Little Acts of Care and Love Strengthen Our Lives

By Elder Eustache Ilunga

Area Seventy

“Just as for the widow of Zarephath whose flour was not lacking, and oil did not decrease, our little supplies at home did not dry up. We felt a sense of comfort and tranquillity—and that all would be well for our family.”

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the whole world, compelling us to change certain habits, and even our lifestyle. However, there are things it couldn’t change. It could not change our love for, and commitment to, God as well as our willingness to love, serve, and minister to one another. Moreover, our need to love, serve and minister to one another has never been as necessary and important.

I have always been amazed by the perfect example of service given by our Lord Jesus Christ. When the Savior visits the Nephites after His resurrection, he meets a group of two thousand and five hundred people there. In 3 Nephi chapter 17, however, we read that—despite the large number of people—the Savior manages to serve each individual. Let us briefly analyze a few verses from this chapter:

In verse 2, he notices that they are weak. In verse 5, he notices that they are in tears and he understands their need to request of Him to stay with them. In verse 7, he asks for all those who have special needs or problems—and asks that they be brought to him for healing. Verse 9 states that he heals each of them. In verse 11, he commands that little children be brought to him; and in verse 21, we read “He took their little children, one by one, and blessed them, and prayed unto the Father for them.”

From these few verses, we can understand and learn many things about service from the Savior himself:

Service focuses on the “little ones” and those who are weak.
When we have the desire to serve, the Holy Spirit can empower us to figure out the needs of others even if they are not expressed verbally.
Service consists of seeking out the needy.
Service means helping the individual, because even in the same family, each family member may have specific needs.

I remember a while ago, my companion and I were ministering in a family with people of various ages (at the time it was called home teaching). My companion would give the lesson from the First Presidency monthly message, and I would focus on the children, tailoring the lessons to their needs and level to make sure they understood. One day at the end of one visit, one of the parents expressed his gratitude for the fact these visits had a different meaning to their children—and even more meaning to the parents because we were meeting the needs of everyone in their home.

Speaking of the COVID-19 pandemic, Elder D. Todd Christofferson, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, said it was a time that required having “a constant consciousness of the well-being of those around you.”¹ Most of us experienced fear and worry due to the uncertainty caused by COVID-19. The confinement forced us to stay home to prevent all physical contact with others. In addition, this gave great opportunities to our family to express our love, to serve, and to minister. And we are grateful that we have sometimes made a resolution, as a family, to forget about ourselves for the benefit of other people. We ministered through technology, calling people we considered most affected by the crisis in order to comfort them and to hear about their needs. At times, it was just a few texts or social media messaging.

To prepare for the quarantine, like many people, we stocked up on basic items, and even some cash. But we learned that our desire to serve enabled us to reach out to others either on our own initiative or through their solicitation. Although we did not know how long the confinement would last, we didn’t hesitate to donate food and at times money from our small reserves, to a few families and people who were in need (of course, while taking necessary health precautions). The Savior’s instruction given to His new disciples whom He had chosen and called among the Nephites comforted us: “For, behold, ye are they whom I have chosen to minister unto this people . . . Take no thought for your life, what you will eat, or what you shall drink” (3 Nephi 13:25).

No words can express the reward we received. Just as for the widow of Zarephath whose flour was not lacking, and oil did not decrease (see 1 Kings 17:16); our little supplies at home did not dry up. We felt a sense of comfort and tranquillity during this difficult time and a sense of confidence that all would be well for our family. A brother wrote to us a little later: “I’ve been thinking about you today since the morning. I am realizing how your little acts of care and love strengthen our lives and give us the energy to continue with a happy heart. That counts. Thank you for these small means that your life abounds of during your services. You are listening. Please know that your little actions make a difference. Thank you.”

I testify that sometimes a simple word, a little message, a sweet smile, a piece of bread or a caring eye towards others make all the difference. Love and its corollary, service, are the very essence of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Eustache Ilunga was named an Area Seventy in April 2018. He and his wife, Mamie, are the parents of four children. Elder and Sister Ilunga live in Kinshasa, The Democratic Republic of the Congo.