 00:04:05.280 --> 00:04:07.259 you say that because it's almost like, you know, 00:04:07.259 --> 00:04:09.639 while you're in it, there's almost no effort 00:04:09.639 --> 00:04:12.080 or energy that you have that can look to all 00:04:12.080 --> 00:04:13.580 the good things. Plus you don't have the perspective 00:04:13.580 --> 00:04:15.860 yet, right? When you're on the other side, it's 00:04:15.860 --> 00:04:17.360 almost like there's an accounting to the Lord. 00:04:17.420 --> 00:04:19.680 I feel like I do where I look back and I'm like, 00:04:19.720 --> 00:04:22.180 yeah, that was a crap time. Everything about 00:04:22.180 --> 00:04:25.319 it was awful. However, I learned this, this, 00:04:25.560 --> 00:04:27.759 this, and this. And then it's almost like I put 00:04:27.759 --> 00:04:31.649 it on a scale and I'm like, oh, wow, it far outweighs 00:04:31.649 --> 00:04:33.730 how horrible and terrible that was. Because right 00:04:33.730 --> 00:04:36.490 now it's in the past. All those things are now 00:04:36.490 --> 00:04:39.449 part of me. You can't take them away. But I have 00:04:39.449 --> 00:04:41.629 all these lessons that I've learned. And I guess 00:04:41.629 --> 00:04:44.370 that really did make it worth it. Not that I 00:04:44.370 --> 00:04:46.230 want to go through it again, but it really does. 00:04:47.149 --> 00:04:50.350 It's a compensatory blessing. I've learned this 00:04:50.350 --> 00:04:53.500 truth through a personal experience. This is 00:04:53.500 --> 00:04:55.860 what he says, that those seemingly insignificant 00:04:55.860 --> 00:04:59.060 left a lasting impression on me. Elder Cossé 00:04:59.060 --> 00:05:01.139 says, at the age of 22, while serving in the 00:05:01.139 --> 00:05:04.300 French Air Force in Paris, he was eager to hear 00:05:04.300 --> 00:05:06.920 Elder Neal A. Maxwell speak at a conference at 00:05:06.920 --> 00:05:10.839 the Champs -Élysées, something like that. He 00:05:10.839 --> 00:05:12.259 might have said it a little better because he's 00:05:12.259 --> 00:05:16.399 French. He totally did. At least I didn't say 00:05:16.399 --> 00:05:19.899 Champs -Élysées, okay? Can I go to the Eiffel 00:05:19.899 --> 00:05:25.240 Tower? The Louvre? I don't know, whatever. So 00:05:25.240 --> 00:05:28.660 he was assigned to drive a senior officer to 00:05:28.660 --> 00:05:32.300 the airport at the exact same time that Elder 00:05:32.300 --> 00:05:35.180 Neal A. Maxwell was speaking. And he was so disappointed, 00:05:35.259 --> 00:05:37.480 but he still rushed to the meeting afterwards. 00:05:38.720 --> 00:05:41.000 Arriving breathless with only five minutes left, 00:05:41.060 --> 00:05:43.639 he entered. just as Elder Maxwell pronounced 00:05:43.639 --> 00:05:46.600 an apostolic blessing. In that moment, he had 00:05:46.600 --> 00:05:48.959 a powerful spiritual experience, feeling as though 00:05:48.959 --> 00:05:51.160 the blessing was directed personally to him. 00:05:51.240 --> 00:05:54.600 He says this, What I experienced that day was 00:05:54.600 --> 00:05:57.620 a small yet powerful manifestation of a comforting 00:05:57.620 --> 00:06:00.959 aspect of God's plan for His children. When circumstances 00:06:00.959 --> 00:06:03.680 beyond our control prevent us from fulfilling 00:06:03.680 --> 00:06:06.420 the righteous desires of our hearts, the Lord 00:06:06.420 --> 00:06:08.720 will compensate in ways that allow us to receive 00:06:08.720 --> 00:06:11.329 His promised blessings. Abby, as I listened to 00:06:11.329 --> 00:06:14.110 this, the thing that came to my mind and pricked 00:06:14.110 --> 00:06:17.250 my heart was that he didn't just say, they're 00:06:17.250 --> 00:06:18.910 at the exact same time. There's no way I'm going 00:06:18.910 --> 00:06:21.529 to make it. He left that five minutes. So he 00:06:21.529 --> 00:06:24.589 put forth the effort. He arrived breathlessly. 00:06:24.810 --> 00:06:27.230 Like he put forth effort, right? He ran there 00:06:27.230 --> 00:06:28.610 and there was only five minutes. And someone 00:06:28.610 --> 00:06:30.569 could be like, what can the Lord do with five 00:06:30.569 --> 00:06:33.259 minutes? guess what he can do? An apostolic blessing. 00:06:33.579 --> 00:06:35.779 Make it exactly the reason why you raced there 00:06:35.779 --> 00:06:38.100 in time. Then that apostolic blessing would have 00:06:38.100 --> 00:06:40.040 been for him. Maybe he would have seen it. They 00:06:40.040 --> 00:06:42.160 probably didn't record and type it. The fact 00:06:42.160 --> 00:06:44.060 that he was there to enjoy it for himself. I 00:06:44.060 --> 00:06:47.120 loved it. Yeah. Made it all worth. Yes. And then 00:06:47.120 --> 00:06:48.920 I was thinking too, I was like, but what if he, 00:06:49.000 --> 00:06:51.459 what if there was a traffic light or whatever, 00:06:51.660 --> 00:06:55.079 a road construction, an accident, and he didn't 00:06:55.079 --> 00:06:58.100 even make it to the last five minutes. His effort 00:06:58.100 --> 00:07:00.079 was still to get there. That's what I was thinking. 00:07:00.220 --> 00:07:01.779 And I was like, you know what? Even if he missed 00:07:01.779 --> 00:07:03.519 the entire talk, because I was like, well, then 00:07:03.519 --> 00:07:05.920 probably he would like come at the very end. 00:07:05.959 --> 00:07:07.399 He would meet Elder Neal A. Maxwell, whatever. 00:07:07.480 --> 00:07:08.759 And I was like, but what if that didn't happen? 00:07:08.959 --> 00:07:11.079 Well, for sure, that night in his scriptures 00:07:11.079 --> 00:07:12.759 or someone would come to his door or his grandma 00:07:12.759 --> 00:07:14.720 would call him. But there would be a message 00:07:14.720 --> 00:07:17.019 for the Lord because of his efforts. I know that 00:07:17.019 --> 00:07:20.980 the Lord is not bound by. time or any other constraints 00:07:20.980 --> 00:07:23.660 that men have, he will always find you when you 00:07:23.660 --> 00:07:26.240 put forth effort. He will always give a compensatory 00:07:26.240 --> 00:07:28.319 blessing. It's our responsibility to look back 00:07:28.319 --> 00:07:31.959 and see what those are. Totally. It's truth and 00:07:31.959 --> 00:07:34.360 is grounded in principles. And he totally moves 00:07:34.360 --> 00:07:36.759 into the talk in that way. This is grounded in 00:07:36.759 --> 00:07:39.079 three principles founded in the restored gospel 00:07:39.079 --> 00:07:41.899 of Jesus Christ. One, God loves each of us perfectly. 