My dear brothers and sisters. Aloha.
It is humbling for me to stand here before you today. We have been missionaries before, but this mission is different. We did not know that Heavenly Father would give us the blessing of serving so many of you. We love you and feel your love every day.
Elder Henderson has the special assignment to be chaplain on campus. There are about sixty students who are not members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You are the best part of our mission. We have made a special invitation to you. I love you and I am honored you are here to support me.
Today, I pray that I can show you how making and keeping promises will bring you new freedom and blessings to become more than you dreamed.
I have always loved to teach little children, so I chose to become a teacher. Elder Henderson encouraged me to become a special teacher, and I received a bachelors and a masters degree in Speech and Language Pathology. I learned and practiced how to help a child who cannot make correct sounds or communicate.
Shortly after my graduation, some parents came to me with their four-year old son Robert. No one could understand him. He would open his mouth to talk and only confusing sounds came out. His friends laughed at him. His parents did not know what he wanted. “Mrs. Henderson, can you help our little boy? Will he ever be able to talk and be normal?” I knew that if I showed him correct ways to make sounds, one at a time, and that if he would faithfully and carefully practice what I taught him, he would learn to speak correctly over time.
To start, he could not say the “T” sound, so with a mirror and a drawing on paper, I showed him where to put his tongue, and we did it together. It was very hard for him, and he became tired and frustrated easily. I gave him some practice homework. I took out a piece of paper that said, “I promise that I will practice three times a day for twenty minutes with my parents.” I then asked him to sign it. At first, he did not want to promise. This would mean he could not watch some TV or play computer games. He would lose some freedom. With some encouragement, he signed the promise. Robert visited me week after week. Sometimes, Robert did not do his homework correctly, but I would forgive him if he would try again, and we kept going. I would show the way. He would sign a promise to follow my way, and in many months, a miracle had happened. Robert was healed, and others could understand him.
We all think of Jesus reaching out with his hand and with great power healing a child that could not walk, but his greatest healing miracles came when he taught people the correct way to become better, then invited them to make a promise or covenant to follow that way. And when they kept the promise, they were healed.
Like Robert, many good things come when we make and keep good promises.
For example, many of you have a license to drive a car in your country. You were given a license because you promised your government that you would keep the rules. By promising and keeping the rules of driving, you now have more freedom and power. You can now go to more places and go faster than ever before.
New freedom and blessings come to your life when you make a promise to your employer or boss to keep his rules. You promise to come to work on time and do your job each day, and he promises to pay you. We can have many advantages and blessings in our lives when we make promises to keep rules.
When we make a promise with God, we call this a covenant. With covenants, God promises to give us in turn much more than we can give Him. A covenant with God always brings miracles and huge blessings in our lives over some time. In a way, we can say that a covenant with God is not a fair or equal agreement. We keep the commandments, and then God, because of His great love for us and the amazing gifts of His Son Jesus Christ, gives us much more than we deserve. His blessings may take some time or faith because God is carefully teaching us with His covenants. We do our part first, and then over some time and maybe over some hard times, He will always pour down His part, more than we can imagine.
We are taught by the Book of Mormon and our prophets to make this covenant: If we will choose Him to be our God, and not money, not clothes, or music, or cars, and that if we will always remember Him by trying to keep His commandments, then His promises to us are many:
1. He will send the Holy Ghost to guide and comfort us and let us feel His love.
2. He will give us happiness and peace in our lives.
3. He will let us repent of our mistakes and forgive us so we can be clean.
4. He will give us great knowledge
5. He will help us prosper and do well in life: school, and in our jobs and families.
6. He will protect us from evil and Satan who wants to destroy our happiness and families.
7. He will provide a way for us to keep His commandments.
8. He will give us strength and faith to get through hard times.
9. He will use us to bring the blessings of the gospel to the families of the earth.
10. He will give us an eternal family.
11. He will exalt us or bring us home with our family to live with Him forever.
We make covenants or promises with God, not by signing a piece of paper like I did with little Robert but in special places like the temple and in special ordinances or actions like going into the water and being baptized. These covenants with God are always made with us by someone representing Jesus Christ, a worthy priesthood holder who has been given authority. When we make our covenants with our Heavenly Father in this way, He cannot go back on His promise to us, and He will not fail us. This I know.
