More Missionaries--J through Z

There are several of our very wonderful missionaries who were here in the mission when we arrived, but who for one reason or another, didn't get their photos into our blog before they left.  We want everyone to know a little about each one of these great missionaries.  So, alphabetically, here they are, J through Z:

Elder Seiya  Katanuma Elder Katanuma with President and Sister Traveller Elder Seiya Katanuma is from Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan.  His faithful grandparents are serving at the same time as he is, but in the Hiroshima mission.  He loves classical music, singing, playing, and listening, and he plays trumpet and viola.  He has served as a ward music conductor and ward missionary.  He has a strong testimony of the Atonement and the Gospel. Elder Clay Marsh Elder Heaton on left, and Elder Marsh  Hailing from Salt lake City, Utah, Elder Clay Marsh is the middle brother of five boys.   He swam and was on the Lacrosse team in high school and loves college football and pro hockey.  He also loves to paint and draw and listen to classical music, especially Mozart.  He is a history buff and learned a lot about Japanese history long before his call.   He plans to attend a good law school and become a criminal defense attorney.  He says he is loveable, makes people laugh, and has a willingness to be obedient and loyal.  Elder Michael McClain Elder McClain, with Elder Eyring in background From Payson, Utah, Elder Michael McClain has an older brother and a younger sister and brother.  He wants to study secondary education and become a high school teacher.  He enjoys drawing, mountain biking and tennis.  He has a great sense of humor and constantly looks for the good in situations.  He made the decision to serve a mission the day he finished reading the Book of Mormon for the first time.  It answered so many questions and brought him peace and happiness, so he wanted to share it. Elder Stephen Mulder From Woodland Hills, Utah, Elder Stephen Mulder is the oldest of six children.  His family has lived in Japan for seven months.  He went to Japanese public school during that time.  Elder Mulder enjoys basketball, piano, singing, acting and reading.  He has played the parts of both Joseph Smith and Nephi.  He would like to work for the Church as a career, maybe as a seminary teacher or for LDS Motion Picture Studios.  He can get along with pretty much anyone and loves the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Sister Miyabi Nakatsuka President and Sister Traveller, Sister Nakatsuka and Sister Ige on right The way Sister Miyabi Nakatsuka, from Yonago, Tottori, Japan, writes about her family, they sound like the best family in the world.  Sister Nakatsuka loves to cook, bake treats, surprise people and make them laugh.  She also loves singing and being around children.  She loves to meet new people because they are so interesting to know and it expands her views. She is kind, sensitive and optimistic.  Her goal is to be with her eternal family, having a home of her own like her parents' home. Sister Konami Numata From left:  Sister Traveller, Sister Kitayama, Sister Rice, Sister Kobashi, Sister Numata, and Sister Ige Sister Konami Numata is from Fujisawa, Kanagawa, Japan.  She has one sister and great parents.  She loves to play violin, piano, and sing.  She enjoys jogging and drawing illustrations, and loves to do it for others to help them or the church.  Her goals are to be a great missionary and have an eternal marriage.  She is very optimistic.  She has had many responsibilities, and feels her personality and God's help have helped her.  Her testimony of the Gospel is burning in her heart. Elder Takuya Ogasawara Elder Takuya Ogasawara is from Katou, Hokkaido, Japan.  He was actually called to Brazil, so he was in the Nagoya Mission just until he was able to get his visa.  We were sad to see him go because he was a great missionary. Elder Kai Onda Elder Kai Onda comes from a family of six and lives in Ohtaku, Tokyo, Japan.   Both of his parents were missionaries in Hokkaido and his father has been a mission president.  He loves basketball and was captain of the team during university.  He also enjoys snowboarding and card magic.  He is a good leader and knows  happiness comes through living the Gospel. Elder Daniel Orme Elder Orme is on left, with Elder Eyring and Elder Anderson Coming to us from Draper, Utah, Elder Daniel Orme is the first missionary to serve from his family.  He has two older sisters and one younger sister.  He is very excited to serve.  His family loves activites like boating, hiking, snowboarding and camping.  Elder Orme has traveled to several foreign countries, but not Japan.  He loves music, and plays piano, guitar and even writes music.  Before his mission, he studied economics and European studies at University of Utah and loves learning.  Sister Erin Rice Sister Erin Rice is from Morrison, Colorado and is the youngest of four children in her family.  