Called to Serve

Six weeks before the revelation, found in the 34th section of the Doctrine and Covenants, Orson was baptized by his older brother, Parley P. Pratt.   The lord loved Orson Pratt, as he loves all of His missionaires. Here was the lord's profound message to Orson…likened unto Elder Ted Galbraith.

vs 1. My son Ted, hearken and hear and behold what I, the Lord God, shall say unto you, even Jesus Christ your Redeemer;

vs 2. The light and the life of the world, a light which shineth in darkness and the darkness comprehendeth it not;

 vs 3. Who so loved the world that he gave his own life, that as many as would believe might become the sons of God. Wherefore you, Ted, are my son;

vs 4. And blessed are you because you have believed; 

vs 5.  And more blessed are you because you are called of me to preach my gospel, in Mexico City

vs 6. To lift up your voice as with the sound of a trump, both long and loud, and cry repentance in Mexico City, preparing the way of the Lord for His second coming.

vs 7. For behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, the time is soon at hand that I shall come in a cloud with power and great glory.

Vs 8. And it shall be a great day at the time of my coming."

So I Elder Galbraith go forth to serve the people of Mexico City.  Will it be easy?

President Henry B Eyring said this:

“With all the differences in our lives, we have at least one challenge in common. We all must deal with adversity. There may be periods, sometimes long ones, when our lives seem to flow with little difficulty. But it is in the nature of our being human that comfort gives way to distress, periods of good health come to an end, and misfortunes arrive. Particularly when the comfortable times have gone on for a while, the arrival of suffering or the loss of material security can bring fear and sometimes even anger.

The anger comes at least in part from a feeling that what is happening is unfair. The good health and the serene sense of being secure can become to seem deserved and natural. When they vanish, a feeling of injustice can come. Even a brave man I knew wept and cried out in his physical suffering to those who ministered to him: “I have always tried to be good. How could this happen?”

That aching for an answer to “How could this happen?” becomes even more painful when those struggling include those we love. And it is especially hard for us to accept when those afflicted seem to us to be blameless. Then the distress can shake faith in the reality of a loving and all-powerful God. Some of us have seen such doubt come to infect a whole generation of people in times of war or famine. Such doubt can grow and spread until some may turn away from God, whom they charge with being indifferent or cruel. And if unchecked, those feelings can lead to loss of faith that there is a God at all.

My purpose today is to assure you that our Heavenly Father and the Savior live and that They love all humanity. The very opportunity for us to face adversity and affliction is part of the evidence of Their infinite love. God gave us the gift of living in mortality so that we could be prepared to receive the greatest of all the gifts of God, which is eternal life. Then our spirits will be changed. We will become able to want what God wants, to think as He thinks, and thus be prepared for the trust of an endless posterity to teach and to lead through tests to be raised up to qualify to live forever in eternal life.” End Quote

Like I said before, it’s all just a test of character, out Father In Heaven Knows us and he believes that we can pass his test and return home, but it isn’t just given to us, we have to prove it, and  I know at times that it just seems like too much, but I promise it is worth it, it will all pay off in the end. 

I can see this change in my life for sure, most of you know the story of my dear sister Erin, and I can honestly say that I know hell on earth, and that was it; for a time. It was the hardest time of my life for sure!  I hope I never have to experience something like that again and I hope I have it in me if I do. It never fully heals, a wound like that, but time works wonders for a person, and for a while I sat there and wondered why me? Why Her? But as time has gone on I have seen a whole new perspective, I can see that others have it way worse than I ever did. I can see that it’s our job to help those that have it that bad, to make it seem just a little less awful and let them know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, I can see that Heavenly Father needed Erin back home for a more important work and that the rest of us are to stay here and finish this work. 

In D&C 121:7-8 it says...

(And I’m sure that most of you know this one, and if not, take note!)

“My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment;

And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes.”

This scripture is so comforting to me, because when I freak myself out over small things, all I have to do is calm down and say, “listen dum dum, its all good, this scripture said so, and they don’t make stuff up.” And to know that in the long run all of our adversity and trials will be worth it.

 Proverbs 3:5-7 says...

5 ¶Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

As I go forth to teach the people of Mexico City I will trust in the Lord and bear with patience the challenges I face.  I know I can find comfort in the Lord!  I'm excited to serve and look forward to the experiences that lie ahead.

With Love,
Elder Galbraith