00:07:43.069 --> 00:07:45.449 Two, because God is both just and merciful, his 00:07:45.449 --> 00:07:47.269 plan is perfect. He's not going to hold us accountable 00:07:47.269 --> 00:07:49.569 for things that are way beyond our control. Like 00:07:49.569 --> 00:07:52.389 Elder Neal A. Maxwell said, God takes into merciful 00:07:52.389 --> 00:07:54.730 account not only our desires and our performance, 00:07:54.829 --> 00:07:57.110 but also the degree of difficulty which our varied 00:07:57.110 --> 00:08:01.189 circumstances impose on us. Meaning, it was totally 00:08:01.189 --> 00:08:03.449 out of control to be at the rest of the meeting, 00:08:03.569 --> 00:08:05.430 but with what he was able to provide in this. 00:08:05.839 --> 00:08:09.160 instance five minutes he was his cup was overflowing 00:08:09.160 --> 00:08:11.860 with you know the blessings he felt from it third 00:08:11.860 --> 00:08:14.040 principle through jesus christ and his atonement 00:08:14.040 --> 00:08:16.040 we can find the strength to endure and ultimately 00:08:16.040 --> 00:08:18.680 overcome all of life's challenges as alma taught 00:08:18.680 --> 00:08:21.079 the savior took upon himself not only the sins 00:08:21.079 --> 00:08:23.379 of the repentant but also the pains and sickness 00:08:23.379 --> 00:08:26.540 of his people and their infirmities thus beyond 00:08:26.540 --> 00:08:29.100 redeeming us from our mistakes the lord's mercy 00:08:29.100 --> 00:08:32.620 and grace has stained us through injustices deficiencies 00:08:32.620 --> 00:08:37.049 limitations imposed by moral experience. They're 00:08:37.049 --> 00:08:40.230 all around us. Basically, as a repercussion of 00:08:40.230 --> 00:08:42.169 the fall, we know that we're going to be hit 00:08:42.169 --> 00:08:44.710 with a million things in this life experience 00:08:44.710 --> 00:08:47.289 that would challenge and test us, but we were 00:08:47.289 --> 00:08:49.990 never asked to do these things on our own. Each 00:08:49.990 --> 00:08:54.169 of us has the opportunity to have access to compensating 00:08:54.169 --> 00:08:56.110 blessings for the hard things that we're asked 00:08:56.110 --> 00:08:58.570 to face, but they do come with the condition 00:08:58.570 --> 00:09:02.330 that we do all that we can and to offer our whole 00:09:02.330 --> 00:09:06.029 souls as an offering unto Him. That passage teaches 00:09:06.029 --> 00:09:09.710 us that what matters most to the Lord is sincere, 00:09:09.850 --> 00:09:13.429 faithful hearts that give diligent efforts to 00:09:13.429 --> 00:09:15.629 keep his commandments. And when we align our 00:09:15.629 --> 00:09:18.389 will with his. that means everything to him even 00:09:18.389 --> 00:09:20.370 when circumstances prevent us from fulfilling 00:09:20.370 --> 00:09:22.730 our righteous desires god's going to accept those 00:09:22.730 --> 00:09:25.409 desires as meaningful offerings president oaks 00:09:25.409 --> 00:09:27.970 emphasized that we will be blessed for our righteous 00:09:27.970 --> 00:09:30.529 intentions and the revelation to joseph smith 00:09:30.529 --> 00:09:32.830 reassured that god judges us not only by our 00:09:32.830 --> 00:09:35.090 actions but also by the true desires of our hearts 00:09:35.090 --> 00:09:37.750 100 i think we all have the tendency to worry 00:09:37.750 --> 00:09:39.769 about outside eyes and how they're going to perceive 00:09:39.769 --> 00:09:42.070 the things that we're doing or not doing And 00:09:42.070 --> 00:09:43.750 I think it's a beautiful truth to recognize that 00:09:43.750 --> 00:09:45.429 God looks on the heart. He knows exactly what 00:09:45.429 --> 00:09:47.409 our intentions were and considers the limitations 00:09:47.409 --> 00:09:52.210 that we faced. Again, just the last podcast that 00:09:52.210 --> 00:09:55.049 we aired on Sister Runia's, the eyes that are 00:09:55.049 --> 00:09:57.769 meant to be our judge are not looking at exterior 00:09:57.769 --> 00:10:00.570 circumstances and assuming things. He knows the 00:10:00.570 --> 00:10:02.590 very intent, the very core of the people that 00:10:02.590 --> 00:10:05.350 we are. Perfectly. You know, this sums it up 00:10:05.350 --> 00:10:08.029 perfectly. What matters to the Lord is not merely 00:10:08.029 --> 00:10:10.899 whether we are able. but whether we are willing 00:10:10.899 --> 00:10:13.879 to do all we can to follow him as our savior. 00:10:14.440 --> 00:10:19.139 I love that. In preparing for this talk, after 00:10:19.139 --> 00:10:22.320 reading some of the examples shown by Elder Cossé, 00:10:22.539 --> 00:10:26.580 just a few peoples, you know, a few people popped 00:10:26.580 --> 00:10:28.620 into my head, a few friends, a few associates 00:10:28.620 --> 00:10:31.899 of ours. And I was blessed. I consider it an 00:10:31.899 --> 00:10:34.379 impression to reach out to these friends and 00:10:34.379 --> 00:10:37.759 ask a question. This is the question I pose. 00:10:38.240 --> 00:10:40.799 During difficult times in your life, where have 00:10:40.799 --> 00:10:44.559 you seen compensating blessings from God? So 00:10:44.559 --> 00:10:48.080 imagining this as a very powerful Relief Society 00:10:48.080 --> 00:10:51.080 lesson, Elder's Quorum lesson, literally, I would 00:10:51.080 --> 00:10:54.059 ask that question. I would say, listen or read 00:10:54.059 --> 00:10:57.000 to the talk. Consider this question. Find those 00:10:57.000 --> 00:10:59.100 moments. Where did you see compensatory blessings 00:10:59.100 --> 00:11:02.559 in your own life? And I think you'd come back. 00:11:03.019 --> 00:11:05.820 um to relieve society or elders quorum and just 00:11:05.820 --> 00:11:08.320 one person after like everybody has a story to 00:11:08.320 --> 00:11:10.879 tell and a testimony strengthening experience 00:11:10.879 --> 00:11:14.220 from seeing those things from the challenges 00:11:14.220 --> 00:11:17.139 that they faced in their lives and um they'll 00:11:17.139 --> 00:11:18.960 vary they might be little moments what i would 00:11:18.960 --> 00:11:21.840 call array or big events a pillar like that's 00:11:21.840 --> 00:11:23.580 why it really made me think of elder douche who's 00:11:23.580 --> 00:11:27.039 talk yeah and those little things you know accumulate 00:11:27.039 --> 00:11:30.059 together that build our testimonies of the truthfulness 00:11:30.059 --> 00:11:32.500 that God does provide compensatory blessing if 00:11:32.500 --> 00:11:37.179 we have the eyes to see those blessings. So I 00:11:37.179 --> 00:11:39.740 love that you did this, Abby. As I was, like 00:11:39.740 --> 00:11:41.379 you said, you listened to the talk and he has 00:11:41.379 --> 00:11:43.960 a lot of different examples. And each one of 00:11:43.960 --> 00:11:45.940 us in the circle that we are in, we know people 00:11:45.940 --> 00:11:49.519 who have. wonderful stories. This first example 00:11:49.519 --> 00:11:51.899 is of a missionary who had a strong desire to 00:11:51.899 --> 00:11:54.500 serve, but the situation prevented him from serving 00:11:54.500 --> 00:11:56.620 the mission. He thought he was meant to serve. 