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 get to discuss Smiling
Faces and Grateful Hearts by Elder Carlos A.
Godoy of the Seventy. And we have smiling faces
and grateful hearts that you're here with us
today. That was nerdy, but I had to say it. So
good. This talk was written for the saints in
Africa. Elder Godoy was called to another area
because it was close to those names of emeritus
general authorities. Many thought he was finished
with his service. That's not the case, he says.
My new assignment took Monica and myself to beautiful
Africa, where the church is flourishing. It has
been a blessing to serve among the faithful saints
in the Africa South area and witness the Lord's
love for them. The growth of the church in Africa
is incredible. His numbers that he gives, I mean,
we're going to go through it, but wow. It's impressive.
It's heartwarming and it also speaks to the power
of service that Elder Godoy is basing his entire
talk on the children of God that he has been
called to serve. How many of us have been called
to serve a mission and we absolutely fall in
love with the people, their culture, their ways
of being, the things that are important to them.
As I was reading and listening through this talk,
I thought it was beautiful. Like, it's just a
great snapshot of someone serving the people
of a country and seeing them through God's perspective.
Elder Godoy is speaking specifically about the
people he serves with in the Africa South area.
I invite each of you to listen to this talk and
podcast as well and see if this sounds familiar
to a region that you've gotten to know through
either your own church service or efforts or
sending off a senior couple like your parents,
grandparents, or a young missionary. The details
will differ, but the brotherly love remains.
One thing he says is he says, it's inspiring
to see generational families of all backgrounds,
including many successful and well -educated
church members, dedicating their time and talents
to serve others. It is incredible. And at the
same time, given the region's demographics, many
people of modest means are joining the church
and transforming their lives through the blessings
of tithing, faithfulness, and the educational
opportunities that are then offered by the church.
Programs like Succeed in School, English Connect,
BYU Pathway Worldwide, Perpetual Education Funds,
those things are blessing many lives, especially
to these rising generations. Yeah, opening up
so many opportunities. President James E. Faust
once stated, It has been said that this church
does not necessarily attract great people, but
more often makes ordinary people great. And okay.
That's what he's done with me. I know, right?
I'm like, yes, yes to that. So Elder Godoy. goes
through and he tells about members in different
countries of where he's serving in Africa. So
he starts with Mozambique. He talks about how
he presided over a stake with over 2 ,000 people.
Now this stake was only one year old and there
were 2 ,000 people. It was filled to capacity
in the building with three tents outside. The
stake president and his wife only 31 and 26 years
old. Could you imagine? Um, so the young stake
president leads this growing and challenging
stake with no complaints, only a smiling face
and a grateful heart. By the way, he uses that
phrase a lot and it definitely touched my heart.
I felt a gentle correction. It was time for me
to have more of a smiling face and a grateful
heart. The patriarch in this place gives eight
to 10 patriarchal blessings per week. People
buying he they passed on their bus was dark at
night and he noticed people were on the street
like on the side of the road buying food and
He found out after a short exchange that they
work that day so that they can eat that night
That was another thing that brought Humility
to his heart now in Zambia Elder Godoy offered
a husband and a wife and their three small children
a ride to their church meeting. They were delighted,
said it took them 45 minutes to an hour to walk,
depending on the pace of their children." I know.
It gives you pause to think, right? It does.
Like, I can make it to church on time. I probably
can't make it to church on time, but I won't
complain about what time it is going to be. There
you go. He mentioned... Malawi saints, how grateful
hearts and smiling faces for the members who
meet in less than ideal circumstances. They're
just happy to have a place to meet. In Zimbabwe,
240 people met in a rented house for church.
Ten new members were introduced. Some listened
through open windows. There were no complaints,
only smiling faces and grateful hearts. In Lesotho,
sacrament meeting is held in a rented house.
It's overflowing. Elder Guroy said that he needed
a bigger place for meetings. The branch president
told him it was Only half of the branch, the
other half, would attend a second sacrament meeting
after the second hour. Again, no complaints,
only smiling faces and grateful hearts. So, Abby,
this has me thinking about the announcement that
we actually had in church today. Like, could
this not have landed on a more perfect time?
