WEBVTT 00:00:02.359 --> 00:00:04.639 Welcome to Closer to Christ through General Conference, 00:00:04.860 --> 00:00:06.719 where two friends who love Jesus share our own 00:00:06.719 --> 00:00:08.539 approach to studying the most recent General 00:00:08.539 --> 00:00:11.480 Conference talks. This is Abby and Amy. Let's 00:00:11.480 --> 00:00:32.219 jump into it. Welcome, listeners. We're so happy 00:00:32.219 --> 00:00:34.299 you're here. Hey, Abby. Hey, how are you doing? 00:00:34.619 --> 00:00:37.159 I'm so good. So today we're going to talk about 00:00:37.159 --> 00:00:39.619 Go and Do Likewise, and this is by Elder James 00:00:39.619 --> 00:00:43.020 E. Evanson of the Seventy. It starts with a story. 00:00:43.320 --> 00:00:46.380 When a blind man was brought to Jesus in Bethsaida, 00:00:46.659 --> 00:00:49.320 Jesus did not perform a public display for attention. 00:00:49.899 --> 00:00:52.240 Instead, he gently led the man away from the 00:00:52.240 --> 00:00:54.539 crowd, showing respect for his dignity. Even 00:00:54.539 --> 00:00:57.039 when the healing was not complete at first, Jesus 00:00:57.039 --> 00:00:59.369 did not stop. That's a really great lesson for 00:00:59.369 --> 00:01:01.310 all of us. He touched the man again until he 00:01:01.310 --> 00:01:03.909 could see clearly, showing that true service 00:01:03.909 --> 00:01:06.849 does not give up when results are slow or imperfect. 00:01:07.569 --> 00:01:09.590 This story reflects the Savior's entire life, 00:01:09.650 --> 00:01:12.650 really. He taught that he came not to be ministered 00:01:12.650 --> 00:01:15.670 unto, but to minister. And he lived that through 00:01:15.670 --> 00:01:18.769 constant acts of love, healing, teaching, and 00:01:18.769 --> 00:01:21.069 sacrifice. Through the parable of the Good Samaritan, 00:01:21.150 --> 00:01:24.049 he showed that service means noticing those in 00:01:24.049 --> 00:01:26.250 need, acting with compassion, and helping even 00:01:26.250 --> 00:01:29.200 when it is inconvenient. Jesus Christ is really 00:01:29.200 --> 00:01:32.319 the perfect example of service because he gives 00:01:32.319 --> 00:01:35.920 fully, patiently, and lovingly, inviting all 00:01:35.920 --> 00:01:38.620 of us to go and do likewise. I love the beginning 00:01:38.620 --> 00:01:40.840 of that, Abby. It's a great opener. And I mean, 00:01:40.920 --> 00:01:42.840 just in that opening paragraph, it just got my 00:01:42.840 --> 00:01:46.700 mind reeling on how service can mirror our Savior's 00:01:46.700 --> 00:01:49.439 example in our own lives. Agreed. And kind of 00:01:49.439 --> 00:01:52.709 want to touch on that for a little bit. we'll 00:01:52.709 --> 00:01:55.670 notice with the Savior that this lesson, He serves 00:01:55.670 --> 00:01:58.109 with personal care, not for attention. Like the 00:01:58.109 --> 00:02:00.430 fact that in this situation, He took the man 00:02:00.430 --> 00:02:02.569 away from the crowd to do what He was going to 00:02:02.569 --> 00:02:07.250 do for him. And just like it's been recommended 00:02:07.250 --> 00:02:09.590 for us, true service focuses on the person, not 00:02:09.590 --> 00:02:12.150 the performance, that we know that our heart's 00:02:12.150 --> 00:02:14.090 in the right place, that we're doing good just 00:02:14.090 --> 00:02:17.330 for the sake of doing good, not to be praised 00:02:17.330 --> 00:02:23.050 of man. Right. Another one is be patient when 00:02:23.050 --> 00:02:25.969 help takes time. The blind man wasn't healed 00:02:25.969 --> 00:02:28.069 completely at first, and Jesus didn't walk away. 00:02:28.150 --> 00:02:31.469 I love it when he said, like, I see men as trees 00:02:31.469 --> 00:02:32.870 walking, you know, essentially saying, I don't 00:02:32.870 --> 00:02:34.909 see clearly. That's an improvement. Yeah. And 00:02:34.909 --> 00:02:36.229 sometimes you feel like you're complaining if 00:02:36.229 --> 00:02:38.430 you're like, you know, I'm still not better. 00:02:38.830 --> 00:02:41.379 But I think him saying that, saying like, This 00:02:41.379 --> 00:02:43.319 is where I am. Yeah. Recognizing that there's 00:02:43.319 --> 00:02:44.759 been some improvement and I think he could probably 00:02:44.759 --> 00:02:46.379 be satisfied. If I can see that as true as I 00:02:46.379 --> 00:02:48.939 could be okay with it, but I know you have the 00:02:48.939 --> 00:02:51.639 power to do even more for sure. And he did, you 00:02:51.639 --> 00:02:53.719 know, I love that. Sometimes our service won't 00:02:53.719 --> 00:02:56.240 fix everything immediately. And like the savior, 00:02:56.419 --> 00:02:58.759 we keep showing up, we keep trying and we keep 00:02:58.759 --> 00:03:02.199 loving. And for us, you know, the savior is perfect. 