I love the song you may have heard entitled “You Raise Me Up.” The words touch me and remind me that by making promises or covenants with my Savior Jesus Christ, He has raised me up all my life and made me more than I can be.
You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up to more than I can be.
(Music: Rolf Løvland, lyrics: Brendan Graham)
One of the promises I made when I was baptized as a little girl was that I would pay my tithing. Elder Henderson and I have always paid our tithing, and we have always been very blessed for it. We have food and a house. Our children have been able to go to school, and we have been safe. Keeping the covenant of paying tithing has not taken any freedom or anything from us. It has given us much more than we have given. Thousands of years ago the Lord promised this:
"Bring ye all the tithes … and prove me now herewith … if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it." (Malachi 3:10)
If we keep the rule or covenant of tithing, He promises to pour down blessings… More than you can count. That has always been true for me. I love the covenant of tithing.
You may say the promise to keep the Sabbath or Sunday and go to Church takes my freedom, but it is not true. That one day a week, going to church has given us so many happy blessings. In church, my children were taught to make good choices. We have learned to serve others in our callings. On Sunday, we have shared beautiful family times at home, but most important, in sacrament meeting is where I sign my paper or promise with God each week, just like little Robert who needed great blessings in his life. It is in sacrament meeting that I covenant again; not on paper, but by taking the bread and water that I will remember God and keep His covenants as I promised when I was baptized. Church meetings are not where we go so we can be endorsed for BYU. It is not where we go so that we can dress up and stay out of trouble. It is where we go to think about our week, think about being a better person, and promise to keep our baptismal covenants. He promises us His Spirit to be with us. No… Sunday is not a loss of freedom. It is a great blessing that raises me up to more than I can be.
Many of you know Xiaoce or Betsy Ye who left BYU–Hawaii to be a missionary on Temple Square. Recently she wrote: “I just love the commandments more and more. I love to share the commandments with visitors. I was converted to this church because of these wonderful commandments. I learned about Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon, and the Word of Wisdom. These are my favorite things to share in lessons and tours. Many will see that we are the true messengers of God, and they really can change their lives for better because of this restored Gospel and the ‘hard’ rules it contains.”
In 2006, Elder Henderson and I went to live in Malawi, Africa. The company that Elder Henderson worked for had a desire to help thousands of orphan children who were dying of starvation. It was hard work in that poor country, but Elder Henderson and his colleagues built a food factory, gave jobs to many workers, and were able to feed about 80,000 children every day. It was a great experience to help so many children.
We lived in the capital city of Lilongwe. There were only a few members of the Church and no church meetings. We had a small truck, and Elder Henderson and I started to do missionary work at night. We began to hold Sunday meetings in a room where corn was stored. We found a member of the Church, Brother Ntoloa. He now was married to a lady who was not a member, and they had a little boy. One night, we visited their one-room house in a cornfield to teach Sister Ntoloa the gospel. They had one light in the room, and we could all sit together as we taught this dear lady about the Savior and the Book of Mormon. As we were starting, it began to rain. The little house had an iron roof, so the rain was very, very loud. Then… the electricity went off. Quickly, they brought two small candles for light.
“What shall we do to teach Sister Ntoloa?” we thought. It felt so empty and cold, and rain was pounding down. Then Elder Henderson turned to 3 Nephi, the story about the Savior coming to the people in America after the resurrection. We took turns reading by the small light. We had to read loudly to hear each other. When we read about Jesus Christ showing his hands and feet, a very strong feeling came into the room. The Holy Ghost came into the dark and cold and touched our hearts that the story was true. We felt warm and close. Sister Ntoloa could feel the Savior’s love for her.
Sister Ntoloa followed the feelings of the Holy Ghost and was baptized. She made the covenants of baptism that her husband had made, and together, they started a new life. Brother Ntoloa was a schoolteacher. They were poor but began to pay their tithing. One month, the government did not give the teachers their salary. Three weeks went by with no pay, and one night, the family only had a little corn to eat – not enough for the three of them. Brother Ntoloa told his wife to cook the corn. Then they went down on their knees as a family, and the father prayed. He told Heavenly Father that they had done all they could. They walked five miles to church every Sunday. They had stopped drinking tea and were keeping the Word of Wisdom. He had worked hard, and they had kept the covenants they had made when baptized, including paying their tithing. Now, they did not have enough to eat.
