Marcos A Aidukaitis | Lift Up Your Heart and Rejoice | April 2022 | General Conference Saturday

Lift Up Your Heart and Rejoice
By Elder Marcos A. Aidukaitis

Of the Seventy

We were born at this time for a divine purpose, the gathering of Israel.

Speaking to Thomas B. Marsh, a recent convert, the Lord said encouragingly, “Lift up your heart and rejoice, for the hour of your mission is come” (Doctrine and Covenants 31:3).

I believe this invitation can serve as an inspiration for all members of the Church. After all, we have each received from our Heavenly Father the mission of gathering Israel on both sides of the veil.

“That gathering,” President Russell M. Nelson has said, “is the most important thing taking place on earth today. Nothing else compares in magnitude, nothing else compares in importance, nothing else compares in majesty.”1

Certainly, there are many worthy causes in the world. It is impossible to name them all. But wouldn’t you like to participate in a great cause within your reach and where your contribution makes a vital difference? The gathering makes an eternal difference to all. People of all ages can participate in this cause regardless of their circumstances and where they live. There is no other cause in the world more inclusive.

Speaking specifically to the youth, President Nelson said that “our Heavenly Father has reserved many of His most noble spirits—perhaps … His finest team—for this final phase. Those noble spirits—those finest players, those heroes—are you!”2

Yes, you have been prepared from before this life and born now to participate in the great work of the gathering of Israel on both sides of the veil in these latter days (see Doctrine and Covenants 138:53–56).

Why is this cause so important? Because “the worth of souls is great in the sight of God” (Doctrine and Covenants 18:10). And because “whoso believeth in [Jesus Christ], and is baptized, the same shall be saved; and … shall inherit the kingdom of God” (3 Nephi 11:33). Furthermore, “all that [the] Father hath shall be given unto” those who receive His ordinances and keep His covenants (Doctrine and Covenants 84:38). In addition, “the labourers are few” (Luke 10:2).

Only in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints do we find the power, the authority, and the way to offer such a blessing to others, whether living or dead.

As President Nelson said: “Anytime you do anything that helps anyone—on either side of the veil—take a step toward making covenants with God and receiving their essential baptismal and temple ordinances, you are helping to gather Israel. It is as simple as that.”3

While there are many ways to help in the gathering, I would like to speak of one in particular: serving as a full-time missionary. For many of you, this will mean being a teaching missionary. For many others, it will mean being a service missionary. But the world tries to distract youth from this most sacred responsibility using fear and insecurities.

Some other distractions might be experiencing a pandemic, leaving a good job, putting off education, or being particularly interested in someone romantically. Everyone will have his or her own set of challenges. Such distractions can arise at precisely the time of embarking in the service of the Lord, and choices that seem obvious later are not always as easy in the moment.

I know from experience the troubled mind of such a young person. When I was preparing to go on my mission, some surprising forces tried to discourage me. One was my dentist. When he realized my appointment was so I could be a missionary, he tried to dissuade me from serving. I had not had the least notion that my dentist was against the Church.

The interruption of my education was also complicated. When I asked for a two-year leave of absence from my university program, I was informed that it was not possible. I would lose my place at the university if I did not return after one year. In Brazil, this was serious since the only criterion for admittance in a university program was a very difficult and competitive examination.

General Conference Saturday Afternoon Session April 2022

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