Welcome to Closer to Christ through General Conference,
where two friends who love Jesus share our own
approach to studying the most recent General
Conference talks. This is Abby and Amy. Let's
jump into it. Today we're discussing the talk
No One Sits Alone by Elder Garrett W. Gong of
The Quorum of the Twelve. So Elder Gong begins
by reminiscing about his time as a young adult
making fortune cookies for a job. Later on, and
to his surprise, he learned that fortune cookies
were actually not originally part of Chinese
culture. A fun fact, only Americans celebrate
National Fortune Cookie Day, which got a laugh
from everyone there. It's like such a dry cat
humor. That was hilarious. Yeah, it was so good.
And then he says this, only Chinese restaurants
offer authentic American fortune cookies. Why
the story of the fortune cookies? And he says,
you know, looking at how different cultures practice
a tradition like a fortune cookie, for example,
it'll be the backdrop to understanding how gospel
culture differs throughout the world as well.
I loved how he framed it. Loved how he started
that talk. Attention grabber for sure. The United
Nations reports 281 million international migrants.
And this is just drastically more than the numbers
we've seen from the past. And he said, you know,
this movement may be in part one of the reasons
why we're seeing record numbers of converts finding
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter -day Saints.
I love it when I hear, you know, somebody traveled
for their education, picked up the gospel, and
they take it to parts of the world that we're
not really allowed to proselyte in. Yeah, war
is terrible, but sometimes it causes people to
flux out of their country for a time and maybe
it's to a country where Christianity is new to
them. And then it's kind of a stepping stone
to finding the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter
-day Saints, lots of different scenarios. So
it's not always pleasant. It's not always pleasant
reasons why people are moving about the world
like they are, like out of choice. Sometimes
there's real sad things about it. But what has
happened with this gathering of saints and this
you know, change of membership is that we can
boast 125 languages spoken in our congregations,
195 birth countries are recognized on our records,
and we have grown to 31 ,916 congregations. Love
that. From one room cabin. Yeah. Right? Yeah.
So he uses Jacob five, the allegory of the olive
tree as kind of the backdrop for how the Lord
of the Vineyard and his servants are strengthening
both olive tree roots and branches by gathering
and grafting together those from these diverse
locations. And I love that. Just like a worldwide
interconnected tree. We're all made better as
we're grafting in. And I mean, I'm learning more
from like saints gathering like way across the
world than I could think possible. Like I'm not
trying to knock people around here, but it's
just touching to see like mass baptisms And it's
like it's so new to them and it just kind of
gives it's like it's like watching the world
to like kids eyes Their excitement of things
you're like we need to be like that that excitement
coming from these like different parts of the
world I think is gonna be such a blessing to,
it is such a blessing to all of us. Yes, I agree,
Abby. The Lord expects His children everywhere
to gather, which is a remarkable natural means
to expand our lives, our lived fullness of His
restored gospel. The poor, maimed, halted, and
blind, we're all invited to come hither. And
in a spiritual sense, isn't this each of us at
one point or one season in our life? Yeah. And
is there a limit to his invitation to gather?
Nope. Absolutely not. All nations shall be invited
unto a supper of the house of the Lord. Prepare
ye the way of the Lord, that his kingdom may
go forth upon the earth, that the inhabitants
thereof may receive it, and be prepared for the
days to come. All are invited together. And this
diversity, to me, is a taste of what heaven's
going to look like. I love that, Abby, how it
says all are invited. I feel that over and over
and over again, that if we're not there, it's
because we didn't receive the invitation. All
of us are invited. He references the parable
of the Good Samaritan where Jesus invites, again,
us to come to him in his inn or his church. He
invites us to be good neighbors. The Good Samaritan
promises to return and recompense the care of
those in his inn. Living the gospel of Jesus
Christ includes making room for all in His restored
church. I love this talk. I know it's so fitting,
like it's Christmas time. By the time this one
airs, like we're going to be awfully close to
Christmas. Yeah. And so in the spirit of Christmas,
that room for the in really stands out. It's
got special connotation this time of year, because
it's a time for each of us to ask ourselves.