00:03:02.379 --> 00:03:06.379 The savior was perfect. And his service also 00:03:06.379 --> 00:03:08.939 reflected that perfection. Sometimes like if 00:03:08.939 --> 00:03:11.020 things don't you know, go right on the first 00:03:11.020 --> 00:03:13.639 go -round. I'm like, oh shoot, I messed up. Like, 00:03:13.979 --> 00:03:17.139 it's not in me, right? So this tells me, Amy, 00:03:17.180 --> 00:03:19.520 this is an invitation for you to, number one, 00:03:19.520 --> 00:03:22.039 recognize your lack. Yeah, it didn't all come, 00:03:22.300 --> 00:03:24.659 we quote, didn't fix it the first time. However, 00:03:25.020 --> 00:03:28.500 you can now take a nice deep breath, pull yourself 00:03:28.500 --> 00:03:30.439 up and say, I can do all things through Christ 00:03:30.439 --> 00:03:33.280 who strengthens me or which strengthens me. And 00:03:33.280 --> 00:03:35.840 just remember that I can rely on Him and go at 00:03:35.840 --> 00:03:37.860 it the second time or the third time or whatever's 00:03:37.860 --> 00:03:40.620 needed for that person. And just recognizing, 00:03:40.740 --> 00:03:42.680 you move the pendulum in the right direction, 00:03:43.219 --> 00:03:45.719 reassess, what can I do more? Like in the Savior's 00:03:45.719 --> 00:03:47.740 instance, we got perfect healing of blindness. 00:03:48.599 --> 00:03:52.659 Thinking, Relief Society, presidencies, or ministering 00:03:52.659 --> 00:03:55.379 opportunities. We go and we step in and we help 00:03:55.379 --> 00:03:57.520 if we're using the Spirit to guide what we should 00:03:57.520 --> 00:04:00.939 do. We do that thing. Yeah, just don't be disappointed 00:04:00.939 --> 00:04:03.979 if it's not ... fixed. It could take another 00:04:03.979 --> 00:04:07.819 go. It could take another person kind of circling 00:04:07.819 --> 00:04:09.800 in and helping us. Oh yeah, especially mortality, 00:04:10.020 --> 00:04:11.439 right? We're not perfect and it's not going to 00:04:11.439 --> 00:04:13.060 be good. Another lesson I saw in this, go the 00:04:13.060 --> 00:04:15.580 extra step. So Jesus touched the man again so 00:04:15.580 --> 00:04:18.420 he could see clearly. So when you recognize that 00:04:18.420 --> 00:04:21.079 it's not resolved or that there's more that could 00:04:21.079 --> 00:04:23.699 be done, keep going. Yeah, ask what further thing 00:04:23.699 --> 00:04:26.519 can I do and try to go that next step. And in 00:04:26.519 --> 00:04:27.959 the story of the Good Samaritan that was in that 00:04:27.959 --> 00:04:30.040 opening paragraph, he didn't just notice the 00:04:30.040 --> 00:04:32.920 injured man, like, oh, let me send help. Yeah. 00:04:32.959 --> 00:04:36.360 He treated, he carried, he paid for his care. 00:04:37.160 --> 00:04:39.279 Christlike service doesn't stop with a minimum 00:04:39.279 --> 00:04:42.860 and just, you know, you know, I recognized and 00:04:42.860 --> 00:04:45.560 I called in, I called in the, I let the bishop 00:04:45.560 --> 00:04:47.279 know, I let the Relief Society president know, 00:04:47.360 --> 00:04:51.220 I left it on, right? What more can I do? You're 00:04:51.220 --> 00:04:53.459 asking that question for yourself. Very good 00:04:53.459 --> 00:04:56.079 question. For the situation, sorry. Yes, sorry, 00:04:56.259 --> 00:04:59.779 Abby. Another thing I noticed was, in this story, 00:04:59.939 --> 00:05:03.360 is help even when it is inconvenient. The Samaritan 00:05:03.360 --> 00:05:06.860 was traveling, busy and interrupted in what he 00:05:06.860 --> 00:05:09.019 was doing, and yet, like you said, he still stopped. 00:05:09.079 --> 00:05:11.160 Yeah, he was on a path to get somewhere just 00:05:11.160 --> 00:05:13.060 like everybody else that was passing by. Right. 00:05:13.199 --> 00:05:14.939 Everyone was on an errand, right? You could say. 00:05:15.220 --> 00:05:17.100 Serving like Christ means being willing to pause 00:05:17.100 --> 00:05:19.839 our plans for someone else's need. I will say, 00:05:20.430 --> 00:05:23.689 I've now been married for over 25 years. At the 00:05:23.689 --> 00:05:28.170 beginning, I had things scheduled, like time 00:05:28.170 --> 00:05:31.829 to teach my kids. It was like we would teach, 00:05:31.870 --> 00:05:33.829 you know, I would make a lesson for family home 00:05:33.829 --> 00:05:35.790 evening. We would teach for this and that. And 00:05:35.790 --> 00:05:38.209 I loved watching my husband because he could 00:05:38.399 --> 00:05:40.360 He'd be in the middle of doing something or let's 00:05:40.360 --> 00:05:42.939 say on his way out or doing something, but he 00:05:42.939 --> 00:05:45.459 was able to recognize he had the spirit of discernment 00:05:45.459 --> 00:05:47.620 with him. He was able to recognize that one of 00:05:47.620 --> 00:05:50.459 our children was in a moment to be taught. And 00:05:50.459 --> 00:05:52.399 so he would stop and teach them in that moment. 00:05:52.500 --> 00:05:54.259 And for me, I'd be like, well, we're going to 00:05:54.259 --> 00:05:56.379 do that on Sunday. And it's like, no, we're going 00:05:56.379 --> 00:05:58.540 to do it when the learner is ready to learn. 00:05:59.000 --> 00:06:01.300 Let me just say my personality is way more like 00:06:01.300 --> 00:06:03.689 you. Like, you have scheduled time, we're going 00:06:03.689 --> 00:06:06.069 to do this. As I've had this homeschooling journey 00:06:06.069 --> 00:06:08.649 and the come follow me infused into our lives, 00:06:09.050 --> 00:06:12.009 I know that if I'm prepared for those moments, 00:06:12.430 --> 00:06:14.730 that they come a lot more normally and naturally. 