Finding Joy
We find joy in helping others find joy and happiness. Our joy is fulfilled in their joy. It is a selfless and fulfilling experience when we are thinking of others and rejoice with them. “Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of Father. For, behold, the Lord your Redeemer suffered death in the flesh; wherefore he suffered the pain of all men, that all men might repent and come unto him. And he hath risen again from the dead, that he might bring all men unto him, on conditions of repentance. And how great is his joy in the soul that repenteth! Wherefore, you are called to cry repentance unto this people. And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father! And now, if your joy will be great with one soul that you have brought unto me into the kingdom of my Father, how great will be your joy if you should bring many souls unto me!” (D&C 18:10-16 emphasis added.)
One sister expressed that joy upon seeing a new member baptized. The brother was deaf, but expressed his own joy when he came out of the water with a big grin on his face and a thumbs up sign. The sister recalled that at that moment she was filled with the greatest happiness possible, for she knew she had been instrumental in bringing joy to another of Heavenly Father’s children. We may not ever get to see such a statement of complete and utter happiness, but we can be assured that when we share the love of Christ, it will spread to those around us like wildfire, and there will be much rejoicing in Zion.
Alma expressed his joy, “I know that which the Lord hath commanded me, and I glory in it. I do not glory of myself, but I glory in that which the Lord hath commanded me; yea, and this is my glory, that perhaps I may be an instrument in the hands of Father to bring some soul to repentance; and this is my joy. And behold, when I see many of my brethren truly penitent, and coming to the Lord their Father, then is my soul filled with joy; then do I remember what the Lord has done for me, yea, even that he hath heard my prayer; yea, then do I remember his merciful arm which he extended towards me” (Alma 29:9-10 emphasis added). “But I do not joy in my own success alone, but my joy is more full because of the success of my brethren, who have been up to the land of Nephi. Behold, they have labored exceedingly, and have brought forth much fruit; and how great shall be their reward!” (Alma 29:14-15 emphasis added.)
We find joy in helping others find joy and happiness. Our joy is in the joy of others. It is a selfless and fulfilling experience when we are thinking of others and joy with them. Remember that whether it is a new convert, less active, or struggling saint that each is a precious child of God and we find joy in helping all to be truly converted to Christ the Lord.
As we begin this section I express my gratitude and love for the Lord and His goodness in allowing us to be participants in this great work. We take no credit but rather acknowledge the hand of God in all things. I would echo the words of Ammon, “I do not boast in my own strength, nor in my own wisdom; but behold, my joy is full, yea, my heart is brim with joy, and I will rejoice in my God. Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever” (Alma 26:11-12).
The Lord Is In Charge–The Holy Spirit Will Inspire You On What To Say
The Lord is ever with us by the power of the Holy Ghost we shall be given the words we need to say and how to say them. It is miraculous, as you shall see. It was about 1969 when a young girl named Susan Gerszewski came to see me. She began, “Bishop, you’ve got to take my name off the records of the Church.”
I said, “Oh, Susan, what’s wrong?”
“My brothers think I’m a dork for being here at BYU. I can’t stand the pressure when I go home, and my parents are wondering what’s gone wrong with me.”
All of a sudden, the Lord stepped in and words came out of my mouth like this: “Susan, I promise you that if you stay faithful, your brothers will join the Church and your parents’ hearts will soften.” Now how could I say that? I couldn’t. Only the Lord could.
She said, “Oh, I just don’t know, Bishop, I just don’t know.”
“Well, Susan, is The Book of Mormon true?” I asked.
“Well, of course it is, Bishop.”
“Do you love the Savior and do you believe in Heavenly Father?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Is the prophet the head of the Church today?”
“Of course.”
“Is this the true Church?”
“Of course it is. But I just can’t stand the pressure.”
I said, “Susan, will you be willing to try, because the Lord just gave you a promise.”
“Well, I guess I can try.”
That year she moved out of the ward and I lost track of her.