00:11:56.759 --> 00:11:59.139 We have a friend. Oh, that was in the actual 00:11:59.139 --> 00:12:01.179 talk that we talked about. So we have a friend 00:12:01.179 --> 00:12:02.759 in the ward that came home to take care of an 00:12:02.759 --> 00:12:04.580 injury and asked for his testimony to be shared 00:12:04.580 --> 00:12:07.039 with everyone. So he just went back out. And 00:12:07.039 --> 00:12:09.139 that's a very exciting thing for us. He says, 00:12:09.299 --> 00:12:11.240 I have learned that there are two parts of the 00:12:11.240 --> 00:12:13.720 miraculous atonement of Jesus Christ. The first 00:12:13.720 --> 00:12:16.320 is the power of forgiveness. The second is the 00:12:16.320 --> 00:12:19.059 enabling power that the atonement offers. I've 00:12:19.059 --> 00:12:21.179 truly come to know this enabling power that is 00:12:21.179 --> 00:12:23.360 found in Jesus Christ. Being home was one of 00:12:23.360 --> 00:12:25.419 the hardest things I've ever done. There was 00:12:25.419 --> 00:12:27.299 nothing I could do for my situation other than 00:12:27.299 --> 00:12:29.879 put my life into Christ's hands. I know I grew 00:12:29.879 --> 00:12:32.379 a relationship with my Savior. I learned that 00:12:32.379 --> 00:12:34.419 it was necessary for me to go through this trial. 00:12:34.580 --> 00:12:37.139 It was necessary for me to feel alone. It was 00:12:37.139 --> 00:12:39.940 necessary for me to struggle. Why? Because it 00:12:39.940 --> 00:12:43.220 was never easy for Jesus Christ. when jesus christ 00:12:43.220 --> 00:12:45.639 bore the things of this world and died for us 00:12:45.639 --> 00:12:48.860 it was not easy I came to know my Savior in the 00:12:48.860 --> 00:12:50.899 most challenging time in my life because it was 00:12:50.899 --> 00:12:53.480 always a challenge for Him. I couldn't have come 00:12:53.480 --> 00:12:56.039 to know my Savior by not having any challenges. 00:12:56.539 --> 00:12:59.080 The scripture Alma 1711 sums up my missionary 00:12:59.080 --> 00:13:01.480 experience. And the Lord said unto them also, 00:13:01.679 --> 00:13:04.399 Go forth among the Lamanites thy brethren, and 00:13:04.399 --> 00:13:06.919 establish my word. Yet ye shall be patient in 00:13:06.919 --> 00:13:09.080 longsuffering and afflictions, that ye may show 00:13:09.080 --> 00:13:11.360 forth good examples unto them and me, and I will 00:13:11.360 --> 00:13:13.419 make an instrument of thee in my hands, unto 00:13:13.419 --> 00:13:16.399 the salvation of many souls. I can now say that 00:13:16.399 --> 00:13:18.360 I I am more humble and more patient than I was 00:13:18.360 --> 00:13:20.519 before I went home. And I know this because of 00:13:20.519 --> 00:13:22.840 the change I felt in my heart. I know the Lord 00:13:22.840 --> 00:13:25.399 needed me to be an instrument in his hands and 00:13:25.399 --> 00:13:27.879 he had a necessary way of teaching me this. I 00:13:27.879 --> 00:13:30.279 wouldn't trade my time home for anything. I love 00:13:30.279 --> 00:13:33.100 the people I met and the person I became because 00:13:33.100 --> 00:13:35.120 he was a service missionary while here. I can 00:13:35.120 --> 00:13:37.460 truly say I'm a product of the atonement. I love 00:13:37.460 --> 00:13:39.340 my savior with all my being in the name of Jesus 00:13:39.340 --> 00:13:42.500 Christ. Amen. Isn't that great? It's so good. 00:13:42.580 --> 00:13:44.519 Made me think of another missionary. I don't 00:13:44.519 --> 00:13:46.279 know this one as closely, but Adam got to teach 00:13:46.279 --> 00:13:49.759 him in seminary. He was posting on Facebook, 00:13:50.000 --> 00:13:51.840 you know, just expressing his testimony and it 00:13:51.840 --> 00:13:53.179 kind of came to know him through that. And I 00:13:53.179 --> 00:13:55.620 could see his heart just wide open, you know, 00:13:55.620 --> 00:13:59.039 in that social media world. But I asked him if 00:13:59.039 --> 00:14:00.840 he would feel comfortable sharing his own testimony 00:14:00.840 --> 00:14:03.200 of atonement and missionary work and reconciling 00:14:03.200 --> 00:14:06.320 our desires to the actual circumstance of life. 00:14:06.419 --> 00:14:08.240 Because the post that he had made, something 00:14:08.240 --> 00:14:10.179 to the effect of when he said goodbye to his 00:14:10.179 --> 00:14:12.299 mom, he said, you will not see me before two 00:14:12.299 --> 00:14:14.059 years up. He's like, even if it's killing me, 00:14:14.159 --> 00:14:15.659 he's like, I won't be coming home because he 00:14:15.659 --> 00:14:18.279 had this really strong desire. served. And then 00:14:18.279 --> 00:14:20.940 some circumstances happened and he came home 00:14:20.940 --> 00:14:23.820 and he's actually going back out Thursday. Oh, 00:14:24.019 --> 00:14:26.519 that's awesome. Yeah. And this was the testimony 00:14:26.519 --> 00:14:29.720 he shared with me. I've gained a testimony of 00:14:29.720 --> 00:14:34.080 the call to the work and not the call to a location. 00:14:34.720 --> 00:14:37.080 I was so heartbroken to leave England and was 00:14:37.080 --> 00:14:38.899 devastated that I could get reassigned somewhere 00:14:38.899 --> 00:14:40.879 else. I've grown in the appreciation for the 00:14:40.879 --> 00:14:42.559 opportunity to serve as a service missionary 00:14:42.559 --> 00:14:44.600 until I get cleared by the missionary department. 00:14:45.039 --> 00:14:47.080 Although I want more than anything to proselyte, 00:14:47.120 --> 00:14:48.879 I'm grateful for the opportunity that I've had 00:14:48.879 --> 00:14:51.379 to serve in this capacity. I've been blessed 00:14:51.379 --> 00:14:53.539 to learn from service missionaries. They are 00:14:53.539 --> 00:14:55.620 some of the most humble, pure, meek, true disciples 00:14:55.620 --> 00:14:57.879 of Christ that I have ever met. Many of those 00:14:57.879 --> 00:14:59.799 missionaries either aren't able to proselyte 00:14:59.799 --> 00:15:04.279 or needed to return home for From proselyting 00:15:04.279 --> 00:15:05.980 for a variety of health reasons, their example 00:15:05.980 --> 00:15:08.539 of their love for the Savior is inspiring. I 00:15:08.539 --> 00:15:10.559 don't know the full reason why I needed to return, 00:15:10.740 --> 00:15:12.519 but I believe that it was a divine reason that 00:15:12.519 --> 00:15:15.200 may one day be made known or not. But I do know 00:15:15.200 --> 00:15:17.159 that having this opportunity to be with the service 00:15:17.159 --> 00:15:18.980 missionaries has blessed my life in ways that 00:15:18.980 --> 00:15:20.820 could not have been possible if I hadn't been 00:15:20.820 --> 00:15:25.080 here. From the talk to the missionary that was 00:15:25.080 --> 00:15:27.179 struggling with his own feelings of shortcomings 00:15:27.179 --> 00:15:29.679 because of the mission he imagined wasn't the 00:15:29.679 --> 00:15:33.100 mission he served. was this counsel god knew 00:15:33.100 --> 00:15:35.279 he had given his very best in answering the call 00:15:35.279 --> 00:15:38.600 to serve he answered him in that the lord had 00:15:38.600 --> 00:15:40.500 accepted his offering and that the blessings 00:15:40.500 --> 00:15:43.080 promised to all faithful missionaries would not 00:15:43.080 --> 00:15:47.490 be withheld i love that The Lord's compensating 00:15:47.490 --> 00:15:49.169 blessings often come through the kindness and 00:15:49.169 --> 00:15:51.029 service of others who help us accomplish what 00:15:51.029 --> 00:15:54.009 we cannot do on our own. I remember a time when 00:15:54.009 --> 00:15:56.570 living, he shares this story, when living far 00:15:56.570 --> 00:15:58.730 from one of our daughters in France, we felt 00:15:58.730 --> 00:16:01.129 helpless to assist her after a difficult delivery. 