Sacrifice and Self-Sufficiency
This has been a wonderful conference, brothers and sisters. I pray
that my few remarks will not
detract from the spirit we have enjoyed.
During this past year, the Area Presidencies in South America
became concerned with the dependency
of the Church there upon
financial resources from Church
headquarters. Wisely, these Brethren
could see that future needs would
require more funds than Church
headquarters could provide.
The Area Presidencies met with their regional representatives
and stake presidents to counsel
together on steps that would help the
Church in South America become
more self-sufficient. They studied ways
to decrease costs and, at the
same time, increase the participation of
their people.
They agreed that greatly simplified buildings would fully meet the
needs of the Church. They found
ways for their members to donate more
labor, decreasing the amount
of cash required for construction. In seeking
to become more self-sufficient,
the people have incorporated the principle
of sacrifice into their lives
and have increased their faith.
The Prophet Joseph Smith said:
"A religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things
never has power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto
life and salvation; for, from the first existence of man, the faith
necessary unto the enjoyment of life and salvation never could
be obtained without the sacrifice of all earthly things" (Lectures
on Faith, 6:7).
As the Saints work to become completely self-sufficient, something
very special happens that goes
far beyond decreasing costs. For example,
when the Church leaders in South
America turned their attention to
decreasing the cost of missionary
service, the Lord blessed them with a
simple but marvelous idea: the
members could provide the noon meal
each day for the full-time missionaries.
This was a task the Saints in South
America could do, and one that
would strengthen both the members and
missionaries. It proved
to be the means for the members in this part of
the world to perfect the Saints
and to proclaim the gospel--two parts of
the mission of the Church.
Reporting on the results of putting this idea into action, one stake
president said:
"I had a meeting with the mission president, and we discussed the
idea that our members could provide
the noon meal for the missionaries.
I asked my bishops for time in
their sacrament meetings to explain the
basic idea. I explained the blessings
that they, their children, their
neighborhood, and the stake would
receive.
"In my own ward, we saw an unexpected result of our members'
sacrifice. Attendance at
sacrament meetings climbed from 80 to 90
people a
week to nearly 150 now. The number of baptisms has increased
from 1 or
2 a month to nearly 12 a month. General activity has increased
in our stake, and we feel a sweeter
spirit in every ward.
"My bishop told of an experience two young children had who are
members of the Church but whose
parents are not. These children raised
their hands in support of the
program, and then went home to tell their
parents that they had incurred
an obligation to feed the missionaries. As
a result, the parents are now
hearing the missionary discussions and
attending Church meetings. We
expect them to be baptized very soon."
One bishop reported to his stake president that he did not have
enough active members to provide
lunch for the missionaries every day.
The wise stake president suggested
that the bishop invite less-active
members of the ward to participate.
Much to the surprise of the bishop,
many of the less-active members
were pleased to have the missionaries
come to their homes for a noon
meal. In fact, many of these less-active
members were anxious to share
with the missionaries the stories of their
conversions. More often than
not, they would get out photographs of the
missionaries who baptized them.
This simple idea is bringing many
unexpected blessings to the Church.
As the members share their food with the missionaries, the
missionaries bring into homes
the special spirit that only they carry,
blessing both the members and
the missionaries. Many less-active
members are returning to full
fellowship, and many more members are
becoming involved in missionary
work because of this simple expression
of love and service. How often,
brothers and sisters, we can
solve seemingly
large problems through relatively
simple means!
Let me share a few experiences that have resulted from members
and missionaries working together.
An elder wrote:
"Because we were able to have lunch with an inactive family, they
are now back into full activity
in the Church. When we ate with them,
they recognized the importance
of prayer before each meal. A wonderful
spirit prevails in their home
now. They are not only active again, but we
baptized a member of the family
and later baptized their neighbors as well
--all because they invited us
to share their food."