At BYU in 1972, I volunteered to teach another religion class, besides The Book of Mormon, before going to my dental office. It was the Gospel Principles and Practices class. There were about sixty students in the class, and life was going just merrily along. On the last day to drop the class, this student came up to me and he said, “I’ve got to drop your class.”
“How come?” I asked.
“Well, I’m on scholarship, and if I don’t get a B or a B+ I could lose my scholarship; and I got a C+ on the test. Besides, I’m not a Mormon.”
I looked at his little information sheet I had him fill out before class. He’d checked the “nonmember” box so close to the “member” box that somehow I’d missed it.
“Well Jim, you mean you’re just afraid you won’t get a B?” I asked.
He said, “Well, how can I? I’m not a member, and I just can’t risk it.”
“Jim, I’ve got an idea. Do you normally study once a week for this class?”
“Yes.”
“Would you mind studying with me Tuesday nights before Wednesday class for an hour?”
“Yes,” he said, “but what will that do?”
“Well, Jim, you want a B, right? Do you know who makes out the grade?”
He answered, “Well, you do.”
I smiled. “That’s right, Jim, I’m guaranteeing you a B or a B+.”
“You mean you’ll guaran . . .”
“I guarantee it. Look, I’m going to teach you extra Tuesday nights. If you’re in my house for an hour, well, I’ll make up the test too. I’ll even help you prepare for it. Jim, I’m guaranteeing you this.”
“That’s a deal,” Jim said. “I’m going to study with you.”
So Jim came up to my house, and this went on for a couple of weeks, and then one day he asked, “Hey, Brother Ed, could I bring my brother and my roommate up? I mean, you and I have banana splits and root beer floats and doughnuts every study night; we might as well have parties when you teach.”
And so I said, “You bet, you bring them up.”
We went along for four more weeks, and then this one night they came up and they were kind of kidding around a lot, so I said, “You guys are sure having a hoot tonight. What’s up around here?”
They looked at each other as if to say, “Okay, who’s going to tell him?” and then Jim finally said, “Brother Ed, we’ve been thinking, and we talked to our bishop, and we all want to be baptized. Will you baptize us and confirm us members of the Church next week?”
As I floated down from the ceiling I said, “Yes, Jim. I will, I will, I will.” Well, his name was Jim Gerszewski, but I’d mispronounced it and not made the connection. Jim was Susan’s brother. Susan was at the baptism, and joy was felt by all.
God our Father and Jesus Christ are in charge of everything on this earth. How could those words come out of my mouth, “Your brothers will join the Church”? How, two years later, could one of those brothers be in my class? There were over 20,000 students at BYU at the time. Why did I add that class to teach that semester? Why didn’t he drop the class from the religion office? Why did he get a low score and come and talk to me about dropping the class? The Lord’s hand is in all things that are good. All three boys served missions. All three were married in the temple and have served well. Yes, Jim and Don Gerszewski and Larry Kacher are stalwarts in the Church. The Spirit is the Key!
Set A Date
In 1984 Elder M. Russell Ballard was inspired with a revolutionary idea—“Set a date” to have someone prepared to hear the gospel by that date. I have used it many times and had a measure of success, so I thought I would have Elder Ballard come and speak to our UVU Institute and Student Stakes. It was about 1998 and we scheduled the McKay Center at UVU, about 8,000 people came. Elder Ballard inspired us all again to set a date and so we did. I was teaching three Missionary Preparation classes and all were geared up. The reports were coming in. One brother had befriended a Chinese sister, discussions were held, and the baptism was arranged. Another brother on the Internet had set his date and found someone, and then had contacted the missionaries in Alabama. The discussions were held and another baptism was planned.
My students asked me how I was coming? I had not only selected the date, but I had a name in mind. The problem was, I didn’t know where to find him. He’d been a student at UVU and had attended one of my classes but was never baptized. I knew he knew the Church was true, but now he was gone much to my sorrow. One day out of the blue I asked one of my classes if any of them knew a brother by the name of Jeff Lewis. To my surprise (no just another miracle) a brother said, “I know him. He is at BYU and is my friend’s roommate. I’ll get his phone number for you Wednesday.” Amazing. Instantaneous help from the Lord was given.
