Discuss with Friends: How Great Will Be Your Joy

The transcription is a conversation between two individuals discussing a talk given by Elder Rasband titled "How Great Will Be Your Joy?" The talk focuses on senior couples serving missions and the need for more seniors to apply. The hosts discuss the importance of missionary work and share personal experiences. They also mention that not every senior couple may be able to serve due to health concerns, but emphasize the ongoing nature of missionary work. They encourage individuals to prepare for future missions and find ways to contribute to the gathering of Israel. Surely, the Lord God will do nothing, but He revealeth His secret unto His servants the prophets. How blessed we are to have a living prophet today. Brothers and sisters, the Savior declared, whether by my own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same. Welcome to Conference Chronicles, where we systematically take one conference talk per week from the previous conference and dissect it and learn from it. I'm your host, Taylor Lithgow, and I firmly believe that as we listen to and apply the Lord's teachings through His living prophets, we will fulfill the full measure of our creation and we will be prepared for the Lord at His second coming. So please join with me each week as we take this quest called Conference Chronicles. Hello everybody, and welcome to another episode of Discuss with Friends on Conference Chronicles. This week we have a very special guest. I happen to be married to her. She's my eternal companion, Cassidy. So welcome, Cassidy. Thanks. I'm excited to be here on your podcast. Yeah, I'm really excited to have you as well. So I've been recording a few of these every week with Jeremy and Alex, and this week I thought, why not have the person I talk to the most in my life about gospel-related things? And I trust your thoughts and opinions, so I'm really excited to see your input on this week's topic. Thanks. I'm excited to be here, and it's even more fun because we are recording this on Valentine's Day. Woohoo! So it seems like a really appropriate talk to talk about the day of love on Valentine's Day. That's right. So this week's talk is by Elder Rasband. It's entitled, How Great Will Be Your Joy? And just to get right into it, this talk is about senior couples serving missions. He extends a powerful invitation for more seniors to serve full-time missions. As I was listening to this talk, and many other talks, I thought to myself, why is he delivering this message? He is a prophet, seer, and revelator. He has allotted one talk for the whole conference, and this is what he is choosing to speak on. And why? And so I kind of wanted to turn that question over to you. Why do you think Elder Rasband chose to speak on this topic specifically? I think that the main reason probably just comes down to the fact of how big of a need there is. And I think that says something, like you said, when he has allotted one talk for the conference, and this was the topic he chose to speak on. I feel like our ears should perk up as members a bit more on, like, you're asking the why. And the why, he's pretty clear as to why he's giving it, right? What does he say in the talk? He says that there was 300 needs, mission needs, for senior couples, but there was only 10 applications. That's a huge percentage. I don't know the math in my head, but I think it just comes down to he saw this need, and the best way to fix it, right, is to address us as individuals and tell us, right? That's pretty direct, saying, I thought, 310 applicants, what can we do as a congregation to fix this? It seems pretty straightforward to me. Yeah, yeah. The apostles and prophets are very loving in their delivery. But sometimes they're very direct, which they should be. And I agree. There's 300 needs. And I saw 10. What's going on, you guys? He at the beginning of his talk, he talks about the gathering of Israel, and he quotes President Nelson saying that it is the most important work taking place on Earth. Again, our ears should perk up at that. Yeah, the most important work taking place. And then he proceeds to talk about senior couples serving missions, you know, after he delivers that. So it's clear that the Lord wants the gathering to be hastened, to be quickened. And Elder Rasband, in this setting, is explaining to us a big way how that can be quickened. Yeah, exactly. It's not the first time that there has been a general conference address calling for more missionaries. Usually, I would say it seems to have been focused on young women and men about to approach the mission age, right, what people think of. And so I found that this was interesting calling the individuals who may have already served a full-time two or 18-month mission when they were younger. It's a very specific talk to a very kind of specific demographic, right? You know, you and I have talked about this, and I'm sure we'll get more into it, that in some ways, this doesn't directly apply to us right now, I mean, besides the preparation of it, right? But it's not like we can hear this talk and say, hey, you and I, let's put in our mission papers, right? We're 30. We're in childbearing years. It's just, it's not necessarily for us. But I do think it's for the preparation of knowing, right, let's work till we get to that certain age, and then we can put it in. So I thought it was cool to have a specific talk to essentially empty nesters. Right, totally. And if the purpose of the talk is to hasten the gathering of Israel, we can totally be involved in that, right? We don't need to be a senior couple for that. But I totally agree. How can we prepare for that when the time comes? But then also, what can we do right now? Because we can probably touch and influence people in our sphere, that maybe a younger person couldn't or a senior couple couldn't. And so as I listened to this, I thought, okay, I might not be old, but I feel like I'm getting older. But how