The Gift of the Gospel

By Henry B. Eyring

First Counselor in the First Presidency

From an April 2003 general conference address.

President Eyring encourages us to share the gospel.

Saturday is a market day across the world. In Ghana, Ecuador, and the Philippine Islands, people bring produce and handicrafts to town to sell. They talk with those they meet on the road. Among those are Latter-day Saints. Much of their talk would be the same as you would hear anywhere in the world. But there will be a difference in the Latter-day Saints. It would be noticeable in their eyes as much as in their words. They listen carefully with the look of someone who cares.

If the conversation lasts more than a few minutes, it would turn to things that matter deeply to both of them. They would talk of what they believe brings happiness and what brings sadness. Sometimes the Latter-day Saint would be asked, “Why are you so much at peace?” And then there would come a quiet answer. Perhaps it would be about Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, appearing to the young boy Joseph Smith. It might be about the resurrected Savior’s loving ministry, as described in the Book of Mormon.

You might ask, “How could I do that? How could I become better at sharing my faith?”

I’ve studied carefully and prayerfully some who are faithful and effective witnesses of the Savior and His Church. There is no single pattern in what they do. Some always carry a Book of Mormon to give away. Others set a date to find someone for the missionaries to teach. Each has prayed to know what to do.

To do what we are to do, we will have to become like them in at least two ways. First, they feel that they are the beloved children of a loving Heavenly Father. Because of that, they turn to Him easily and often in prayer. Second, those who speak easily of the gospel are grateful disciples of Jesus Christ. They prize what the gospel has meant to them. The memory of the gift they have received makes them eager for others to receive it. They have felt the love of the Savior.

Pray for the chance to encounter people who sense there could be something better in their lives. Pray to know what you should do to help them. Your prayers will be answered. You will meet people prepared by the Lord. And you will feel yourself drawing closer to your Heavenly Father, knowing you have done what He asked of you, because He loves you and trusts you.

Illustration by Sheri Lynn Boyer Doty