Wednesday came and I had Jeff’s number. I arranged for him to come see me at the Institute. It was great to see each other, and I asked how he was doing. Then the Spirit took over and I became a bold, but hopefully not overbearing, missionary. I mentioned that when I would look at him in class I knew he believed that what I said was true, and so I asked why we didn’t baptize him. He said that he hadn’t had a sure witness. We discussed what a sure witness of the truth was, and we agreed to visit the following week.
The following week we centered on coming to know the truth. We discussed and I told him not to look beyond the mark, that he was expecting too much. We talked about the feeling of peace. How he felt when he was in class? What questions he had about the gospel? Then I said, “You ask Heavenly Father if the gospel and the Church is true, and you will know by Christmas. I will call you Christmas day and we will plan your baptism for early in January.” And so we did.
On January 12th, I baptized Rod. He was thrilled and grateful. We talked about the process of conversion and he mentioned that he simply had to put away his doubts and fears so that his faith could carry him forward into the waters of baptism. Another miracle of the goodness of God in helping us assists in bringing His children back to His presence.
Take Time to Resolve Concerns
Kathy Breedlove had been a student of mine for two years. It was early in my teaching at BYU, and I had yet to serve on the missionary committee or as a mission president. I was naïve as to the commitment pattern and process to help people grow by making and keeping commitments. I had no idea how to resolve concerns. I was just teaching my classes, loving my students, and enjoying life. Some would be baptized and some wouldn’t, and I just went along doing what I thought was my best. After two years I couldn’t understand why Kathy wasn’t baptized. I knew she knew the gospel and the Church was true, so what was the problem?
Several months later I was speaking in Salt Lake at a fireside. As I was going into the chapel a young student recognized me and asked how everything was and then inquired, “Say Bro. Ed, did Kathy Breedlove ever get baptized?”
My heart ached as I said no, but promised that I would follow up. Following up is an important key to helping people make and keep commitments. That Sunday night as I was preparing for bed I prayed fervently to Heavenly Father and asked if the Holy Spirit could touch Kathy’s heart. Within seven hours and at approximately 6:30 a.m. the phone rang. It was Kathy asking me to come to her baptism. I was ecstatic with joy. The baptism was attended by many of her friends and my former students. I asked what took so long and she said she was afraid of what her grandma might say. So, one day she asked to her grandma what she would think if she were to be baptized a Mormon?
Her grandmother replied, “They are wonderful people, I think that would be fine.” Two years of wondering. What if I had asked her sooner if she had any concerns? Could I have saved myself the doubt and perhaps Kathy as well? I learned my lesson. Ask! Find out how your investigators and friends feel about the gospel. Find ways to help them resolve their concerns. It can be done without any offense in casual conversation, and it works to help people along the path of conversion.
The Truly Elect Of God Will Hear His Voice
There come those precious souls into your life that inspire you to be your best and then go on to set the example of being the ultimate Disciple of Christ and a missionary like unto Ammon. Such was the young student in my Book of Mormon class named Russ Greiner. He was a varsity tennis player and he agreed to play me. We had a great time as he kindly and gently beat me soundly without any fanfare. He was humble even in the competitive world of sports. I had volunteered to come early to help any of the students who were not members of the Church so they could do well in class, and so I could answer any questions they might have concerning The Book of Mormon. Russ met me faithfully before every class. He was easily entreated. He was attentive in class. He read and pondered the scriptures. He prayed to understand. His heart was pure. As we faithfully studied The Book of Mormon, I could see his countenance change. He was the perfect example of Alma’s declaration, “And now, as the preaching of the word had a great tendency to lead the people to do that which was just—yea, it had had more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword, or anything else, which had happened unto them—therefore Alma thought it was expedient that they should try the virtue of the word of God” (Alma 31:5 emphasis added). The great and grand converter The Book of Mormon had done it as it had done time and time again in my class. It was coming to the end of the semester, and as I looked into Russ’s eyes I knew. I simply announced to him, “Russ, it is time to be baptized.” He readily agreed and was baptized before Christmas.
