My Dear Brothers and Sisters, Aloha!
Having spent many years of my life on the islands of the Pacific and in Asia, I feel very at home with you here. I love you all and know that God, Our Father in Heaven, and His Son Jesus Christ live and love each one of you.
I testify that Jesus Christ is the head of this, His Church, and that each of you is of the house of Israel and He has much for you to do in building His kingdom on Earth in these last days in preparation for His Second Coming.
As part of that individual preparation, He has asked each of us to, “...Love one another, as I have loved you.” [1] How did He, and does He, show His love for us? By helping us with all His heart in what I call, “Heartfelt Helping.” So how can we show our love for one another? By helping others with all of our hearts, not grudging or perfunctory helping, but heartfelt helping.
Heartfelt helping brings great joy. The supreme example of this is Jesus Christ who loved us so much (and continues to do so) that He willingly and wholeheartedly suffered and died so we could receive forgiveness and live. In doing so He has received a “fulness of joy” and wants us to experience some of that same joy by helping (loving) others in heartfelt ways. He helps everyone in every way He can and wants us to do likewise. We cannot do all of the things Jesus did, but we can do some of them.
Throughout history, countless individuals have helped others because of their love for them. Whether they were aware of it or not they were following the example of Jesus. I have witnessed this in many different parts of the world, under a vast variety of circumstances, which are representative of thousands of others. Let me give two examples. See if you can relate to them and determine to do more heartfelt helping yourself.
The first example comes from when I was a young missionary serving in Ha’apai, Tonga. One of the best gifts a missionary can be given is a referral. One Friday we received a referral from a family saying, “If you will be on our island next Wednesday evening, we have a family who would like to listen to you.” We were overjoyed and said we would be there.
The only way we had of getting there was by sailboat. So, early Wednesday morning we started to sail north. It normally took six or seven hours with good wind to get there so we gave ourselves an extra six hours just in case. We had a good morning breeze and by noon we were two-thirds of the way there. Then suddenly the wind just stopped, and we were becalmed. You can imagine my frustration. I will let the following brief clip tell the rest of the story.
VIDEO CLIP [2]
The family didn’t join right then but did later. Think of the joy this man who rowed me to shore must have felt from helping not just me, but this family, with all his heart. Tired? Yes! Full of joy and gratitude? Certainly forever!
The second example also comes from my first mission. One December, which is one of the warmest months in Tonga, I was serving with a local companion. As Christmas time approached, we visited many member and nonmember families reminding them of the important role of Jesus in our lives and leaving our testimony of Him with them. One of these visits was to a grandmother who was tending to her young granddaughter while her husband and the girl’s parents were away. The grandmother was fairly old, but seemed to be doing fine, and really appreciated our visit.
A few days later, on Christmas Eve, we visited several more families and left blessings, testimonies, and messages about Jesus with them. As we left the last house and headed for home I said, “I feel we should visit one more family, any ideas?” My companion responded, “I’ve heard that the granddaughter we recently visited is quite ill and her grandmother is very tired from the constant worry and care. Why don’t we see if we can help them in some way?”
When we arrived, we found that the granddaughter, of about seven, was indeed very ill with a high fever. Her grandmother had been keeping a wet cloth on her forehead and fanning the air to keep her cool. She was exhausted and asked if we would give her granddaughter a blessing, which we did. As we finished, my companion said, “I can tell you are very tired and need some rest. Why don’t you go lie down and my companion and I will fan your granddaughter and keep a damp towel on her forehead.”
I have seldom seen more grateful eyes or felt deeper appreciation. She hesitated but my companion said, “You need the rest, so you don’t get sick also. Go and rest. Trust us and trust the Lord, for we are His servants.” After a brief pause, she went and laid down behind the curtain. I’m sure she was asleep as soon as she hit her mat.
We started fanning her granddaughter and cooling her forehead with a wet cloth. Her breathing was fitful, her eyes were closed, and her moans were distressing. One of us dipped the cloth in water, wrung it out, and held it on her forehead while the other fanned to help keep her cool. That doesn’t sound like much work, but the anxiety, the humid evening, the late hour, and the constant fanning and dipping of the cloth caused us to tire quickly. I wondered how the grandmother had done this for so long by herself.
At about 11 pm my companion said, “We’re both tired. To get through the night, why don’t we take turns? You sleep for one hour while I fan and rinse. Then I’ll wake you and you care for her for an hour, then you wake me, and so on.” “Fine,” I said. We used an old wind-up clock to tell time. I laid down while my companion fanned. In an hour he woke me, and I fanned with one hand and kept the cloth on her forehead with the other until 1 am. I then woke my companion who took his turn, then he woke me at 2 am. I woke him at 3 am and laid down knowing that 4 am would come very soon.
The next thing I remember was sunlight streaming into my eyes. I jumped up and asked, “What time is it?” “It’s 7 am.” “7! You were supposed to wake me at 4. Why didn’t you?” “Oh, you looked so tired, I decided to let you sleep. Merry Christmas.” As I looked at him and felt his joy, I sensed an aura of light around him and said to myself, “He is a great man. God loves him and so do I. I wish I were stronger and would spontaneously do more good things like he does.”