00:16:01.629 --> 00:16:04.450 That same week, our ward in Utah sought help 00:16:04.450 --> 00:16:06.330 for a mother who had just given birth to twins. 00:16:07.230 --> 00:16:09.309 So he says his wife, Valerie, volunteered to 00:16:09.309 --> 00:16:11.070 bring a meal for her with a prayer in her heart 00:16:11.070 --> 00:16:14.129 for both this new mother and also her daughter 00:16:14.129 --> 00:16:16.549 who is in need. Soon after, we learned that the 00:16:16.549 --> 00:16:18.649 sisters in our daughter's ward in France had 00:16:18.649 --> 00:16:20.929 organized to provide meals for her family. To 00:16:20.929 --> 00:16:23.909 us, God had answered our prayers, sending his 00:16:23.909 --> 00:16:26.330 angels to bring comfort when we could not. Our 00:16:26.330 --> 00:16:28.409 good friend, Stephanie, bore her. OK, this is 00:16:28.409 --> 00:16:32.490 from our ward. She's her name, Stephanie, and 00:16:32.490 --> 00:16:35.720 she bore her testimony. about something very 00:16:35.720 --> 00:16:37.799 similar. Her firsthand experience comes from 00:16:37.799 --> 00:16:40.539 the time that she spent helping her daughter 00:16:40.539 --> 00:16:42.799 Taylor recover from a gas explosion in a food 00:16:42.799 --> 00:16:46.080 truck a few years ago. These are her words. The 00:16:46.080 --> 00:16:49.450 Lord's compensating blessings often come Oh, 00:16:49.470 --> 00:16:51.409 this is a quote from the talk. The Lord's compensating 00:16:51.409 --> 00:16:53.210 blessings often come through the kindness and 00:16:53.210 --> 00:16:55.190 service of others who help us accomplish what 00:16:55.190 --> 00:16:58.289 we cannot do on our own. She says, as I pondered 00:16:58.289 --> 00:17:01.049 on your question, so many things have gone through 00:17:01.049 --> 00:17:04.130 my mind. It is truly humbling to reflect. Probably 00:17:04.130 --> 00:17:06.490 the most profound thing I witnessed and consequently 00:17:06.490 --> 00:17:09.490 learned is how the Lord uses others to help us 00:17:09.490 --> 00:17:12.170 accomplish what we can't do on our own. Our family 00:17:12.170 --> 00:17:14.950 was the recipient of so many blessings by the 00:17:14.950 --> 00:17:18.009 hands of those around us. It's so tricky to read 00:17:18.009 --> 00:17:20.609 this because I love this person and I love her 00:17:20.609 --> 00:17:22.369 family and all the people that are helping. It 00:17:22.369 --> 00:17:24.930 just feels like she was surrounded by a bit of 00:17:24.930 --> 00:17:27.460 heaven. when we love when we left suddenly for 00:17:27.460 --> 00:17:29.759 the burn center in salt lake i left my three 00:17:29.759 --> 00:17:32.559 younger boys for two months at the time we didn't 00:17:32.559 --> 00:17:34.480 know how long we were going to be gone so many 00:17:34.480 --> 00:17:37.299 in our town our ward our community filled in 00:17:37.299 --> 00:17:39.799 while i wasn't at home everything from bringing 00:17:39.799 --> 00:17:41.819 them food cleaning our house keeping them busy 00:17:41.819 --> 00:17:43.519 so their minds weren't focused on what was happening 00:17:43.519 --> 00:17:46.079 one day my sister came out of our front door 00:17:46.079 --> 00:17:48.160 to find two backpacks full of school supplies 00:17:48.160 --> 00:17:50.880 for my two youngest another day amazon delivered 00:17:50.880 --> 00:17:52.859 a pair of football cleats for one of my boys 00:17:54.380 --> 00:17:56.359 This one gets my heart. Someone took first day 00:17:56.359 --> 00:17:59.819 of school pictures for my boys. These are all 00:17:59.819 --> 00:18:01.619 things that were important, but not something 00:18:01.619 --> 00:18:04.019 that I could do at the time. I received messages 00:18:04.019 --> 00:18:06.900 from multiple church groups from multiple denominations 00:18:06.900 --> 00:18:10.099 that were praying for our dear Taylor. Our community 00:18:10.099 --> 00:18:17.359 was united in those, in one purpose. Regardless 00:18:17.359 --> 00:18:19.920 of faith, there is so much strength in that unity. 00:18:20.119 --> 00:18:22.500 I learned that when I have a thought to call 00:18:22.500 --> 00:18:24.599 or reach out to someone that is not coming from 00:18:24.599 --> 00:18:27.700 me, that is my opportunity to be his hands. I 00:18:27.700 --> 00:18:29.740 can't count every little act that was done on 00:18:29.740 --> 00:18:32.279 our behalf. Even something as simple as a container 00:18:32.279 --> 00:18:35.160 of magnesium powder to help our sheep or Mel 00:18:35.160 --> 00:18:38.079 Luca lavender lotion for her skin. So many people 00:18:38.079 --> 00:18:39.740 listened to the promptings that they were given 00:18:39.740 --> 00:18:42.960 and we were the beneficiaries of that. I pray 00:18:42.960 --> 00:18:45.259 daily that I can be that for someone else. I've 00:18:45.259 --> 00:18:47.240 gotten so much better at acting immediately and 00:18:47.240 --> 00:18:49.720 not questioning. I know that my father in heaven 00:18:49.720 --> 00:18:53.539 is aware of me and that each one of us, and he 00:18:53.539 --> 00:18:55.779 knows where we're at. He cares about the tiny 00:18:55.779 --> 00:18:58.039 things in our lives as much as the huge ones. 00:18:58.359 --> 00:19:00.940 He cared that Taylor was able to have that nurse 00:19:00.940 --> 00:19:03.339 that took time to sit and listen to her and talk 00:19:03.339 --> 00:19:05.740 to her about her fears as much as he cared about 00:19:05.740 --> 00:19:07.599 that my son had football cleats for practice. 00:19:07.799 --> 00:19:11.490 And because of those things, And those people 00:19:11.490 --> 00:19:13.329 that were willing to listen and act, we were 00:19:13.329 --> 00:19:15.289 all blessed. I do not believe that everything 00:19:15.289 --> 00:19:18.390 happens for a reason. There was no reason for 00:19:18.390 --> 00:19:20.950 this thing to happen to Taylor. But when something 00:19:20.950 --> 00:19:23.470 like this happens, we can always find something 00:19:23.470 --> 00:19:25.309 positive that can come from it. Those are great 00:19:25.309 --> 00:19:27.890 words. If we look for those compensating blessings, 00:19:28.170 --> 00:19:30.789 we will always find them. I have seen in Taylor's 00:19:30.789 --> 00:19:34.130 life as she has touched others through her own 00:19:34.130 --> 00:19:36.190 perspective. She absolutely has. She's a light. 