can I take this information and apply it directly to my situation? Totally. He mentions in the talk as well. The Brethren are so in tune to each and every one. I think it was towards the end of the talk, he mentioned, we understand, although we're giving this address, not every senior couple is going to be able to serve a mission. Health concerns and very real reasons. And of course, then it just applies that missionary work is ongoing, ministering is ongoing. But I did think it was cool that he is saying senior couples go on a mission. Yeah, I agree. He tells a few really powerful stories throughout his talk about missionary work, you know, his parents serving a senior mission. And I just started thinking about how every person in the church can relate their story back to missionary work at some point in time, and how important this work really is. And so I kind of wanted to ask you how missionary work has blessed your life, either directly or indirectly? Yeah, I guess two things come to mind initially. The first being, I'm from Utah, I grew up as a child in Harriman, Utah, so it wasn't big. Obviously, now everyone knows where Harriman is, if you're from Utah, but it wasn't big at the time. And I remember I was playing one day and there was a knock on the door. And I answered the door and there were two elders on my front steps. And they were proselyting. It was kind of cute. Obviously, he mentioned in the talk, Elder Rasband, that his parents were doing the same thing as a senior mission couple. But so the elders knocked on the door, you know, are your parents home? It happens to be that my mom was home. And we were a non-member family, right? Like my dad wasn't active, my mom wasn't a member, obviously, I as a child wasn't a member. And so I knocked on the door and asked if they could teach me and my mom, for some reason, was open to it. And, you know, she said, sure, your choice. And they were really great. And I think I had a crush probably on the mission area, because I was kind of hanging on to their every word and I received the missionary discussions. And I was 10 at the time, so I don't remember everything. In fact, I'd probably say I don't really remember anything from it. I was baptized and that definitely started my journey. And I think that oftentimes, maybe individuals can be tempted to think, I know even I have, again, being from Utah, right, oh, everyone's already a member of the church there. And oh, you know, I'm in my neighborhood and I'm really comfortable, everyone's already a member or they've already made their mind up, right? Like there's a reason they're not a member. And so that directly blessed my life over and over and over again, although as a 10-year-old in an inactive family, I had no idea what that would mean now that I'm a 30-year-old woman and how much it's really blessed my life. And so I think that is very direct, that magnifying your calling where you are, whether that is you're a mission couple and you were called to essentially stay in the area that you're from and just magnifying that calling, because you never know who is behind the door. You never know who's in the grocery store next to you, what the situation might be. And I think that's an important reminder, at least for me to remember. And the second example I had is in my middle school and high school years, I lived with my grandparents and they served multiple missions while I lived there. I feel kind of bad that I don't remember all of them because I wasn't paying too close of attention. But most Sundays they had on mission tag with it. So I know a main one is they worked at the Humanitarian Center back when those used to be in the desert industries. So they both served in humanitarian callings together and that's the main ones I remember doing and I remember them always inviting me to come with them and we would make hygiene kits and children's toys and all those things. And it was really cool for me to see my grandparents doing that together every week, in and out. The two of them, you know, put on their mission tags, went to the DI and did their calling. And then they also were proud and represented their tags every week at church as well. And that was really impactful for me. Yeah. That's amazing. I think of you in your high school years and you were not an active participant in the church. Your grandparents were a great example. They didn't force you, but kind of visualizing this experience of you seeing them serve and you getting to join with them, now looking back, do you feel like it impacted you maybe even more than you realized at the time? Definitely. Whether I was cognitively thinking it or not, the question was being posed, why are you doing this? Why are you taking your time? Of course, you're retired and you have all this free time and whatever, right? But are you really doing it because it's just so fun? It's fun to wake up at 6 a.m. every morning and head on over to the DI and sew for hours on end and all this stuff. Probably to an extent, it actually was pretty fun. Knowing your grandma, she probably had a good time. Yeah, knowing my grandma, she was having a blast. My grandpa, probably not so much. That was maybe the worst calling he could have gotten. But yeah, it posed the question, why are you doing this? And I also remember feeling, which is so crazy looking back, I remember feeling maybe a little embarrassed when my grandparents wore their mission tags outside of when they were going to serve in their mission calling. So when I would see them wear it all day on Sunday, and I think my grandma wore it honestly pretty often, right? She was a full-time missionary doing her thing, even though she lived at home, and everything else kind of felt quote-unquote normal. I remember thinking, gosh, why are you wearing that? Why are you wearing that right now? And with that being said, looking back, that really taught me about the importance of it and how it should be revered and how much respect goes