She loves watching and playing soccer, hiking, reading, writing and singing.  She really enjoys learning.  She attended BYU-I before her mission and is majoring in English.  She is thinking about getting a PhD after her mission.  She would like to become an editor or publisher.  She has lots of energy, is light-hearted and loves to laugh, but she also knows how to be serious.  She is also greatly self-motivated.  She is serving a mission because she loves the Lord.   Sister Yuchika Sakuma Sister Yuchika Sakuma, from Uji, Kyoto, Japan, has a family of seven.  She is a twin and her sister is also preparing for a mission.  Sister Sakuma enjoys listening to music, watching movies, reading and carpentry.  She attended technical college after junior high school.  She is good with her hands, and loves making things from wood.  She is cheerful and kind and treasures her family.  She enjoys working and is happy even when she has to work late.  The stories of a returned missionary friend inspired her to serve a mission. Sister Chalet Severson Seated from left:  Sister Severson, Sister Nakatsuka, Sister Kumagai, Sister and President Traveller Behind:  Elder Wynn, Elder Eckman, Elder Tsutamori, Elder Nelson Sister Chalet Severson, from Vernal, Utah says she has a truly amazing family.  She has many wonderful things to say about them, in addition to another very special person who she calls her older sister because she is so close to her.  After fulfilling an honorable mission, Sister Severson's desire is to further her career in medicine.  She has been a veterinary technician and would love to become either a veterinarian or a doctor.  She likes to skateboard, play guitar and mandolin, and hang out with loved ones.  She is a good listener, quick to laugh, empathetic of others, loyal, and helpful.  She has a strong testimony. Elder Kelson Shepherd Elder Kelson Shepherd is from Alpine, Utah. Elder Garrett Stevens West Valley City, Utah is home to Elder Garrett Stevens.  He is the oldest of three children in his family.  He loves music and has been in several bands and choirs.  He plays clarinet and saxophone and sings tenor.  He enjoys boating, hiking and learning.  He has always been serious about school and studies a lot.  But he also loves to have fun with people.  He is a physics major, and may go to medical school.  He loves the Gospel and what it can do for people and has wanted to serve a mission all of his life. Elder Kyler Tolman Coming to the mission from American Fork, Utah is Elder Kyler Tolman.  He comes from a large family:  11 children.  He has five brothers and five sisters and he is number 10.  Many of his siblings have served missions.  Elder Tolman enjoys most sports, including football, basketball, mountain biking, snowboarding and camping.  He plans to get a degree in mechanical engineering.  He likes to work hard and finish his day knowing he accomplished a lot. Elder PaePae Tuipala Elder Tuipala with President and Sister Baird Elder PaePae Tuipala is from Auckland, New Zealand, and is the only person who has   served in our mission from New Zealand in at least two years.  He is from Auckland. He enjoys playing rugby and he also loves computers.  He says he mingles well with others and is humble and good at following directions.  He has already studied Japanese for six years in school and has a strong testimony of the Gospel. Elder Clayton Witt Minneapolis, Minnesota is home to Elder Clayton Witt.  His parents joined the church as adults, so he is excited to be the first person to serve a mission from his family.  He has two younger sisters.  Elder Witt loves to draw, read books, and he has a special love for dogs.  He also loves to make people laugh, and he uses it to make friends and keep everything upbeat.  He hopes to get a degree in animation at BYU, but he has also thought about being an FBI agent or an English teacher.  He hates to be late, and he won't give up.  When the going gets tough, he always tries to brighten the situation.  He likes to set goals and accomplish them. Elder Nathan Wood Elder Freeman, and Elder Wood on right. Elder Nathan Wood is from way down upon the Suwanee, Georgia River, and he has probably heard that phrase too many times.  His mother is from Australia, and Elder Wood was born there.  Since he was 8, he has lived in New York, Georgia and Utah.  He is the oldest of five children.  Elder Wood has been majoring in English with plans to become a writer, and he enjoys singing and reading. He enjoys figuring out answers to difficult problems and is fascinated by people.  And he loves the Gospel and the scriptures. Elder William Wright Elder Alkonas and Elder Wright, on right, of course. Payson, Utah is home to Elder William Wright.  There are nine children in his family and he is number five.  He calls his parents heroes.  Elder Wright has his black belt in Martial Arts, is an artist, and likes to do paintballing.  His goal is to publish a book that he is writing.  He doesn't give up easily on things he needs to do.  He loves the Lord deeply and wants to serve well.