00:19:37.339 --> 00:19:40.319 And I grabbed Taylor's testimony of the same 00:19:40.319 --> 00:19:43.160 period of time. She says, when I think back on 00:19:43.160 --> 00:19:45.200 my life, the experiences that have gone through, 00:19:45.279 --> 00:19:47.299 I see the different ways in which my life has 00:19:47.299 --> 00:19:49.380 been directed so that I could receive the Lord's 00:19:49.380 --> 00:19:52.059 blessings and be where he needed me. One such 00:19:52.059 --> 00:19:54.359 example is when I graduated high school. I started 00:19:54.359 --> 00:19:56.359 doing my mission papers because I felt like it's 00:19:56.359 --> 00:19:58.500 what I needed and wanted to do. Middle of the 00:19:58.500 --> 00:20:01.460 papers. is when my accident happened landing 00:20:01.460 --> 00:20:04.299 me in the burn ICU for two months all of my plans 00:20:04.299 --> 00:20:06.500 which were good plans had been halted looking 00:20:06.500 --> 00:20:08.980 back I'm able to see how my path was directed 00:20:08.980 --> 00:20:11.299 and away from a mission but still towards good 00:20:11.299 --> 00:20:15.579 God's plan I see his hands and blessing me following 00:20:15.579 --> 00:20:17.519 me along my new path and I know that there are 00:20:17.519 --> 00:20:19.619 so many blessings that I have received because 00:20:19.619 --> 00:20:22.500 of the way my life has gone that otherwise I 00:20:22.500 --> 00:20:24.240 would never have had the opportunity to receive 00:20:24.960 --> 00:20:26.700 I'm grateful for the blessings that come through 00:20:26.700 --> 00:20:29.259 trials and the reassurance that we can get through 00:20:29.259 --> 00:20:33.019 with Christ despite terrible experiences that 00:20:33.019 --> 00:20:39.440 we go through. Stephanie's thoughts as the mother 00:20:39.440 --> 00:20:42.779 on the side of getting a child through this process 00:20:42.779 --> 00:20:45.559 and this healing process had me reflecting back. 00:20:46.220 --> 00:20:49.119 One of my sisters, I asked her to put her thoughts 00:20:49.119 --> 00:20:53.869 together. Her first child was... diagnosed with 00:20:53.869 --> 00:20:56.490 hypoplastic left heart syndrome it's a very serious 00:20:56.490 --> 00:20:59.430 heart condition that causes basically you have 00:20:59.430 --> 00:21:01.549 to reroute things and create half of a heart 00:21:01.549 --> 00:21:06.069 or like you don't make it past birth basically 00:21:06.069 --> 00:21:10.750 and so they knew when he came that if if all 00:21:10.750 --> 00:21:12.509 things were to go well that he'd have a series 00:21:12.509 --> 00:21:15.369 of heart surgeries and they were in utah at a 00:21:15.369 --> 00:21:17.930 time and her husband he's a doctor so he was 00:21:17.930 --> 00:21:19.730 in medical school in california when it came 00:21:19.730 --> 00:21:23.039 time for this other surgery it's too far to like 00:21:23.039 --> 00:21:24.660 do the things for them that they need to need 00:21:24.660 --> 00:21:26.319 to keep them healthy so she can't like leave 00:21:26.319 --> 00:21:29.099 the house pre -surgery and you know there were 00:21:29.099 --> 00:21:31.440 just a few things and and they're they're not 00:21:31.440 --> 00:21:34.819 by any family they're at medical school and so 00:21:34.819 --> 00:21:38.319 um from her words she says the things that stand 00:21:38.319 --> 00:21:40.759 out most are just how many people stopped by 00:21:40.759 --> 00:21:43.059 or reached out over the phone or email remember 00:21:43.059 --> 00:21:45.920 um the ward member that stopped by the morning 00:21:45.920 --> 00:21:49.740 go his way to work He had a million things he 00:21:49.740 --> 00:21:51.980 could do, but he wanted to offer his love and 00:21:51.980 --> 00:21:54.200 support for the day. I felt like the whole ward 00:21:54.200 --> 00:21:55.900 was waiting on the edge of their seats to hear 00:21:55.900 --> 00:21:57.799 how everything went and make sure he came through 00:21:57.799 --> 00:22:01.000 okay. Sunday after being released from the hospital 00:22:01.000 --> 00:22:03.380 after that heart surgery, we weren't going to 00:22:03.380 --> 00:22:05.599 go to state conference. But a friend of ours 00:22:05.599 --> 00:22:07.779 heard that the prophet would be there and texted 00:22:07.779 --> 00:22:13.259 us, so we decided to go. President Nelson left 00:22:13.259 --> 00:22:15.660 an apostolic blessing over the Congregation of 00:22:15.660 --> 00:22:18.859 Healing. I put out a Facebook post about how 00:22:18.859 --> 00:22:22.740 special it was to be part of that. The Facebook 00:22:22.740 --> 00:22:25.940 post said, All right, I can't hold it in any 00:22:25.940 --> 00:22:29.220 longer. We had the coolest opportunity. Yesterday, 00:22:29.420 --> 00:22:31.319 we weren't planning on going to church because 00:22:31.319 --> 00:22:33.839 it was state conference, and Ollie had just gotten 00:22:33.839 --> 00:22:36.259 out of the hospital the day before, but our bishop 00:22:36.259 --> 00:22:38.160 sent out a last -minute email about the prophet 00:22:38.160 --> 00:22:41.500 attending. We talked Ollie into going. When I 00:22:41.500 --> 00:22:43.039 told him the prophet was a heart surgeon, he 00:22:43.039 --> 00:22:45.240 got a sad look on his face. He didn't really 00:22:45.240 --> 00:22:48.359 want to go, kind of scared of doctors. I reassured 00:22:48.359 --> 00:22:51.359 him, he won't operate on your heart, and so he 00:22:51.359 --> 00:22:54.559 agreed to go. We got ready, really fast, raced 00:22:54.559 --> 00:22:56.799 to the steak meeting house. I wanted so badly 00:22:56.799 --> 00:22:59.779 for Ollie to get to shake his hand for a reason, 00:22:59.880 --> 00:23:02.539 but being that he's the prophet, the other... 00:23:06.720 --> 00:23:09.359 because of his surgery background, but also mostly 00:23:09.359 --> 00:23:13.640 because he's the prophet. And the prophet is 00:23:13.640 --> 00:23:15.680 part of the team that created the bypass machine 00:23:15.680 --> 00:23:20.460 that Ollie had been on twice before. Ollie didn't 00:23:20.460 --> 00:23:22.759 get to shake his hand, but at the end of President 00:23:22.759 --> 00:23:24.819 Nelson's talk, he put a few special blessings 00:23:24.819 --> 00:23:27.299 on all in attendance, and one of them was a blessing 00:23:27.299 --> 00:23:29.819 of healing on all who were sick. That alone to 00:23:29.819 --> 00:23:32.160 me was worth a drive and just as good or better 00:23:32.160 --> 00:23:35.640 than a handshake. It was a special day. And one 00:23:35.640 --> 00:23:39.099 I will never forget. One of my ward members told 00:23:39.099 --> 00:23:43.140 President Nelson about Ollie and possibly shared 00:23:43.140 --> 00:23:46.119 the Facebook post that I had put out. And because 00:23:46.119 --> 00:23:48.019 of that, we received a letter from the Secretary 00:23:48.019 --> 00:23:52.559 of the Prophet. The letter saying, Dear Sister 00:23:52.559 --> 00:23:56.960 Lish, i have been asked to acknowledge a recent 00:23:56.960 --> 00:23:59.799 email to which you forwarded by your state president 00:23:59.799 --> 00:24:01.839 and president russell m nelson thank you for 00:24:01.839 --> 00:24:03.980 taking the time to share your kind thoughts and 00:24:03.980 --> 00:24:06.680 feelings president nelson appreciated the account 00:24:06.680 --> 00:24:08.759 that you shared and was touched by your fervent 00:24:08.759 --> 00:24:12.000 testimony it is his hope and prayer that your 00:24:12.000 --> 00:24:14.000 boy will continue to be blessed with improved 00:24:14.000 --> 00:24:18.039 health although At times, it may be difficult 00:24:18.039 --> 00:24:20.859 to understand why we face certain challenges. 