Can I make room for the Savior? And one way that
we show that we're making room for Him is by
feeding His sheep, acting in charity as He did
His entire life. And I think that's what Elder
Gong's really good at in this talk, by inviting
us to challenge, make that challenge for ourselves
in our wards, or wards throughout the world,
branches throughout the world, living by the
motto that no one will sit alone, that we're
going to make room in the inn for everyone that
comes to the door. So great, Abby. So what does
this mean when you come to church if you see
someone sitting alone? He says, will you be the
first to introduce yourself and then maybe offer
a bench? Are you typically introverted and prefer
to come in unnoticed? This may go against the
very core of your personality, but in an effort
to become more like Jesus, make that introduction
or hello. make room on your bench. This doesn't
always mean the brand new faces that are just
joining us for the first time. Love that. There
have been brothers and sisters sitting among
us to sit alone week after week, just looking
for the thing that makes us human, a connection.
So yeah, it's just, like he said, it's not necessarily
the people that are brand new. There could be
someone else. They've been there a long time
and hiding in plain sight. Right. And for some
reason are unseen, whether they choose to be
or whether we haven't noticed yet. And just like
we're using in and his church kind of I'm seeing
like bench sitting, you know, sitting on the
bench alone. Same thing in their homes on our
streets. Love that. You know, that we're thinking
more than just your obligation on Sunday, one
day a week that we're thinking, oh, hey, they're
sitting alone. Can I go help? Can I sit by them?
Can I get to know them a little bit better? you
pop into a Relief Society lesson, you're visiting
in another ward, sometimes you expect the people
come up and introduce themselves to you. Maybe
you flip the script and you be the one that extends
the hand of invitation, or maybe a Relief Society
activity or a ward party is happening. And is
there somebody you don't typically see come out
to those things that you can make that extra
effort? Maybe you start with a prayer of Heavenly
Father. Who's somebody that I can personally
touch and invite to come to the inn? Which doesn't
necessarily just mean Sunday. So good, Abby.
It's a good place to start, though. It's true.
Just like looking around on a Sunday. It's a
weekly thing. Yeah. And then when we find that
everybody's kind of got somebody to sit by, then
we say, who's missing? Who's in their homes that
would just need that little push to feel more
welcomed and invited here. Awesome. So no one
sits alone, has a physical, like we said, a physical
connotation, and also has an emotional or spiritual
component. So the story is shared of the young
deacon who, gosh, I had to cry on that, who got
new clothes and shoes in preparation to pass
the emblems of the sacrament and then he was
laughed at and made fun of by his peers because
he lacked fashion. It caused him to turn away
from the church and he hadn't been back since.
Have we been laughed at, hurt or embarrassed?
Have we abused or scorned others either intentionally
or not? These injustices we all face in this
mortal experience are exactly the reason that
each of us is invited to the inn. Jesus Christ
brings us all to his inn. And I did love that
when he shared that story of Good Samaritan.
The one about the boy, I liked that he very quickly,
first he shared about, you know, all of our hearts
were breaking for this boy who when he's 12 years
old, this thing happens to him. And then right,
you know, back to back, he just reminds us that
sometimes, you know, we are the ones like you
said, in every season, you know, we're one player
or another, right? So we just said, sometimes
we are the one who unintentionally or intentionally
hurt someone and, you know, caused hurt there.
Well, and in the Good Samaritan story that he's
referencing, as he talks about the end, you know,
coming to the end to be healed and brought back
up by the Savior. I mean, all of the things we've
heard about that story. I mean, a priest walks
by, so like your ecclesiastical leader. So it's
a good reminder that you can be hurt in a church
setting or by leaders of a church. put pitting
like a church against another. I'm just saying
the people that you... If you're maimed and beaten
and bruised on the side of the road and you need
help sometimes, it isn't somebody that you think,
oh, they're going to come and help me. It's like
the unexpected traveler that steps in and fills
that role, brings us to the savior. So there's
a lot of things to think about in the way that
he worded that. He hears a quote from his talk.
