LAIE, Hawaii — During his five-day ministry on the Hawaiian island of Oahu, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf walked the campus of BYU–Hawaii and took time to listen to the concerns and testimonies of students. He also met with missionaries outside the Laie Hawaii Temple.
Each day, he shared messages of hope found in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
His ministry included a Sunday evening devotional, March 1, in which he told students at BYU–Hawaii repeatedly, “This is your time.”
In a way, this was his time, as well. The ministry trip was the first for him as acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
President Uchtdorf shared that his new role brought feelings similar to those that others in the Church have when they accept a calling.
“We lift where we stand. It does not matter if I am serving in some way in my home ward or as the president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. It is ‘lift where we stand.’ Do what the Lord assigns you. Do it joyfully. Do it in a way that — hopefully — the Lord will be pleased with,” he said.
And as with callings in a ward or branch, President Uchtdorf serves with others in his quorum. He said he appreciates his fellow quorum members and the counsel they share with one another.
“They are amazing. Each one of them is an individual of unique personality and unique talents — united in Jesus Christ in their dedication to build the kingdom of God here on the earth.”
He said that unity is needed more than ever today with the challenges seen by individuals in every corner of the globe.
“Our task is to bring His peace to all the world, to bear witness that there is a way — the way of the Savior,” he said.
Ministering to young married students
Joined by his wife, Sister Harriet Uchtdorf, on this ministry, President Uchtdorf attended a local ward of young married students at BYU–Hawaii on fast Sunday, March 1. Ward members shared their testimonies, and many of them had babies or small children with them as they stepped to the meetinghouse pulpit.
When she shared her testimony, Sister Uchtdorf said she was excited to see the young families attending church together.
“I love to have all those beautiful little children here. They are the cutest I have ever seen,” she said.
She testified of the importance of understanding and teaching the plan of salvation in the home. She said that learning of Heavenly Father’s plan when she was taught by missionaries was an overwhelming moment.
“Where we are coming from, what the purpose of our life is here on earth and where we are going — this was a miracle to learn about,” she said.
Sister Uchtdorf invited the ward’s attendees to consider how wonderful it is to have the companionship of the Holy Ghost each day to help individuals make decisions and know what is right.
President Uchtdorf commended the young married couples for their efforts to stay on the covenant path, to create strong marriages, to have children and to continue their studies all at the same time.
“Our Church wards are a proving ground of our faith,” he said.
“This is where we practice what we believe. ... As long as we serve each other, then we are serving God, and we grow internally with spiritual power. It is a time to overcome egotism, to overcome thinking about yourself. [We are] always thinking about someone else.”
Outside of serving one another, President Uchtdorf said, a ward or branch should also be a safe place for individuals to express what they are going through.
“Where do you find this in the world, where you can share your inner feelings with others and know they love you, they help you, they are with you, they pray for you?”
And he noted that individuals and families in each ward are regularly facing new experiences, including marriage, children, death, repentance and other circumstances.
“Life is filled with new beginnings,” he said.
And when those new beginnings come, President Uchtdorf taught, they can be a time to refocus on following the Savior.
“How shall we proceed? ‘As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord’ (Joshua 24:15). This is the commitment we make in the house of the Lord. That is where we make covenants and that we decide once and for all, ‘For me and my house, [I serve] the Lord.’”
‘The path of covenants’
Missionaries from Japan to the Philippines to Argentina serve in the Hawaii Laie Mission.
President Uchtdorf taught the missionaries about President Joseph F. Smith, the sixth President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Joseph F. Smith served as a missionary in Hawaii at the age of 15 in 1854. His was a story of both ministering and being ministered to during his mission, President Uchtdorf taught.
“When you are serving here, you are also ministering to the people. When they come here and learn about [the Church] and feel the spirit of the gospel, then they go forth and are loyal to the Savior,” he said.
President Uchtdorf said this is a moment in history where it can be easy to feel confused, but the gospel provides constant and correct direction.
“These are times of rumors of war. God tells us we do not have to fear, but that we have the spirit of courage and of faith,” he said. “You bring a joyful message. … Your radiance of goodness is felt.”
President Uchtdorf encouraged the missionaries to embrace the truth of the message they teach and the vibrancy they have.
“What you teach is the path of covenants,” he said. “You are young people. You are strong.”
Sister Uchtdorf shared her memory of being taught about the restored gospel for the first time.
“This was the best day of our lives when we received the gospel,” Sister Uchtdorf said.
Sharing that same message with those who need it today should help missionaries have confidence in the calling God has given them, she said.
“You are good enough. … You are ready. You are worthy. You are valued,” she told the missionaries.
The missionaries were given the chance to ask President and Sister Uchtdorf questions. One asked how they can build faith while serving as missionaries.
“Faith is strengthened by using it,” President Uchtdorf said. “Testimony is strengthened by bearing it. … Trust the Lord.”
He told the missionaries to build on the faith they demonstrated when they applied to serve a mission and were called to serve by a prophet of God.
“You, as missionaries, did — as you can read in the Pearl of Great Price — what the Savior did. Because He said, ‘Here am I, send me’ (Abraham 3:27). And you, as missionaries, what you did, you sent in your application. No one applies to be a bishop. No one applies to be a mission president. But you applied to be a missionary — a servant of the Lord, proclaiming the gospel. And out of this, you can gain strength. You said, ‘Here am I, take me.’ And He took you. And by this, you should feel the trust God is putting in you, in your lives, in your ability. He will qualify you.”
Some of the missionaries expressed doubt that they are doing enough to fulfill their callings. Sister Uchtdorf shared her observation that this feeling of inadequacy can happen when individuals compare themselves to another.
“[Comparing] takes all the joy out of life,” she said. “Learn from each other; don’t compare.”
And echoing her husband, Sister Uchtdorf also encouraged the missionaries to look back to their mission calls as a spiritual anchor point.
“The important part is that you accept the call given to you by the Lord. That is the important part. Even if you have challenges, difficulties, whatever it may be, your accepting that call, that is the wonderful blessing you will have for the rest of your life.”
President Uchtdorf invited the missionaries to avoid looking beyond the mark as they strengthen their testimonies of Jesus Christ and His gospel.
“Make sure that your personal prayer is a personal prayer. It is something where you really communicate with Heavenly Father on a personal basis — that you feel that He is there and that He will listen to you,” he said.
“He will answer you, His way. His way. It may not be like you were hoping for, but He will answer. He might answer through your companion, through a scripture, through your [mission] president, through whomever, but He will answer you.”