Inochi no Michi, October 2010

Just click to enlarge.

Dear Sisters and Elders of the Japan Nagoya Mission

It has been thrilling to feel the excitement and explosion of success in the last two weeks. Yakusokushas are at an all time high at 33. In just over a week our yakusokushas nearly doubled! We were at 17 and just nine days later we were at 34. That spurt of growth was exhilarating as my phone vibrated multiple times every day informing me of another new yakusokusha.

 We are becoming master teachers and master planners and therefore worthy of the trust of our Heavenly Father and His Son. Entrusting us with double the number of yakusokushas is evidence of that trust. Our challenge is to continue the upward trend while helping our current investigators to progress by keeping commitments and gaining testimonies.

Keeping commitments is an essential part of investigator progression. From the time Preach My Gospel  was first introduced I loved these words on page 198. “An effective missionary teaches, testifies and invites…this includes making promises…” There is power in that pattern. Teach. Testify. Invite. Promise.

Whenever I think about that pattern, my mind is lead to the definition of a Prophet. Here is a portion from the Bible Dictionary. “The work of a Hebrew prophet was to act as God’s messenger and make (teach) known God’s will (invite)….He was to be, above all, a preacher of righteousness (testify)…As a general rule a prophet is a forthteller (promise)…In a general sense a prophet is anyone that has a testimony of Jesus Christ by the Holy Ghost.”

We are authorized representatives of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are His messengers, we teach as He directs. We make His will known in the lives of those we teach by inviting them to make and keep commitments. We are preachers of righteousness as we testify of Him and His doctrine in our lessons. An effective missionary is a forthteller—telling what will come forth if people keep their commitments—promising desirable blessings for keeping commandments. We have testimonies of Jesus Christ and those testimonies are continually nurtured and strengthened by the Holy Ghost. When we are master teachers we fulfill our role as prophet in our assigned areas.

As we work to be able prophets in our assigned areas we will have greater success when we follow the pattern of power outlined in Preach My Gospel. When we teach, testify, invite and promise people will accept us in greater numbers, our investigators will make more rapid progress as they actively seek the blessings we promise in His name. More of our Father’s children will be brought into His fold and we will continue to feel the exhilaration that comes from missionary labors.

I pray that we will be blessed with the prophetic power to teach, testify, invite and promise. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

President Baird

Inoch no Michi, April 2012

Dear Sisters and Elders of the Japan Nagoya Mission

It has been thrilling to feel the excitement and explosion of success in the last two weeks. Yakusokushas are at an all time high at 33. In just over a week our yakusokushas nearly doubled! We were at 17 and just nine days later we were at 34. That spurt of growth was exhilarating as my phone vibrated multiple times every day informing me of another new yakusokusha.

 We are becoming master teachers and master planners and therefore worthy of the trust of our Heavenly Father and His Son. Entrusting us with double the number of yakusokushas is evidence of that trust. Our challenge is to continue the upward trend while helping our current investigators to progress by keeping commitments and gaining testimonies.

