Member Voices
What are Choices?
Choices: the word shouts out for action. The choice to walk to work or ride the bus, make dinner or go out to eat, be mean or be kind. There’s a required action from our choices, or is there?
In the April 2019 general conference, a story was shared about a group of students watching a dog while socializing in the park. This dog was captivated by a busy squirrel who was unaware that the dog was slowly closing in. The students pointed it out to one another and sat by and watched. After all it wasn’t their dog. Minutes later, to their horror, the dog had sprung forward and grabbed the poor squirrel between his teeth. The students rushed to save the squirrel, but they were too late. Disturbed by the experience, they all wished they had made the choice to act sooner.1
A lack of action is a choice. Whether we choose by acting or not acting, those choices have consequences. Branch President Jonathan Joel Torres Santos, and counselors Carlos Ortiz and Hilario Beltre, together with Young Women president, Sister Juana Lissette Falcón Saba, and counselors Vivian Guzman and Ana Luisa Valdez chose to act and make a difference.
In a monthly branch missionary meeting, the topic of discussion was a group of boys in the Don Gregorio neighborhood who would frequent the church to play ball, socialize, and on occasion venture into one of the Church’s activities. As leaders, it was decided to make a plan to involve these boys and others. Included in the plan were eight steps:
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Get to know their names and their families.
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Help others in the branch get to know them.
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Encourage youth members with common interests to get to know their needs, passions, and goals.
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Every week assign a youth to invite them to Church and offer to drive or walk with them.
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Invite them to activities of all kinds, including games, seminary, even trips to the temple.
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Opportunity given to the youth to speak in Church and to share their testimonies.
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Opportunities for service offered, allowing each person to be aware of others.
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Always follow Church guidelines.
Over time, many boys of varying ages came to play basketball at the church court. They weren’t members of the Church but were welcomed with open arms. It started with an evening of games in the parking lot followed by treats. Soon after, information was shared, and invites were given and accepted. One by one, nine boys came to Church and felt the Spirit. The boys were baptized, and as they came of age, received the priesthood. Today those nine boys wear a white shirt and tie as they perform priesthood ordinances and serve together in the Don Gregorio Branch.
This effort was a success because everyone in the branch felt that a choice was a call to action.