He served an honorable mission. And from his journal we read, “The morning of February 27, 1975, Elder Ormsby and I prayed and fasted fervently that the Lord would lead us to someone He had prepared to receive the gospel. We left our apartment to begin proselyting, and got in our car. I said, “I feel impressed we should walk rather than drive.” After walking a considerable distance, we felt impressed to approach a green apartment complex and knock on a specific door. A woman named Rosie Wood answered. After we introduced ourselves she said, “No thanks,” and began to close the door.
My companion exclaimed, “Wait! We asked the Lord this morning to direct us to a pure in heart person, who would listen to our message. We have been led to your home.” Immediately she burst into tears. She informed us that she had spent the weekend in Casper, Wyoming, with her friend who had just been baptized into the Church. Rosie’s friend shared her conversion experience, and the blessings the gospel had brought into her life. Rosie invited us in and we gave her the first discussion. We came back that evening and taught her husband and children, Samantha (Sam) and Larry Jr. (Moose). They were very receptive and were subsequently baptized because they had been prepared to receive our message of truth.”
And the story continues, “On April 6, 2004, twenty-nine years later, I received a telephone call from Samantha. She lives in Highland, Utah. She and her mom wanted to locate the missionary who taught them the gospel. Samantha Wood Callier told me she is a BYU graduate, married in the temple, and active in the gospel.
That night Rosie Wood called my home. Rosie related that she has served faithfully in the Primary, Young Woman’s, and Relief Society auxiliaries since her conversion. She thanked me for bringing the gospel to her family both here and beyond the veil. Rosie explained that she and her husband have been ordinance workers in the Houston Texas Temple. They have submitted the names of 5,398 relatives to have their ordinance work done in the House of the Lord. Apostle Orson F. Whitney said, “There is no joy that can compare with that of a missionary who has been made the instrument for the salvation of a soul.” (Orson F. Whitney, The LDS Speaker’s Sourcebook, p. 282.)”
Is that amazing? Russ married a beautiful daughter of God in the holy temple. He has raised magnificent children, and has served in many callings in the Church. He recently changed professions to become a full-time Institute teacher. He is the perfect example of diligently seeking the will of God and then doing it. His letters, over the years, have been a strength to me. His devotion to our Heavenly Father and our Savior is legendary in his ward, where has served as bishop. These words will embarrass him, but prove the point of Jeremiah’s words: “when we choose to be His people, His words will be written in our hearts, and we will do His will.” Russ Greiner is one who has done it with all of his heart. Russ’s life has been one of great service as a wonderful husband, father, bishop, counselor in the mission presidency, and now a full-time institute teacher.
Bro Greiner has reported, “Since 1999 we have averaged between 15-19 convert baptisms each year at the Mission Viejo, California Institute of Religion. In seven months this year (2012-13) we have had 22 baptisms. A missionary minded Institute is vibrant and spirit filled. There are several things which promote this spirit. All our activities, from bonfires at the beach to karaoke night, are non-member friendly. All the students are encouraged to bring their friends. The full-time missionaries teach their investigators at the Institute with students present to fellowship. The lessons are scheduled just before or after Institute classes so they can attend. Each week we go to Saddleback College and set up our Latter-day Student Association table, and share Institute class schedules, copies of The Book of Mormon, pass along cards to students, and invite them to “come and see.” The full-time missionaries give a “missionary moment” at the big Tuesday night class to keep the work continually before us. In our Mission Prep classes we practice sharing the gospel skills and encourage the class members to invite their non-member friends to attend church, Institute, and read The Book of Mormon.” Miraculous!