into that. Because similarly, you hear a lot of elders and sisters who are on their full-time missions as young adults say, I'm representing the Lord's name on me. I'm a representative of Him. And looking back, I think that is so amazing that you are doing that in your day-to-day life, right? You're not always dressed up to the nines, right? They didn't wear church clothes when they were doing their humanitarian service and whatnot, but they always had their name tag on them. They were always representing the name of Christ and being willing to represent it. And that was super impactful looking back. Totally. And me now as your husband of eight years, I am very grateful for them and for that service. I know throughout, again, your youth, you felt lost at many times and perhaps didn't make all of the right choices. But I feel incredibly thankful for your grandparents and their service in that way, because I feel like it impacted your spirit again, like we've talked about in subtle and kind of subconscious ways that I think helped prepare you to receive the gospel again in your adult life and help prepare you to get married in the temple, you know, to me and serve now in the church in your own right. And I just feel extremely grateful for them and for that example they gave. Yeah, a hundred percent. I'm so grateful for my grandparents. I love them more than words can express. And a big reason of that is because of that quiet service. It's interesting. Like, I don't even remember. It was never a big family discussion or anything like, oh, we're putting in mission papers, right? They, they did choose to stay at home. Obviously, they had me that they were taking care of. That was, you know, kind of an additional child in that sense. But also due to health concerns, they couldn't leave the state, right? My grandpa's heart and things. I know that's why a lot of their missions were at home, but it was always a beautiful, quiet service. There was never any complaining. There was never any, you know, my grandma alone, she served many missions at the BYU Family History Center. My grandpa did for a time as well, but, but then eventually he was released and she just continued on. Right. And it was always so, so like silent service, I guess is what I'm saying. And again, what a beautiful example is that it was never, here I go again, I'm on my way to my 30 minute drive to BYU and I have to sit in a dark room all day. I don't think she ever thought that right, but it was never, there was never a complaint. It was just day in, day out, or week in, week out, I'd say. And I think that's a beautiful example for so many callings in life. Right. Not just being a full-time missionary, but you know, whether you are a Relief Society president or just a ministering sister, you, you just silently do it and the blessings are tenfold to your posterity. Totally. Yeah. She is a very dutiful woman. She just does it. Right. I know. This podcast could just be turned into like a Marsha fan club. Yeah. Marsha Worlton. I have on a similar note, I'm thinking about you, Cass, and your relationship with old people. I say old people in quotes, and maybe, maybe old people don't want to be called old. Yeah. They don't like that that much. Kind of like how President Nelson's wife said that in the temple when we're doing proxy ordinances, they didn't like being referred to as dead. Who is dead? Yeah. They know. Perform this ordinance for so-and-so who is dead. So, but thinking about old people, we'll just call them, call it how it is. You seem to have a great relationship with older people. It almost sometimes feels like you're more comfortable hanging out with old people than you are with people our own age. Not that you're bad hanging out with people our own age, but you know what I mean? Why do you think that is? Do you have any thoughts on maybe why that is? I've always liked being around old people. I don't know what it is. I mean, I know you just alluded to that, but I think a large reason of what it is, is because at a certain age, I think that individuals lose a sense of fear that I know I have. And especially when I was a teenager and a young adult, there's a sense of fear of doing or saying the wrong thing, a fear of offending, a fear of, you know, and I giggle at that because it's kind of known that sometimes old people can say things that are like honestly super offensive on accident, but a lot of times they're just saying truth, right? And I'm not saying all old people are just insane and just shouting obscenities, nothing like that, but they can be very direct and very direct with their beliefs and very direct with their wisdom that they've gained over the years. And that's something that I've really appreciated, right, is being around tried and true wisdom, what they did, what they wish they didn't do, what they're trying to tell a 25-year-old or a 30-year-old, you know, if only I knew this when I was your age, life would have been a breeze, right? They always have so much knowledge that they're willing to share. And yeah, I just think that they've lost a sense of fear. And so it's a lot of times just easier to hang out and talk with them when that guard is down, instead of all like the pleasantries and the niceties of, oh, I don't want to, you know, I do want to bear my testimony, but I'm kind of scared to because I don't want to offend this person, right? A lot of times an old person will just call it how it is, you know, Jesus saved my life and we'll just talk your ear off about it for quite some time, but it's so genuine. Right. Yeah. I've noticed I do feel a little bit more comfortable hanging out with people that are comfortable in their own skin and they say what they mean and they mean what they say. And you know, sometimes maybe even to a fault, an old person can just, they'll just say what they are thinking, but it's really refreshing. Elder Rasband in his talk says, there are so many ways senior missionaries can do what no one