00:24:21.000 --> 00:24:23.579 We do know that if we bear our burdens well, 00:24:23.720 --> 00:24:26.180 we will be eternally blessed. Please know the 00:24:26.180 --> 00:24:28.460 Lord is aware of you and your sweet family and 00:24:28.460 --> 00:24:30.960 loves you very much. How delighted President 00:24:30.960 --> 00:24:34.460 Nelson was to recently visit the stake and be 00:24:34.460 --> 00:24:37.619 able to feel the sustaining influence of the 00:24:37.619 --> 00:24:40.819 members there. Please know his appreciation for 00:24:40.819 --> 00:24:43.519 your kind expression of love and support. He 00:24:43.519 --> 00:24:48.160 wishes you love. To you and your family, may 00:24:48.160 --> 00:24:50.740 the Lord continue to pour out His richest blessings 00:24:50.740 --> 00:24:55.420 upon you. And we're a few years past that time. 00:24:56.880 --> 00:25:00.000 And our little man, he's growing, he's thriving. 00:25:01.799 --> 00:25:08.259 And I would say that... Those experiences have 00:25:08.259 --> 00:25:10.240 made this sister very aware of others when they 00:25:10.240 --> 00:25:13.200 go through their hard times. One of the compensating 00:25:13.200 --> 00:25:15.339 blessings is that he's created a great servant 00:25:15.339 --> 00:25:18.259 out of Sadie. She does see people and their needs 00:25:18.259 --> 00:25:22.200 and steps in and helps wherever they can. And 00:25:22.200 --> 00:25:26.160 I've talked about Ollie in previous podcasts, 00:25:26.440 --> 00:25:28.859 but we went to be part of that day of the surgery. 00:25:29.559 --> 00:25:31.920 And I got to witness the ward members stopping 00:25:31.920 --> 00:25:35.880 with milkshakes. just to say hi and just to lift 00:25:35.880 --> 00:25:38.420 up and support him. And it's touched my heart 00:25:38.420 --> 00:25:40.819 because there's so many times that we couldn't 00:25:40.819 --> 00:25:42.599 be there to do things for them because they were 00:25:42.599 --> 00:25:47.599 so far from us from home. And, and I feel like 00:25:47.599 --> 00:25:50.819 it's just the same, um, where like they served 00:25:50.819 --> 00:25:52.940 a meal to a gal that had the twins in their ward 00:25:52.940 --> 00:25:54.619 and they hope that people were reaching out to 00:25:54.619 --> 00:25:55.920 their daughter cause they just weren't physically 00:25:55.920 --> 00:26:01.500 there to do that for them. But, um, Anyway, I 00:26:01.500 --> 00:26:03.500 guess I see that. I see that Sadie recognizes 00:26:03.500 --> 00:26:05.539 how small and simple things go a long way to 00:26:05.539 --> 00:26:07.039 letting people know that their savior is aware 00:26:07.039 --> 00:26:09.700 of them. And it's made me definitely think it 00:26:09.700 --> 00:26:12.279 doesn't take much, but just a thought here or 00:26:12.279 --> 00:26:14.240 there, like anything that you can do, anything 00:26:14.240 --> 00:26:16.019 you're impressed to do. Stephanie made the same 00:26:16.019 --> 00:26:18.380 point. Totally. She gets those little impressions 00:26:18.380 --> 00:26:22.230 and she's more immediately. prompted to do them 00:26:22.230 --> 00:26:24.049 because she knows those little things added to 00:26:24.049 --> 00:26:25.769 mean such a great thing to her yeah in their 00:26:25.769 --> 00:26:27.430 own times and even just a couple months ago i 00:26:27.430 --> 00:26:29.630 was beneficiary she heard that i wasn't doing 00:26:29.630 --> 00:26:32.950 well and you know brought a dinner over that's 00:26:32.950 --> 00:26:36.910 just very you know that she was so blessed in 00:26:36.910 --> 00:26:39.589 her time totally that she recognizes now yeah 00:26:39.589 --> 00:26:42.450 so it there is a blessing that comes even though 00:26:42.450 --> 00:26:48.190 it's um heavy the cost of what you go through 00:26:48.190 --> 00:26:50.809 is very heavy but you're able to lift other places 00:26:50.809 --> 00:26:54.089 when facing limitations and challenges may we 00:26:54.089 --> 00:26:56.930 recognize our own blessings our gifts resources 00:26:56.930 --> 00:27:00.630 and time and use them to serve those in need 00:27:00.630 --> 00:27:03.009 in doing so we will not only bless others but 00:27:03.009 --> 00:27:05.670 invite healing and compensation into our own 00:27:05.670 --> 00:27:08.170 lives that part of the talk made me think of 00:27:08.170 --> 00:27:10.190 the experiences another one of my sisters had 00:27:10.190 --> 00:27:12.670 as she battled um infertility and i asked her 00:27:12.670 --> 00:27:14.869 are you in a place in your life where you understand 00:27:14.869 --> 00:27:16.890 why the childbearing process worked out the way 00:27:16.890 --> 00:27:19.250 that it did in your life good question uh -huh 00:27:19.250 --> 00:27:22.410 and um like do you see where you've been compensated 00:27:22.410 --> 00:27:25.069 for the things that you had to endure or do are 00:27:25.069 --> 00:27:27.269 you waiting for that compensation like do you 00:27:27.269 --> 00:27:31.720 think it's coming in the next life and um her 00:27:31.720 --> 00:27:34.160 response was this she said that's a hard question 00:27:34.160 --> 00:27:36.579 i see so many blessings i received over those 00:27:36.579 --> 00:27:39.500 two years that's what that was her words and 00:27:39.500 --> 00:27:42.940 i inserted she actually battled infertility for 00:27:42.940 --> 00:27:45.140 like 11 years and then two years on fertility 00:27:45.140 --> 00:27:48.700 treatment so she did this for 13 long years really 00:27:48.700 --> 00:27:51.599 and she says i feel like the lord gave me the 00:27:51.599 --> 00:27:55.519 answer to do go through this process, not necessarily 00:27:55.519 --> 00:27:57.119 so that I could have more children on earth, 00:27:57.220 --> 00:27:59.859 but so that I could see his hand in our lives. 00:28:00.059 --> 00:28:02.640 My kids were firsthand witnesses to miracle after 00:28:02.640 --> 00:28:05.819 miracle and real -time answered prayers. She 00:28:05.819 --> 00:28:07.700 said I was called as young woman's president 00:28:07.700 --> 00:28:10.240 right as I was starting, and I remember thinking, 00:28:10.339 --> 00:28:13.319 how on earth will I do this? Those girls were 00:28:13.319 --> 00:28:17.099 my saving grace. I was able to focus on them, 00:28:17.220 --> 00:28:19.599 and it helped elevate some of my self -pitying. 