LAIE, Hawaii — President Dieter F. Uchtdorf walked the BYU-Hawaii campus during a five-day mission to Oahu, Hawaii, taking time to listen to students’ concerns and testimonies. He also met with missionaries outside the Laie Temple in Hawaii.
Every day he shared the message of hope found in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
His ministry included a Sunday night devotion on March 1 in which he repeatedly told BYU-Hawaii students, “This is your time.”
In a sense, this was also his time. This mission trip was his first as acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
President Uchtdorf said his new role brought about the same emotions others in the Church have when accepting a calling.
“We exalt where we stand. It doesn’t matter if I’m serving in some capacity in my local ward or as president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, it’s ‘exalting where we stand.'” Do what the Lord commands you to do. Let’s have fun. “Do it, hopefully, in a way that pleases the Lord,” he said.
And, as with his callings in wards and branches, President Uchtdorf serves with others in the quorum. He said he is grateful for his quorum colleagues and the advice they share with each other.
“They are amazing. They are each individuals with unique personalities and unique talents, united in Jesus Christ in their dedication to building the Kingdom of God on this earth.”
He said unity is needed today more than ever, given the challenges faced by individuals in every corner of the globe.
“Our mission is to bring the peace of God to the whole world and testify that there is a way, the way of the Savior,” he said.
Ministering to Young Married Students
President Uchtdorf and his wife, Sister Harriet Uchtdorf, participated in this mission, attending a local young married student ward at BYU-Hawaii on Fast Sunday, March 1st. Ward members shared their testimonies, many bringing infants and small children to the pulpit in the meetinghouse.
As Sister Uchtdorf shares her testimony, she said she is excited to see young families attending church together.
“I love having these beautiful little kids here. They’re the cutest I’ve ever seen,” she said.
She testified to the importance of understanding and teaching the plan of salvation in the home. She said she was shocked when she learned of Heavenly Father’s plan after being taught by missionaries.
“It was a miracle to know where we came from, what our purpose in life is on this earth, and where we are going,” she said.
Sister Uchtdorf encouraged those in the ward to think about how wonderful it is to have daily communion with the Holy Ghost to help individuals make decisions and know what is right.
President Uchtdorf praised the young couple’s efforts to stay on the covenant path, build a strong marriage, have children, and continue their studies at the same time.
“Our church wards are where we prove our faith,” he said.
“This is a place where we put into practice what we believe.…As long as we serve one another, we are serving God and we grow inwardly in spiritual strength. It is time to overcome selfishness and overcome thoughts about ourselves. (We are) always thinking of someone else.”
President Uchtdorf said that in addition to serving one another, wards and branches should be safe spaces where individuals can express what they are experiencing.
“Where else in the world can you share your inner feelings with others and know that they love you, help you, are with you, and are praying for you?”
He noted that individuals and families in each ward are regularly faced with new experiences, including marriage, children, death, repentance, and other situations.
“Life is full of new beginnings,” he said.
And when such a new beginning comes, President Uchtdorf taught, it can be a time to refocus on following the Savior.
“How should I proceed? ‘As for me and my house, I will serve the Lord’ (Joshua 24:15). This is the covenant we make in the house of the Lord. There we make a covenant, and we make a firm decision to ‘serve the Lord for me and my house.'”
“The path of the contract”
Missionaries from Japan to the Philippines to Argentina serve at 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 in 1854 at the age of 15. President Uchtdorf taught that his story is one of both serving and being served in the ministry.
“When you’re serving here, you’re serving people. When people come here and learn about (the church) and feel the spirit of the gospel, they go out and become faithful to the Savior,” he said.
President Uchtdorf said this is a confusing time in history, but the gospel always provides direction.
“These are times when there are rumors of war. God tells us not to be afraid, but to have courage and a spirit of faith,” he said. “You bring joyful messages.…I feel the radiance of your goodness.”
President Uchtdorf encouraged the missionaries to embrace the truth of the messages they were teaching and the vibrancy of their teachings.
“What you teach is the Covenant Way,” he said. “You are young people. You are strong.”
Sister Uchtdorf shared her memory of the first time she was taught about the restored gospel.
“The day I received the Gospel was the best day of my life,” Sister Uchtdorf said.
She said taking that same message to those in need today will help missionaries have confidence in their God-given calling.
“You are enough. … You are ready. You are worthy. You are valued,” she told the missionaries.
The missionaries were given the opportunity to ask President and Sister Uchtdorf questions. Someone asked how he could build his faith while serving as a missionary.
“Faith is strengthened by the use of faith,” President Uchtdorf said. “A testimony is strengthened by doing it. . . . Trust in the Lord.”
He told the missionaries to volunteer for the mission and to build on the faith they had shown when they were called to serve by the prophets of God.
“As missionaries, you did what the Savior did, as you read in the Pearl of Great Price, because He said, “Here I am, send me” (Abraham 3:27). No one applies for a mission president. But you applied for a missionary, a servant of the Lord who preaches the gospel. And from there you say, “Here I am, take me.” And he took you. And this should make you feel that God has confidence in you, your life, and your abilities. He will qualify you. ”
Some missionaries expressed doubts about whether they were doing enough to fulfill their mission. Sister Uchtdorf shared her observation that this feeling of inadequacy can occur when individuals compare themselves to others.
“(Comparing) takes all the joy out of life,” she said. “Don’t compare, let’s learn from each other.”
And Sister Uchtdorf followed her husband’s lead in encouraging missionaries to reflect on the call to mission as a spiritual source of refuge.
“The important thing is that you accept the call that the Lord gives you. That’s the important thing. No matter what it is, no matter how difficult or difficult it may be, accepting that call is a great blessing for the rest of your life.”
President Uchtdorf encouraged missionaries not to think outside the box as they strengthen their testimonies of Jesus Christ and his gospel.
“Make sure your personal prayer is a personal prayer. It’s about you truly communicating with your Heavenly Father on a personal basis. Feeling that your Heavenly Father is there and that He hears you,” he said.
“The Lord will answer you. In His way. In His way. It may not be the way you were hoping for, but He will answer. He may answer through your companions, through the scriptures, through your (mission) president, through whoever. But He will answer you.”