00:06:15.089 --> 00:06:17.230 And when I know that that's how I want to be 00:06:17.230 --> 00:06:19.829 more like Garrett, because it's aside from my 00:06:19.829 --> 00:06:22.949 normal personality, take some extra effort, I'll 00:06:22.949 --> 00:06:26.040 pray for opportunities. I'll say, let me know 00:06:26.040 --> 00:06:28.480 when, when it's open for like a teaching moment. 00:06:28.560 --> 00:06:30.600 It's a beautiful way to be, you know, it's very 00:06:30.600 --> 00:06:32.420 much like it's great. It doesn't bother me that 00:06:32.420 --> 00:06:34.120 I don't have that natural skill set to just be 00:06:34.120 --> 00:06:37.019 like, let's teach. Yeah. Right. When I, when 00:06:37.019 --> 00:06:38.720 I have the opportunity, I know that it's all 00:06:38.720 --> 00:06:40.480 because he gave it to me because I asked for 00:06:40.480 --> 00:06:41.959 his help in that thing. I love that you said 00:06:41.959 --> 00:06:44.600 that too, because it reminds me, you know, when 00:06:44.600 --> 00:06:46.579 president Nelson rolled out a higher and holier 00:06:46.579 --> 00:06:52.759 way, definitely that was part of it. I love that. 00:06:52.980 --> 00:06:56.819 It is such a higher and holier way. I'm not great 00:06:56.819 --> 00:06:59.319 at the ministering thing, but I know that over 00:06:59.319 --> 00:07:01.540 time, and like multiple generations down the 00:07:01.540 --> 00:07:04.379 road, it's going to be exactly what was needed 00:07:04.379 --> 00:07:10.139 at this time. Those stories helped me see the 00:07:10.139 --> 00:07:12.639 beauty in serving without judgment. Like, others 00:07:12.639 --> 00:07:15.759 passed by, the wounded man, and the Samaritan 00:07:15.759 --> 00:07:18.779 didn't ask why he was there, he just stopped 00:07:18.779 --> 00:07:23.750 and helped. He didn't say, oh, you're… What was 00:07:23.750 --> 00:07:27.029 the man? I forget. He was, you know, you know 00:07:27.029 --> 00:07:28.829 how like the Levi priest or whatever kind of 00:07:28.829 --> 00:07:30.069 like went to the other side of the road because 00:07:30.069 --> 00:07:32.750 for whatever reason, he was unclean or whatever 00:07:32.750 --> 00:07:35.410 it was that they did. However, yeah, I understand 00:07:35.410 --> 00:07:36.790 it's a parable, could have been a real life story. 00:07:37.110 --> 00:07:38.790 I understand that it's a parable. I understand 00:07:38.790 --> 00:07:41.209 it's about the atonement of Jesus Christ. But 00:07:41.209 --> 00:07:43.350 the fact is, the atonement of Jesus Christ is 00:07:43.350 --> 00:07:45.649 for everybody. And, you know, even the people 00:07:45.649 --> 00:07:47.310 that you think would be most willing to help, 00:07:47.389 --> 00:07:49.829 you know, other ecclesiastical leaders or whatever, 00:07:50.350 --> 00:07:53.910 they, and purpose diverted their attention, didn't 00:07:53.910 --> 00:07:55.430 want to be bothered, didn't want to be stopped, 00:07:55.970 --> 00:07:58.350 didn't think the man deserved their help. And 00:07:58.350 --> 00:08:01.509 our Savior Jesus Christ, you know, in this parable 00:08:01.509 --> 00:08:05.170 of the Good Samaritan, didn't judge the wounded 00:08:05.170 --> 00:08:07.829 man. He just stepped in and helped. Christ -like 00:08:07.829 --> 00:08:11.509 service doesn't ask, do they deserve it? Or, 00:08:11.649 --> 00:08:15.550 you know, do they need it? They just do it. And 00:08:15.550 --> 00:08:18.310 again, follow up, what more can I do? After you 00:08:18.310 --> 00:08:20.189 recognize, we're always asking, what more can 00:08:20.189 --> 00:08:22.410 I do? I love that. As far as the judging, you 00:08:22.410 --> 00:08:24.370 know, not judging goes, it reminds me of a quote 00:08:24.370 --> 00:08:27.470 that I see often and I love it. And it's from 00:08:27.470 --> 00:08:29.410 God, you know, telling us, just love everyone. 00:08:29.529 --> 00:08:32.389 I'll sort it out later. It's like, that's all, 00:08:32.409 --> 00:08:36.009 that's all we have to do. And help wherever you 00:08:36.009 --> 00:08:37.649 can. If you're like, you know, you see a homeless 00:08:37.649 --> 00:08:39.490 person and like sometimes our mind's like, well, 00:08:39.509 --> 00:08:40.970 they're just going to go use it for drugs or 00:08:40.970 --> 00:08:43.509 alcohol. Maybe they will. Does that make a difference 00:08:43.509 --> 00:08:47.470 on, you know? the joy that you'll feel by reaching 00:08:47.470 --> 00:08:49.870 out regardless. I mean, obviously we're hoping 00:08:49.870 --> 00:08:53.350 it goes for something. And does that in any way 00:08:53.350 --> 00:08:56.649 mean that your contribution to doing what Jesus 00:08:56.649 --> 00:08:58.649 would do, does that diminish in any way? No. 00:08:58.809 --> 00:09:01.529 Because your agency is only about you. If you 00:09:01.529 --> 00:09:04.990 can help, you help. Love through action is another 00:09:04.990 --> 00:09:08.370 one that I noticed. Jesus didn't just feel compassion, 00:09:08.429 --> 00:09:10.649 He acted on that. Yeah, He doesn't just sit and 00:09:10.649 --> 00:09:13.169 preach. Have compassion on other people. He did. 00:09:13.519 --> 00:09:16.059 Absolutely. Exactly