00:28:19.740 --> 00:28:22.440 So I do feel like I've been compensated. But 00:28:22.440 --> 00:28:24.720 I do know I have six kids that I will have the 00:28:24.720 --> 00:28:27.140 chance to raise if I live in accordance with 00:28:27.140 --> 00:28:29.380 the gospel, and feel like I've been given more 00:28:29.380 --> 00:28:31.720 opportunities to love even more kids. Maybe I 00:28:31.720 --> 00:28:33.220 wouldn't have loved the missionaries that live 00:28:33.220 --> 00:28:35.059 with us as much as I do, or maybe I wouldn't 00:28:35.059 --> 00:28:37.380 love my primary calling as much as I do, not 00:28:37.380 --> 00:28:40.500 after having gone through the trial that I did. 00:28:41.000 --> 00:28:43.059 I feel like I have true empathy for people that 00:28:43.059 --> 00:28:45.460 want and ache for children or more children because 00:28:45.460 --> 00:28:48.720 I've lived it. So I think that there's more compensation 00:28:48.720 --> 00:28:51.440 to come. And I also think I have been compensated. 00:28:51.640 --> 00:28:55.339 That's a really good way to put it. This might 00:28:55.339 --> 00:28:57.859 be one of my favorite pieces of this talk. We 00:28:57.859 --> 00:28:59.579 can see and feel those compensatory blessings 00:28:59.579 --> 00:29:02.220 now. We can also have faith in the plan in a 00:29:02.220 --> 00:29:04.259 way that even if we don't see and understand 00:29:04.259 --> 00:29:06.680 the whole picture on earth, we know this isn't 00:29:06.680 --> 00:29:08.559 the end and we know some of the compensatory 00:29:08.559 --> 00:29:11.019 blessings come from loved ones on the other side 00:29:11.019 --> 00:29:13.420 of the veil. It's interesting to think about 00:29:13.420 --> 00:29:16.099 how we are able to bless our ancestors from this 00:29:16.099 --> 00:29:18.839 side of the veil. This is a quote. One of the 00:29:18.839 --> 00:29:20.819 most powerful ways we may contribute to God's 00:29:20.819 --> 00:29:22.940 compensating blessings is through the vicarious 00:29:22.940 --> 00:29:25.440 work we do for our ancestors in the house of 00:29:25.440 --> 00:29:28.210 the Lord. As we perform ordinances on their behalf, 00:29:28.369 --> 00:29:30.529 we actively participate in the Lord's great work 00:29:30.529 --> 00:29:33.049 of salvation, using our gifts and abilities to 00:29:33.049 --> 00:29:35.250 provide blessings to those who did not have the 00:29:35.250 --> 00:29:37.750 opportunity to receive them during their mortal 00:29:37.750 --> 00:29:40.589 lives. The Savior's grace continues beyond this 00:29:40.589 --> 00:29:42.569 life, offering hope that we couldn't achieve 00:29:42.569 --> 00:29:45.849 immortality can still be fulfilled later. President 00:29:45.849 --> 00:29:49.380 Lorenzo Snow reassures faithful saints that they 00:29:49.380 --> 00:29:51.319 won't lose eternal blessings because of missed 00:29:51.319 --> 00:29:53.920 opportunities beyond their control despite life's 00:29:53.920 --> 00:29:56.279 challenges and our inability to save ourselves 00:29:56.279 --> 00:29:58.559 through the savior's grace we can still receive 00:29:58.559 --> 00:30:00.759 all promised blessings after doing all we can 00:30:00.759 --> 00:30:04.619 um i love this too in the talk the reason we 00:30:04.619 --> 00:30:10.839 have this um this gospel principle principle 00:30:10.839 --> 00:30:13.740 yeah um is when joseph smith you know he had 00:30:13.740 --> 00:30:16.200 just lost alvin or recently lost alvin his brother 00:30:16.200 --> 00:30:19.359 and when he came apart came upon the part that 00:30:19.359 --> 00:30:23.200 talked about um you know those who yeah salvation 00:30:23.200 --> 00:30:26.220 and those who would you know have accepted the 00:30:26.220 --> 00:30:29.579 gospel it just It's one more thing that tells 00:30:29.579 --> 00:30:32.279 me that the Lord does put things in our lives 00:30:32.279 --> 00:30:34.440 so that we're able to recognize the importance 00:30:34.440 --> 00:30:37.440 of gospel principles. I know that Joseph's heart 00:30:37.440 --> 00:30:39.960 must have been so happy, leaping for joy when 00:30:39.960 --> 00:30:42.519 he realized this wasn't the end for Alvin. It 00:30:42.519 --> 00:30:45.700 made the gospel come to life for him. And I feel 00:30:45.700 --> 00:30:47.299 like as we've been talking about these things 00:30:47.299 --> 00:30:49.420 with the compensatory blessings, that you could 00:30:49.420 --> 00:30:51.519 really look back in your life. I mean, I look 00:30:51.519 --> 00:30:54.519 at so many things in my life. And I can't even 00:30:54.519 --> 00:30:56.779 choose just one of them because there are so 00:30:56.779 --> 00:31:00.519 many of them. But I just know that, you know, 00:31:00.519 --> 00:31:02.599 whether it was my husband having strokes, whether 00:31:02.599 --> 00:31:04.660 it was him having an aneurysm, whether it was 00:31:04.660 --> 00:31:07.839 him, all of his health issues, my cancer, my 00:31:07.839 --> 00:31:11.200 past five months that I've gone through, everything 00:31:11.200 --> 00:31:14.380 that we've gone through. Again, you got to look 00:31:14.380 --> 00:31:18.680 back on it. But I see where the Lord has overcompensated. 00:31:18.700 --> 00:31:23.349 Like he has blessed us in. spades as far as what 00:31:23.349 --> 00:31:25.190 we've been through. And I know I have that in 00:31:25.190 --> 00:31:26.569 some of the blessed, the priesthood blessings 00:31:26.569 --> 00:31:29.170 I've received, but it's always funny because 00:31:29.170 --> 00:31:31.329 when I, when I hear those words, while I'm in 00:31:31.329 --> 00:31:33.809 the middle of something, I kind of roll my eyes 00:31:33.809 --> 00:31:36.049 and I'm like, ah, that's not what I want to hear 00:31:36.049 --> 00:31:37.970 right now. You know, one of them, I remember 00:31:37.970 --> 00:31:40.450 I was in the middle of cancer still, and it was 00:31:40.450 --> 00:31:43.529 very, very painful month for me in October and 00:31:43.529 --> 00:31:45.650 like physically painful and in all other ways 00:31:45.650 --> 00:31:49.130 too. But, um, like my foot was actually dead. 00:31:49.609 --> 00:31:52.759 And, um, I remember, having a blessing saying 00:31:52.759 --> 00:31:54.660 that this soon will be over and i'll be able 00:31:54.660 --> 00:31:56.500 to look back on it and see all the great things 00:31:56.500 --> 00:31:58.859 and i'm thinking how is that even possible it 00:31:58.859 --> 00:32:01.519 felt physically impossible for me at that time 00:32:01.519 --> 00:32:04.859 and now that i'm six years out i can look back 00:32:04.859 --> 00:32:07.599 and be like wow heavenly father you were right 00:32:07.599 --> 00:32:11.079 on like i i'm 100 i'm with you i see that that's 00:32:11.079 --> 00:32:13.960 totally in the past now my foot is fully healed 00:32:13.960 --> 00:32:16.460 i have all my toes i can walk balance do all 00:32:16.460 --> 00:32:20.630 the things and It just is a difference in perspective. 