Keeping commitments is an essential part of investigator progression. From the time Preach My Gospel  was first introduced I loved these words on page 198. “An effective missionary teaches, testifies and invites…this includes making promises…” There is power in that pattern. Teach. Testify. Invite. Promise.

Whenever I think about that pattern, my mind is lead to the definition of a Prophet. Here is a portion from the Bible Dictionary. “The work of a Hebrew prophet was to act as God’s messenger and make (teach) known God’s will (invite)….He was to be, above all, a preacher of righteousness (testify)…As a general rule a prophet is a forthteller (promise)…In a general sense a prophet is anyone that has a testimony of Jesus Christ by the Holy Ghost.”

We are authorized representatives of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are His messengers, we teach as He directs. We make His will known in the lives of those we teach by inviting them to make and keep commitments. We are preachers of righteousness as we testify of Him and His doctrine in our lessons. An effective missionary is a forthteller—telling what will come forth if people keep their commitments—promising desirable blessings for keeping commandments. We have testimonies of Jesus Christ and those testimonies are continually nurtured and strengthened by the Holy Ghost. When we are master teachers we fulfill our role as prophet in our assigned areas.

As we work to be able prophets in our assigned areas we will have greater success when we follow the pattern of power outlined in Preach My Gospel. When we teach, testify, invite and promise people will accept us in greater numbers, our investigators will make more rapid progress as they actively seek the blessings we promise in His name. More of our Father’s children will be brought into His fold and we will continue to feel the exhilaration that comes from missionary labors.

I pray that we will be blessed with the prophetic power to teach, testify, invite and promise. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

President Baird

Small Miracles

Elder Mario Harper

I feel as if there has not been a major miracle on my mission, but I feel that it was in the small ways that I saw many miracles.  In these last few weeks, there were some interesting events that happened.

Towards the end of my last transfer, I realized that my companion, Elder Boss, had not yet met with some of our investigators.  In order to have a chance to meet, we made and sent out invitations to a festival that would be happening in our area.

The night of the festival was a sudden downpour.  Because of the intensity of the rain, we could not ride our bicycles and trains were stopped.  We thought about just giving up on the activity, but as we prayed, we decided to try and go through with it.  A member came to pick us up and we were able to go.
 

Although we were an hour and a half late, because of trains and road conditions all of our investigators were also late and we had a chance to meet all of them.

That night we had a phone call from a potential investigator who was able to come to the church.  In some form or another, we were able to meet in some strange circumstances many of our investigators and potential investigators and make plans to meet again.  I saw much of God’s hand not only directing us but also our investigators.

I know that God loves his children and desires their success.  I have come to learn that this is His work.  

September 2010 New Missionaries

This week, we welcomed in a large group of 13 new missionaries! Elder Ward (Massachusetts), Elder Van Campen (Utah), Elder Hollister (Colorado), Elder O'Kelley (Washington), Elder Skankey (Arizona), Sister Masuda (Hokkaido), Sister Clark (Colorado), Elder Jessop (Utah), Elder Ikeda (Tokyo), Elder Larkin (Nevada), Elder Numakura (Yokohama), Elder Horne (Utah, arrived a couple days after), and Elder Kervinen (Finland, actually arrived a couple weeks earlier). We are so very excited for all of them to be a part of this mission! We know that they will be able to accomplish many miracles! This is the first group we had get on the train straight from the airport to the mission home and preach the gospel the whole way in. It was a very great experience! They all did fantastic! We are excited to see them grow and become great missionaries for our Father in Heaven!

A picture at the Meito church with all of their new trainers!

First morning in the mission home with President and Sister Baird.

Sister Clark (right) and Sister Wada- Matsumoto

Sister Ana-Lisa Clark came to us from Kawasaki, Japan, but she
has lived in Colorado, California, and Utah.  Sister Clark loves volleyball,
ultimate frisbee, dancing, games, walks, traveling, reading, piano and singing.