I have to admit, I was bummed to hear that we'd
be moving to an early church time again. Seems
like we've had it for the past four or five years.
I know it hasn't been. In the last five years,
we've had it four times. Four times, right? Yeah.
So, we just got a snippet of what 1130 Church
looks like starting in January. It was just a
little teaser. This talk had me looking at my
attitude through a very different lens. So, Abby,
what was our... Well, our bishop told us that
our ward building would be, as the current stake
building, would be hosting another ward because
their building will be leveled to make room for
a new stake center down at the other end of the
valley. And, I mean, honestly, it's because we're
growing and we'll have another new, beautiful
building that'll house a lot of members and a
lot of wards. But, you know, that growing period
in between is going to have a squished, overlapping,
binding. places for storage, making classrooms,
wherever we can, and adjusting the time a little
bit. But you go through a talk like this and
you say, oh, I have something significant to
learn from these saints in Africa. Elder Godoy
returned to Lesotho and met with those who had
that fatal accident we had mentioned before in
Elder Christopherson's talk. As he met with youth,
families, leaders, he thought he would meet a
somber atmosphere, but he recounted, instead
I encountered strong resilience sites who were
coping with the situation in an uplifting and
inspiring way. Amazing. Absolutely amazing. In
that same group, there was a 14 -year -old boy.
Why don't you say that boy's name? Just kidding.
I think it's Mafo Anikai Naku, but I'm not sure.
He is a surviving accident victim in this picture,
so there's a sweet picture of him smiling. And,
oh, sorry, it's her. And it was illustrated in
her own words. Trust in Jesus and always look
unto him because through him you'll find peace.
And this is my favorite part, she said. I love
that she said, and he will help you in the healing
process. She knows something of the healing process.
And I love that she's recognizing that that's
ahead of her and who is the source of her strength,
but Jesus Christ. These are just a few examples
where we see positive attitudes because they
center their lives in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
They know where to find help and hope. And honestly,
Abby, when I think they're a really good example
to me because anything I feel like complaining
about or if I think something's less than ideal.
I honestly have no reason to complain about anything.
I have the gospel of Jesus Christ in my life.
I have so many blessings that that's what I want
to focus on. It's so great. I mean, we can learn
so much from these saints in Africa. There's
a wonderful question posed here. Why can the
Savior succor them and us in any circumstance
in our lives? And the answer is found in the
scriptures. It says, And He shall go forth, suffering
pains and afflictions and temptations of every
kind. And He will take upon Him their infirmities,
that His vows may be filled with mercy, that
He may know how to succor His people according
to their infirmities. So we know that He knows
because He did what He asks us to do. Absolutely.
One of my favorite scriptures. As Elder Bednar
taught, There's no physical pain, anguish, or
weakness that we can experience that the Savior
does not know. You and I in a moment of weakness
may cry out, no one understands what I'm going
through, no human being perhaps knows, but the
Son of God perfectly knows and understands. And
why? Because He felt and bore our burdens before
we ever even did. It's the truth. I know. Maybe
just an opportunity to sit and think about all
that we're blessed with and maybe kind of mentally
list the things that we think that we're struggling
with right now and ask Him to help give us that
picture, that view of how He knows how to succor
us or kind of get a perspective of if you're
struggling with an individual asking for the
opportunity to turn that into something that
you can learn from and be excited to have a smiling
face. smiling face and a grateful heart for.
Absolutely. It's funny because literally this
afternoon I called my mom. So my parents spend
the summer months here. Abby, you know this.
