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. Welcome, listeners. We're so happy
you're here. Hey, Abby. Hey, how are you doing?
I'm so good. So today we're going to talk about
Go and Do Likewise, and this is by Elder James
E. Evanson of the Seventy. It starts with a story.
When a blind man was brought to Jesus in Bethsaida,
Jesus did not perform a public display for attention.
Instead, he gently led the man away from the
crowd, showing respect for his dignity. Even
when the healing was not complete at first, Jesus
did not stop. That's a really great lesson for
all of us. He touched the man again until he
could see clearly, showing that true service
does not give up when results are slow or imperfect.
This story reflects the Savior's entire life,
really. He taught that he came not to be ministered
unto, but to minister. And he lived that through
constant acts of love, healing, teaching, and
sacrifice. Through the parable of the Good Samaritan,
he showed that service means noticing those in
need, acting with compassion, and helping even
when it is inconvenient. Jesus Christ is really
the perfect example of service because he gives
fully, patiently, and lovingly, inviting all
of us to go and do likewise. I love the beginning
of that, Abby. It's a great opener. And I mean,
just in that opening paragraph, it just got my
mind reeling on how service can mirror our Savior's
example in our own lives. Agreed. And kind of
want to touch on that for a little bit. we'll
notice with the Savior that this lesson, He serves
with personal care, not for attention. Like the
fact that in this situation, He took the man
away from the crowd to do what He was going to
do for him. And just like it's been recommended
for us, true service focuses on the person, not
the performance, that we know that our heart's
in the right place, that we're doing good just
for the sake of doing good, not to be praised
of man. Right. Another one is be patient when
help takes time. The blind man wasn't healed
completely at first, and Jesus didn't walk away.
I love it when he said, like, I see men as trees
walking, you know, essentially saying, I don't
see clearly. That's an improvement. Yeah. And
sometimes you feel like you're complaining if
you're like, you know, I'm still not better.
But I think him saying that, saying like, This
is where I am. Yeah. Recognizing that there's
been some improvement and I think he could probably
be satisfied. If I can see that as true as I
could be okay with it, but I know you have the
power to do even more for sure. And he did, you
know, I love that. Sometimes our service won't
fix everything immediately. And like the savior,
we keep showing up, we keep trying and we keep
loving. And for us, you know, the savior is perfect.
The savior was perfect. And his service also
reflected that perfection. Sometimes like if
things don't you know, go right on the first
go -round. I'm like, oh shoot, I messed up. Like,
it's not in me, right? So this tells me, Amy,
this is an invitation for you to, number one,
recognize your lack. Yeah, it didn't all come,
we quote, didn't fix it the first time. However,
you can now take a nice deep breath, pull yourself
up and say, I can do all things through Christ
who strengthens me or which strengthens me. And
just remember that I can rely on Him and go at
it the second time or the third time or whatever's
needed for that person. And just recognizing,
you move the pendulum in the right direction,
reassess, what can I do more? Like in the Savior's
instance, we got perfect healing of blindness.
Thinking, Relief Society, presidencies, or ministering
opportunities. We go and we step in and we help
if we're using the Spirit to guide what we should
do. We do that thing. Yeah, just don't be disappointed
if it's not ... fixed. It could take another
go. It could take another person kind of circling
in and helping us. Oh yeah, especially mortality,
right? We're not perfect and it's not going to
be good. Another lesson I saw in this, go the
extra step. So Jesus touched the man again so
he could see clearly. So when you recognize that
it's not resolved or that there's more that could
be done, keep going. Yeah, ask what further thing
can I do and try to go that next step. And in
the story of the Good Samaritan that was in that
opening paragraph, he didn't just notice the
injured man, like, oh, let me send help. Yeah.
He treated, he carried, he paid for his care.
Christlike service doesn't stop with a minimum
and just, you know, you know, I recognized and
I called in, I called in the, I let the bishop
know, I let the Relief Society president know,
I left it on, right? What more can I do? You're
asking that question for yourself. Very good
question. For the situation, sorry. Yes, sorry,
Abby. Another thing I noticed was, in this story,
is help even when it is inconvenient. The Samaritan
was traveling, busy and interrupted in what he
was doing, and yet, like you said, he still stopped.
