Elder ZJones: Being a Shepherd

This week was better than last week! Thanks for your prayers.

This week we baptized two people, Gabriel and Miguel. They were super excited. Gabriel is 23 years old. A lot of people in the ward know him. He was happy. Miguel enjoyed it as well. He can barely see and walk so it is always hard for him. On Sundays, we are literally helping him everywhere so that he can go to the bathroom, sit down, get to his classes, etc. It is hard because there are only like two other members that help us with him. All the other members just watch us! jaja what are you going to do??

For preparation day, it was my companions birthday! He turned 23 years old. He wanted to go back to his old stomping grounds, Lujan 2. So we went and visited converts and families there. It was fun.

This past week, I almost gave a talk in church about missionary work. But the bishop, at the last second, said I didn't have to because a member from the high council came.

I was reading a talk by Elder Gary A. Stevenson this week that I was going to share in my talk I didn't give. I want to share it with you.

As children of a loving Heavenly Father and as sheep in His flock, we enjoy the blessing of being individually ministered to by Jesus Christ. Simultaneously, we have a responsibility to provide ministering assistance to others around us as shepherds ourselves. We heed the words of the Lord to 'serve me and go forth in my name, and … gather together my sheep.'

Who is a shepherd? Every man, woman, and child in the kingdom of God is a shepherd. No calling is required. From the moment we emerge from the waters of baptism, we are commissioned to this work. We reach out in love to others because it is what our Savior commanded us to do. Alma emphasized: “For what shepherd … having many sheep doth not watch over them, that the wolves enter not and devour his flock? … Doth he not drive him out?”11 Whenever our neighbors are in distress temporally or spiritually, we run to their aid. We bear one another’s burdens that they may be light. We mourn with those who mourn. We comfort those who stand in need of comfort. The Lord lovingly expects this of us. And the day will come when we will be held accountable for the care we take in ministering to His flock.

We have a lot to do. The Lord needs our help. He needs to use us to teach his children. We are shepherds and He needs us to find His sheep. Like He explains, He knows all His sheep by name. He needs us to create our own flock and know them by name.