And so I was telling her, guess what? Church
went back to nine o 'clock full and called her
and told her that and was being, you know, kind
of a punk about it. And she's like, oh yeah,
you know, we talked about yada yada. Then I sit
down. I open up the talk and I start reading
and I just start crying. I was grateful because
I truly feel like if we put forth just a little
bit of effort, the Lord finds us wherever we
are and He meets us there. And I felt gentle,
loving correction saying, Amy, you have no reason
to complain. And I loved it because I didn't,
I mean, if someone asked me, hey, Amy, do you
want to be in, do you want to have a heart that's
complaining today? I'd say, heck no. I want to,
I want to be grateful. I want to be happy. So
I love that the Lord knows that about me. And
he was just a quick correction. Like I had a
few hours of it and I know that his message finds
us where we are. And it's going to play big evidence
because when you're waking up early and you're
like, Having to make plans for you know what
you got to get done in the mornings like when
we have nine o 'clock church I have to think
way more about you know nighttime baths. Oh,
so I'm just Saturday night because I got half
the day to get ready for 1130 church, right?
It makes me it makes me different, you know worshiper
And it's a good thing. Yeah. And for me, I'm
like, oh, it's hard with my health. Well, guess
what? If the Lord can help these, this family
who has young children, three young children
walk for 45 minutes to an hour to church, He
can definitely help me too. So just remembering
again that I just learned through the saints
in Africa. that the Lord, again, meets you wherever
you are, and He's going to help you get to church.
He's going to help you get there so that you
can receive the full blessings of the gospel
as far as sacramenting is concerned. You get
to renew your covenants with Him. Like, I'm way
grateful. I want to say thank you to the saints
of Africa. Thanks for that. The humility and
the gratitude. Just, I'm way grateful for that.
One last thought. when even if you're not happy
about something, if you put a smile on your face
about it, it can turn things around. Love it.
So my story from today is I got to sub playing
the piano for primary and the kids were singing
the song so powerfully with so much of the spirit
and I'm not the best piano player, but you know,
the Lord's met me where I'm at on playing the
piano. But if I start crying... and I can't see
the notes for sure it would definitely be a bigger
disaster than it already is potentially gonna
be and so the kids finish their song and I say
from the back of the room at the piano I was
like uh the spirit was so strong when you were
singing that song that I had to put the biggest
smile on my face that I could possibly muster
so that my cheeks would make my eyes kind of
uh squinch up so that I No tears. Couldn't cry,
tears couldn't cry. And I was thinking, I mean,
it wasn't a sad thing, though, if I was going
to cry. It was an emotional, spiritual thing.
But I was thinking like, yeah, that big, that
grateful heart and the smiling face helped me
achieve what I needed to achieve today. Absolutely.
That's awesome, Abby. It's a great story. So
these are the words of Elder Godoy. He says,
I conclude with my testimony. of Christ's words
found in Matthew 11. Come unto me, all ye that
labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you
rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me,
for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall
find rest unto your souls, for my yoke is easy
and my burden is light." And then he ends with
this that truly can be a testimony to each one
of us listening today. Just like those saints
in Africa, I know this promise is true. It is
True there, and it is true everywhere. Of this
I testify in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Amen. So, just a reminder, we have a Facebook
page that's associated with Closer to Christ
through general conference, which we would love
you to join. We keep getting a few members trickling
in. kind of every week, every couple of days,
a few new members, and it isn't anything to brag
about yet. I know that. But I do know that it's
supposed to exist and it's supposed to be a space
where we can have discussions beyond the podcast
with each other, especially if you're not able
to rub shoulders with brothers or sisters in
your own meetings, or if you're trying to get
some ideas for your lessons or you just want
to pose a question to other, you know, like -minded
saints that are wanting a little bit more from
these conference talks. So, again. We'd invite
you to join. I'll put the links because I'm mentioning
it in this talk. I'll put the Facebook link to
it in there. But the reason I'm mentioning it
is because I would love to pose the question
that's associated with this week is what's something
that you were struggling with, but you put a
smile on your face and had or wanted gratitude
in your heart and it helped get you through that
difficult thing. So I'll be putting that up.
We'll see if we can get any comments from that.
Love that. Thank you so much, Abby. Thanks for
being with us here today. We'll catch you next
time.