what somebody that's compassionate 00:09:16.059 --> 00:09:19.039 would do. Yes. And service is love made visible, 00:09:19.200 --> 00:09:21.919 helping, listening, lifting, and then staying 00:09:21.919 --> 00:09:26.500 if that's what's necessary. So beautiful. The 00:09:26.500 --> 00:09:30.659 Savior's invitation in these situations, because 00:09:30.659 --> 00:09:33.240 He's leading by example, is to go and do that 00:09:33.240 --> 00:09:35.399 likewise, just, you know, quoting directly from 00:09:35.399 --> 00:09:38.340 the talk. And we'll hear that. phrase repeated 00:09:38.340 --> 00:09:40.919 time and time again. Our service parallels His 00:09:40.919 --> 00:09:42.740 when we serve quietly, patiently, generously, 00:09:42.840 --> 00:09:44.879 and with real love, just as He did. And that's 00:09:44.879 --> 00:09:46.799 just stuff we're pulling from two brief examples 00:09:46.799 --> 00:09:49.299 of the Savior's life and teachings. The opening 00:09:49.299 --> 00:09:52.419 paragraph of this talk had our minds just reeling 00:09:52.419 --> 00:09:55.279 with examples. And those examples are the perfect 00:09:55.279 --> 00:09:58.240 segue into Elder Evanson's talk on how missionaries 00:09:58.240 --> 00:10:00.039 of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter -day 00:10:00.039 --> 00:10:02.580 Saints are modern -day examples of the Good Samaritan 00:10:02.580 --> 00:10:05.759 that Christ invites us to become. We know all 00:10:05.759 --> 00:10:08.399 missionaries use the powerful tool of service 00:10:08.399 --> 00:10:12.899 to minister in the Savior's way, but this talk 00:10:12.899 --> 00:10:15.519 specifically focuses on highlights missionaries 00:10:15.519 --> 00:10:18.879 specifically called to service missions. I just 00:10:18.879 --> 00:10:22.600 will say as a caveat, I feel like he feels like 00:10:22.600 --> 00:10:24.899 he needs to be apologetic about the service mission, 00:10:25.259 --> 00:10:28.480 like as though there's like a stigma around service 00:10:28.480 --> 00:10:32.080 missions. I deleted all of that commentary because 00:10:32.279 --> 00:10:34.860 I am nothing but obsessed with service missions. 00:10:35.259 --> 00:10:37.039 It has a special place in my heart. I've been 00:10:37.039 --> 00:10:40.120 touched deeply. I'll just reference one quick 00:10:40.120 --> 00:10:42.299 thing. In our area, the service missionaries 00:10:42.299 --> 00:10:45.360 put on a sacrament meeting and so it was second 00:10:45.360 --> 00:10:48.059 to the primary program of being my favorite Sunday 00:10:48.059 --> 00:10:50.899 I've ever experienced in my lifetime. And they've 00:10:50.899 --> 00:10:53.820 done it a couple times. Forty years. Watching 00:10:53.820 --> 00:10:56.039 the good that comes from service missionaries, 00:10:56.159 --> 00:10:57.940 a spectrum of things. Maybe they're home for 00:10:57.940 --> 00:11:02.310 health reasons, mental health things, maybe health 00:11:02.310 --> 00:11:06.870 issue precludes them from serving. I don't really 00:11:06.870 --> 00:11:08.250 care what the reason maybe that's just where 00:11:08.250 --> 00:11:10.870 they feel called to serve where they are. It 00:11:10.870 --> 00:11:14.529 doesn't matter. I love service missions and I 00:11:14.529 --> 00:11:16.710 think that they're getting really good now that 00:11:16.710 --> 00:11:19.350 we're growing in numbers in that lane of service 00:11:19.350 --> 00:11:25.590 that they're making it the best experience for 00:11:25.590 --> 00:11:29.230 the service missionaries to feel like their time 00:11:29.230 --> 00:11:33.539 served is equally important. It is. It is. So, 00:11:33.559 --> 00:11:35.820 anyway, I deleted some, like, lines and I'm just 00:11:35.820 --> 00:11:38.179 like, I— When I heard those lines, Abby, it, 00:11:38.179 --> 00:11:40.159 like, spoke straight to my heart. And what I 00:11:40.159 --> 00:11:42.740 heard was that He has a strong testimony. I know 00:11:42.740 --> 00:11:45.899 He does. That this is, that however you serve 00:11:45.899 --> 00:11:48.100 the Lord, and whatever the Lord has given, whatever 00:11:48.100 --> 00:11:50.220 your bag is, right? We all get a bag of stuff 00:11:50.220 --> 00:11:52.259 that we have to deal with when we're born. Whatever 00:11:52.259 --> 00:11:55.330 it is. that the Lord has a way for you to serve 00:11:55.330 --> 00:11:58.269 others and His Spirit can move through you. That's 00:11:58.269 --> 00:12:01.070 what I want to highlight because I definitely 00:12:01.070 --> 00:12:03.830 felt that I have a testimony of the prophets 00:12:03.830 --> 00:12:06.429 call to serve, everybody's invited to serve, 00:12:06.610 --> 00:12:09.169 everybody's encouraged, everybody's basically 00:12:09.169 --> 00:12:10.850 reminded of a covenant that they made to serve, 00:12:10.950 --> 00:12:12.450 especially if they were blessed with the gospel 00:12:12.450 --> 00:12:14.169 in their lives. And third, in your own way. You 00:12:14.169 --> 00:12:16.549 know, especially tribe of Ephraim language. We 00:12:16.549 --> 00:12:18.690 have to be missionary -minded. And I believe 00:12:18.690 --> 00:12:20.870 that's true. And I would always