Sister Sachiko Wada's home is Tokyo.  She was sealed to her family
when she was 1.  Sister Wada has done gymnastics and hula.
She wants to become a nurse.  She is decisive, energetic, has a sense of
responsibility, and is a good finisher of what she starts.
She strengthened her testimony by working in Young Women's.

Elder Hollister (right) and Elder Larson- Shizuoka

Elder Taylor Hollister hales from Colorado Springs, CO and has six sisters  and two brothers.  He plans to major in Military and Strategic Studies and be a career military man.   Las Vegas, Nevada is home to Elder Dustin Larsen.  Elder Larsen plans to become a doctor after his mission.  Sports are a favorite for Elder Larsen and he loves competition.  He is also organized, strong-willed, and likes to make people happy.

Elder Horne's trainer is Elder Insch, below.
They will work in Okazaki.

Murray, Utah is home to Elder Ryan Horne.
  Elder Horne speaks highly of his family, especially a father
who teaches patience, love and reverence by example
and a mother who teaches him about the gospel all the time.

Elder Geoffrey Insch hales from Morgantown, West Virginia.
Elder Ward says he has the best mother in the world, and
he would be happy to turn out just like his father.
He loves to make movies and has used the video camera he earned
money to buy to make many movies.  He is prone
 to help people solve problems and use humor to diffuse tension.

Elder Ikeda (left) and Elder Harper- Kasugai

Elder Akihiko Ikeda, from Tokyo, Japan, enjoys just walking and thinking.  But he also loves to be matched up with good basketball players so that he can improve his skill in that sport.  His goal is to go to BYU and maybe even play basketball. Kaysville, Utah is home to Elder Mario Harper.  His mother is from Japan and his father served a mission in Nagoya; they met while at school in Utah.  Elder Harper dreams of becoming a scuba diver, but he instead does research, gives lectures on economics, and goes to opera and symphony recitals, and any musical event.   He sings and plays trombone.  Some day he hopes to get a  Nobel Prize or laureate in physics or economics.

Elder Jessop (left) and Elder Tsuchiya- Kanazawa

Elder Terry Jessop has 4 younger brothers; 3 of them are triplets.  He grew up in the small town of Fielding, Utah and loved it.  He wants to become and MD or dentist and have a large family.  He is caring, has high self-expectations and likes to do things right.  He had a sacred experience in the Sacred Grove and knows the Church is true.

Sakura-shi, Chiba is home to Elder Hiromasa Tsuchiya.  His parents both converted in their 20's and served missions.  He tries to share the Gospel while playing basketball with his friends.  He is cheerful and good at making friends and hopes to become an accountant.  He has a very strong testimony of prayer.

Elder Kervinen (right) and Elder Fujii- Nanao

Elder Niilo Kervinen is only the second missionary to come to Japan from Finland.
He is from Rovaniemi.  Elder Kervinen wants to teach English or Japanese,
become a good dad and trustworthy priesthood leader.

He plays the trombone and likes to draw and paint.   Hokkaido, Japan is
home to Elder Shinsuke Fujii.  He comes from a family of 7.  He enjoys
exercising and all sports.  He is also good with musica and loves to perform.
He plays several instruments.  Elder Fujii loves teaching and working with children.
He loves talking and laughing with others and will do whatever is asked of him.

Elder Larkin (right) and Elder Palmer- Matsumoto

Elder Jordan Larkin comes from a family of missionaries. He has two siblings. 

He and his siblings are adopted, and he has two very most wonderful parents. 

Just ask him. Elder Larkin is a swimmer and really enjoys being in the water. 

His goal is to follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost and thus feel great about 

what he does. He grew up in Las Vegas and feels that there is Zion in 

Las Vegas. He wants to be married in the Las Vegas Temple.

TO ZION! TO ZION! HURRAH! HURRAH! FOR ISRAEL!