else can. You are a remarkable force for good, seasoned in the church and poised to encourage and rescue God's children. And just adding to what you said about how they have timeless wisdom, you know, that they're willing to share what a truly seasoned person these members are that have experienced so much. Oftentimes, like you said, they served missions as younger people and then experienced a whole host of experiences in their life, getting married, having children, maybe having some children die along the way, the loss of a child, yeah. Church callings throughout their whole life careers, you know, that have shaped and molded who they are. Watching a child leave the church or make decisions that are really hard to watch a child make the death of a spouse of a previous spouse. Sure. Yeah. It goes on and on. There's so many experiences that these people can have. And ultimately, when you're applying this to the Savior, right, he took upon him all of our experiences and sins and tribulations so that he can understand us. These senior couples, because of their life experience, can then understand, you know, the people that they're trying to help. And as Elder Rasband says, they are poised to encourage and rescue God's children. I love the story of him talking about his mother and his father were able to touch not only Rebecca, but her mother. And Elder Rasband says that his father was able to get Rebecca's father in the discussions. How specific is that, right? Man to man, Elder Rasband's father was the one who was going to get to Rebecca's father's heart, simply put. And what a blessing that is. And so if at any point you feel that you are not good enough, you don't have the skill set, you don't have what it's going to take, no, you are the one. You are the seasoned veteran who can get to that person's heart and change their life. For eternity. Totally. I love that story too. And Rebecca recounting the experiences that she remembers of Elder Rasband's parents and how like you said, they were able to connect specifically with her own parents. And she said that her dad would always make Elder Rasband's dad's favorite thing. Key lime pie. Key lime pie. It was just really cute. I was picturing, you know, the whole thing happening. And just to think that they would have been robbed of all of these beautiful experiences, both Elder Rasband's parents and Rebecca and her whole family, and then her seven children and their posterity, so on and so forth, had his parents not chosen to serve a mission in Fort Lauderdale. Yeah, it's amazing. It's really amazing. And I, if you don't mind bringing up kind of a side subject that I've done a little bit of research on after reading this talk, I didn't quite understand, which is ironic because I had grandparents that served missions, but I didn't quite understand, I guess, the plethora of callings that senior mission couples can do. I think in my mind, I always just assumed like, oh, you just get called to the mission president and it's like, that's, that's it. Like that's what they do. Or you stay home and work at the DI, right? Like I was like, okay, it's one or the other. And I took the time out of curiosity, based on an invite in the talk, Elder Rasband, I think says you can, I think he even mentions the website. So I looked it up on the callings that are currently available. You can browse the callings for senior mission couples, which I thought was so cool. And it's endless, right? There's, there's, I think like 3000 listed, which is super cool. But I was just looking, a family history specialist in the Paris, France mission. And that's a family history, right? But you can, if you're interested, you can go to another place, right? It doesn't have to be at BYU, but I mean, BYU is probably still really cool too. If you were a healthcare professional in your career, there you need area mental health advisors. This is one in Ghana. I mean, like I, I had no idea. I mean, I'm sitting here right here on my phone, just scrolling through the amount of senior callings that are needed. And they're all so important. Yeah. And an office specialist in the California Modesto mission, there's endless opportunities. And I thought that was just important to note, right? That you, you also have specific skill sets and these missions further the work, whether or not you're out proselyting, which is awesome. And I think all couples should do it, even if they don't have a calling, right? If you just go visiting, ministering to people, but right, you can be an, an office specialist in the Congo and what a beautiful calling that might be. Totally. So I know I took us for a little bit of a spin there, but the options really are endless and catered to you. Yeah, most definitely. I know he referenced to that website, you know, in the talk, I hadn't looked at it yet. So I didn't realize there's like 3000, you know, options to choose from, but that really is so cool as he, the word he uses is a smorgasbord of opportunities in his talk. But as you mentioned Han, think of, of course the work that you're doing for God's children, but also the amazing experience it would just be on you. Some of my favorite experiences that you and I have shared together is have just been our traveling experiences and seeing the world and experiencing new people and new cultures and new food and all the above. Elder Rasband says a mission might be the greatest chapter in a couple's life. And I truly believe that to be true. And it makes me kind of think about our future together and, you know, possibly serving a mission together. What are some things that kind of excite you about the prospect of you and I serving a couple's mission together? Yeah. I mean, selfishly, I'm just going to start off is I didn't get the opportunity to serve a mission myself. Yeah. You're a return missionary. And that's awesome. When, by the time, when the time came around that I thought, Oh, maybe I should serve a mission. We were engaged. Right. And