Thank you to the choir for that beautiful number. I would like to especially thank Alyssa Dorman for composing that original hymn and the choir, who performed it beautifully.
Welcome to devotional. President Eyring and I are glad that you found your way here. Maybe someone invited you to come or maybe you followed a prompting to come. Either way, you were led to be in the right place at the right time. It is this idea of leadership that we want to address today.
We were so pleased with your participation on the discussion board. Most everyone who shared an example of a leader they know mentioned the humility of the leader. Isn’t that interesting? You shared examples of people who lead in formal positions, in government, or in Church callings. You shared about those who lead out in your homes and your relationships, like your mother and father. We were touched, sometimes to tears, by your words.
Debbie Flagg, an online BYU-Idaho student from Denton, Texas, shared this post:
When I first joined the Church, my first Relief Society president was Ann Andrus. She [led] by example all the time as the Relief Society president and when she and her husband went on their mission. She help[ed] me understand more about the Church [than I have known] in 23 years as a member.
Debbie is a mother to six children, three of whom have severe disabilities. Debbie started as a Pathway student and is now seeking an online degree in healthcare administration. Sister Andrus no longer lives in Debbie’s ward, but she was there to provide loving leadership in the form of service when Debbie’s son passed away in December 2018.
Thank you, Debbie, for your contribution to the discussion board. We are all grateful for people like Sister Andrus whose example teaches and inspires us to follow the Savior through service.
Matthew 20:26 reads, “But whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister.” [1] I hope this semester you will look to serve your roommates and classmates. This kind of caring is the key to becoming a great leader.
I bear testimony to you that we will all be blessed with the ability to lead like the Savior if we are humble and try to follow Him. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
[1] Matthew 20:26.