As they said “amen,” someone knocked at their door. It was a friend who had his arms full of lovely vegetables. He said that he had some very good luck and had extra and asked if they wanted to share his food.
They were able to have a good meal that night. It was a miracle. The Ntoloas learned that the Lord would keep His promises to them. On Monday, Brother Ntoloa received his pay. His wife started to go to school and also became a schoolteacher. Soon our little church group grew to be a branch, and Brother Ntoloa was called as the branch president or bishop. They had kept their covenants with faith. God had poured out His blessings. They were a happy family in their little house, and now they were leading and showing others how to have the same blessings.
In Malawi, Africa, everyone had to walk. There were very few cars. One afternoon, the Spirit whispered to Elder Henderson to give a ride to a young man walking along the road. Elder Henderson invited Steven, his wife, and his two small daughters to come to church that Sunday. They came, and we taught them the gospel and the blessings of making covenants or promises by being baptized into the Lord’s true church. They were baptized. However, Steven and his little family soon faced some hard challenges. When the landlord found they were seeing Mormons, they came home one day to find all their furniture on the road, and they were kicked out of their house. Then Steven faced some hard temptations at work and made some mistakes.
When Elder Henderson and I flew back to the Utah, we were a little discouraged. Many hungry children had been fed from our factory and our little church group was meeting each week, but could it last without us? Maybe we did more bad than we did good. Maybe it would have been better if we had not come.
Months later, we heard that the Church was growing. A few years later, we heard that our convert friend Steven had returned to church. He had forgotten some of his baptismal covenants and had made some mistakes, but the Lord had not forgotten His part of the covenants. Even though Steven was lost for a time, the Holy Ghost reached out to him and helped him remember the promises he made. Steven repented. He paid back the people he hurt. He confessed his mistakes to the branch president and became a stronger husband and father. Soon Steven and his family were back in church each Sunday and helping others to learn about the Savior’s plan of happiness.
Two weeks ago, we received an email from Steven:
“This morning I went to lead at a new church group, which will soon be organized into a branch. This will be the fifth branch in the capital Lilongwe. As I was sitting there in front and watching these members who have been walking many miles every Sunday to the Lilongwe branch, I was filled with the Spirit, and I was reminded of you. In a few days to come, Lilongwe will be organized into a district (like a small stake). The Church in Lilongwe is growing so fast that we cannot even understand it. I will always remember that Saturday afternoon when you gave me a ride and introduced the Church to me. Steven.”
We learned from this experience that teaching Steven and the Ntoloas is not our work. It is Heavenly Father’s work. We are His servants, and if we are willing, He will use us to bless many, many people. Brother and Sister Ntoloa or Steven could have said, “Oh, Africa is so big, with millions of people, and I am just one person. I cannot make a difference. Elder and Sister Henderson will soon leave, and we will not have those same feelings we had with them, and we will be alone with no help.”
The Ntoloas and Steven had been baptized, made covenants, and had been given the Gift of the Holy Ghost. They were given strength and the blessings of the gospel without us. Now thousands would be raised up and blessed because of a few.
“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.” (D&C 64:33)
Even though we may be small and weak, He will make great things from our work. We are making a beginning or foundation for His true Church, which will one day soon fill the earth.
Many of you went home to visit your families during this break. Some of you had not been home for two or three years, and it was very special to be with your parents again. One of you told me with tears in your eyes when you came back to BYU that you could see the sad look on your mother’s face when you said good-bye at the airport. Some of you went home to say a sad good-bye to a grandmother or grandfather who left this world while you were there. Some of you said a happy hello to a new baby born to a cousin.
I would like to introduce you to one of our new granddaughters named Sarah, born December 13. Her 15-year old brother Cayden said to us, “I felt the Spirit of Heavenly Father very strong when my mother asked me to take care of my baby sister. I felt warm and happy inside as Sarah smiled and laughed with me!”
These feelings we have for our dear family members are so real and important. I do not believe God sent us to loving families so that we will then never be together again after we die. Because He loves us, He has made a way for us to be with our dear loved ones. I want you to know that I know that God has made a way through making and keeping holy covenants that we can be with our families forever.
One of the great blessings of my life has come because Elder Henderson and I made promises to each other and to God when we were married in the temple. Satan has no power over us when we keep the strict rules of temple marriage, and God has blessed us with more than we ever dreamed.