Yeah, he was on a path to get somewhere just
like everybody else that was passing by. Right.
Everyone was on an errand, right? You could say.
Serving like Christ means being willing to pause
our plans for someone else's need. I will say,
I've now been married for over 25 years. At the
beginning, I had things scheduled, like time
to teach my kids. It was like we would teach,
you know, I would make a lesson for family home
evening. We would teach for this and that. And
I loved watching my husband because he could
He'd be in the middle of doing something or let's
say on his way out or doing something, but he
was able to recognize he had the spirit of discernment
with him. He was able to recognize that one of
our children was in a moment to be taught. And
so he would stop and teach them in that moment.
And for me, I'd be like, well, we're going to
do that on Sunday. And it's like, no, we're going
to do it when the learner is ready to learn.
Let me just say my personality is way more like
you. Like, you have scheduled time, we're going
to do this. As I've had this homeschooling journey
and the come follow me infused into our lives,
I know that if I'm prepared for those moments,
that they come a lot more normally and naturally.
And when I know that that's how I want to be
more like Garrett, because it's aside from my
normal personality, take some extra effort, I'll
pray for opportunities. I'll say, let me know
when, when it's open for like a teaching moment.
It's a beautiful way to be, you know, it's very
much like it's great. It doesn't bother me that
I don't have that natural skill set to just be
like, let's teach. Yeah. Right. When I, when
I have the opportunity, I know that it's all
because he gave it to me because I asked for
his help in that thing. I love that you said
that too, because it reminds me, you know, when
president Nelson rolled out a higher and holier
way, definitely that was part of it. I love that.
It is such a higher and holier way. I'm not great
at the ministering thing, but I know that over
time, and like multiple generations down the
road, it's going to be exactly what was needed
at this time. Those stories helped me see the
beauty in serving without judgment. Like, others
passed by, the wounded man, and the Samaritan
didn't ask why he was there, he just stopped
and helped. He didn't say, oh, you're… What was
the man? I forget. He was, you know, you know
how like the Levi priest or whatever kind of
like went to the other side of the road because
for whatever reason, he was unclean or whatever
it was that they did. However, yeah, I understand
it's a parable, could have been a real life story.
I understand that it's a parable. I understand
it's about the atonement of Jesus Christ. But
the fact is, the atonement of Jesus Christ is
for everybody. And, you know, even the people
that you think would be most willing to help,
you know, other ecclesiastical leaders or whatever,
they, and purpose diverted their attention, didn't
want to be bothered, didn't want to be stopped,
didn't think the man deserved their help. And
our Savior Jesus Christ, you know, in this parable
of the Good Samaritan, didn't judge the wounded
man. He just stepped in and helped. Christ -like
service doesn't ask, do they deserve it? Or,
you know, do they need it? They just do it. And
again, follow up, what more can I do? After you
recognize, we're always asking, what more can
I do? I love that. As far as the judging, you
know, not judging goes, it reminds me of a quote
that I see often and I love it. And it's from
God, you know, telling us, just love everyone.
I'll sort it out later. It's like, that's all,
that's all we have to do. And help wherever you
can. If you're like, you know, you see a homeless
person and like sometimes our mind's like, well,
they're just going to go use it for drugs or
alcohol. Maybe they will. Does that make a difference
on, you know? the joy that you'll feel by reaching
out regardless. I mean, obviously we're hoping
it goes for something. And does that in any way
mean that your contribution to doing what Jesus
would do, does that diminish in any way? No.
Because your agency is only about you. If you
can help, you help. Love through action is another
one that I noticed. Jesus didn't just feel compassion,
He acted on that. Yeah, He doesn't just sit and
preach. Have compassion on other people. He did.
