‘God Is Mindful of His People,’ Primary General President Tells Missionaries

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By Aimee Cobabe, Church News

Primary General President Susan H. Porter of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints told new missionaries at the Provo Missionary Training Center how their service as missionaries can bring them closer to the Savior so they can experience deeper joy and greater thanksgiving.

She repeatedly testified that “God is mindful of His people” while telling stories of how she has learned this in her own life.

While in the Dominican Republic earlier this year, President Porter met a woman from Haiti who told her that the members of the Church in Haiti were happy to have a temple in their nation, even though there was a temple in the Dominican Republic on the same Caribbean island they could attend.

“She said, ‘I bear witness that the Lord was mindful of us, because now in spite of the chaos and corruption in that nation, members in Haiti can go to the temple,’” President Porter quoted.

“The Lord is mindful of them,” she said.

President Porter also told the story of a young returned missionary in Ghana who was struggling to find a job and support his new wife. They were essentially homeless, living in the hallway of a family member’s home. But he was eventually hired as a part-time seminary teacher after going to the temple and sharing with Heavenly Father how he had honored every covenant he had made.

“God will never give up on helping us when we have made covenants,” President Porter said. “God is mindful of every person. Even a young couple, who the only thing they had was a tiny space in a tiny hole in a small home in Accra, Ghana.”

‘Jesus Loves Me’

President Porter asked the missionaries to sing “Gethsemane” together and invited several missionaries to share their thoughts.

One elder stood and said the words in the song, “Jesus loves me,” pierced his heart.

“That’s why He did it,” President Porter said. “That price he paid was for every single one of us. He did it out of love.”

Another sister missionary stood and said this was the first time it really hit her that Jesus loves her individually. “He loves me personally,” she said.

“When we experience heartache, sorrow, loneliness and suffering, we know who understands us — that it’s the Savior,” President Porter said.

Joy and Great Thanksgiving

President Porter pointed out to the missionaries how Ammon in the Book of Mormon learned that God is mindful of all people across the earth — which filled him with joy and great thanksgiving.

Ammon glories in the Lord for His blessings in Alma 26:37: “Now my brethren, we see that God is mindful of every people, whatsoever land they may be in; yea, he numbereth his people, and his bowels of mercy are over all the earth. Now this is my joy, and my great thanksgiving; yea, and I will give thanks unto my God forever.”

Joy comes from and because of Jesus Christ, President Porter said.

“That is why our missionaries leave their homes and preach His gospel — our missionaries teach and baptize to bring joy to the world,” she said.

President Porter also told the story of an experience her son, Chris, had on his mission in Russia. On Christmas morning, the landlady of two elders told them they needed to leave immediately. When President Porter asked her son what his thoughts were that morning, moving the two elders out of their apartment, he told her that they were full of joy and peace.

“We were sure we were out doing the Lord’s work with His Spirit and His joy,” he told her.

In a final story, President Porter discussed the time surrounding the passing of her husband, Elder Bruce D. Porter, eight years ago. The two were serving in Moscow, Russia, when he became sick and was placed in intensive care in an induced coma. Sister Porter would take the subway for an hour in the dark and bitter cold, standing out clearly as a foreigner, then walk a few blocks to the hospital to sit by him all day. But she never felt alone or afraid.

Years later as she reflected on this experience, she said the Spirit spoke to her heart and said: “I did this for you.”

“He gave me a gift,” she said. “He was mindful of me in my situation. It wasn’t my strength, it wasn’t my fortitude — it was our Heavenly Father giving me a gift.”

The missionaries could also receive many gifts from Heavenly Father on their missions, President Porter promised.

“I pray you will come to know as I did that God is mindful of every people in every nation,” she said. “And that includes you.”

The Lord’s Comfort

President Porter’s son Chris Porter also spoke to the missionaries, referencing Alma 26:27, which reads: “Now when our hearts were depressed, and we were about to turn back, behold, the Lord comforted us, and said: Go amongst thy brethren, the Lamanites, and bear with patience thine afflictions, and I will give unto you success.”

Brother Porter testified that “no matter how challenging our personal circumstances, we can be confident that if we are on the side of Christ, we will be victorious through him.”

He encouraged the missionaries to turn to this scripture during difficult times.

“Pondering God’s word in a difficult moment could be one of the many ways we can gain the victory through Him who redeemed us,” he said.

What Missionaries Learned

Sister Kayley Warr, assigned to the Massachusetts Boston Mission, said she learned how “Christ is the source of our joy.”

“That was a great reminder to me and I think it’ll be a great reminder on my mission to remember that even when it gets hard, we can find that joy and that peace in Christ,” she said.

Elder Arthur Tilley, who was going to the Brazil Santos Mission, was most impressed by President Porter's message about the importance of trusting in the Lord.

“The Lord will work through me and I will be able to bring others unto Christ in ways that I may not understand,” he said.

Sister Keirsen Spencer, assigned to the Alabama Birmingham Mission, was inspired to think more of the Savior’s love for each person individually.

“And that’s what we’re supposed to do; we’re supposed to serve others individually,” she said.

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