We all matter..

Good morning Brothers and Sisters, Thank you for being here on this beautiful Sabbath day. Before I begin, I hope you all know, as I’ve learned recently, how truly important missionary work is, and not just full time missionaries but for the everyday person trying their best. I believe there has never been a greater need to find those lost sheep then now, and to share with them the light and knowledge that we enjoy. President Spencer W. Kimball says this, “Now is the moment in the timetable of the Lord to carry the gospel farther than it has ever been carried before…Many a person in this world is crying, knowingly and unknowingly, “come over and help us.” He might be your neighbor. She might be someone you met only yesterday. But we have what they need. Let us take new courage from our studies and pray, as did Peter, “And now, Lord,… Grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word.” My hope today is that we can all go from here inspired and ready to bare testimony, stand up for what’s right at all times and in all places and to truly love everyone.
Now for those of you who don’t know me, my name is Braedon Paramore. My family and I journeyed here 3 ½ years ago from the good city of Denver, CO and I don’t think any member of our family has the desire to ever leave this wonderful place, so hopefully our lives keep us here. Our family has been blessed with a strong priesthood holder at the head of it, and he has received an incredibly amount of help from his eternal companion, my dear mother, in raising us kids. However, they accidentally started over about 5 years ago when they had Peighton, so the road is a bit longer now. I look forward to the progress and growth of our family upon my return.
After weeks of racing my mother to the mailbox, I received my call on a Thursday, which was the 10th of December. I was lucky my dad was out of town for the next 3 days, the 72 hours gave me a good amount of time to think about where I’d be called to serve. I never would have thought but simply opening a letter proved to be much more spiritual and exciting then I could have imagined. While the anticipation was killing me in those few seconds after opening the envelope, I couldn't help but think of everything that goes into preparing for a mission. Everyone in here might share similar feelings. I was overwhelmed with the amount of love, hope, strength and unmatchable power the Atonement gives to all mankind. And for the once in a lifetime opportunity I’d be able to share this message as a young man for the building up of our Heavenly Fathers Kingdom.
After choking back a few tears, I read aloud too many great friends and family members that I’d be assigned to labor in the California Roseville Mission. After that point I was satisfied. A good friend then mumbled, “He should read on,” then Sister Yancey urged me to keep reading. I read a few more lines and learned that I should prepare to preach the Gospel in the HHHHmong language. It’s possible that no one in that room was happier than Brother Dye. Who also served among the Hmong.
Thanks to Brother McClellan and Brother Gunter and their instructions I’m able to tell you a little bit about the city of Roseville. Roseville is roughly 16 miles in a Northeast direction from Sacramento. The Average temperatures during the winter months are 45-50 degrees and during the summer its sticks around 70-75 degrees. It almost never gets below 40 or above 80. During the late winter months and early spring it’ll get some rain, but not much. I was kind of bummed out that it wouldn’t be raining on me too much because I’ve heard that the more it rains on you the better your wife will be. It won’t get any snow but it’ll get a lot of sunshine. The average household size is 2.6 people so if the Esplins, Deans, and Awerkamps decided to move there with their families it’d help that average out a little bit. 11% of the population is LDS and the rest is either Catholic, Southern Baptist or other. The mission extends North 240 miles past Mt. Shasta to a place called Weed.
Now for the other half. It’s great that the Lord will bless people with such great things. Since we can’t get into the mountains of Laos the Lord has provided a way for the Hmong people to get to United States. Hopefully when I’m up here again giving my homecoming talk I’ll know a lot more about these humble people. Today an estimated 200,000 Hmong people enjoy freedoms of living in the United States. They’ll tell me they started out in Siberia a long time ago, with blonde hair and blue eyes. No history book would tell you that that’s true. Whatever the case may be, they ended up in 4 provinces in southwestern China. For thousands of years the central Chinese Government basically left the Hmong alone as long as they paid their tributes. However, the last Dynasty in China, the Qing, did oppress the Hmong who rose in rebellion. Due to the persecution it led some of the Hmong to Southeast Asia where they settled in Mountainous regions (mainly in Laos). During the Vietnam War the Hmong helped the US navigate the unfamiliar territory of Southeast Asia. Well since the US didn’t win this war, persecution on the Hmong began shortly after. The US was aware so it told the Hmong people that if they could get to Thailand then they’d be able to come to the US. In a nutshell that’s how the Hmong are amongst us today. I’m very excited to get to know and share more good news with the Hmong people, who will hopefully share with their families across the world.
