91- 11/4/24 MINISTERING

 Hello Family,

When we heard that Sadie and Seth were coming home this weekend with Miles, Emma, and Noah we were all doing cartwheels in the living room! We are so excited for another chance to all be together. 

Recently as a new Elders Quorum Presidency we have been reorganizing ministering assignments. I have spent all my personal study time this week learning about our responsibilities and the importance of ministering. I thought I would share with you what I’ve shared with the Spurwing Elders Quorum, because it applies to all of us.

Can you believe in was 2018 when the change of Visiting/Home Teaching was replaced with Ministering? At that time all of you were still youth. Six years have passed and as the emphasis of the Church has focused more and more on covenants and temples it has become even more apparent for the need for faithful ministering. 

In 2018 President Nelson shared the following. It was at Priesthood Session, so he was speaking specifically to the brothers, but it absolutely applies to all of the sisters as well.

“Brethren, there are doors we can open, priesthood blessings we can give, hearts we can heal, burdens we can lift, testimonies we can strengthen, lives we can save, and joy we can bring into the homes of the Latter-day Saints—all because we hold the priesthood of God. We are the men who have been “called and prepared from the foundation of the world according to the foreknowledge of God, on account of [our] exceeding faith,” to do this work.”

“He wants all of His ordained sons to represent Him, to speak for Him, to act for Him, and to bless the lives of God’s children throughout the world, to the end “that faith also might increase in [all] the earth.”

When we think about our temple experience, how many times do we hear the phrase “depending upon your faithfulness”?

Listen to this important teaching and promise found in the 130th section of the Doctrine and Covenants:

20 There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated—

21 And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated.

We each agreed to be be faithful ministers, which was made binding through a covenantal promise, at our baptism.

Mosiah 18: 8-10 “… and now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light;

9 Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life—

10 Now I say unto you, if this be the desire of your hearts, what have you against being baptized in the name of the Lord, as a witness before him that ye have entered into a covenant with him, that ye will serve him and keep his commandments, that he may pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon you?

My invitation to each of us this week is to ask ourselves the following two questions.

Am I faithfully ministering as the Savior would have me minister?

How can I continue to elevate this divinely appointed responsibility in a higher and holier way?

I realize I am speaking to 5 returned missionaries and 3 pre-missionaries, (that is so AWESOME to say. We feel so blessed by each one of you), but re-evaluating and recommitting is spiritually healthy for all of us. I am grateful that you all have been blessed with eyes to see and hearts to feel the needs of others around you. This is definitely a very special gift from your Heavenly Father that mama and I see so clearly in each one of you.

I will close with a scripture I shared yesterday in our ward council meeting.

These are the words of Jesus Christ spoken at the time of his appearance to the Nephites after His resurrection. Through our ministering efforts we are literally bringing God’s children to the feet of the Savior where He can and will heal them.

6 And he said unto them: Behold, my bowels are filled with compassion towards you.

7 Have ye any that are sick among you? Bring them hither. Have ye any that are lame, or blind, or halt, or maimed, or leprous, or that are withered, or that are deaf, or that are afflicted in any manner? Bring them hither and I will heal them, for I have compassion upon you; my bowels are filled with mercy. (3Nephi 17:6-7)

I love you all so much. I hope you have a great week, and we can’t wait to see you THIS weekend!

Dad

---