LOCAL LEADER MESSAGE
The Worth of a Soul
It is truly blessed to give by sharing the gospel.
As a child, I was always fascinated by the full-time missionaries’ ability to share the gospel with simplicity and efficiency. Later, as I became one of them, I experienced the power of personal testimony, and witnessed miracles produced by this great work. But I would definitely say it was at home, alongside my parents and siblings, that this experience was the most intense.
In his lifetime, my father had a special relationship with the Lord. And, having served for many years in the Church as a leader and as a seminary and institute teacher, he had gained experience in how to share the gospel. I remember he had established activities and/or traditions such as inviting neighbors to our family home evenings and to other activities. And during these activities, he could be heard sharing the gospel and bearing his testimony. Having been inspired by his example, it became a way of life for us. Several times, with help from full-time missionaries, we have been instruments in the hands of the Lord for some of His children who are still members of the Church today.
I cherish these experiences which allowed me to better understand ministering in all its splendor and simplicity, thereby gaining knowledge of the worth of a soul by applying the teachings full of wisdom contained in D&C 18:10, 15: “Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God; . . .
“And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!”
I can, therefore, affirm that I better understand Paul’s feeling when he says, “It is more blessed to give than to receive”1.
Through very personal and intense experiences, I know that taking the gospel to the ends of the earth, just as to the neighbor across the road, brings many blessings in our lives and in the lives of our family members. From that, we can better comprehend the emotions of Lehi who, after he had partaken of the fruit thereof, he began to be desirous that his family and others should partake of it also.2 It is so beautifully expressed by the words in Hymn 294, “Oh, there’s One who smiles on high”3. We can fulfill this duty with dedication, faithfulness, and charity.