My intent today is to express how much love and interest the Lord has for each of us and how He wants us all to return to His presence. The way is simple.
In our kitchen, my wife, Kathy, hung a big sign. It says, “Simplify.” This is good advice. It is a good reminder to me. Sometimes we try to make things more complicated than they need to be. Keeping things simple is not as easy as it seems. Here is an eternally repeating example: If Kathy asks me to hang a picture on the wall it becomes a process. First, I need to locate the stud in the wall in hopes that I can just put a nail or screw into the stud. Job completed. But that never happens—that the stud and the placement of the picture are never in the same place. So next, I have to determine the weight of the picture. After that, I have to locate the right anchor, whether in my collection of miscellaneous junk or at the store, either of which takes a day. Then, I have to put the anchor in the wall, hang the picture, pause, make adjustments and patch the hole in the wall, and then repeat until the picture is in the correct place. Many times Kathy just hangs the pictures without help. She either understands “simplify” or gets frustrated waiting for me to hang it my way!
Let’s talk about faith. Faith is a simple thing; it is an action word. President Russell M. Nelson in last April general conference shared this:
Faith in Jesus Christ is the foundation of all belief and the conduit of divine power. According to the Apostle Paul, “Without faith it is impossible to please [God]: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”
Everything good in life—every potential blessing of eternal significance—begins with faith. Allowing God to prevail in our lives begins with faith that He is willing to guide us. True repentance begins with faith that Jesus Christ has the power to cleanse, heal, and strengthen us.
“Deny not the power of God,” the prophet Moroni declared, “for he worketh by power, according to the faith of the children of men.” It is our faith that unlocks the power of God in our lives.
And yet, exercising faith can seem overwhelming. At times we may wonder if we can possibly muster enough faith to receive the blessings that we so desperately need. However, the Lord put those fears to rest through the words of the Book of Mormon prophet Alma.
Alma asks us simply to experiment upon the word and “exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if [we] can no more than desire to believe.” The phrase “particle of faith” reminds me of the Lord’s biblical promise that if we “have faith as a grain of mustard seed,” we shall be able to “say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto [us].”
The Lord understands our mortal weakness. We all falter at times. But He also knows of our great potential. The mustard seed starts small but grows into a tree large enough for birds to nest in its branches. The mustard seed represents a small but growing faith.The Lord does not require perfect faith for us to have access to His perfect power. But He does ask us to believe. [1]
Faith is an action word. We are here on earth to act, to use our physical bodies and our agency, to learn and grow, to gain experiences. The scriptures teach us we can have happiness and joy in our lives. “Adam fell that man might be: and men are, that they might have joy . . . to act for themselves and not to be acted upon.” [2]
On the devotional discussion board I asked: How do you find happiness by following the Savior’s invitation in this scripture? “For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.” [3]
Brother Walker stated that: “Service is . . . powerful and healing. Selfless service softens hearts and gives meaning to the giver and receiver.”
To me, the gospel is a simple thing. We came to earth to get a body, to grow, and to return home. There are many ways to gain experiences. When I am doing what I know to be right, I truly feel joy and happiness. Keeping our focus on the Savior and following His example is key to our happiness. Sister Taunya Hansen in her devotional address last week shared this quote: “Just as sunlight bathes the earth to renew and sustain life, you can daily brighten the light within you when you choose to follow our Savior Jesus Christ.” [4]
Elder David A. Bednar said: “As disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, our individual responsibility is to learn what we should learn, to act and live as we know we should act and live, and to become what the Master would have us become. These three fundamental and interrelated gospel imperatives—learning, acting, and becoming—are central to our spiritual development and happiness in mortality and our progress throughout eternity.” [5]
The teachings of Jesus are truly simple. Sometimes we add extra steps thinking that it is harder than it really is. Our Father in Heaven wants all of His children to return to Him. In Doctrine and Covenants 76:42 note how many will be saved: “That through him all might be saved whom the Father had put into his power and made by him.”
Not just a few, but all can be saved through our Savior. We can each be saved. Your Father in Heaven loves every one of you. All means just that—all.
