Someone Is Waiting For You!

"Do we realize that every man is in the image of God and is a son of God, and every woman his daughter? No matter where they may be, they are his children, and he loves them and desires their salvation. Surely as members of this Church we cannot sit idly by. We cannot receive the beneficient favor of our Heavenly Father that is bestowed upon us, the knowledge of eternal life, and selfishly retain it, thinking that we may be blessed thereby. It is not what we receive that enriches our lives, it is what we give" (George Albert Smith, in Conference Report, April 1935, p. 46).

The Lord is not looking for extraordinary people to share the Gospel. He is looking for ordinary people like you and like me who are willing to show our love for Him by obeying His command to "be witnesses unto [Him] both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth" (Acts 1:8). Some of us may never travel to a foreign land as a missionary for the Church, but we are still missionaries in the sense that as Christ's disciples we have the responsibility to share the Gospel with those around us. We should go forth with the attitude of Isaiah, "Here am I; send me" (Isaiah 6:8), realizing that there is someone waiting for us to bring them the Good News - which is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Who is to receive the Gospel?

Matthew 24:14	All the world
Matthew 28:19, 20	All nations
Mark 16:15	Every creature
Doctrine and Covenants 90:11	Every man in his own tongue
Doctrine and Covenants 133:37	Every nation, and kindred, and tongue and people

The Lord is not looking for great scholars of the Scripture, or great orators to be able to share the Gospel, but rather He is looking for available people who are willing to take the Gospel to all the world, to all nations, to every man, in his own tongue. Our mission field can be right where we are - in our homes, in the work place, in our schools and in our neighborhoods. We should always"Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God;" (D&C 18:10) and so it is extremely important that everyone have an opportunity to hear the Gospel.

Perhaps there are some who are thinking that they are inadequately prepared for such a task as sharing the Gospel with others. However, let us remember that it was ordinary, available people, throughout the pages of Scripture that took the message of the Gospel to all the regions of the earth. Some of those available people were:

Moses (Numbers 12:3; Hebrews 11:25, 26). To Moses, availability meant self-denial and great leadership to accomplish the plan of God.

David (2 Samuel 16:11; 1 Samuel 16:13; 17:37). In the battle with Goliath, there was only one person available for the fight - David. What made this little shepherd boy so great? The fact that he stepped out of a multitude of warriors and said, "I'll be the one." Any other person could have stepped forward and accomplished this task, but David made the voluntary decison to be great.

Elijah (1 Kings 17:2, 3, 8, 9). Elijah is considered by many to be the greatest prophet of the Jews. What made him great? He followed instructions. God told him to go to the brook Cherith, and he went to the brook Cherith. God told him to go to Zarephath and he went to Zarephath. No argument, no complaint, he just obeyed. He was available.

Isaiah (Isaiah 6:8). The great statement of Isaiah's availability was so simple, "Here am I; send me."

Esther (Esther 4:16). Esther was one of the great ladies of the Old Testament. She faced a situation that could have meant her death, but she said, "If I perish, I perish." She chose to be available.

Mary (Luke 1:38). Mary, a virgin, was told by the angel Gabriel "thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS". To this she replied, "Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word." She would face slander and maligning, but she was willing to pay the price.

Paul (2 Timothy 4:16). Though at his last trial everyone deserted him, Paul remained available to God. Throughout his ministry, Paul had poured out his life for the people to whom he took the Gospel (see 1 Thessalonians 2:8), and because along the way he had made a decisions to serve, he was able to say at the end, "For I am now ready t5o be offered, and the time of my departure is now at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing" (2 Timothy 4:6-8).

We too can become mighty instruments to be used by the Master in spreading the Gospel. In order to do so, we must be willing to be available to do as He commands. Each of us can help change others' lives and help them come to Christ by introducing them to the Gospel. Many people in the world are searching for truth but do not know where to find it. If we are not willing to be available to share the message of the Gospel, they will never know that Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. In Doctrine and Covenants 50:13-14 the Lord asks the question "unto what were ye ordained? To preach my Gospel by the Spirit, even the Comforter which was sent forth to teach the truth." And in D&C 88:81 we are told "Behold, I sent you out to testisfy and warn the people, and it becometh every man who have been warned to warn his neighbor." Everyone is entitled to hear the message of the Gospel. Someone is waiting for you!

In the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

I do not mean to come across as being callous, cruel, or mean-spirited, but the older I get, the more discouraged and dishearten I become as I watch some of our young people - the future of our world, place themselves in a proverbial box called defeatism. Unquestionably, some of us have grown up in unfavorable conditions and in an unkind society that constantly reminds us, and in some cases has thoroughly convinced us, that our father never amounted to much, and our mother has never amounted to much, and so, as the proverbial apple never seems to fall far from the tree, we ourselves can expect to never amount to much either. The tragedy of it all is that society is not alone in painting this picture of hopelessness and despair, but that same picture hangs on the walls in our homes, as well as, in the classrooms of our schools.

I wish to send a very clear, precise, and concise message to our youth of today: the time has come for you to stop wallowing in the mud of hopelessness and slowly drowning yourselves in the sea called despair. Now is the time to break free from that proverbial box that you have found yourselves in, and from the strangling chords of the voices of naysayers who preach negativism and defeatism. Rise above your current station in life. You can if you believe that you can!

Maybe it is true that your father and mother have never done anything to make an honorable name for themselves, or have ever tried to get out of their current situations and better themselves. Maybe it is true that you were born in unfavorable and adverse conditions. Maybe it is true that all of your young life people have done nothing but knock you down and kick you while you were down. However, it does not have to stay that way. Though the night may seem dark and dreary, nighttime only last for a season and then the morning comes. And with the dawning of the morning comes a light of hope that shines bright as the noon day sun.

Now is the time for you to start realizing that you are not your father and you are not your mother. God Almighty has made each of us uniquely YOU. He has meted to you and me a measure of faith, hope, courage, talents, and abilities. It is time for you to put behind you those things that once were, and press forward to obtain those things that can, and (with faith, hope, patience, determination, and endurance) will be. Stop listening to the perpetual lies of those who do not have your best interest at heart, and start believing in yourself. You can do whatever it is you have a mind to do, and you can become whatever it is that you have a desire to become in life, but YOU have to believe that you can do it. If you cannot believe in yourselves, how can you honestly expect anyone else to?

Do not become discouraged if at first you do not succeed at doing something, but try and try again knowing that the road to success is often filled with potholes called failure. Many a success in life has been wrought through heartache and failure, so don't let that stop you. Even along the road of success will be hurdles and discouragement which you will have to get over, but don't let that stop you either. Continue to run your race with your head held high and a song of hope and gladness in your heart. You may not be the first to cross the finishing line, but then the winner of a race is not always necessarily the swiftest runner in the race, but he who runs his race well by remaining focused, staying his course, and enduring to the end.

There will be times along the way when you may become weary. Stop and rest for a little while if you must, but don't give up, give in, or quit. Remain focused on your goals and objectives. The finishing line is just in sight. You can make it. Yes you can! May God give you the hope, courage, faith, and determination to endure to the end. God bless you all!