The Wake-up Call

On a Sunday in August 2014, as I sat in the compound of our residence reading a book, I noticed a group of people of my age group being led by someone older in white shirt and ties approaching me. There were about seven of them, and I felt uneasy. The men who stood in front of me were the young men of my ward being led by the president of the quorum.

All I wondered was what they were doing there. They were very happy to see me. They told me they had missed me and that the Lord needed me in His fellowship. They spoke to me about passing the sacrament and other youth activities. They then encouraged me to come to church.

I had not been active in the Church for about two years since my baptism in 2011, and I felt I had lost my path in the things of the Lord. Throughout all those times I felt like there was nowhere to look for help, that there was no one to come to my aid and that there was no turning back for me. I always had the desire to return to the Lord but often felt it was too late. When I arrived at church for sacrament meeting the following Sunday, I felt both shy and ashamed, but everyone greeted me lovingly with smiles. It was then I realized that the Lord had just used the selfless hearts of my fellow young men in a reactivation effort, as a wake-­up call to return one of His lost sheep to His fold.

I am filled with gratitude for the noble and selfless men out there, like the young men quorum members who visited me on that day, who are also putting in all their efforts to call upon other members who have fallen away from the faith. Indeed, Heavenly Father remembers His children, wherever they may be. Today I am at the point of completing my mission, having been used as an instrument in the Lord’s hands to bring many to the light of the gospel. It has been such a wonderful experience for me.