It says, in his church and through his ordinances
and covenants, we come to each other and to Jesus
Christ. We love and are loved, serve and are
served, forgive and are forgiven. Jesus was spit
upon, smitten, he suffered and was trampled under
the feet of men. Not to make an excuse for people
that injure us, but when instances Inevitably
happen like they're going to in this earth life
I think we can find some comfort knowing that
our Savior Jesus Christ knows exactly what that
feels like for sure Absolutely. It's easy, you
know to read and to listen to these stories of
the Savior's life during his mortal mystery ministry
and Just be baffled that people have treated
our Savior in that way. But if we think of it
this way The way that we treat his children here
on earth in our day is a sign of how we would
have treated him in his day. And just a couple
of good questions. Have we made room in the end?
And is there room for us to improve? I love this
from his talk. In his restored church, we are
all better when no one sits alone. Let us not
simply accommodate or tolerate. Let us genuinely
welcome, acknowledge, minister to love. May each
friend, sister, brother not be a foreigner or
a stranger, but a child at home." And so just
to pair with those questions that you had us
all think of, are we making room in the inn and
is there room for us to improve? Self -searching
questions, different phases of our life. Sometimes
we just feel like I'm just going to show up here.
That's all I can do. I can't really reach out.
But hopefully it's in somebody else's heart that
they're looking for somebody that needs that
extra little push. And you're the recipient of
that love and feeling welcomed at that inn. Even
if it's a church you've been attending forever.
To be recognized as somebody that needs a little
bit more love and support is going to bless us
all. If kind of all of us are thinking on that,
thinking on that line to be looking around and
it's a hard balance. five kids and a couple of
them really need a lot of attention during sacrament
to not like just disturb the whole place and
so like I'm really mostly focused in on that
but I've been at different phases it's like a
new young like a young newlywed couple didn't
have any kids on our bench not making any noises
it was a lot easier for me to look around and
see you know the the bishop's wife with multiple
young children it was so easy for us to just
sit up a row and be some extra adult hands it
was fun to play with somebody else's kids or
You know, I'm pretty good at recognizing when
people come to the ward to visit we have we're
living like a resort community So it's not uncommon
for us to have a bunch of visitors right, especially
on holidays Yeah, it's not hard to just say hi
to everybody and sometimes strike up a conversation.
Sometimes it's just a hi But like multiple people
are noticing that and I do love that about well,
we visited we've visited where like California
people will be like, are you visiting? Are you
new to the ward? You know, they're like optimistic
that you're going to like double their numbers.
And then you're like, we're just visiting. And
they're like, dang, but welcome anyway. They're
still so friendly, but obviously they're accustomed
to people coming and going. So for sure. It's
a good habit to be in. It's maybe uncomfortable
the first time that you step out of your comfort
zone and try to do this, but it gets more easy
to. bought the visitors. And sometimes you think
that they're a visitor and then you find, luckily,
they are going to be in your ward forever. And
then they already have that attachment like,
oh, they recognized us and they said hi and we
won't be just wallflowers here. Yeah, for sure,
Abby. And we know that in today's world, we're
more connected than ever, like, you know, through
social media, we can know exactly what someone
has had for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and
the details of when their latest vacation is,
if we follow them. What is it that today we feel
more lonely and isolated? Even with all that
information, right? Knowing everything if we
want to know it, these artificial relationships
and sharing of our lives digitally leaves us
yearning for human closeness and human touch.
We want to hear each other's voices. We want
authentic belonging and kindness. I love that.
He's so good at this, right? He's so genuine
in this that you feel that these aren't just,
and I'm not saying anyone's are, but these, these
words he's sharing are directly from his heart.
They are from his personal perspective and that
he lives what he preaches. I just think a lot
of statistics are coming out right now that really
shine a light on the danger that comes from thinking
that you're socializing or that you're connecting
with humans in this digital world. Gotcha. Yeah.
People aren't trying to be fake, but I certainly
don't post all of the bad things that are going
on in my life. I'm not trying to do it for any
particular reason, but I want memories to pop
up on my Facebook, and so I tend to put things
that I'm pretty happy about, process the sad
things. But I mean, if people saw the whole,
like just put my life on record and put it on,
it would not look like cupcakes and rainbows.
