Dear brothers and sisters, I am grateful to my Heavenly Father
for having sent me to
this earth to loving parents who, from my boyhood, taught me the priceless
principles
of righteousness, honesty, faithfulness, and how to work.
I was born into a
poor family, and early in my life I had to work. This has been a
great blessing to me. When I was 12 years old, I had to go to
evening school because I
worked 10 hours during the day. Many times on the way to school
I would sleep on the
bus or train. Sometimes I would even fall asleep during class.
However, upon arriving
home late at night, I would always find my loving parents waiting for
me.
At that time all I wanted
in life was to become a successful man, which to me meant
having many material possessions, comfort, and a life of ease.
With this as a goal, I went
on working and studying.
After I was baptized
into the Church, I came to understand the true meaning of
success. Being successful means to be a servant of God, serving
our fellowmen, being
truly committed to the gospel of Jesus Christ, and keeping the commandments
of God.
During the time I presided over the Brazil Manaus Mission, I witnessed
great examples
of true success, stories which came from people truly devoted to the
gospel and to their
covenants with God.
One man I met lived simply
in a tiny, little town in the middle of the Amazon. After
being baptized with his family, he could hardly wait to complete a
year's membership in the
Church so he could take his wife and children to the temple.
The Sao Paulo Brazil Temple
is very far from the Amazon. It usually takes four days by boat
and four days by bus to get
to the temple--about a week's travel. This man was a cabinetmaker.
How could he save
enough money to pay for himself, his wife, and his children?
Although, he worked hard for
many months, he made very little money.
When the time came to go
to the temple, he sold all his furniture and appliances, even
his electric saw and his only means of transportation, a motorcycle--everything
he had--and
went to the temple with his wife and children. It required eight
days of travel to reach Sao
Paulo. After spending four glorious days in the temple doing
the work of the Lord, this family
then had to travel seven more days to return to their home. But
they went back home happy,
feeling that their difficulties and struggles were nothing compared
to the great happiness and
blessings they had experienced in the house of the Lord.
During my mission, I met
missionaries--young men and women--who for me were
examples of true success. They were so faithful and excited about
the gospel that they
were never bothered by the scorching high temperatures and excessive
humidity of the
Amazon climate. They were truly angelic messengers carrying the
gospel message to the
people of northern Brazil.
I remember a faithful and
devoted member of the Church who was always in a good
mood and always smiling. But one day I saw him crying.
He told me the reason he was
sad was because, at the age of seventy, he saw himself as a failure
for having never been
able to give his family the material comforts he felt they deserved.
I asked him, "How many children
do you have?" He answered, "Four." I asked
further, "How many are members of the Church?" He said, "Four."
I continued, "How
many are faithful members of the Church?" His answer: "Four."
"How many are sealed
to you?" "Four." "How many have married in the temple?"
Again, his answer was "Four."
Then, moved by the Spirit, I told him that the success he had achieved
in his life was one
of the greatest success stories I had ever heard.
I have learned much from
the scriptures about success. It is wonderful to read about
the journey of Lehi and his family to the promised land. Of Lehi's
older sons, Nephi and
Sam, through their faithfulness to the Lord, charted their course for
true success. For them,
being successful meant being faithful in following the Lord's commandments.
Through their
example the lives of millions of people have been blessed to this date,
and because of their
obedience, many people have followed the path of truth and righteousness,
striving to be
worthy of the Spirit of the Lord in their lives.
I often think about about
the rich young man who approached the Master to ask Him
what he should do to gain eternal life. Upon receiving the answer
that eternal life meant
giving up his riches and following the Lord, he turned his back and
went away sorrowful
because he was unwilling to forsake his many possessions.
I am grateful to the
Lord for having touched my heart and for helping me to choose
the better part--that which, so long as I strive for worthiness, cannot
be taken from me.
Being faithful to God as worthy members of His church, learning about
Him and how to
truly follow and worship Him, is more priceless than gold, silver,
or diamonds.
I shall always remember
the counsel given by our beloved President Spencer W.
Kimball, about not only spiritual matters, but also how to manage our
temporal lives. I
have followed his counsel, and I am happy and grateful for the protection
that comes
from hearkening to the words of the prophets, Apostles, my Brethren
of the Quorum,
and my local leaders.
Only when we keep the
commandments of the Lord and do His will can we feel
totally safe. I know that God lives, Jesus is the Christ--our
Savior and Redeemer. Joseph
Smith was a prophet of God. I know that we are guided by a prophet
today. I testify to
you that President Howard W. Hunter is a prophet of God. My testimony
is renewed
every time I hear and follow his counsel. My life has been very
blessed through the gospel.
For this I am most grateful, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.