Absolutely. Exactly what somebody that's compassionate
would do. Yes. And service is love made visible,
helping, listening, lifting, and then staying
if that's what's necessary. So beautiful. The
Savior's invitation in these situations, because
He's leading by example, is to go and do that
likewise, just, you know, quoting directly from
the talk. And we'll hear that. phrase repeated
time and time again. Our service parallels His
when we serve quietly, patiently, generously,
and with real love, just as He did. And that's
just stuff we're pulling from two brief examples
of the Savior's life and teachings. The opening
paragraph of this talk had our minds just reeling
with examples. And those examples are the perfect
segue into Elder Evanson's talk on how missionaries
of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter -day
Saints are modern -day examples of the Good Samaritan
that Christ invites us to become. We know all
missionaries use the powerful tool of service
to minister in the Savior's way, but this talk
specifically focuses on highlights missionaries
specifically called to service missions. I just
will say as a caveat, I feel like he feels like
he needs to be apologetic about the service mission,
like as though there's like a stigma around service
missions. I deleted all of that commentary because
I am nothing but obsessed with service missions.
It has a special place in my heart. I've been
touched deeply. I'll just reference one quick
thing. In our area, the service missionaries
put on a sacrament meeting and so it was second
to the primary program of being my favorite Sunday
I've ever experienced in my lifetime. And they've
done it a couple times. Forty years. Watching
the good that comes from service missionaries,
a spectrum of things. Maybe they're home for
health reasons, mental health things, maybe health
issue precludes them from serving. I don't really
care what the reason maybe that's just where
they feel called to serve where they are. It
doesn't matter. I love service missions and I
think that they're getting really good now that
we're growing in numbers in that lane of service
that they're making it the best experience for
the service missionaries to feel like their time
served is equally important. It is. It is. So,
anyway, I deleted some, like, lines and I'm just
like, I— When I heard those lines, Abby, it,
like, spoke straight to my heart. And what I
heard was that He has a strong testimony. I know
He does. That this is, that however you serve
the Lord, and whatever the Lord has given, whatever
your bag is, right? We all get a bag of stuff
that we have to deal with when we're born. Whatever
it is. that the Lord has a way for you to serve
others and His Spirit can move through you. That's
what I want to highlight because I definitely
felt that I have a testimony of the prophets
call to serve, everybody's invited to serve,
everybody's encouraged, everybody's basically
reminded of a covenant that they made to serve,
especially if they were blessed with the gospel
in their lives. And third, in your own way. You
know, especially tribe of Ephraim language. We
have to be missionary -minded. And I believe
that's true. And I would always say, you know,
Yes, that's true, but so -and -so is the exception
to the rule, and it's just impossible for them
to serve. And so, like, look at what they're
doing with their life. They're doing this other
route. Well, for me, now that route... is still
a call from God and you swear the name of Jesus
Christ on your chest as a service mission. I
just think it's a beautiful representation of
the love of God. Not like, not a second class
citizen badge. Like a manifestation of His love.
I agree. I do agree. I know His tone was all
in love, but I was just like, yeah. You didn't
even hear it. Service missions are too special
and beautiful to be thinking that they're anything
less than. Hundred percent. And I know some of
these kids, they go out as prostituting missionaries.
They maybe get a turnabout health or, you know,
mental, some mental illness kind of manifests
itself and they come home and rather than just
taking the badge off and being released, they'll
do a service mission for a time as they're healing.
And I've only seen their testimonies just explode.
with gratitude for the opportunity to do the
service mission. So again, so many great reasons
for it. I just love it. Our heart is there. So
like Abby said, there are examples that show
us how service is. So these stories are so great.
So this is what they're going to illustrate.
Service missions, open hearts to the gospel of
Jesus Christ, allows all of us to minister regardless
of our circumstances. And this is just service
in general, not necessarily service missions.
Yes, thanks for clarifying that, I was going
to say, because we know that our full -time proselytizing
missionaries use service so wisely. And then
the third one is the service brings the power
of Christ into our lives and into others' lives.
Don't you think it's true that people often experience
Christ through the kindness and genuine care
of His servants? Like, they'll be like a natural
disaster, and they'll be like, two groups really
help, the Mormons and the Church of Jesus Christ,
the Latter -day Saints. You'll be like, that's
both. us. Yes. Oh, that's funny. I love it. Okay.
