Elder Mervyn B. Arnold
Of the Seventy
May each quorum and each
one of us individually . . . follow the example of our Lord and Savior
to "take . . . him that is weak, . . . that he may become strong also."
Brother José de Souza Marques was the type of leader who truly understood
the principle taught by the Savior: "And if any man among you be strong
in the Spirit, let him take with him him that is weak, that he may be edified
in all meekness, that he may become strong also" (D&C 84:106).
As a member of the branch presidency in Fortaleza, Brazil, Brother Marques
with the other priesthood leaders developed a plan to reactivate those who
were less active in his branch. One of those who was less active was a young
man by the name of Fernando Araujo. Recently I spoke to Fernando, and he told
me of his experience:
"I became involved in surfing competitions
on Sunday mornings and stopped going to my Church meetings. One Sunday morning
Brother Marques knocked on my door and asked my nonmember mother if he could
talk to me. When she told him I was sleeping, he asked permission to wake
me. He said to me, 'Fernando, you are late for church!' Not listening to
my excuses, he took me to church.
"The next Sunday the same thing happened,
so on the third Sunday I decided to leave early to avoid him. As I opened
the gate I found him sitting on his car, reading the scriptures. When he
saw me he said, 'Good! You are up early. Today we will go and find another
young man!' I appealed to my agency, but he said, 'We can talk about that
later.'
"After eight Sundays I could not get rid of
him, so I decided to sleep at a friend's house. I was at the beach the next
morning when I saw a man dressed in a suit and tie walking towards me. When
I saw that it was Brother Marques, I ran into the water. All of a sudden,
I felt someone's hand on my shoulder. It was Brother Marques, in water up
to his chest! He took me by the hand and said, 'You are late! Let's go.'
When I argued that I didn't have any clothes to wear, he replied, 'They are
in the car.'
"That day as we walked out of the ocean, I was touched by Brother Marques's
sincere love and worry for me. He truly understood the Savior's words: 'I will
seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will
bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick' (Ezekiel
34:16). Brother Marques didn't just give me a ride to church—the quorum made
sure I remained active. They planned activities that made me feel needed and
wanted, I received a calling, and the quorum members became my friends."
Following his reactivation, Brother Araujo went on a full-time mission and
has served as bishop, stake president, mission president, and regional representative.
His widowed mother, three sisters, and several cousins have also entered the
waters of baptism.
When speaking about the work of the Aaronic Priesthood quorums in his ward,
Brother Araujo, who is once again serving as a bishop, stated:
"Our rescue work is the focus in all three
quorums of the Aaronic Priesthood. We have a list of each one of our lost
sheep. The quorum presidencies, advisers, and bishopric divide up and go
visit them on a regular basis. We visit not only the less-active members,
but we also visit the nonmembers in less-active or part-member families.
"Activities are organized to reach each young
man. We discuss each young man in our quorum presidency meetings and in our
monthly bishopric youth committee meetings. In 2003 we managed to rescue
five priests, one teacher, and two deacons, who are now active in their quorums.
We have also reactivated some families and have enjoyed the blessing of seeing
some nonmembers enter the waters of baptism."
As I reflected on the desire of these priesthood brethren to fulfill their
sacred duties, spending the bulk of their time ministering instead of administering,
these words of the Savior came into my mind:
"For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat:
I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
"Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison,
and ye came unto me" (Matthew
25:35–36).
The Savior's example of going the extra mile to
find His lost sheep is evident throughout the scriptures. "What man
of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the
ninety and nine and go into the wilderness after that which is lost, until
he find it?" (Joseph Smith
Translation, Luke
15:4). The Good Shepherd knew when one of His sheep was missing: "He
numbereth his sheep, and they know him" (1
Nephi 22:25), "and he
calleth his own sheep by name" (John
10:3). He went "into the wilderness," which
at times has been defined as "a confusing multitude or mass" (Merriam-Webster's
Collegiate Dictionary, 11th ed. [2003], "wilderness," 1432),
and He searched for that which was lost.
We are not told how long it took the Good Shepherd
to find the lost sheep or if others helped in the search, but we do know
that they "[knew] his
voice" (John 10:4) and that He loved them. We also know that He did
not give up, that He did "go . . . after that which [was] lost,
until he [did] find it," and that when He returned, the lost
sheep was safely on His shoulders. And then He exclaims, "Rejoice with
me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say unto you, that likewise
joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth" (Luke
15:6–7).
In Ezekiel chapter 34 we read the prophet's warning voice:
"And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, . . .
" . . . Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that
do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks? . . .
"My sheep wandered through all the mountains,
and upon every high hill: yea, my flock was scattered upon all the face of
the earth, and none did search or seek after them. . . .
"As I live, saith the Lord God, surely because
my flock became a prey, and my flock became meat to every beast of the field,
because there was no shepherd, neither did my shepherds search for my flock;
. . .
" . . . I will require my flock at their
hand" (vv.
1–2,
6, 8, 10; emphasis added).
The Lord has always required that those He entrusts
with His holy priesthood, including fathers, quorum leaders, and quorum members,
be held accountable for His flocks. Brethren, we must search and seek out
our flocks, and we must not allow our flocks to become "meat to every
beast of the field."
In section 20 of the Doctrine and Covenants the Savior teaches us many of
our duties as priesthood holders and quorum members. The following action words
and phrases underline His sense of urgency: "watch over," "take
the lead," "expound," "visit the house of each member," "pray," "strengthen," "warn," "send," "teach," "exhort," "baptize," and "invite
all to come unto Christ" (vv.
42, 44, 46–47, 53, 59, 81–82; emphasis
added).
I also felt the urgency in President Hinckley's
voice when he stated, "Let
us, every one, resolve within ourselves to arise to a new opportunity, a new
sense of responsibility, a new shouldering of obligation to assist our Father
in Heaven in His glorious work of bringing to pass the immortality and eternal
life of His sons and daughters throughout the earth" ("Find
the Lambs, Feed the Sheep," Liahona, July 1999, 124; Ensign, May
1999, 110).
I am grateful for the example of the Good Shepherd,
who did not give up until He had His lost sheep safely home; for the examples
of President Thomas S. Monson, who while serving as a bishop left his flock
in the care of the adviser and went to the West Temple Garage to rescue Richard
from a grease pit (see "The
Aaronic Priesthood Pathway," Ensign, Nov. 1984, 41); of Brother
Marques, who rescued Fernando from the ocean; of a quorum adviser and various
quorum members I am well acquainted with who knocked on Scott's bedroom window
every Sunday morning for six months, fellowshipped and loved him, until Scott
returned to the fold; and for the examples of many of you who have gone the
extra mile until you have found that which was lost. Your efforts will have
an eternal effect on the lives of your quorum members and their posterity for
generations to come. They will be living testimonies of the promise given by
the Savior when He said: "Feed the flock of God which is among you, . . . and when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory
that fadeth not away" (1
Peter 5:2, 4), "that you may bring souls
unto me, that you may rest with them in the kingdom of my Father" (D&C
15:6), and "how great will be your joy" (D&C 18:16).
May each quorum and each one of us individually,
working in conjunction with the councils of the Church, follow the example
of our Lord and Savior to "take . . . him that is weak, . . . that he may become strong also" (D&C
84:106). I bear humble witness that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, that
the Book of Mormon is scripture, that President Gordon B. Hinckley is indeed
a prophet of God, that Jesus Christ is the Redeemer and the Good Shepherd,
and that He lives. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Previous