Our Ward has a great and inspired bishopric. We, like many of you, have a theme each year as a ward. These themes are created to help us keep life in perspective, to always remember why we’re here and what we’re doing. Our theme this year is “find that one”, and for those of you who went to BYU I’m sure this theme sounds familiar Now hopefully I’ll find a few more than one, but just imagine the blessings, personal growth and joy you’d receive from serving others and sharing with them the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Or from helping those, who may have been lost in the mist of darkness, find their way back to the Iron Rod. Joseph Smith says, “those who work for the salvation of others will have their sins forgiven and will bring salvation to their own souls.” The world isn’t becoming a nicer place, in fact, the adversary has more cunning ways than ever to damn our eternal progression. President Ezra Taft Benson said this, “We must share the gospel with others. That is our responsibility, every member a missionary. That is the call of prophets of God…”Member missionary work is one of the great keys to the individual growth of our members. It is my conviction that member-missionary work will raise the spirituality in any ward where applied.” All human beings-male and female- are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Picture with me, if you will, a farmer driving a large open-bed truck filled with sugar beets en route to the sugar refinery. As the farmer drives along a bumpy dirt road, some of the sugar beets bounce from the truck and are strewn along the roadside. When he realizes he has lost some of the beets, he instructs his helpers, “There’s just as much sugar in those which have slipped off. Let’s go back and get them!”
President Monson said this, “In my application of this illustration, the sugar beets represent the members of this Church for whom we who are called as leaders have responsibility; and those that have fallen out of the truck represent men and women, youth and children who, for whatever reason, have fallen from the path of activity. Paraphrasing the farmer’s comments concerning the sugar beets, I say of these souls, precious to our Father and our Master: “There’s just as much value in those who have slipped off. Let’s go back and get them!” Right now, today, some of them are caught in the current of popular opinion. Others are torn by the tide of turbulent times. Yet others are drawn down and drowned in the whirlpool of sin. This need not be. We have the doctrines of truth. We have the programs. We have the people. We have the power. Our mission is more than meetings. Our service is to save souls.”
You and I, all influence one another either for the better or for the worse. If you’re following Christ then you’re not shying away from his teachings. There is no middle ground. Christ said, “ Because though art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth.” We have the choice everyday and in every moment to lift those in need of lifting. Or we can sit back, when there is work to be done, as time slowly gets away from us. A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, and went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. This parable taught by Christ teaches us that we must render our service in caring for others and their souls. President Monsons thoughts, “I believe the Savior is telling us that unless we lose ourselves in service to others, there is little purpose to our own lives.” Sometimes, today, I think it’s hard for us to maintain that eternal perspective when we’re seeking self satisfaction. It seems easier to invest ourselves in all types of public opinions and matters that are irrelevant and distracting, rather than gaining true satisfaction in caring for one another. In Matthew 10:39 it says, “He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it” and As King Benjamin said, “For behold, are we not all beggars? Do we not all depend upon the same Being, even God, for all the substance which we have, for both food and raiment, and for gold, and for silver, and for all the riches which we have of every kind?”