say, you know, 00:12:21.039 --> 00:12:25.580 Yes, that's true, but so -and -so is the exception 00:12:25.580 --> 00:12:27.419 to the rule, and it's just impossible for them 00:12:27.419 --> 00:12:29.059 to serve. And so, like, look at what they're 00:12:29.059 --> 00:12:31.000 doing with their life. They're doing this other 00:12:31.000 --> 00:12:35.019 route. Well, for me, now that route... is still 00:12:35.019 --> 00:12:36.740 a call from God and you swear the name of Jesus 00:12:36.740 --> 00:12:39.179 Christ on your chest as a service mission. I 00:12:39.179 --> 00:12:41.820 just think it's a beautiful representation of 00:12:41.820 --> 00:12:44.860 the love of God. Not like, not a second class 00:12:44.860 --> 00:12:46.740 citizen badge. Like a manifestation of His love. 00:12:46.919 --> 00:12:51.519 I agree. I do agree. I know His tone was all 00:12:51.519 --> 00:12:54.370 in love, but I was just like, yeah. You didn't 00:12:54.370 --> 00:12:56.309 even hear it. Service missions are too special 00:12:56.309 --> 00:12:58.309 and beautiful to be thinking that they're anything 00:12:58.309 --> 00:13:00.730 less than. Hundred percent. And I know some of 00:13:00.730 --> 00:13:02.710 these kids, they go out as prostituting missionaries. 00:13:03.070 --> 00:13:07.269 They maybe get a turnabout health or, you know, 00:13:07.470 --> 00:13:10.169 mental, some mental illness kind of manifests 00:13:10.169 --> 00:13:12.870 itself and they come home and rather than just 00:13:12.870 --> 00:13:14.889 taking the badge off and being released, they'll 00:13:14.889 --> 00:13:17.269 do a service mission for a time as they're healing. 00:13:18.649 --> 00:13:22.029 And I've only seen their testimonies just explode. 00:13:22.409 --> 00:13:25.649 with gratitude for the opportunity to do the 00:13:25.649 --> 00:13:28.350 service mission. So again, so many great reasons 00:13:28.350 --> 00:13:31.909 for it. I just love it. Our heart is there. So 00:13:31.909 --> 00:13:35.110 like Abby said, there are examples that show 00:13:35.110 --> 00:13:38.370 us how service is. So these stories are so great. 00:13:38.389 --> 00:13:39.470 So this is what they're going to illustrate. 00:13:41.060 --> 00:13:43.179 Service missions, open hearts to the gospel of 00:13:43.179 --> 00:13:46.259 Jesus Christ, allows all of us to minister regardless 00:13:46.259 --> 00:13:48.100 of our circumstances. And this is just service 00:13:48.100 --> 00:13:49.620 in general, not necessarily service missions. 00:13:49.639 --> 00:13:51.220 Yes, thanks for clarifying that, I was going 00:13:51.220 --> 00:13:54.309 to say, because we know that our full -time proselytizing 00:13:54.309 --> 00:13:58.149 missionaries use service so wisely. And then 00:13:58.149 --> 00:14:00.429 the third one is the service brings the power 00:14:00.429 --> 00:14:02.610 of Christ into our lives and into others' lives. 00:14:02.809 --> 00:14:04.789 Don't you think it's true that people often experience 00:14:04.789 --> 00:14:06.389 Christ through the kindness and genuine care 00:14:06.389 --> 00:14:10.350 of His servants? Like, they'll be like a natural 00:14:10.350 --> 00:14:12.330 disaster, and they'll be like, two groups really 00:14:12.330 --> 00:14:15.950 help, the Mormons and the Church of Jesus Christ, 00:14:16.049 --> 00:14:17.429 the Latter -day Saints. You'll be like, that's 00:14:17.429 --> 00:14:21.320 both. us. Yes. Oh, that's funny. I love it. Okay. 00:14:21.759 --> 00:14:23.399 Service missionaries, they're not just helping 00:14:23.399 --> 00:14:25.600 with physical tasks. They are living testimonies 00:14:25.600 --> 00:14:27.419 of Christ's love and creating trust that opens 00:14:27.419 --> 00:14:30.899 hearts to His gospel. Amen, Abby. So Ammon served 00:14:30.899 --> 00:14:33.299 King Lamoni selflessly, which earned the king's 00:14:33.299 --> 00:14:36.080 trust and gave Ammon. the chance to teach him 00:14:36.080 --> 00:14:39.139 about Jesus Christ. Instead of asking for a reward, 00:14:39.720 --> 00:14:41.379 Ammon only asked that the king listen to the 00:14:41.379 --> 00:14:43.539 gospel. Because of his service, many people were 00:14:43.539 --> 00:14:45.539 brought to repentance. This shows that sincere 00:14:45.539 --> 00:14:49.269 service opens hearts. and leads others to Christ 00:14:49.269 --> 00:14:51.970 in ancient times. And for an example today, I'm 00:14:51.970 --> 00:14:53.470 so glad we're going to talk about Sister Bevan 00:14:53.470 --> 00:14:55.590 because I love this story. Sister Bevan had to 00:14:55.590 --> 00:14:57.990 return home for medical treatment, but continued 00:14:57.990 --> 00:15:00.490 serving as a service missionary. After being 00:15:00.490 --> 00:15:02.549 prompted to talk to a mother at a park and then 00:15:02.549 --> 00:15:04.789 she hesitated for a minute, she prayed for a 00:15:04.789 --> 00:15:06.679 night and then the family got in the car and 00:15:06.679 --> 00:15:09.419 drove off. She prayed for another chance and 00:15:09.419 --> 00:15:12.200 was given one the next day. Now notice, she went 00:15:12.200 --> 00:15:13.840 to the same, she didn't just pray, she went to 00:15:13.840 --> 