“Everyone Needs the Gospel,” Liahona, July 2023.
Everyone Needs the Gospel
I had planned on serving a mission, but after college I thought I didn’t need to serve—until I got a job working with abused girls. Then I saw that everyone needs the gospel.
The Lost Coin, by Harold Copping © Providence Collection / licensed from GoodSalt.com
When I was in Primary, I cannot remember how many times my teachers asked who among us was going to serve a full-time mission. In my young mind I always said I would.
My mother showed me how important the gathering of Israel is by helping full-time missionaries teach and share the gospel. One time I joined her to find the home of a sister in the ward who hadn’t attended church for some time. We almost got lost because we didn’t know exactly where she lived. Instead of being irritated, my mother diligently looked for that sister’s home. Like the woman in the parable of the lost coin (see Luke 15:8–10), she found the sister and rejoiced.
The way my mother gave her best for the Lord’s work, not only in sharing the gospel but also in other Church callings, helped me realize that everyone must serve the Lord, even in small ways.
As the years went by, I graduated from seminary, received my Young Women medallion, graduated from college, and began to work. Little by little, the feeling of becoming a full-time missionary became less of a priority. Even though I was still active and magnified my Church callings, I said to myself, “It is OK not to serve a full-time mission because it is not my obligation. I’m a sister, and I can serve the Lord in many other ways.”
What Changed My Mind
When I was 22, I had an opportunity to work at a center where I served girls who had experienced abuse and neglect. I felt sorry for them. I saw how the abuse broke their hearts and destroyed their love for themselves. Some of them attempted suicide. Some of them didn’t want to trust anyone. Many of them had no hope in life and didn’t feel the Savior’s love.
I often asked myself, “Could these abuses have been prevented? What if their perpetrators had received the gospel? What if their parents had become members of the Church before these girls were born?” I realized that these girls might not have experienced these trials if their parents and perpetrators had received and lived the gospel.
Reflecting on these questions and working at the center helped me see that all people need the gospel. Just as the army of Helaman in the Book of Mormon fought to defend their faith and families, the Lord needs full-time missionaries to share His gospel and protect His kingdom.
The experiences I had with the girls at the center inspired me to walk the path where the Lord wanted me to go. I decided I needed to join the Lord’s missionary army. He saw this desire, and I was called to serve in the Philippines Cauayan Mission.
Serving a Mission
On my mission, I saw people change as they learned the gospel. I taught people who didn’t know how to forgive, who smoked and drank liquor, who had pride, who didn’t know how to pray. Because of the gospel, they left their old ways to be worthy of what God has promised: eternal life.
Because of the Savior’s Atonement, I learned that anyone can start on or return to the strait and narrow path if they repent. The gospel of Jesus Christ will help us change and progress toward perfection and be worthy of the great blessings that Heavenly Father has prepared for us. These changes could be from sadness to happiness, from chaos to peace, from anger to forgiveness, from weakness to strength, from hatred to love.
I feel so blessed to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The gospel of Jesus Christ helps me understand my worth as a daughter of heavenly parents, even in bad circumstances. Our Father in Heaven always comforts me through the Holy Ghost. The scriptures are my compass when I am confused and need to make decisions.
My family and I are striving to endure faithfully to the end. I am grateful to be married to a man who holds the priesthood and has a strong testimony of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. My covenant with the Lord is not just for myself but for my family and for His Kingdom.
The author lives in the Philippines.