I hope you will let me be very personal for a minute because my family is my life's dream and my treasure. These are our seven children. Our four sons are all worthy priesthood holders and good fathers. The oldest was born while we were students and came to our home during the second day of final exams during Elder Henderson's junior year. Just after Elder Henderson's graduation, our twin boys were born, on February 14, Valentine’s Day. We had recently moved to our first job. Everything in our small home was borrowed, including the three cribs or baby beds. With three babies under one-year old, and diapers we had to wash, our lives seemed an endless round of feeding, diapers, washing clothes, and crying babies. We learned quickly to work together as a team. Elder Henderson would take his turn and get up with a crying baby late at night so I could rest. I would try to have dinner and look nice for him when he came home from work. We went on our knees a lot and prayed that the Lord would somehow give us the strength and money to keep going. We remembered the sacred covenants that we had made with each other and God in the temple, and He remembered us. We added three more girls and another son. We were happy and felt richly blessed to have such a special family.
All of our children have blessed us beyond measure. They brought precious grandchildren to us with great love and sacrifice. Raising a family is not easy. We have known times of happy family experiences together. But we have also known heartache and pain. At times, Elder Henderson and I have knelt together with heavy hearts and asked for help when we could not see the way. Heavenly Father has always heard our prayers and raised us up to be more than we could be, together, to realize the blessings of our temple covenants.
We have been to many of your weddings at the temple. You come from far away countries. You usually have no family at your wedding because some of your parents are not members of the Church, and sometimes they do not agree with your marriage. But a few years before, you were taught about a loving Father in Heaven and his Son Jesus Christ who has prepared a way for you to have an eternal companion and sweetheart forever. You learned about covenants and were asked to keep new rules like having clean thoughts, going to Church, and not drinking. These rules blessed you. Some of you went to serve missions and share this truth and good news with others. But your big dream was to one day find that right guy or girl, a worthy priesthood holder or beautiful princess, and be married in the temple for time and all eternity. And so we have watched you come through the sealing room door dressed in white, like a king and queen, holding hands, frightened but really, really happy. It is so awesome to watch. You kneel at the altar, hold hands, and look into each other’s eyes. Then the brother with authority to seal asks if you are willing to enter into this covenant and promise. We have seen the tears from your eyes come down your cheeks and wet your hands as you quietly say “yes.” Then, with simple but powerful words, he makes you one, husband and wife for time and all eternity. He promises you family and joy if you will keep this special covenant. How blessed Elder Henderson and I have been to be there with you.
Please know how much I love you, those who are members of the Church and those who are not. I love you like my very own. Like Ho Si read, when we go with the Lord, He will renew our strength, and we will go up with wings of eagles. You can be like the rest of the world if you want. You can study, work hard, get married, and do many good things in your life. But there is much, much more for you. Through the Savior and the Gift of the Holy Ghost, you will be blessed to fill the great mission of your lives. I have traveled all over the world. There are millions of hungry children, and you will help feed them for sure. But the real problems in the world are anger, selfishness, no hope, broken homes, and forgotten children. I have seen it. The real solution in the world will come when you and the friends you love accept the teachings of Jesus Christ and make and keep covenants with Him. I will say it again. The real solution will come when you and the friends you love accept the teachings of Jesus Christ and make and keep covenants with Him. This is God’s way. It may seem slow and you may feel weak or distracted by homework, school, tennis, and cars, but it is still true. The boy Joseph Smith really did see God the Father and His Son Jesus. They brought back to the earth again the power to make covenants with Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ really lives and has a plan for you. When you make and keep promises with Him, power will come into your life. Jesus will forgive you of your mistakes and make you more than you can be. He will make you a savior like Him to bless and save your families, your country and the world. He needs you and has called you, and I know you are the ones. He will raise you up to more than you can be.
"You Raise Me Up"
When I am down and, oh, my soul, so weary;
When troubles come and my heart burdened be;
Then I am still and wait here in the silence,
Until you come and sit awhile with me.
You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up to more than I can be.
(Music: Rolf Løvland, lyrics: Brendan Graham)
I invite you to make holy promises with Jesus Christ by being baptized, by taking the sacrament each week, and by going to the temple. I pray that the Holy Ghost will tell you in your heart that I have told you the truth this morning and that you will act on my words, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.