Service missionaries, they're not just helping
with physical tasks. They are living testimonies
of Christ's love and creating trust that opens
hearts to His gospel. Amen, Abby. So Ammon served
King Lamoni selflessly, which earned the king's
trust and gave Ammon. the chance to teach him
about Jesus Christ. Instead of asking for a reward,
Ammon only asked that the king listen to the
gospel. Because of his service, many people were
brought to repentance. This shows that sincere
service opens hearts. and leads others to Christ
in ancient times. And for an example today, I'm
so glad we're going to talk about Sister Bevan
because I love this story. Sister Bevan had to
return home for medical treatment, but continued
serving as a service missionary. After being
prompted to talk to a mother at a park and then
she hesitated for a minute, she prayed for a
night and then the family got in the car and
drove off. She prayed for another chance and
was given one the next day. Now notice, she went
to the same, she didn't just pray, she went to
the next, she went to the park the next day as
well, right? So she followed through on that
prayer with action. This time, she offered help.
She met the family's needs and invited them to
learn about the gospel. So first, she found out
that this woman was in need of some temporal
help and she offered that. And then, she invited
her to hear about the gospel. As a result, the
mother and her children were baptized. And I
loved it, too, because he said first, the mother
and her oldest child were baptized, and then
a year later, the next one were, and they're
still faithful in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
This experience confirmed to Sister Bevin that
God had placed her exactly where she needed to
be. I'll just say in that story, love it. Love
the outcome. Love the outcome for that family,
because I know that just opens up untold blessings.
But even if the outcome wasn't you know, these
people entering the waters of baptism. True,
true. Still. If you were just a seed, right?
Yeah, we taught, testified of Jesus Christ and
demonstrated that we are disciples of Jesus Christ
through action. Still a win. Elder Evanson shares
this, like Ammon and Sister Bevan, As we serve
others, we show forth good examples unto them,
and they desire to know the reason of hope that
is in us. Jesus invites us to go and do law likewise.
I love that he keeps repeating that phrase. That
charge has been around for decades. All worthy
males were asked to serve missions. Sisters asked
to consider it if circumstances allowed. But
his second point is maybe my favorite thing about
service. Mine too. Service allows all of us to
minister regardless of our circumstances. There
were some who heard the call to serve and desperately
wanted to, just weren't, it wasn't feasible.
For whatever reason, we kind of listed a few,
there could be a million more. I see the implementation
of service missions as being a manifestation
of God's love, because now he can take somebody
that has a desiring heart and pair that individual
with a mission that they are able to execute.
And man, in our area, I mean, I can't speak to
the whole world, but in our area, I see the vast
amount of the good that they do. For sure. Absolutely.
I was talking to my son once about it. Before
he went on a mission, we were talking about service
mission, if that's what he chose, or proselyting
mission. And I was just talking about and sharing
my testimony with him about... I love this change,
I love this opportunity like we've been saying
about a service mission because for me I was
just thinking whatever we've been dealt with
in this life is going to be with us for the rest
of our lives, right? And why not learn to serve
and be useful in God's kingdom as a young missionary
and quote still fit in, right? Where before you
might think that you did not. We now know through
this divine revelation that there is room for
every person. Absolutely. President Russell M.
Nelson called on every worthy, able young man
to prepare for and serve a mission, and for every
able young sister to pray to know if the Lord
would have her serve a mission. He promised that
your decision to serve a mission, whether a proselyting
or a service mission, will bless you and many
others. Amazing. Service missionaries change
the definition of the word able for me. Now every
young man and woman who desire to serve full
-time missions for the Lord can do so, with very
few exceptions. Elder Holgado, who could not
serve a teaching mission, he had some genetic
disorder. That's as far as that went. He was
called as a service missionary. He served in
the bishop's storehouse by helping with everyday
tasks that met people's needs. He later testified,
God needs service missionaries, people who love
others through simple, faithful acts of service.
We are all able to help others come unto Christ
by serving with loving kindness. We can all minister
in Christ's name to the one through the power
of the Holy Ghost and live as examples of faith
in Jesus Christ. Service allows us to present
ourselves as living sacrifices who are acceptable
to God. And, again, Jesus invites us to go and
do likewise. Love that. Let's go ahead and touch
on the third point. Service brings the power
of Christ into our lives. It's noble to always
be looking out for others, but usually in the
process we come to annoy— we come to an understanding
that being directed to do something for another
person is a reflection of God's love to all his
children, which usually makes it easier to spot
his hand even in our own lives. A missionary
who moved from teaching to service work faced
personal struggles, but found healing through
consecrated service. As he served in places like
food pantries in the temple, he felt Christ lifting
and strengthening him. Through service, he found
deeper joy. His family grew closer to Christ,
and he felt that the Savior had saved his life
and blessed his family. Huge. President Nelson
taught willingness to serve and strengthen others
stands as a symbol of one's readiness to be healed
by the redemptive power of the Savior, and Jesus
invites us to go and do likewise. I love that.