Elder Matthew Palmer comes from Cottonwood Heights, Utah.  His father sings in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.  He has an older sister who founded the Chandler, AZ Children's Choir, and another who sings with the Metropolitan Opera in New York City.  Elder Palmer enjoys skate boarding, plays guitar and piano. He has thought about becoming a doctor.  He has compassion for people and is good at putting himself in other's shoes. He loves reading the Book of Mormon.

Sister Masuda (right) and Sister Kobashi- Fukutoku

Sister Iyo Masuda is from Hokkaido, Japan.  She likes to cook, serve others, and talk with them.  Service brings her peace.  She is optimistic, cheerful and a good listener. Sister Megumi Kobashi is a third generation member of the church, and she is from Osaka, Japan.  She got her testimony from her grandparents, and she really loves her family.  Sister Kobashi enjoys cooking and went to a technical college in making cakes and other delicious things.

Elder Numakura (right) and Elder Fujii- Gokiso

Elder Diaichi Numakura comes from a family of five, and he is setting the example for his two younger brothers.  When he returns from his mission, he will study accounting at school.  He loves karaoke as a hobby and his goal is to learn English.  Elder Numakura is from Kanagawa, Japan. See more about Elder Fujii above.

Elder O'Kelley (right) and Elder Freeman- Toyohashi

Elder Kenneth O'Kelley hales from Bremerton, Washington.  He plans to become an
electrical engineer and hopes to have 5 boys--his own basketball team.
In addition to sports, he loves history, psychology, sociology, physics and math.
He is good at scheduling, getting things done and problem solving.  He was baptized
a few day after President Hinckley died.  He wants to share the joy
he received by joining the Church.

Elder Hoyt Freeman, from Pleasant Grove, Utah, loves playing brass instruments.
He also enjoys dating, soccer, running, board games, camping,
biking and fishing.  He also loves to learn, and is interested in
landscaping, law, and languages.  He loves talking to people and enjoys
working hard.  He has a strong testimony and has always planned to serve a mission.

Elder Skankey (right) and Elder Da Silva- Fujieda

Elder Bryce Skankey came to us from Yuma, Arizona, but he has lived in lots of states and Okinawa.  After working hard on his mission, he plans to study Astronomical Physics and then get a PhD and hopefully work for NASA.   Elder Julio  daSilva is from Pernambuco, Brazil and has an older brother.  Elder daSilva was baptized at 14, and his brother was baptized five years later. His parents are not members.  The family loves to go to the beach and often spends time there.  Elder daSilva has also lived in Heber City, Utah with the Petersen family,  who he loves like family.

Elder Van Campen (right) and Elder Fredrickson- Inuyama

Elder Benjamin VanCampen is from Morgan, Utah, and his mom is Japanese.  He plans to go to BYU-Idaho, majoring in psychology when he gets home and work as a Japanese tour guide at the Grand Canyon.  He loves sports of any kind, but mostly football.  He also loves singing and dating.  He says he is goofy, fun loving and laid back, but he plans a strong finish to his mission. Elder Kyle Fredrickson hales from West Valley City, Utah.  He comes from a family of 9 and enjoys listening to music and reading.  He plays piano, trumpet, and French horn.  He has been in jazz and concert bands, pit orchestra and Univ. of Utah marching band.  He likes to communicate with people and make them laugh. He has always planned to serve a mission and loves the Gospel.

Elder Ward (left) and Elder Da Silva- Komatsu

Elder Geoffrey Ward is from Medfield, MA, but has also lived in Florida,
Utah and Japan.  He enjoys rock climbing and wants to compete
in that sport.  He also enjoys singing and reading, and has worked
as a lifeguard.  He is easy going and has a sense of humor.  He loves
service projects and physical labor.  He loves to show his testimony.

See more about Elder Da Silva above.