Another missionary wrote:
"The mother of a poor family came to me and my companion and
asked us when we were going to
eat at her home. Knowing of the family's
humble circumstances, I talked
to the branch president. He said, `Elders,
this family has taught us a lot
by their example of humility. It is a great
privilege to have them in our
branch. They are poor, but they really want
to participate. We want you to
go. If their food isn't enough, come by my
house afterwards and eat with
us.' "
In Bolivia, a young mother with four small children expressed her
testimony, saying:
"I am so grateful for the privilege of having the missionaries come
into our home. It is a pleasure
to feed them, even though I fear that
sometimes we do not have enough
for them. (I need to add here that
members everywhere in the world
have the same fear.) She continues:
"However, I am so thankful for
this opportunity, for, you see, my four
little ones wait anxiously for
the day to come when the missionaries eat
with us.
When it is our turn, two handsome young men dressed in white
shirts, wearing ties, their hair
cut neatly, come into our home. They are
full of the
gospel light. They play with the children. They tell us about their
wonderful missionary experiences.
They are gentlemen, courteous and
kind. After about an hour with
us, they leave to do the work of the Lord."
What parents would not rejoice to have sons like the two missionaries
for whom an older widow volunteered
to provide lunch. After a few visits,
they stopped on the way to her
home and bought a bouquet of flowers
to give to her as a token of
thanks for the lunches. When they gave the
flowers to her, the sister looked
shocked and then began to cry. The
elders thought they had done
something wrong and began to apologize.
The widow stopped them and said
that no one had ever given her flowers
during her entire life, not even
her husband when he was alive. She
beamed with delight during the
lunch and then asked the elders to wait
one more minute. She presented
them with the name and address of one
of her best friends and asked
them to please teach the friend's family.
The family accepted the gospel
wholeheartedly and proved to be the
best family baptism those two
missionaries had.
Perhaps these words of one of our faithful mission presidents sum it
all up:
"The self-sufficiency effort has been a blessing to our mission, not
only because we have decreased
the average missionary cost by forty-
eight dollars per month, but
because of the relationships our elders and
sisters have been able to develop
with the members and nonmembers.
Many experiences have lead to
member reactivations and to nonmember
baptisms. The members are fed
spiritually and have greater love for the
missionaries. Up to this point,
not one single problem has developed."
The president continues, "I have wondered if Alma's experience is
any different from what we see
happening between the Peruvian Saints
and the missionaries."
From Alma, we read:
"And as [Alma] entered the city he was an hungered, and he said to
a man: Will ye give to an humble
servant of God something to eat?
"And the man said unto him: I am a Nephite, and I know that thou
art
a holy prophet of God, for thou
art the man whom an angel said in a vision:
Thou shalt receive. Therefore,
go with me into my house and I will impart
unto thee of my food; and I know
that thou wilt be a blessing unto me and
my house.
"And it came to pass that the man received him into his house; and
the man was called Amulek; and
he brought forth bread and meat and set
before Alma" (Alma 8:1921).
Something special happens to an individual or to a Church unit when
the people become more independent
and self-reliant. They feel more
confident, positive, and assured,
and they reflect these feelings in their
actions.
Last March, as you remember, devastating rock and mud slides
engulfed six small towns in the
mountains east of Lima, Peru. All of
these towns were within the Lima
Peru San Luis Stake. The slide left
25,000 people homeless. Eighteen
LDS families lost their homes
completely, and 198 other families
were left in dire need of food,
clothing, and medical supplies.
The day after the slides, one member of the stake presidency and
two other Church members waded
through waist-high mud and debris
for five kilometers to assess
the damage. They found that more than
three hundred people, members
and nonmembers, had taken refuge
in the Chosica chapel.
The following day, the stake presidency called a meeting of their
eleven bishops and branch presidents.
They made many assignments
to furnish needed supplies. They
asked each ward and branch to furnish
work teams to go to the homes
of members and help them clean up.
The stake presidency resolved to handle the problem without
seeking help from outside stakes.
They soon found that they could not
handle it all alone. They went
to their regional representative and asked
him to coordinate economic help
from other stakes in the region. The
Saints of Peru rallied together.
As an example, the Iquitos stake sent thirteen crates of clothing,
each weighing thirty kilos (about
sixty-six pounds). Other stakes and
wards donated food, bedding,
and mattresses.
Selling quilts and refreshments, young women raised more than
three hundred dollars. One young
priest, a senior at his high school in
Lima, led a group of twenty-eight
of his classmates, all nonmembers,
to Chosica to help with the cleanup.
