First, I’d like to try and define what it means to be a minister. I tried looking this up on google and the Webster Dictionary, but I wasn’t satisfied with what I found.
Fortunately I found a much easier way to define it. I am going to tell the story of Chy Johnson, a story first told by David L. Beck during the April 2013 General conference.
---”When Chy started high school [in 2012], she became the victim of cruel and thoughtless bullying. She was mistreated, shoved, and taunted as she walked to class—some students even threw garbage at her. You have probably seen people mistreated like this in your school too.
For too many people, the teenage years are a time of loneliness and fear. It doesn’t have to be this way. Fortunately for Chy, there were young men at her school who understood what it means to minister.
Chy’s mother had asked teachers at the school to help stop the bullying, but it continued. She then contacted Carson Jones, an Aaronic Priesthood holder and the starting quarterback of the football team. She asked him to help her find out who was doing the bullying.
Carson agreed to help, but in his heart he felt that he could do much more than just identify the bullies. The Spirit whispered to him that he needed to help Chy feel loved.
Carson asked some of his teammates to join him in ministering to Chy. They invited her to sit with them during lunch. They walked her to class to make sure she was safe. Not surprisingly, with football players as her close friends, no one bullied Chy anymore.
This was an exciting season for the football team. But even with the thrill of an undefeated season, these young men did not forget about Chy. They invited her to join the team on the field after games. Chy felt loved and appreciated. She felt safe. She was happy.
The football team went on to win the state title. But something more important than a football championship happened at their school. The example of these young men has motivated other students to be more accepting, more friendly. They now treat each other with more kindness and respect.
National news media found out what these young men had done and shared their story across the country. What began as an effort to minister to one is inspiring thousands of others to do the same.
Chy’s mother calls these young men “angels in disguise.” Carson and his friends are quick to say that Chy has blessed their lives much more than they blessed hers. That’s what happens when you lose yourself in serving others—you find yourself.2 You change and grow in ways that would not be possible otherwise. These young men have experienced the joy of ministering and continue to seek opportunities to bless others. They were anxious to extend their ministering in the coming months when they could serve as full-time missionaries.
Now, this is an amazing example of how we each should minister to others and this gives us the definition we were looking for. Ministering simply means to care for others as the Savior would. So how does the Savior care for us?
The first and biggest answer to this is that He cares for us by giving us the chance to be forgiven of our sins through His Atonement. And while this blessing in of itself is incomprehensibly amazing, the Atonement also gave Him the ability to understand us completely. As Dallin H. Oaks puts it, “Our Savior feels and knows our temptations, our struggles, our heartaches, and our sufferings, for He willingly experienced them all as part of His Atonement” (Dallin H. Oaks April 2021). It is because he willingly experienced all mortal pains and infirmities that he can know how to strengthen us in our afflictions.
This is how he ministers to each of us personally. He knows us, He knows what we need and when we need it. He is quite literally, the perfect minister. We can call him anytime of the day or night and he will never be too busy to help us. On top of that, He never forgets to check up on us, whether or not we open the door to Him. But even If we don’t immediately open the door He isn’t going to sigh and say “oh well, I tried.” NO, He is going to keep knocking and knocking until we decide to let him in. Sometimes we distract ourselves from His knocking, sometimes we tell ourselves that we are just imagining it, but the truth is… He is and will always be there, waiting for us to accept Him and allow him into our lives.
I have personally felt the Savior minister to me throughout my life. In times of fear I have been given faith, courage, and hope. In times of sadness I have felt love, peace, and comfort. He has also ministered to me through others, by giving me friends and family who love me and want to support me through my trials.
I’m grateful that I will get to go to Texas to minister to the people in that area. I know that it is my calling and my privilege to represent Jesus Christ and bring others unto him. I’m also very grateful for the examples that all of you have been for me. I’ve been blessed to grow up in a great family where I was taught to serve others and strive for Christlike qualities. I’ve also been blessed with many friends all over the place who have taught me similar lessons of being true disciples of Jesus Christ. You are all inspirations to me and I am eternally grateful for each and every one of you. Even recently I have felt blessed by your loving kindness towards me. I’m sure most of you have noticed that I have a couple scratches here and there from a recent biking accident. My face actually looks a lot better than my arm. While I was not seriously injured, I appreciate those that have helped me. I thank you for your wonderful example of being ministers and I hope you all know how much I truly appreciate you.
I’m grateful I have been able to speak on this subject and that I have been able to share my testimony of how the Savior ministers to us, because as we understand the love that the Lord has for us and how He continues to minister to us no matter what, it is my hope that it will give all of us the greater desire to serve others and be ministers to all of God’s children.
Brothers and Sisters, (testimony).
As I close, I’d like to share with you the scripture that will be displayed on my missionary plaque. (Alma 29: 9-10)
I leave these things with you...
Musical number "The Army of Helamen"
James Andros, Sadie and Madison Martinsen, Jenna and Brooke Andros, Asher and Tayvia Peterson
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