00:15:15.779 the next, she went to the park the next day as 00:15:15.779 --> 00:15:17.220 well, right? So she followed through on that 00:15:17.220 --> 00:15:20.399 prayer with action. This time, she offered help. 00:15:20.879 --> 00:15:22.779 She met the family's needs and invited them to 00:15:22.779 --> 00:15:25.539 learn about the gospel. So first, she found out 00:15:25.539 --> 00:15:27.220 that this woman was in need of some temporal 00:15:27.220 --> 00:15:30.220 help and she offered that. And then, she invited 00:15:30.220 --> 00:15:32.259 her to hear about the gospel. As a result, the 00:15:32.259 --> 00:15:34.220 mother and her children were baptized. And I 00:15:34.220 --> 00:15:36.460 loved it, too, because he said first, the mother 00:15:36.460 --> 00:15:38.220 and her oldest child were baptized, and then 00:15:38.220 --> 00:15:39.779 a year later, the next one were, and they're 00:15:39.779 --> 00:15:41.639 still faithful in the gospel of Jesus Christ. 00:15:41.980 --> 00:15:44.179 This experience confirmed to Sister Bevin that 00:15:44.179 --> 00:15:47.000 God had placed her exactly where she needed to 00:15:47.000 --> 00:15:49.480 be. I'll just say in that story, love it. Love 00:15:49.480 --> 00:15:51.700 the outcome. Love the outcome for that family, 00:15:51.720 --> 00:15:54.340 because I know that just opens up untold blessings. 00:15:55.059 --> 00:15:57.909 But even if the outcome wasn't you know, these 00:15:57.909 --> 00:15:59.350 people entering the waters of baptism. True, 00:16:00.309 --> 00:16:02.250 true. Still. If you were just a seed, right? 00:16:02.889 --> 00:16:05.149 Yeah, we taught, testified of Jesus Christ and 00:16:05.149 --> 00:16:07.610 demonstrated that we are disciples of Jesus Christ 00:16:07.610 --> 00:16:10.889 through action. Still a win. Elder Evanson shares 00:16:10.889 --> 00:16:13.490 this, like Ammon and Sister Bevan, As we serve 00:16:13.490 --> 00:16:15.409 others, we show forth good examples unto them, 00:16:15.509 --> 00:16:17.710 and they desire to know the reason of hope that 00:16:17.710 --> 00:16:20.330 is in us. Jesus invites us to go and do law likewise. 00:16:20.570 --> 00:16:22.870 I love that he keeps repeating that phrase. That 00:16:22.870 --> 00:16:24.789 charge has been around for decades. All worthy 00:16:24.789 --> 00:16:26.830 males were asked to serve missions. Sisters asked 00:16:26.830 --> 00:16:29.419 to consider it if circumstances allowed. But 00:16:29.419 --> 00:16:32.100 his second point is maybe my favorite thing about 00:16:32.100 --> 00:16:35.120 service. Mine too. Service allows all of us to 00:16:35.120 --> 00:16:37.539 minister regardless of our circumstances. There 00:16:37.539 --> 00:16:39.820 were some who heard the call to serve and desperately 00:16:39.820 --> 00:16:42.279 wanted to, just weren't, it wasn't feasible. 00:16:42.559 --> 00:16:44.580 For whatever reason, we kind of listed a few, 00:16:44.659 --> 00:16:47.659 there could be a million more. I see the implementation 00:16:47.659 --> 00:16:50.279 of service missions as being a manifestation 00:16:50.279 --> 00:16:53.059 of God's love, because now he can take somebody 00:16:53.059 --> 00:16:55.240 that has a desiring heart and pair that individual 00:16:55.240 --> 00:16:57.000 with a mission that they are able to execute. 00:16:59.429 --> 00:17:02.929 And man, in our area, I mean, I can't speak to 00:17:02.929 --> 00:17:05.930 the whole world, but in our area, I see the vast 00:17:05.930 --> 00:17:12.289 amount of the good that they do. For sure. Absolutely. 00:17:12.690 --> 00:17:15.029 I was talking to my son once about it. Before 00:17:15.029 --> 00:17:17.190 he went on a mission, we were talking about service 00:17:17.190 --> 00:17:19.990 mission, if that's what he chose, or proselyting 00:17:19.990 --> 00:17:23.250 mission. And I was just talking about and sharing 00:17:23.250 --> 00:17:26.839 my testimony with him about... I love this change, 00:17:26.980 --> 00:17:28.660 I love this opportunity like we've been saying 00:17:28.660 --> 00:17:30.400 about a service mission because for me I was 00:17:30.400 --> 00:17:32.579 just thinking whatever we've been dealt with 00:17:32.579 --> 00:17:35.140 in this life is going to be with us for the rest 00:17:35.140 --> 00:17:38.799 of our lives, right? And why not learn to serve 00:17:38.799 --> 00:17:43.079 and be useful in God's kingdom as a young missionary 00:17:43.079 --> 00:17:45.640 and quote still fit in, right? Where before you 00:17:45.640 --> 00:17:49.059 might think that you did not. We now know through 00:17:49.059 --> 00:17:54.180 this divine revelation that there is room for 00:17:54.180 --> 00:17:57.220 every person. Absolutely. President Russell M. 00:17:57.319 --> 00:18:00.079 Nelson called on every worthy, able young man 00:18:00.079 --> 00:18:02.720 to prepare for and serve a mission, and for every 00:18:02.720 --> 00:18:04.759 able young sister to pray to know if the Lord 00:18:04.759 --> 00:18:08.140 would have her serve a mission. He promised that 00:18:08.140 --> 00:18:10.519 your decision to serve a mission, whether a proselyting 00:18:10.519 --> 00:18:12.720 or a service