For sure. And even putting in the hard things,
you know, sometimes you put the hard things on
and there might've been moments of light, but
you didn't stop and record that too. So it's
not always the same true story. The best thing
to do is to have real human contact and the conversation
in person. I know you can't do that with everybody
everywhere. And I love my social media. Like
I've left an area and I still get to keep tabs
on people. We've lived in different areas. I've
loved some people there. like FSY experiences
to be able to kind of keep track of those youth
and things that they move on with their life.
They're going all over the place. But I know
that it's a superficial relationship. And if
I really want to connect with them, then I have
to message them or text them or reach out in
a different way. So it's a good start. Yes, exactly,
Abby. I love that you say it's a good start.
I love it for, like you said, just keeping kind
of contact with certain people. Then I... can
read up on, let's say their profile or whatever,
just see what's going on. And then when I meet
with them, I know questions to ask and what about
this and what about that? So it is kind of nice
to have just an introductory, you know, an introduction
and deepen the relationship, make it, take it
from the artificial social world to a real connection.
Love that. At this point in his talk, he then
shares He shifts gears and he starts inviting
us to look outside and see who we could invite
to sit with us and ask us to take a look at what
things may be going on within ourselves internally
that make us feel all alone in what's usually
a crowded congregation. Yeah. He says we may
worry about our accent, clothes, family situation,
perhaps we feel inadequate, smell of smoke, yearn
for moral cleanliness, have broken up with someone
and feel hurt and embarrassed, are concerned
about his... This or that church policy, we may
be single, divorced, widowed, our children are
noisy, we don't have children, we didn't serve
a mission, we came home early, the list goes
on and on. I think he hit so many things that
have, you know, when people really get down to
it, they're like, this is the thing that took
me away. Well, none of those things would have
to be the thing that turned you away if somebody
came knocking to say there is room for the inn
for all of these things. Absolutely. It seems
like a great time as we wrap up another year,
man, can you believe we're in December, and prepare
to welcome even more of God's children into our
congregation throughout the world to assess if
there's something within ourselves that's holding
us back from being completely invested in being
in His. And secondly, if there are people within
our sight, within our reach that we can go the
extra mile to make feel more comfortable or welcome.
It's interesting because I... I haven't thought
of it this well, maybe I have before, but right
now in my quest for attaining health and then
maintaining it this year, I just have felt my
capacity be more. I'm noticing more outside of
myself because I put so much time and attention
into healing myself and asking the Lord where
I can heal. It truly has opened up more capacity.
And I think it's amazing for the past couple
of weeks. I've just been like, Thanking the Lord
for that because I've noticed a difference and
they're truly, you know, like when The word capacity
just keeps coming to my mind. And today when
we heard it in church talked about President
Nelson saying, expand your capacity for spiritual
revelation, I feel like I want to expand my capacity
for looking outside. And it's so much like you
said, there are seasons when it's we're kind
of drowning inside or in our family for whatever
reason. And it's hard to look outside. And I
feel like part of the reason I have been working
on my health so much is so that I have more capacity
to look outside and I can. attest that that has
been a huge blessing that the Lord has given
me. I felt the difference. And don't you think
we're all a little bit better looking outside
of ourselves Christmas season? I mean, as parents,
you're like thinking, what can we do to make
this experience for our children better? Are
our neighbors taken care of? What needs are there
in the community? Like you kind of, you know,
start in your little bubble and then you kind
of work your way out. I think a lot more people
in a lot more places around the world are Opening
up their capacity to give at this time of year
more than any other for sure And that's why we
just all kind of love the feelings that we generate
this time of year. It's true We are in the dispensation
of the fullness of times when the saints of God
will be gathered in One from every nation kindred
and people there has never been a more exciting
time than now to be a member of God's restored
church on earth than today But I would say I
just put that in because when I read that line
I was like man, that's that talk from forever
ago that I'm like There's never been a better
time. Totally. But I followed up with a thought
like, it's going to prove to be more responsibility
on our part because it is such a great time to
be around it because we do have the opportunity
to be so connected because more people are coming
into the church. Because they're having access
to it because of this movement of people, we
have to be ready and willing to open our mouths
and share this good news. But like you see the
age change for the sisters, it's just kind of
like, oh, well, that's the biggest bell that
we'll ever see. That's the most missionaries
that we'll ever have as they reduce the age of
sisters entering the mission field. And then
they just changed it to 18, and we'll see like
a bubble. But we're still seeing numbers that
they weren't even expecting. For one reason or
another, right? Their hearts are being drawn.