An added bonus of having service missionaries
is that your family Will have a set apart representative
of the Lord Jesus Christ living in your home
if you have the most missionaries if they're
Prostituting missionaries. Is it pretty standard
to do the first week at home MTC now? Yes, but
kind of across the board And I didn't know it's
hip. But it's different. It's a different feeling.
Absolutely. In this case, you get it that for
a year, 18 months, whatever the duration is.
So that will change all of you for the good.
To all of you who serve, and especially to the
over 4 ,000 young service missionaries, we love
you. If teaching missionaries are the Lord's
mouth, then service missionaries are the Lord's
hands. I loved that quote so much. So good. President
Nelson taught that anytime we do anything that
helps anyone to make and keep their covenants
with God, we are helping to gather Israel. Inasmuch
as ye serve one of these, the least of these,
ye serve him. And we hear your voices as you
volunteer at church call centers. We see your
smiles as you help in community organizations.
And we fill your light as you serve in temples.
You feed the hungry, clothe the naked, give drink
to the thirsty. We all need to go and do likewise.
Christ went about doing good. He ministered to
the sick, gave sight to the blind, and visited
the downtrodden. He cooked meals, helped at wedding
feasts, and fed thousands who were hungry. Service
has the power to open hearts to the gospel and
allows all of us to give our whole soul to Christ.
It changes our hearts to become more like Him,
and in the process, we lift others. President
Nelson once asked, in this world, spitting with
spiritual decay, can individuals make a difference?
And his answer is a resounding yes. The covenant
people of the Lord, armed with the power of God
and great glory, can live the lives of all humankind.
Through service, we change hearts and the world.
Any final thoughts? I think just echoing what
I said before is that I love service missions.
I love that the Lord is teaching. each one of
us that we can serve in our own way. And once
we figure out what our gifts or talents are,
then we are better off for the rest of our lives.
And really, so is everyone around us. I love
it. And I've already shared this on another podcast,
but since it pertains to this one, I'll also
share it here. We attended the Young Single Adult
branch in our valley and one of the voice that
has grown up here. I don't know what his diagnosis
is, but he's kind of got a weakened body and
kind of, he's kind of turned in. And so it's
not like with ease he walks up anywhere, but
he makes it up to the stand and he boldly testified
how missions are important. Basically the quote
from the prophet, everyone's called to serve
and he told everybody that they could do it.
This kid served a faithful mission himself. And
so from the mouth of babes, I was like, it was
such a powerful testimony. And like, you know,
that kid was a I mean, close friend to the Savior
or something, like he's got this spirit about
him. But anyway, I think in a lot of cases, he
was talking to return missionaries, but there
were definitely some in the crowd, you know,
some of those just graduating seniors that are
coming through, some people just sitting there
thinking, is it really for me? And from his mouth,
he testified, yes, it is for everybody. And you
know, the Lord made it possible for him to be
such an advocate for missions because he was
able to serve such a faithful one himself. It
was a beautiful thing. I'm so glad I got to be
there. I'll close with this testimony. As we
give service in Christ's name to the one, we
become increasingly holy and worthy of the gift
of eternal life. Jesus Christ lives. He is my
Savior and yours. He is our Redeemer. He is our
great example of ministering. I invite each of
us to go and do likewise. And I say this in the
name of Jesus Christ. Amen. Amen. Thank you so
much. I think I'll put a prompt on Facebook to
see… One of these days we'll start getting some
traction on comments, but I'd love to hear some
of your experiences if you've been touched by
a service missionary, if you have a service missionary
currently serving or in the past have had one
serving, and just the immense amount of good
you've seen from this type of service. That's
a great idea. Missionary service. Anyway, we'll
catch you on the next one. See you next time.