Area Leadership Message
Service, an Expression of Our Love for God
I learned at an early age while growing up in a small village in the north of the Dominican Republic how service could be an expression of our love for God. I was the youngest of 10 siblings. Our family resources were not abundant, however our mother set an example of great faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, there was always enough for our needs and in a miraculous way there was also enough to give to others.
In my mind people came to my childhood home in a random way, but my mother always had something to offer. “Doña Negra”, is what everyone called her. She had God’s love in her heart and that was enough to bless everyone around her.
When I think about this it reminds me of the words of the Prophet Joseph Smith, who said, “A man filled with the love of God, is not content with blessing his family alone, but ranges through the world, anxious to bless the whole human race.”1
That was the attitude I saw in my beloved mother.
At the age of 15, after the death of my father, one of my brothers, Toribio Castaños, took me to live in his house and took me in like a son. At that time, he had already been a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for several years. He made sure I went to church and received lessons of salvation through the missionaries. This has been the greatest and most significant service I have received in this life. I love my brother Toribio and I will be eternally grateful to him for putting all his effort into helping me to embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ and thus changing the course of my life.
In expressing myself in the first person, I am trying to convey my thanks for the love of our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. We have all been blessed in some way by the service of others and we can all bless someone, showing interest and love for their needs, knowing often this will involve some kind of sacrifice on our part.
In ministering among men, Jesus’s life is a shining reflection of goodness. “I am among you as he that serveth.” (Luke 22:27), Jesus declared as He restored vigor to the limbs of the crippled, sight to the eyes of the blind, hearing to the deaf, and life to the body of the dead.
Through the parable of the good Samaritan, the Master taught us to love our neighbor as ourselves. Through His response to the rich young ruler, He taught us to divest ourselves from selfishness. By feeding the 5,000, he taught us to tend to the needs of others. And through the Sermon on the Mount, he taught us to seek first the kingdom of God.
In the new world, the resurrected Lord declared, “you know the things that ye must do in my church; for the works which ye have seen me do that shall ye also do; for that which ye have seen me do even that shall ye do.” (3 Nephi 27:21).
Before His Ascension into heaven, the Savior emphasized to Simon Peter who would remain at the head of His Church. “So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon son of Jonas, lovest. thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.” (John 21:15).
The Savior repeated it twice more. Peter’s answer the last time was, “Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep. (John 21:17).
It is my prayer that when it is our turn to stand before the Savior Jesus Christ we may respond like Peter: Lord you know everything, You have seen how I strive to serve my family in my home. I have endeavored to manifest Your love to them, but not only that, You know that I have dedicated myself to feeding Your sheep through the many opportunities for service I have formally received in Your Church. Lord, You are a witness to how I have ministered with love and dedication to the people assigned to me and even more to those around me: co-workers, fellow students, neighbors, etc., I have always treated them with love and strived to serve them.
My beloved brethren, how blessed we are for these opportunities to serve others, I am grateful for each of them, especially for having served a full-time mission. Because of that opportunity, I got to know my Savior, Jesus Christ, better, and have developed a greater love for His gospel. Through service I have experienced the great love that Heavenly Father and the Savior, Jesus Christ, have for us. I testify of this great love our Father has for His children. Jesus Christ is the perfect example of service, He lives and loves us, He gave His life for us and asks us to love one another. I testify that he has a spokesman on the earth, President Russell M. Nelson, who is an ongoing example of love and service.