I thought of the Savior in the Garden of Gethsemane, asking His disciples to watch and pray for Him as he commenced the greatest and most painful act of love and heartfelt helping ever known on earth. He returned and found them sleeping and asked them to please stay awake and watch and pray for Him. A little later He returned and found them sleeping again. Instead of getting upset He just looked at them with deep love and compassion and simply said, “...Sleep on.” [3] I felt great love for Him and for my companion.
The grandmother soon awoke and asked how we and her granddaughter were doing. We told her everything was about the same. We continued fanning her granddaughter while she fixed us a little breakfast. As we were eating, her granddaughter’s moaning ceased and before long her fever broke. She soon opened her eyes and started searching for her grandmother and said she wanted to get up and have some breakfast also. We had a heartfelt prayer together where we thanked God for all His blessings, including the recovery of this young granddaughter, and for our Savior Jesus Christ and all He has done and continues to do to help us in heartfelt ways. We departed feeling it was one of the best Christmases we had ever had. A few months later I was released from my mission, returned home, married, had a family, and became involved in a variety of activities, but never forgot this experience (and many others) of heartfelt helping.
This companion later married moved to Utah, and raised most of his family there. Years later, I received a call from his son informing me that his father, my former companion, had just passed away and wondered if I would speak at his funeral. I told them I would be honored to. The service was wonderful. I was the concluding speaker and among other things, I recalled his love as shown on Christmas Eve those many years ago. It was easy to speak truthfully about the goodness of this great man and of the Savior and of eternity. I closed with my testimony and sat down with an unusually warm feeling in my heart. That feeling grew and grew until during the closing song, a flash of understanding filled my whole being.
I found myself in a beautiful place with throngs of people anxiously waiting to move forward to another area. There was no pushing or crowding, just quiet waiting. As I looked at the crowd I recognized a young man as my earlier companion. He was smiling and patiently waiting. I found that I could not speak, only observe. Soon I heard his name called. Someone came and led him to the front where he moved on to the desired location. There was no anger or questioning in the faces of the crowd, only joy and wonder. I’m not sure how it was communicated but I sensed a joyful whisper ripple through the crowd. “He let his companion sleep when he himself was very tired.” Deep emotion filled my soul as I remembered that long-ago event.
More names were called, including the man who rowed me to shore, and, like the soft roll of distant thunder, more sighs of admiration filled that vast waiting area. I heard such things as, “They fed the missionaries even though they themselves were very hungry; He kept rowing the missionary to shore even when he himself was exhausted; she donated what she could even when she herself was very poor; he put himself in harm's way to protect his friend even though he was scared; she kept going even when things were very hard; he obeyed his mission president even though he was afraid; she forgave one who had hurt her even when she herself was suffering; he refused to speak evil of another even when seemingly justified,” and on and on. These and many other memories warmed my soul.
Suddenly I felt a gentle nudge and heard someone saying, “Kolipoki, (Elder Groberg) thank you for being here. Our family really appreciates your witness of the goodness of our dad and your assurance of where he is, the joy he feels, and what he is doing now. Thank you for your testimony of our Savior as the center of everything good in this life and in eternity. I’m sure all of our family will try to do better, especially me.”
As I “came to,” I realized I was back in a chapel full of good people mourning the loss of a loved one and resolving to “do better.” The “vision” or whatever it was, was gone, at least for now. I located my wife, Jean, and together we visited with my companion’s family and many other friends.
As we returned home, I said to Jean, “He was a good man. He patterned his life after our Savior and has found great joy therein both here and over there.” Jean understood that very well from her own life’s experiences. I tried to explain a little of my “flash of understanding” but found my ability with words was not sufficient. I want to be very clear that I am not saying that this is how the afterlife is organized. We have very little revealed doctrine on what the administration of the spirit world is like. I believe this message was given to me by the Lord to remind me that it is our heartfelt helping in this life that really matters in the next. It is our service and ministering to others, especially to those whom the Savior refers to as “the least of these,” that moves us forward in our eternal progression.
There are great rewards and deep joy here and hereafter in following the example of our Savior in helping others in heartfelt ways, especially as we overcome worldly obstacles to do so. I hope and pray we will all pattern our lives after Jesus. I know we are incapable of helping and sacrificing to the degree He did, but I also know that we are capable of helping and sacrificing in ways beyond our present perceptions. I know He will help us as we sincerely try, for He wants us to experience the joy that comes therefrom.
I testify that when we sincerely want to help with all of our heart, there is a power that descends from heaven that transcends fatigue and fear and allows us to do things we could not otherwise do.
If we sincerely want to help someone, I promise you that the opportunity to do so will come - Grasp it! All heartfelt helping brings lasting joy, both now and forever! Let us each determine to help others a little more and with more heartfelt desire. Teach, testify, visit, help, and follow our prophet.
I know Jesus lives. I know He forgives. I know He suffered and died for each one of us. I know He is the head of His restored Church and inspires His prophets today as He has through all ages. I know President Nelson is His mouthpiece on the earth today. I know He wants only the best for us and hopes we will experience the joy that comes from heartfelt helping.
In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Notes:
[1] John 15:12
[2] “The Lord’s Wind” (video), YouTube.
[3] Matthew 26:45