Many Years Of Friendship And The Miracle Of Conversion
I met Hooshang and Mary Farahnkian and their sons in the middle ‘70s while they were here at BYU. They had quite a heartbreaking history of life in the Middle East with which they shared with me. Hooshang wrote, “Before anything else, let me open certain windows of my life before and after the Revolution, which took place on February1-19, 1979.
Like every flowering bud that opens and brings news from ever-changing nature, the revolution also brought a new and different ideology to Iranians, whose hearts were hopeful that the good old memories of greatness and glory of Iran be restored.
Unfortunately, the revolution could not fulfill the rightful desires of the younger generation; the flames of knowledge and wisdom gradually extinguished in their hopeful hearts.
My life before the revolution: I was told that the skies wept and the clouds moved in all different directions. In those difficult conditions, I opened my eyes in the historic city of Esfahan, Iran. I was sent to elementary and high school in the same city. I then went to Tehran, the capitol, to continue my higher education. In those fateful years, I could not find contentment in any society. Later I took an interest in sports, and soon found my place in the hearts of others.
My life after the revolution: In 1971 my wife, Mary Farahnkian, became valedictorian of the graduating students of the College of Fine Arts, University of Tehran. In 1972, she left the country, and with the help of the late Doctor Geddes, Chairman of Physical Education, at BYU (whom I knew while he was teaching at Tehran University), she had the good fortune to be accepted at BYU for doctoral work, while I continued my master’s degree in physical education. In 1977, we went back to Iran to serve the people. A week before the revolution, I brought my son to America. I stayed one year with him and in 1980 returned to my country. At that sensitive time, Sara Lee Gibb, the Chairman of the Dance and later Physical Education of BYU accepted our son to live with her family. My son also lived for a while in Salt Lake City with Francis Hatch. In 1981 Mary came to the United States to bring our son back to Iran, but then we decided that she should stay here. In 1982 I escaped from Iran. After facing horrendous challenges I finally reached the United States, as I will explain.
The Escape: Because I was a teacher I was not allowed to leave the country in those turbulent days…First with the help of a friend whom I had known since childhood, I tried to go illegally to Turkey, which has a common border with Iran. Unfortunately, I was arrested and for two weeks I was condemned to prison. I will not discuss here the details of what happened to me and other prisoners. Then I chose another way to escape. This time, as a group of escapees, we were caught by border guards who sent us directly to jail.
Without a passport I could not prove my identity to authorities. Thus I remained in prison in Turkey for four months. During this period of my life I tried to solve many of my problems with the help of faith and trust in God. When the time of my conviction ended and I was free to leave I did not know what to do or where to go.
One day, out of curiosity, I went to the United States Embassy in Istanbul, but they could not issue a visa for me.”
Hooshang telephoned Mary here in the United States, and she in turn called many of her friends. We started a campaign to help Hooshang. Senator Hatch came to our rescue and Hooshang was allowed to return to the United States, which, he calls the “Land of Freedom.”
Hooshang continues, “From those days to the present time the pains and sorrows of life have not ended. I always think about those Iranian political refugees who are wandering all over the world because of the despotic government that rules the country of Cyrus the Great, the founder of human rights.”
This search for freedom and truth helped Hooshang find the gospel. Now Hooshang has a message for the young people. “Appreciate your freedom and apply yourselves to your studies. Yes, challenges may be great, but through hard work and determination, you can prepare yourselves to serve humanity and prove yourselves worthy to be an American.”
Hooshang’s family was all together and our friendship and gospel conversations became deepened. Unknown to me, he and Mary had many friends fellowshipping them and their boys in the gospel. The Lord knew that they were precious so, he literally sent an army of friends. One day after a short visit, I told Hooshang it was time for them to be baptized. They readily agreed, and I arranged for the baptism. I suggested he invite his friends, and when they came that night the place was literally overflowing with friends and loved ones. We all celebrated the wonderful day. Now, thirty years later, we still joy in seeing each other. I asked him to write the short story of his life and with my three fingers typing it, my heart is full of gratitude for the tender mercies of the Lord in assisting Hooshang and his family so that they could partake of His glorious gospel. Life is good.