In the Anchorage Alaska Mission in 1980, I was a new missionary. Most branches at that time met in community halls or other churches because there weren’t any dedicated chapels. These small, remote branches struggled with attendance. President Douglas T. Snarr, the Anchorage Alaska Mission President at that time, was inspired that if there were chapels, places to worship, the work of the gospel could move forward. He liked General George Patton’s way of getting things done. He would often say, “If we bring in the tanks the rest will follow.” To him, the tanks were the chapels. Once they were completed, the missionaries would fill them with people. That seemed simple enough. He had the faith.
The action was President Snarr, along with the church building organization, started the plan to have the new church buildings, using volunteer labor for the most part. They were DIY (do it yourself) kits to build log cabins designed to withstand the cold winters in Alaska. During my mission there were several branches that built new meetinghouses, which were dedicated for the missionaries to fill. I got to help on the one in Sitka, Alaska. The meetinghouses came in shipping containers. Each log was marked so we would know how to put it together. It was like a big Lincoln Log set. They started building the first phase, which was a kitchen, baptismal font, cultural hall, and classrooms. The second phase would be the chapel. Sitka, Alaska, was an island with 14 miles of highway where all the contractors leave and go some place warmer during the winter months because no one would build in the winter.
“Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great. Behold, the Lord requireth the heart and a willing mind; and the willing and obedient shall eat the good of the land of Zion in these last days.” [6]
The saints in Sitka were willing. They took the step to act in faith that if the Lord wanted a chapel in Sitka they would do their part, even if it was winter in Alaska.
I was transferred to Sitka on November 28. The foundation and floor were complete on phase one and the walls were just starting to go up. I was assigned to work six days a week along with three other elders and two missionary couples. The Sitka branch members helped when they could take days off of work or after work. They always had breakfast and lunch on the jobsite and a meal in a member’s home each night. We were not required to teach lessons or tract. But, to keep our teaching skills up and because it created a stir as the town people saw a new church building going up in the middle of winter, (I can just imagine them saying, “You can’t build in the winter in Alaska.”), we had appointments most evenings. It felt like we were doing missionary work like some of the first missionaries; our days were filled with physical labor building the Lord’s kingdom and during the evening we were preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. We worked closely with the members and saw baptisms and inactive members reactivated. The baptisms were in the community swimming pool (thankfully not in the ocean; it was winter in Alaska).
The logs used were cedar, about three-by-six inch tongue and groove. The method was to lay one row of logs, leave a space for insulation, and then lay the second row. The walls on the first phase were about three feet high. In Sitka it rains almost every day, but as the season progressed, it would snow and then freeze on the logs. Most of our time was spent scraping and chipping off the snow and ice so the logs would fit together correctly. Our progress on the wall changed from one to two feet a day to maybe one foot a day. At that rate we could be done by summer.
The mission president, Douglas Snarr, was visiting and saw the problems we were having and how it was slowing down the building, so we gathered in the area where the cultural hall was to be and in prayer he asked that the Lord’s work would be able to progress quicker. He asked the Lord to bless us with rain and not snow so the walls could go up. That prayer was answered. It stopped snowing. We just had rain everyday, and in just eight days, the walls on the first phase were completed.
At that time, as a new missionary, I believed that the Lord listened and answered President Snarr’s prayer solely because he was the mission president and had a great connection with the man upstairs and had faith that the Lord’s will would be done.
Once walls were complete, the trusses, which were big beams that would be exposed on the inside, were put in place by a crane. Then, we started to install two-by-six tongue and groove boards that would be the first layer of the roof. Since the walls were done, it had started to snow again. So, we would shovel out the rooms each day one to two feet of snow. We had most of the roof covered and went inside the finished area to eat lunch one day. When we came out it was a full-blown blizzard. I was holding the ladder so it wouldn’t slip. That is so much safer for the elders. It would be bad if the ladder slipped and they fell. As I was holding the ladder, I noticed that the same elder who had just climbed up was going up again. The roof was covered in snow and ice and he had slipped off. Luckily, the snow that had been pushed out the windows each day had become a huge pile that created a softer landing. The decision was made to stop working until the snow had stopped.
The missionaries and members that were working on the building that day gathered again and prayed for weather that they could finish the roof in. Within 30 minutes the snow had stopped and the sun was shining, and we were able to finish the roof that day.