They want to go have access to these saints that
are in movement and looking for something and
provide the gospel of Jesus Christ to them. Yes.
And make sure that they know that there is more
than enough room in the inn for everybody. For
sure. I love that, Abby. Conversion to Jesus
Christ requires us to put off the natural man
and worldly culture. That was kind of an interesting
twitch. It's just like, when I read that line,
I was like, come as you are. Leave as he is.
That's it. That's my follow -up. It's like, you
know, what what if in my culture we do such -and
-such if it's if it's If it's going to grow you'd
be like Jesus Christ, then it's like keep it
bring it with you teach us about it Let us learn
from you in that way but if you know, it's contrary
to Covenants that we're making then it's something
that you're gonna have to assess How important
is this to me is it more important to put that
off and become part of? The gospel culture, God's
culture. Yeah, not church culture. Right. Like
bring your culture with you, the things that
make you you. For sure. But in God's economy,
like there are certain responsibilities that
we have. to be covenant makers. Yes. And I do
love that, that each, like I served a mission
in Italy and there would not be any gathering
that we had at the church that did not have,
it's called pasta al forno, meaning any type
of pasta you put in the oven. That's just part
of it, right? Well, anyways, I was talking with
my husband about it and he's like, well, how
could you have a Christmas party without having
turkey in my mind? Because that's not part of
the culture. You know what I mean? So I love
that every nation brings their culture and Of
course, what you eat has nothing to do with.
I wonder how unique the members look to other
people in Italy. Like for instance, wouldn't
you think a lot of pastas would be like laden
with alcohol or like whatever dessert you have,
espresso. For sure, that they just know not to,
yeah. I know. And so it's like, that's what I'm
saying. Like you're in this culture and I'm sure,
I mean, I know Italy is like prized for all of
these great things that they do. But once that
you've said, once you've welcomed yourself into
the end, you become part of that culture, then
you have to say, I can still love pasta. just
doesn't have these ingredients in it. I love
my dessert. That's true. One time I did go to
a kid's birthday party and the cake was just
soaked in alcohol. It was one of our friends,
right? So I didn't know and they didn't know
that yet about us. I took a bite and it stung
my mouth and I'm like, oh, we can't have this.
And just kind of told him that, you know, yeah,
you're right. There is part of it that that part's
not coming. But I just love how there are plenty
of good things in every culture that you can
absolutely bring. with you and it will still
feel like home for every person around the world.
That's what I that's what I think just tried
to touch. Yes, I won't be surprised if he follows
up with that. Like this is part one. Come in
and feel welcomed. Don't feel ashamed by anything
you've ever done to be all made right. But if
it's something that we're asking you to change,
it's because it is paired with the principle
of the gospel that opens up the door to greater
blessings if you have to give something aside.
Absolutely, Abby. President Dallin H. Oaks teaches,
we are to give up any tradition and cultural
practice that is contrary to the commandments
of God, and to become Latter -day Saints, first
and foremost. He explains, there is a unique
gospel culture, a set of values and expectations
and practices. common to all the members of the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter -day Saints.
And again, he is saying gospel culture rather
than church culture. And that's what the culture
is tied to, is the gospel of Jesus Christ. Gospel
culture includes chastity, weekly attendance
at church, abstaining from alcohol, tobacco,
tea, and coffee. It includes honesty and integrity,
understanding as we move forward, not upward
or downward in church positions. Oh, I love that.
Understanding that we move forward, not upward
or downward. Yes. I love his perspective. here.
Scripture studied in multiple languages and cultural
perspectives deepen gospel understanding. Amen.
Different expressions of Christ -like attributes
deepen my love and understanding of my Savior.
All are blessed when we define our cultural identity
as President Russell M. Nelson taught us as a
child of God, a child of the covenant, a disciple
of Jesus Christ. He said it so perfectly. I know.