Some Converts Are Already Members
Many people struggle in trying to find themselves. They need to understand. Until we are humble enough to understand and appreciate the atonement we will never feel gratitude sufficient to move us to action and receive the love of God in our hearts. All of this was demonstrated in a tender moment while I was presiding at the Provo MTC. A young missionary was struggling in every way possible. He was frustrated, overwhelmed, and very anxious to go home. It was evident that he was not ready or prepared to serve as a missionary. The branch president explained that the young man was angry with everybody, his companion was distraught, the district was upset, and everyone was concerned with the young missionary and his behavior. I invited the young missionary to visit with me. He expressed distaste for the mission and the Missionary Training Center, and explained why he really didn’t want to come on a mission in the first place. We visited at length hoping I could assess his needs and his real concerns. He continually expressed his desire to go home and get out of this trying and troubling situation. Since we had several hours before he would be able to leave simply because of packing and transportation concerns I suggested that we visit.
I asked him questions like, “How do you feel about your Heavenly Father?” Indeed, he loved his Heavenly Father. “How do you feel about life?” Then he mentioned that he was distraught, discouraged, and overwhelmed. He didn’t like life. He didn’t understand life. He was beside himself. The Spirit taught me what to teach: teach of Christ; preach of Christ—all things of Christ. The magnificent and eternal atoning sacrifice and how it can heal us through its enabling power. For it is through Christ that we are nurtured and blessed. And so, for forty minutes we talked of the Lord Jesus Christ and His atoning sacrifice. The elder’s heart softened, his mind changed, his eyes lightened. His entire countenance changed.
After this lovely visit, I then again asked the question, “How do you feel?”
With tears streaming down his face, he said, “Oh President Pinegar, I want to serve a mission. I love my Heavenly Father and my Savior. I need help. I understand better the goodness and mercy of my Heavenly Father and my Savior in my life. I was so mixed up I wanted to get out of here, but not any more. I want to do it. I want to be a missionary.” A blessing was given. His heart was softened and reassured at the same time. He understood. He stayed and served his mission. He understood and appreciated the atonement and its power to heal. He had a mighty change because his heart was yearning for help and was empowered by the atonement and the power of the Holy Ghost.
The story doesn’t end. I saw him in the temple twenty-four years later, and he reminded me of this life changing moment. He is a mighty man of God. He radiates the love of God. He has the image of Christ in his countenance. With his beautiful wife beside him he told me how he has been a seminary teacher for many years and loving it. We embraced. Gratitude for the goodness of God filled our souls as we departed. My heart swelled with eternal joy for the tender mercies of God our Father and our Beloved Savior Jesus Christ. And life was good—Christ is the reason.
The joy of assisting our brothers and sisters to come unto Christ transcends our greatest expectations. Conversion is a miracle. May we all find joy in doing the Lords work of inviting all to come unto Christ is my constant prayer. We can be “member missionaries” hastening the work of salvation.
Conclusion
As we come to the end of this little journey I hope that we have come to the knowledge of some simple truths that can bring joy to our lives.
- The Lord really needs our help to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of the children of God.
- As the Seed of Abraham and saints of the last dispensation we have a duty to build up the Kingdom of God.
- The Lord will help us to overcome our fears and assist us in every aspect of sharing the gospel.
- We need to have the faith and courage to open our mouths and rely on the Lord and the Holy Spirit.
- We need to realize that we really can share the gospel in a normal and natural way.
- With love in our hearts and by the power of the Holy Ghost we will be able to share the gospel.
- The blessings of sharing the gospel bring joy, glory, and blessings to the member and those they assist in coming unto Christ.
All the work we do in the Kingdom of God is to bless Heavenly Father’s children, our brothers and sisters. This is what matters most that all may come unto Christ and be perfected in Him. This is the work of salvation and exaltation. This is the work of the Lord. This is the joy of life!