00:32:20.890 --> 00:32:23.089 It's so hard to see it when you're in the middle 00:32:23.089 --> 00:32:25.289 of things. And when you see very physically, 00:32:25.369 --> 00:32:28.509 for me, that my foot was dead. Like it really, 00:32:28.549 --> 00:32:31.150 really was. The tissue was dead, like it was 00:32:31.150 --> 00:32:35.269 gone, right? It was funny. At one point, I only 00:32:35.269 --> 00:32:37.250 had pictures for those in my closest circle, 00:32:37.349 --> 00:32:40.190 but my nephew had just gotten home from his mission 00:32:40.190 --> 00:32:42.210 and my sister showed him the picture and he... 00:32:42.670 --> 00:32:45.650 um recoiled when he saw it and he said oh why 00:32:45.650 --> 00:32:47.509 doesn't she just cut that thing off and be done 00:32:47.509 --> 00:32:52.130 that's what they wanted to do right uh i i think 00:32:52.130 --> 00:32:54.690 my emotions are too high to really like zero 00:32:54.690 --> 00:32:57.069 in on compensatory blessings i've felt in my 00:32:57.069 --> 00:32:59.509 life but they're they're not few and far between 00:32:59.509 --> 00:33:02.430 they're a majority of my life i felt his compensating 00:33:02.430 --> 00:33:05.250 hand and he's blessed me time and time again 00:33:05.250 --> 00:33:08.710 and he's given me eyes to see um he's given me 00:33:08.710 --> 00:33:12.319 opportunities to see where you know, when people 00:33:12.319 --> 00:33:15.640 in my circle have experienced hard times, hard 00:33:15.640 --> 00:33:18.539 challenges, like from their perspective, I've 00:33:18.539 --> 00:33:21.319 been able to see all these beautiful gifts that 00:33:21.319 --> 00:33:24.240 he's given on the backside of it. I can see them 00:33:24.240 --> 00:33:26.559 in the midst of and in the front end of the trial. 00:33:26.660 --> 00:33:29.059 And when they recognize him and they testify 00:33:29.059 --> 00:33:31.240 on the back end of the trial, it's special and 00:33:31.240 --> 00:33:33.220 beautiful. I love it when those things come together. 00:33:36.119 --> 00:33:41.720 So again, the challenge would be Taking a snapshot 00:33:41.720 --> 00:33:44.700 of your life right here and looking back at what 00:33:44.700 --> 00:33:46.880 you recognize were definitely challenges in your 00:33:46.880 --> 00:33:50.559 life and what blessings came out of those. It's 00:33:50.559 --> 00:33:53.660 a neat opportunity. You know, it's interesting 00:33:53.660 --> 00:33:57.819 as I'm thinking on compensatory blessings, the 00:33:57.819 --> 00:33:59.940 way that I was brought up and the way that we 00:33:59.940 --> 00:34:02.720 looked at things, I didn't grow up in a family 00:34:02.720 --> 00:34:06.079 that asked why. And it was more like, what are 00:34:06.079 --> 00:34:07.720 we learning? What have we done? You know, all 00:34:07.720 --> 00:34:12.119 these types of things. The past few months, I've 00:34:12.119 --> 00:34:13.559 been sharing some things that I've been going 00:34:13.559 --> 00:34:15.719 through with my husband. And he actually, to 00:34:15.719 --> 00:34:17.320 the Lord, he was telling me, he's like, you know, 00:34:17.340 --> 00:34:18.760 last night, just last night I was praying and 00:34:18.760 --> 00:34:21.639 I was asking, Heavenly Father, why did you ask 00:34:21.639 --> 00:34:24.920 Amy to go through XYZ? And as he was telling 00:34:24.920 --> 00:34:27.000 me that, I was just kind of struck. I was like, 00:34:27.039 --> 00:34:29.000 oh my gosh, I've never really asked the Lord 00:34:29.000 --> 00:34:33.059 why. I think part of it is in my mind, when you 00:34:33.059 --> 00:34:36.820 ask the Lord why, it almost is like, why me? 00:34:36.900 --> 00:34:40.719 Kind of a thing. So I asked that. And I was prayer 00:34:40.719 --> 00:34:42.719 journaling, actually. I said, Heavenly Father, 00:34:42.980 --> 00:34:45.380 had I done something differently, would I have 00:34:45.380 --> 00:34:48.739 learned the same lessons? And he said, these 00:34:48.739 --> 00:34:51.139 are the words I felt from him. Think about it. 00:34:51.179 --> 00:34:53.460 Of course you wouldn't. If you had stopped six 00:34:53.460 --> 00:34:56.800 years ago in this process that we're in. You 00:34:56.800 --> 00:34:58.179 wouldn't have learned all the things. He's like, 00:34:58.239 --> 00:35:00.579 how about you take some time right now and write 00:35:00.579 --> 00:35:03.500 down all of the things you know and have learned 00:35:03.500 --> 00:35:06.980 because of this one situation. I sat there and 00:35:06.980 --> 00:35:10.659 wrote and wrote and wrote and wrote. And the 00:35:10.659 --> 00:35:15.840 spirit was with me and quickly helped me to connect 00:35:15.840 --> 00:35:19.340 the dots. And helped me to see, wow, I can never 00:35:19.340 --> 00:35:21.420 unsee any of these things or unlearn them. They 00:35:21.420 --> 00:35:24.460 are now a part of me. And I also saw where my 00:35:24.460 --> 00:35:28.039 daughter learned from this situation too. And 00:35:28.039 --> 00:35:30.280 she has never been the same. There were very 00:35:30.280 --> 00:35:32.400 specific things that she changed in her life 00:35:32.400 --> 00:35:33.960 and the way that she deals with relationships. 00:35:34.420 --> 00:35:39.159 That has, I couldn't have paid, I mean, I would 00:35:39.159 --> 00:35:41.739 have paid millions for that. And it all came 00:35:41.739 --> 00:35:44.500 because of this very challenging thing that I 00:35:44.500 --> 00:35:46.880 had gone through. And some of my mind was like, 00:35:46.960 --> 00:35:48.400 well, I kind of brought it on myself because 00:35:48.400 --> 00:35:50.300 I didn't stop at myself all this, you know, all 00:35:50.300 --> 00:35:52.420 these years ago. But really, I learned so much 00:35:52.420 --> 00:35:55.000 from it. So I loved that when I shared this with 00:35:55.000 --> 00:35:57.820 my husband that he did say, I asked the Lord 00:35:57.820 --> 00:35:59.719 why. And I was like, yeah, why not? So I just 00:35:59.719 --> 00:36:01.719 love that, you know, sharing it with someone 00:36:01.719 --> 00:36:05.719 who's in your question why in a non like. i'm 00:36:05.719 --> 00:36:07.300 not saying you can't have some pity for yourself 00:36:07.300 --> 00:36:09.360 sometimes but we're always encouraged to ask 00:36:09.360 --> 00:36:11.639 the what what can i learn from this yeah but 00:36:12.079 --> 00:36:13.780 And it came in a different way, right? I think 00:36:13.780 --> 00:36:15.739 you can ask the question in the Y form. It's 00:36:15.739 --> 00:36:17.800 totally appropriate. It worked for me in that. 00:36:18.599 --> 00:36:20.960 So I love that. I was very grateful that there 00:36:20.960 --> 00:36:22.559 was a different perspective. That's awesome. 00:36:22.880 --> 00:36:26.079 Let me end with his testimony. I testify that 00:36:26.079 --> 00:36:28.280 while many circumstances in life may be beyond 00:36:28.280 --> 00:36:30.820 our control, none of us is beyond the reach of 00:36:30.820 --> 00:36:33.039 the Lord's infinite blessings. Through his atoning 00:36:33.039 --> 00:36:35.820 sacrifice, the Savior will compensate for every 00:36:35.820 --> 00:36:38.440 inability and injustice we offer our whole souls 00:36:38.440 --> 00:36:41.019 to him. these things he says in the name of Jesus 00:36:41.019 --> 00:36:42.519 Christ. Amen. Amen.