I'm like all with love. Like there are some changes
in all of us. we can take the chance to recognize
and say, you know, am I holding on to something
culturally that's like stopping me from being
totally invested as a child of the covenant,
disciple of Jesus Christ, a child of God? Think
about things that are so commonplace to like
a specific area culturally in the world, but
as we're increasing number of membership, that
collectively that group, they're gonna stand
out. They're like, what is it about these people
and the missionary opportunities and the opening
of the inn and the widening of the doors that
come from one member? You know bringing in another
12 friends who bring in another 12 friends you
see it like I'm not joking like these mass baptisms
It gets me every time The spirit is running rampant,
particularly through Africa right now. And I
had a cousin whose son posted this picture and
I made some comment. I think I maybe already
shared this, but it touched me so much. I think
of it often, but I was like, oh, did your zone
do baptisms in the temple, you know, before you
like left? And he's like, no, that's like a legitimate
baptism. It was like steps and white baptism,
you know, outfits. And it was just like a zigzag,
like up the staircase, up to the top. I don't
like 30, 40. baptism, you know? Wow. That's amazing.
And Alma. It's an incredible opportunity to see
these. Yeah, it's an amazing thing. And it makes
me think like, we've seen like a bigger drive
to invite senior couples to go out in the world.
Like if you've lived in the same place your whole
life and you've experienced the church in this
way, in this box, how more expansive is your
view on opening the door wider and inviting more
people in when you go to another country and
you get to experience the church through their
eyes from their perspective? I think that there's
just gobs of blessings that we're just tapping
into, but so many more can be tapped into as
we... as we take these opportunities. Very good
perspective. That's kind of what I heard time
after time in this talk. I just love this talk.
I love that it definitely touched my heart and
I am an introvert. And so I get to ask God, you
know, how can I serve and how can I serve with
the gifts you've given me? I don't want to try
to be someone else, but I want to serve in the
ways that I can with the people that are around
me. And I've had some thoughts and ideas about
that and I'm grateful for it. There's always
room for improvement. Yeah. And as you listen
to the impression that he gives you in that small
way that you're able to do, like you talked earlier,
the capacity will expand. He's like, oh, she
was willing to reach out to that child of mine
that feels lonely. You'll get an impression when
you've shown a willingness and a desire to help
reach out to other people in need. He's going
to give you more opportunities. So I don't know.
I love that this kind of lands in December. I
always like opening fresh chapters of things.
Like if it's not something you've been doing
or something that you see that you need to improve
on, it's like a New Year's resolution to just
look outside of yourself. I think that's a really
cool piece of your healing. Sometimes when you're
just sicker than sick, all you can think about
yourself and you're doing everything you can
to feel better. But oftentimes the way that the
Lord heals us is by having us reach out to others.
And, you know, as we're more charitable, like
all of a sudden, the problems typically don't
just disappear, but they do feel lighter because
everything we're doing is paired with him. His
yoke is easy and his burden is light. It's true.
Which is cool when we think if we're naturally
not inclined to just like pop up and have a conversation
with that new face, when we end up doing it,
we're seeing that he's grown our capacity, we
become better at it. And irritably, we get better
at spotting that person that looks lonely. I
love it. Should I wrap it up? Sure, Abby. Thank
you. I'm personally excited to see what we can
achieve as a collective kingdom of God with more
diversity and more culture added to the church
we are accustomed to. I really do think that
it is our chance to get a taste of what heaven
is going to look like, these heavenly relationships.
And his testimony is beautiful. I'll share that.
He said, covenant belonging deepens as we come
to each other and to the Lord in his in. The
Lord blesses us all when no one sits alone. Maybe
find a place for him and each other as we supper
at. At the supper of the Lamb, I humbly pray
in the holy name of Jesus Christ. Amen. Amen.
We'll continue the discussion on our Facebook
page. I was thinking of some questions like,
when have you reached out to somebody, that new
face? Like, what was the, you know, like the
fruit of reaching out to somebody in need? Or
when have you been that new face in the crowd
and somebody's particularly touched you, welcomed
you in? I think that would be fun to hear more
of those. those experiences. So we'll catch you
next week or maybe we'll see you online. See
you next time.