mission, will bless you and many 00:18:12.720 --> 00:18:17.640 others. Amazing. Service missionaries change 00:18:17.640 --> 00:18:20.660 the definition of the word able for me. Now every 00:18:20.660 --> 00:18:22.619 young man and woman who desire to serve full 00:18:22.619 --> 00:18:24.960 -time missions for the Lord can do so, with very 00:18:24.960 --> 00:18:28.960 few exceptions. Elder Holgado, who could not 00:18:28.960 --> 00:18:31.480 serve a teaching mission, he had some genetic 00:18:31.480 --> 00:18:35.480 disorder. That's as far as that went. He was 00:18:35.480 --> 00:18:38.079 called as a service missionary. He served in 00:18:38.079 --> 00:18:40.240 the bishop's storehouse by helping with everyday 00:18:40.240 --> 00:18:42.900 tasks that met people's needs. He later testified, 00:18:43.039 --> 00:18:44.819 God needs service missionaries, people who love 00:18:44.819 --> 00:18:46.720 others through simple, faithful acts of service. 00:18:47.019 --> 00:18:48.980 We are all able to help others come unto Christ 00:18:48.980 --> 00:18:51.359 by serving with loving kindness. We can all minister 00:18:51.359 --> 00:18:53.420 in Christ's name to the one through the power 00:18:53.420 --> 00:18:56.440 of the Holy Ghost and live as examples of faith 00:18:56.440 --> 00:18:58.740 in Jesus Christ. Service allows us to present 00:18:58.740 --> 00:19:01.079 ourselves as living sacrifices who are acceptable 00:19:01.079 --> 00:19:05.259 to God. And, again, Jesus invites us to go and 00:19:05.259 --> 00:19:08.680 do likewise. Love that. Let's go ahead and touch 00:19:08.680 --> 00:19:11.079 on the third point. Service brings the power 00:19:11.079 --> 00:19:13.700 of Christ into our lives. It's noble to always 00:19:13.700 --> 00:19:16.000 be looking out for others, but usually in the 00:19:16.000 --> 00:19:19.259 process we come to annoy— we come to an understanding 00:19:19.259 --> 00:19:21.220 that being directed to do something for another 00:19:21.220 --> 00:19:23.900 person is a reflection of God's love to all his 00:19:23.900 --> 00:19:26.299 children, which usually makes it easier to spot 00:19:26.299 --> 00:19:29.380 his hand even in our own lives. A missionary 00:19:29.380 --> 00:19:31.160 who moved from teaching to service work faced 00:19:31.160 --> 00:19:32.900 personal struggles, but found healing through 00:19:32.900 --> 00:19:35.779 consecrated service. As he served in places like 00:19:35.779 --> 00:19:39.710 food pantries in the temple, he felt Christ lifting 00:19:39.710 --> 00:19:42.150 and strengthening him. Through service, he found 00:19:42.150 --> 00:19:44.210 deeper joy. His family grew closer to Christ, 00:19:44.210 --> 00:19:46.869 and he felt that the Savior had saved his life 00:19:46.869 --> 00:19:51.329 and blessed his family. Huge. President Nelson 00:19:51.329 --> 00:19:53.170 taught willingness to serve and strengthen others 00:19:53.170 --> 00:19:55.769 stands as a symbol of one's readiness to be healed 00:19:55.769 --> 00:19:58.809 by the redemptive power of the Savior, and Jesus 00:19:58.809 --> 00:20:02.109 invites us to go and do likewise. I love that. 00:20:02.890 --> 00:20:04.789 An added bonus of having service missionaries 00:20:04.789 --> 00:20:09.319 is that your family Will have a set apart representative 00:20:09.319 --> 00:20:11.299 of the Lord Jesus Christ living in your home 00:20:11.299 --> 00:20:15.460 if you have the most missionaries if they're 00:20:15.460 --> 00:20:18.140 Prostituting missionaries. Is it pretty standard 00:20:18.140 --> 00:20:21.099 to do the first week at home MTC now? Yes, but 00:20:21.099 --> 00:20:24.190 kind of across the board And I didn't know it's 00:20:24.190 --> 00:20:26.730 hip. But it's different. It's a different feeling. 00:20:27.049 --> 00:20:29.630 Absolutely. In this case, you get it that for 00:20:29.630 --> 00:20:32.029 a year, 18 months, whatever the duration is. 00:20:32.450 --> 00:20:35.250 So that will change all of you for the good. 00:20:35.410 --> 00:20:37.329 To all of you who serve, and especially to the 00:20:37.329 --> 00:20:39.549 over 4 ,000 young service missionaries, we love 00:20:39.549 --> 00:20:41.890 you. If teaching missionaries are the Lord's 00:20:41.890 --> 00:20:44.069 mouth, then service missionaries are the Lord's 00:20:44.069 --> 00:20:48.049 hands. I loved that quote so much. So good. President 00:20:48.049 --> 00:20:50.289 Nelson taught that anytime we do anything that 00:20:50.289 --> 00:20:52.329 helps anyone to make and keep their covenants 00:20:52.329 --> 00:20:55.230 with God, we are helping to gather Israel. Inasmuch 00:20:55.230 --> 00:20:57.769 as ye serve one of these, the least of these, 00:20:58.049 --> 00:21:00.630 ye serve him. And we hear your voices as you 00:21:00.630 --> 00:21:03.730 volunteer at church call centers. We see your 00:21:03.730 --> 00:21:06.029 smiles as you help in community organizations. 00:21:06.430 --> 00:21:08.269 And we fill your light as you serve in temples. 00:21:08.890 --> 00:21:11.049 You feed the hungry, clothe the naked, give drink 00:21:11.049 --> 00:21:13.890 to the thirsty. We all need to go and do likewise. 