MEMBER VOICES
“Whom the Lord Calls, the Lord Qualifies”
“When we are on the Lord’s errand, we are entitled to the Lord’s help”.
President Thomas S. Monson (1927-2018) made it clear to members of the Church that the Lord will always support us in our callings. He said, “Whom the Lord calls, the Lord qualifies”.1
In 2018, I was called as the director of public affairs for Kenya and Tanzania. I had served on the public affairs committee, but this new assignment was completely overwhelming for me. I had held leadership roles in my work, but the role of being a public affairs director in a place where the Church is not well known and occasionally faced hostile media truly intimidated me.
Shortly after receiving my new calling, I was informed that the newly sustained prophet, President Russell M. Nelson, was embarking on a worldwide trip and that Kenya would be one of the places he would visit. We were further told that the Area Presidency had directed that the public affairs department would be leading the preparation for the prophet’s visit.
I went to my stake president. I told him how inadequate I felt. He listened carefully and then said, “If there was ever anyone that was fit to undertake the task, I have no doubt it is you, Sister Jepkemei. Speak to the Lord; He will direct you and He will help you.” My stake president then gave me a much needed and greatly appreciated blessing.
Our first task was to hold a news conference to inform the country about the coming of the prophet. This would be the first media event by the Church in Kenya. To our surprise, we had more than 15 attendees to the event. We also received invitations from the broadcast media houses to come and talk about the Church and the prophet’s visit. The stake president was assigned to represent the Church. In this instance, he had an emergency and was unable to attend. At the last minute, it became necessary for me to go in his place. I can’t express how intimidated I felt, but I went to the radio station and promised myself to only speak about what I knew and had experienced in the Church. I appeared on a morning radio broadcast program and spoke boldly about the Church. I was able to answer their questions with confidence. The broadcast went well and several people called the studios to ask how they might join the Church.
When President Nelson and his entourage arrived, he spoke to us and we felt the love of God’s prophet. Personally, I felt the truth of President Monson’s words that “When we are on the Lord’s errand, we are entitled to the Lord’s help.”2
There is no doubt in my mind that the planning of the Prophet’s visit succeeded, not because of our ability, for we had none. It succeeded because the Lord needed His work to succeed, and we offered ourselves, our inadequacies and all, to be instruments in His hands to bless the Saints in Kenya.
Through this sacred experience, I learned that whom the Lord calls, the Lord truly does qualify.