WHY HAS IT TAKEN ME SO LONG?
Several years ago, I presided over a stake conference in the western
part of the United States.
The assigned theme for the Saturday evening
session was missionary service.
Some speakers talked about scriptural
foundations for the work.
Others spoke about ways and means of accom-
plishing the work and claiming
the promised blessings. I felt prompted to
encourage the members to be not
only hearers but also doers of the word.
Therefore, I challenged them
to invite a nonmember friend to attend Church
with them on Sunday morning.
More than a few accepted my challenge and brought friends with them
to the worship service.
Before the meeting started, one woman went out
of her way to introduce her friend
to me. Among other things she said;
"Elder Asay, this is my very
best friend. We have known each other for
twenty years. But this
is the first time that she has ever attended one of
our meetings."
I thanked both women for coming to the conference, and I expressed
my hope that the nonmember would
enjoy her first experience in a Latter-
day Saint gathering.
Throughout the meeting I carefully watched the nonmember. At first
she appeared to be self-conscious
and ill at ease. Later on she became
absorbed in the proceedings and
intrigued by the music and spoken word.
Immediately following the closing prayer, the nonmember friend
rushed to the pulpit, leaving
the member standing by herself and wonder-
ing what was happening, and said
to me: "I have never heard such
beautiful teachings. I
have never felt this way before. Please tell me,
why has it taken me all these
years to find the truth?"
I could have pointed an accusing finger at her member friend who
had waited twenty years to invite
her to church. But I didn't. I simply
assured her that she had found
the truth and invited her to respond to
her innermost feelings by receiving
the missionaries and joining the
Church. And she did so
in a relatively short time.
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President Spencer W. Kimball gave this inspired instruction:
No person who has been converted to the gospel should
shirk his
responsibility to teach the truth to others. This is our
privilege.
This is our duty. This is a command from the Lord...
I was asked a few years ago, "Should every young man
who is a member
of the Church fill a mission?" And I responded
with the answer
the Lord has given: "Yes, every worthy young
man should
fill a mission." The Lord expects it of him. And if he
is not now
worthy to fill a mission, then he should start at once
to qualify
himself...
Someone might also ask, "Should every young woman,
should every
father and mother, should every member of the
Church serve
a mission?" Again, the Lord has given the answer:
Yes, every
man, woman, and child--every young person and
every little
boy and girl--should serve a mission. This does not
mean that
they must serve abroad or even be formally called
and set apart
as full-time missionaries. But it does mean that
each of us
is responsible to bear witness of the gospel truths
that we have
been given. We all have relatives, neighbors,
friends, and
fellow workmen, and it is our responsibility to pass
the truths
of the gospel on to them, by example as well as by
precept.
("It Becometh Every Man," Ensign, October 1977, p. 11.)
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