A Relief Society Angel

Sister  Anna-Lisa Clark

Sister Akahane, a part-member sister from the Matsumoto Branch who serves as the visiting teaching coordinator of the Relief Society, is in my opinion, the very kind of angel spoken of by prophets who goes about doing good.  She is the most active visiting teacher I have ever seen, visiting numerous less-active members, always with a gift of a food item in hand, often things she grows or makes herself.  She takes us with her by car occasionally and we too never leave empty hearted or empty handed.  She give us great meals at her home, jars of homemade jam, and bags of fresh huge apples.

My last week in Matsumoto, she took us to visit a non-member friend of hers whose name came up when we did fulfillment and follow-up with her.  Her friend welcomed us warmly and we had a great visit.   It turns out she had already read a good amount of the Book of Mormon that she had received from Sister Akahane.  I was impressed with how willing she was to get to know us because of the influence of Sister Akahane’s friendship.

That same week we visited a less-active sister who has at times heard and believed negative things about the Church.  Sometimes she was really hard-hearted, but as we worked with her, showed love and bore testimony, things improved.  When we last visited her, we were surprised as she pulled out the Book of Mormon, listened more attentively than ever, said she had been reading and even shared with us her conversion story.  We were wondering why she seemed so changed when she brought up a recent visit by her visiting teacher where they discussed recognizing the spirit and she had begun to think back on her experiences and had begun to find things that seemed like inspiration.  How grateful we were for those visiting teachers, one of which was our local ministering angel, Sister Akahane.

Sister Akahane’s husband (non-member) is a woodcarver by trade.  He carves all kinds of things, including statues and things for temples and shrines.  Lately Sister Akahane has been learning a little herself.  Knowing that transfers were coming up and that between me and Sister Mimaki I was the one most likely to go, she made and painted a little wooden pendant, carved in the shape of a flower, and gave it to me as a special gift.

What an honor!  I will treasure it as a reminder of her faith and example.  I pray it can help me remember her testimony that she shared so freely in word and in deed.

Inochi no Michi, August, 2010

To enlarge to read the details, click on picture or letter.

Dear Elders and Sisters of the Nagoya Japan Mission

My career as a human performance scientist and management consultant has been guided by the doctrines of the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. From as far back as I can remember, I have thrilled at the words written in the Doctrine and Covenants section 58 verses 26-29.

For behold it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward. Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness; For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward. But he that doeth not anything until he is commanded, and receiveth a commandment with a doubtful heart, and keepeth it with slothfulness, the same is damned.

The pronouncement from Deity that we are agents and that as such we should choose, for ourselves, to do many good things, is very exciting! In these words our loving Father in Heaven points to limitless opportunities for us to learn, grow, serve and become his wise servant. We have the whole world before us along with all of its resources so that we can make of our lives anything we choose! Our Father does not stop with these words of opportunity, he goes further to remind us that as His offspring, we are beings of power! The power is in us—both to choose and to act—to bring about much good. Even the final verse, which seems to be somber warning is really liberating guidance—a reminder to dive in with full purpose of heart, to act energetically and enthusiastically.

Along with these verses from the Doctrine and Covenants, the parable of the Talents as taught in Matthew 25:15-30 reminds us of the eternal law of stewardship. If we are good stewards over few things, the Lord can make us masters to rule over many things. As missionaries learn to keep apartments clean, they learn essential principles of stewardship that allows the Lord to bless them with comfortable and beautiful homes in their mature years. Being a good steward of the mission schedule prepares young men and women to perform well in school and career. When we choose to act as faithful stewards over small things we prepare ourselves for greater opportunities.

Elders and Sisters, because Sister Baird and I love you, we want for you all the choice blessings our Father has reserved for you and all that he has promised you in your patriarchal blessings. Learn now that you are agents—actors and that you are imbued with power. Learn now that when you act with energy and enthusiasm in your righteous choices God will bless you with peace, love, prosperity and success in both time and eternity. May He bless you to that end is our prayer for you,

In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

President Baird