Presidency Message

Have I Done Any Good Today?

Tiara Dominguez

What a wonderful and inspiring General Conference weekend! We are so blessed to have the guidance and direction of our prophet and apostles in these latter days. As I listened to the talks, it seemed that service was a common theme throughout the conference. Elder M. Russell Ballard gave a great talk about service. Here are a few of his comments:

"What are the precious, simple things of the gospel that bring clarity and purpose to our lives? What are the flecks of gospel gold whose patient accumulation over the course of our lifetime will reward us with the ultimate treasure—the precious gift of eternal life?

I believe there is one simple but profound—even sublime—principle that encompasses the entirety of the gospel of Jesus Christ. If we wholeheartedly embrace this principle and make it the focus of our lives, it will purify and sanctify us so we can live once again in the presence of God.

It is only when we love God and Christ with all of our hearts, souls, and minds that we are able to share this love with our neighbors through acts of kindness and service—the way that the Savior would love and serve all of us if He were among us today.

The love the Savior described is an active love. It is not manifested through large and heroic deeds but rather through simple acts of kindness and service."

http://lds.org/general-conference/print/2011/04/finding-joy-through-loving-service/?lang=eng

With the recent natural disasters, my thoughts have turned to those suffering and affected. We had a great Humanitarian Aid Relief Society meeting last week where we were able to create some much needed items for those in need. Sometimes it is hard to know what we can do to serve when we have so much going on in our own lives and with our families. With a new baby, I have not been able to get out and serve in the community the same way I was able to when I was single. But I have been reminded lately of a quote my mom had on the wall in our house growing up. It is one of my favorites and a good reminder of the influence that we can have within our own homes. President Harold B. Lee said, "The most important of the Lord's work that you will ever do will be the work you do within the walls of your own home."

I challenge all of us to find a new way to serve in our own homes this week, and let our families know of our love for them. “… Unless we lose ourselves in service to others, there is little purpose to our own lives”.

Here are a few fun suggestions of ways to show love and service to our families and others:

http://www.brightfutures.org/mentalhealth/pdf/families/mc/love_your_child.pdf

http://www.cumulus-soaring.com/paul_remde/50_ways.pdf

http://www.christysclipart.com/wwwroot/50ways.html