it was kind of interesting. I remember talking to you saying, this is so weird. I feel like I, I, for the first time I realized I can serve a mission, but we're also engaged and I really love you. So, and that's the rod I chose and I don't regret it at all. Right. And that's the biggest blessing ever. And I knew that the time could come that I could then serve a mission. And so that's something that's very appealing to me is for the first time in my life, being able to wear the black name tag with the Lord's name on it. It's almost emotional to think about, right? You hear the reverence that that name tag has being set apart as a missionary. And I really look forward to being able to do that for myself with the one I love, with the one that I had just spent, you know, 30, 40 years married to. That just, I can see how he said it, it just might be the best chapter of your lives. I can only imagine. There's so many beautiful chapters, but I can see how that would probably make it in your top four. Right. When you look back in your life. And another thing that excites me about it is being able to do it together. I just think that would really be a growing opportunity between the two of you. When you do something with yourself, this sounds so lame, right? But when you and I are redecorating our house or we're doing a project together, we're so involved in it, right? All of our conversations are talking about the project and all the intricacies and the details. And like I said, that's a total worldly comparison. But I can only imagine when you're in the mission field together, the two of you are talking about whatever your calling is, right? The person that you're ministering to, or the family you're ministering to, the office paperwork that you're filing, whatever it is, you're so in it. And the growth that a couple can have, I think, between the two of them, even though you're already 30, 40, 50 years married to each other, I'm sure it's just immeasurable. Totally. I love being engaged in projects with you, like you mentioned, and the oneness that comes from it, accomplishing a task together. But the oneness that you receive when you're doing eternal things, things that will really matter and will echo throughout eternity. Those things are so much more bonding, even than hanging up the curtains for the decorations or whatever holiday it is. And kind of going back to what you said before, there is no magic in a plastic name tag, but there is magic, quote unquote, not real magic, but priesthood power when we're set apart as missionaries. There truly is a distinct feeling that comes when you have been set apart by the Lord to do a specific task. You're given power beyond your own to accomplish that task because the Lord has asked you to do it. Who he calls, he qualifies. And like you mentioned, I truly look forward to doing that together as well. With all that being said, to kind of wrap this up and put a bow on it, Elder Rasband asks the question or poses the thought, some of you might be thinking, well, what about my grandkids or what about my pets, you know, like who's going to take care of them? And I would just add my invitation to his to think about the impact that your service will have on your grandkids, right? Full circle, thinking about Marsha, your grandma, and the impact that she and Tom, your grandpa had on you in their missionary service. I know and I can promise like Elder Rasband, nothing will be better for your children and your grandchildren than seeing you serve the Lord. He can then take care of them better than you ever could. I know sometimes it's hard to relinquish that control, but when we do, when all of us relinquish that control and put it in the Lord's hands, he will take care of us and he will take care of our family better than we ever could on our own. So in closing, I just wanted to read the promise that he gives. He says, I promise that as you serve, you will feel the love of the Lord in your life. You will know him. He will know you and how great shall be your joy. Your dedicated service to Jesus Christ will inspire and bless your family, your grandchildren and great grandchildren. Peace and love will be multiplied in their lives for years to come. I promise in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. I felt a lot of power in his invitations and his promises in this talk. What a blessing it is to have living prophets, seers and revelators for us to listen to and heed their messages. Before we close this episode, is there anything, Hun, that you wanted to add at all? I'd just like to add my testimony as well, that I know that Elder Rasband is a prophet, seer and revelator, and that this talk is important. And although maybe upon first glance, it doesn't seem like it should apply to me, that it does. It applies to us so very much in the preparation, the preparatory steps we can be taking. I love my Savior, and I'm really proud and grateful that you do a podcast that brings others closer to him. I say that in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. Amen. Thank you, Hun. I love and appreciate you as well, and Happy Valentine's Day. Happy Valentine's, although people are listening to this a week after Valentine's. Yep. I'll close with my testimony as well. I know that the Lord is hastening his work. I know that the gathering of Israel is the most important thing taking place on earth, as President Nelson says. And I know that these senior couples, and you and I, and everyone listening, is needed in the work. The Lord needs us. And I share that testimony in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. Amen. Thank you, everyone, for tuning in. And I've really enjoyed doing these Discuss with Friends episodes with my friends and my best friend, my wife, Cassidy. Don't forget to also tune in to the episodes every Sunday. And I look forward to speaking with you then and for next week's Discuss with Friends. I'll talk to you soon. Thanks, everybody. Bye-bye.