00:21:14.960 --> 00:21:17.220 Christ went about doing good. He ministered to 00:21:17.220 --> 00:21:19.779 the sick, gave sight to the blind, and visited 00:21:19.779 --> 00:21:22.420 the downtrodden. He cooked meals, helped at wedding 00:21:22.420 --> 00:21:25.240 feasts, and fed thousands who were hungry. Service 00:21:25.240 --> 00:21:27.539 has the power to open hearts to the gospel and 00:21:27.539 --> 00:21:30.240 allows all of us to give our whole soul to Christ. 00:21:30.660 --> 00:21:32.920 It changes our hearts to become more like Him, 00:21:33.099 --> 00:21:36.519 and in the process, we lift others. President 00:21:36.519 --> 00:21:39.119 Nelson once asked, in this world, spitting with 00:21:39.119 --> 00:21:41.740 spiritual decay, can individuals make a difference? 00:21:42.160 --> 00:21:45.160 And his answer is a resounding yes. The covenant 00:21:45.160 --> 00:21:47.240 people of the Lord, armed with the power of God 00:21:47.240 --> 00:21:50.119 and great glory, can live the lives of all humankind. 00:21:50.720 --> 00:21:53.039 Through service, we change hearts and the world. 00:21:54.220 --> 00:21:56.740 Any final thoughts? I think just echoing what 00:21:56.740 --> 00:21:59.019 I said before is that I love service missions. 00:22:00.339 --> 00:22:03.700 I love that the Lord is teaching. each one of 00:22:03.700 --> 00:22:05.680 us that we can serve in our own way. And once 00:22:05.680 --> 00:22:08.480 we figure out what our gifts or talents are, 00:22:08.920 --> 00:22:10.759 then we are better off for the rest of our lives. 00:22:10.759 --> 00:22:13.440 And really, so is everyone around us. I love 00:22:13.440 --> 00:22:16.660 it. And I've already shared this on another podcast, 00:22:16.859 --> 00:22:19.359 but since it pertains to this one, I'll also 00:22:19.359 --> 00:22:22.740 share it here. We attended the Young Single Adult 00:22:22.740 --> 00:22:27.779 branch in our valley and one of the voice that 00:22:27.779 --> 00:22:30.880 has grown up here. I don't know what his diagnosis 00:22:30.880 --> 00:22:32.960 is, but he's kind of got a weakened body and 00:22:32.960 --> 00:22:34.559 kind of, he's kind of turned in. And so it's 00:22:34.559 --> 00:22:37.039 not like with ease he walks up anywhere, but 00:22:37.039 --> 00:22:39.640 he makes it up to the stand and he boldly testified 00:22:39.640 --> 00:22:42.279 how missions are important. Basically the quote 00:22:42.279 --> 00:22:44.079 from the prophet, everyone's called to serve 00:22:44.079 --> 00:22:45.839 and he told everybody that they could do it. 00:22:46.200 --> 00:22:49.779 This kid served a faithful mission himself. And 00:22:49.779 --> 00:22:52.259 so from the mouth of babes, I was like, it was 00:22:52.259 --> 00:22:54.299 such a powerful testimony. And like, you know, 00:22:54.299 --> 00:22:58.769 that kid was a I mean, close friend to the Savior 00:22:58.769 --> 00:23:00.910 or something, like he's got this spirit about 00:23:00.910 --> 00:23:04.410 him. But anyway, I think in a lot of cases, he 00:23:04.410 --> 00:23:06.049 was talking to return missionaries, but there 00:23:06.049 --> 00:23:07.950 were definitely some in the crowd, you know, 00:23:08.130 --> 00:23:09.789 some of those just graduating seniors that are 00:23:09.789 --> 00:23:11.430 coming through, some people just sitting there 00:23:11.430 --> 00:23:14.750 thinking, is it really for me? And from his mouth, 00:23:14.750 --> 00:23:18.930 he testified, yes, it is for everybody. And you 00:23:18.930 --> 00:23:21.269 know, the Lord made it possible for him to be 00:23:21.269 --> 00:23:23.450 such an advocate for missions because he was 00:23:23.450 --> 00:23:26.160 able to serve such a faithful one himself. It 00:23:26.160 --> 00:23:27.640 was a beautiful thing. I'm so glad I got to be 00:23:27.640 --> 00:23:30.180 there. I'll close with this testimony. As we 00:23:30.180 --> 00:23:31.940 give service in Christ's name to the one, we 00:23:31.940 --> 00:23:33.819 become increasingly holy and worthy of the gift 00:23:33.819 --> 00:23:36.559 of eternal life. Jesus Christ lives. He is my 00:23:36.559 --> 00:23:38.920 Savior and yours. He is our Redeemer. He is our 00:23:38.920 --> 00:23:41.259 great example of ministering. I invite each of 00:23:41.259 --> 00:23:43.720 us to go and do likewise. And I say this in the 00:23:43.720 --> 00:23:46.819 name of Jesus Christ. Amen. Amen. Thank you so 00:23:46.819 --> 00:23:49.700 much. I think I'll put a prompt on Facebook to 00:23:49.700 --> 00:23:52.119 see… One of these days we'll start getting some 00:23:52.119 --> 00:23:54.279 traction on comments, but I'd love to hear some 00:23:54.279 --> 00:23:56.039 of your experiences if you've been touched by 00:23:56.039 --> 00:23:58.400 a service missionary, if you have a service missionary 00:23:58.400 --> 00:24:00.460 currently serving or in the past have had one 00:24:00.460 --> 00:24:02.559 serving, and just the immense amount of good 00:24:02.559 --> 00:24:05.519 you've seen from this type of service. That's 00:24:05.519 --> 00:24:07.920 a great idea. Missionary service. Anyway, we'll 00:24:07.920 --> 00:24:09.440 catch you on the next one. See you next time.