The stake Relief Society presidency visited the area frequently and
instructed the sisters in classes
on hygiene, sanitation, nutrition, and
"how to organize family living
in a tent."
The stakes did not intend to seek assistance from the general
welfare funds of the Church.
Stake leaders called in all fast-offering
reserves from their wards and
branches. They asked stake members
to participate in a special fast
on 29 March 1987 to raise funds that
would help cover the expenses.
Some bore tender testimonies. Let me share just two. Sister
Guadalupe, a nonmember, lost
everything. Then in the shelter of a
little room in our chapel, she
gave birth to a baby boy. She stated that
the Lord had helped her escape.
She learned that everything of the
world is temporary and can be
lost. She thanked the branch and the
Church for opening its doors
to her and for the assistance she received.
Sister Leonora de Contreras, a Relief Society president, said she
knew the gospel was true. She
expressed thanks for her husband, who
holds the priesthood and is a
pillar of strength. The catastrophe
destroyed the fruits of their
lifetime of labor in less than thirty minutes.
She recalled the words of their
son who is serving in the Peru Trujillo
Mission. As he left home, he
said to her, "Mami, whatever happens,
if you need help, ask the Lord,
and stay close to the Brethren." She
expressed appreciation to stake
leaders for their assistance.
Brothers and sisters, I realize that similar reports could come
from other parts of the world.
The principles of sacrifice, self-reliance,
and pure love in action apply
the same everywhere. I refer to South
America only because my present
assignment takes me there and gives
me firsthand experience in that
land. We have a long way to go in South
America to become fully self-sufficient,
but we are on the way, and the
Lord is blessing our efforts.
I am so grateful to the Lord for the leaders and other members in
the Church, both men and women,
who are filled with a faith that makes
them willing to sacrifice for
the building up of the kingdom of God. Such
Saints truly feel and live the
principle that King Benjamin taught to the
Nephites: "When ye are in the
service of your fellow beings ye are only
in the service of your God" (Mosiah
2:17).
Brothers and Sisters, how can every member enjoy the thrill and
the blessing that comes from
making a sacrifice to help the work? The
answer is very simple, as are
most answers in the Church. Every
member of the Church can pay
a full, honest tithing and can attend
tithing settlement. The Lord
said, "Verily [now] is a day of sacrifice,
and a day for the tithing
of my people" (D&C 64:23).
Let me remind you of President Spencer W. Kimball's statement
on fast offerings:
"Sometimes," he said, "we have been a bit penurious and figured
that we had for breakfast one
egg and that cost so many cents and then
we give that to the Lord. I think
that when we are affluent, as many of
us are, that we ought to be very,
very generous. . . .
"I think we should . . . give, instead of the amount we saved by
our two meals of fasting, perhaps
much, much more--ten times more
where we are in a position to
do it" (in Conference Report, April 1974,
p. 184).
Every member can give a generous fast offering.
Brothers and sisters, the Church needs your contributions to the
general missionary fund. This
fund makes possible the service of
thousands of missionaries. Those
who can should feel free to contribute
generously. The Lord provides
an equal opportunity for every member
everywhere in the world to receive
the blessings that come from paying
tithes and offerings.
Every member can give his time and talents freely to the building
up of the kingdom of God upon
the earth. No member of the Church
should miss this opportunity
to exercise his faith and feel the spirit
that comes from humble sacrifice.
Seeing the great good that the Saints
in South America do with their
meager means helps me realize how
much more many of us in other
parts of the world could do. We should
never forget the Savior's teaching:
"Unto whomsoever much is given,
of him shall be much required"
(Luke 12:48). He has blessed us abundantly.
I think of the teaching words
of one of our hymns:
Because I have been given much, I too must give; Because of
thy great bounty, Lord, each day I live I shall divide my gifts
from thee With ev'ry brother that I see Who has the need of help
from me (Hymns, 1985, no. 219).
I pray that as we leave this conference, each one of us will take from
the messages of the Brethren
those principles that will help us to become
more self-sufficient as Saints.
I testify that we have been taught the truth during this conference,
that God lives, that Jesus Christ
is his Son, and that the gospel has been
restored in these latter days.
All of which I do in his sacred name, even
the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
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