The branch president, President Dave Rasband, was a pilot who flew his floatplane to take Forest Service rangers to different islands and keep them stocked with supplies. That week he had not been able to get supplies to one group because of the snow. So, he left the building site. His airplane was just in the next bay over. He took off and flew north, only to find a storm too thick to fly in. So, he tried flying south, east, and west only to find the storm any direction he flew. He even made a circle. It was snowing everywhere but over the building site.
I realized that the Lord had also answered the elders’ prayer and prayers of all the members who prayed for good weather. The Lord listens to all who call upon Him no matter what their calling is. He is there for each one of us. There were many more small, simple miracles that took place in the construction of the Sitka church building including members becoming more involved in the work, building friendships, reactivating members. Building the chapel in the winter really was the talk of the small community. It didn’t build itself. It was built through the faith and actions of the members of Sitka. Each time there were setbacks and challenges, prayers were offered and then action was taken to overcome each one.
Before and after my mission I worked in construction, so I know how rough the environment can be, but I enjoyed working on the chapel. There was always a spirit of love there. Those were some of my most spiritual times. I discovered that when faced with a challenge, answers come. Sometimes they come right away, like with the prayers offered in the building of the Sitka meetinghouse. Or sometimes they came over time, but they all were answered. We couldn’t have built the log chapel by ourselves, just like we can’t make it back to the presence of Heavenly Father by ourselves; only through Jesus Christ can we return to His presence.
Faith in our Savior and the Lord’s plan are simple. If we have faith, to show that faith, we act. The gospel is simple, not easy. We learn by doing, facing challenges, overcoming them, and becoming who we can be. Each and every challenge you face and conquer will help you to be stronger. Each time we fail or think we failed it becomes part of who we are and gives us understanding so we can become more like our Savior.
So, what if I get off the path or make a bad choice, where will I be? Will He still love me if I make a mistake? Do you worry that you have done something that is beyond His power to forgive? Will something you do cause you to never find grace in His eyes? Why is the Lord interested in each one of us? We are His work and having us return to Him is His greatest desire. The scriptures are full of second chances: Alma, Paul, Peter, the sons of Helaman. The Lord’s hand is always extended to us.
In 2 Nephi this is repeated four times in four different verses: “For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.” [7]
During general conference we are always blessed with the testimonies of the prophet and apostles. I love the strength of their words; they are special witnesses of Jesus Christ here on the earth. I would like to share one talk that is simple but full of the witness of the Savior. This is President Spencer W. Kimball’s last testimony he bore from the pulpit as the President of the Church:
My beloved brothers and sisters, this is a great experience for me. I have waited for this day and hoped for it and believed for it. I have a great love for the people of this Church, and gratitude for the love expressed by them and by all the people of these valleys. So as I express that love for you and for the memory of the great experiences I’ve had with you, I bear my testimony: this work is divine, the Lord is at the helm, the Church is true, and all is well. God bless you, brothers and sisters, I pray in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, amen. [8]
Remember who you are. Heavenly Father answers your prayers because He is truly our Father. Listening to this song you might not understand all the words, but you will feel and know of your Heavenly Father’s love for you!
I am a child of God,
And he has sent me here,
Has given me an earthly home
With parents kind and dear.
Lead me, guide me, walk beside me,
Help me find the way.
Teach me all that I must do
To live with him someday.
I am a child of God,
And so my needs are great;
Help me to understand his words
Before it grows too late.
Lead me, guide me, walk beside me,
Help me find the way.
Teach me all that I must do
To live with him someday. [9]
As you study and work this semester I challenge you to remember who you are and what you are doing here, learning, acting, and becoming disciples of Jesus Christ. When faced with the obstacles that seem difficult to overcome, (class assignments, tests, getting along with roommates) remember to simply stop and pray for guidance. And remember who you are. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Notes
[1] Russell M. Nelson, “Christ Is Risen; Faith in Him Will Move Mountains,” Ensign, May 2021.
[2] 2 Nephi 2:25–26.
[3] John 13:15–17.
[4] Taunya Hansen, “Seek the Light,” BYUI devotional, Jul. 27, 2021.
[5] David A. Bednar, Power to Become, Deseret Book Company (2014), p. 14.
[6] Doctrine and Covenants 64:34–35.
[7] See 2 Nephi 19:12,17, 20; 20:4.
[8] Spencer W. Kimball, “The Lord Is at the Helm,” Ensign, May 1982.
[9] “I Am a Child of God,” Hymns, no. 301.