We can learn from the Book of Mormon that one man has the potential to persuade many to fall away. Nehor, in his pride, desired to gain worldly value teaching flattering doctrines contrary to the teachings of the church and led many people away from the truth. He even slew Gideon, a righteous man. King Noah reigned in wickedness and led his people away from things that were good. Amlici sought to be king and had many followers. Fueled by the thoughts of this one man a rebellious people waged war on those they once considered friends. When Alma, others and a couple of Alma’s sons went to reclaim the apostate Zoramites they quickly understood how lost these people were. “They were astonished beyond all measure.”They knew it’d take prayer, faith and diligence in order to reclaim these lost souls. Meanwhile, Corianton, Alma’s sons, sought after a Harlot. Alma later teaches him to “Suffer not yourself to be led away by any vain or foolish thing; suffer not the devil to lead away your heart again after those wicked harlots. Behold, O my son, how great iniquity ye brought upon the Zoramites; for when they saw your conduct they would not believe in my words.” It’s hard to compare the times, however, we to can influence others with our words and actions. Whether it is for a righteous purpose or an evil.
Abinadi through direction of the Lord stood up against King Noah in his riotous living and prophesied of his death and of the bondage his people would soon be in. He later taught the Ten Commandments to the evil King and his priests. A man named Alma heard and believed his teachings. Due to the Obedience of Abinadi, and the faith of Alma, Alma was able to organize the Church of Christ. Joseph Smith as a young unlearned boy sometimes felt the power of the adversary but never wavered in his faith and from the testimony that he had. He knew his divine purpose and was obedient in his call. Today we now enjoy the blessings of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ.
These examples whether good or bad all dealt with but one man who either influenced Gods children for the better or for the worse. Today, you and I can avoid the disasters that would lead others astray. But like Abinadi, Alma and Brother Joseph we can fulfill our divine purpose in bringing others unto Christ if we are obedient to the promptings of the spirit, though at times we’re we feel our actions of obedience are insignificant. Alma 37:6-7 reads, “Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise. And the Lord God doth work by means to bring about his great and eternal purposes; and by very small means the Lord doth confound the wise and bringeth about the salvation of many souls. Elders Andersen taught, “We will not be guided by the Holy Ghost if we are casual in our obedience.”
Everyone here and around the world matters and can make a difference. No matter how inadequate one might feel or how deep in sin one might be, we all chose to follow Christ before our mortal bodies were given to us and in him we all have hope. A hope to be in the presence of our heavenly father as eternal families. Last week in Elders Quorum we learned just how much hope we all have. I don’t remember the exact gestures but the good brother said after speaking with his bishop, “It took my problems that I thought were this big--------------------- and made them this small--. He went on to say that the atonement is much bigger than just your problems. In fact we know that when our Savior, Jesus Christ, was crucified, it was for all mankind. This is the message of hope that we’re responsible for sharing with everyone. An ancestor of mine, John Tanner, tells of a story from when he was 14. “My father was a bishop. There was a death in the ward, and he was going to prepare for the funeral. He asked my brother and me to do certain things while he was gone. We thought he would be gone quite awhile, and we decided to ride some calves before we did what he had told us to do. We thought we would have plenty of time, but he came home while we were still riding those calves, and he called us over to him. Though he had never whipped me, I thought maybe I was going to receive a whipping at that time. But he pointed his finger at me and said, “My boy, I thought I could depend on you.” That hurt me very much. I can still almost recall the exact feeling I had at that time. I made up my mind he would never have a reason again to say, “I thought I could depend on you.” Will we be like the priest, or the Levite and casually go about not caring for the souls of those around us or can the Lord depend us to be like the good Samaritan and do all that we can to save those souls from their misery and share with them the joys of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. May we glory in god and his purpose. In closing I’ll read from Hymn, 266 The Time is Far Spent. .
The time is far spent; there is little remaining
to publish glad tidings by sea and by land.
Then hasten, ye heralds; go forward proclaiming:
Repent, for the kingdom of heaven’s at hand,
Repent, for the kingdom of heaven’s at hand.
2. Shrink not from your duty, however unpleasant,
But follow the Savior, your pattern and friend.
Our little afflictions, tho painful at present,
Ere long, with the righteous, in glory will end,
Ere long, with the righteous, in glory will end.
3. What, tho, if the favor of Ahman possessing,
This world’s bitter hate you are called to endure?
The angels are waiting to crown you with blessings!
Go forward, be faithful, the promise is sure.
Go forward, be faithful, the promise is sure.
4. Be fixed in your purpose, for Satan will try you;
The weight of your calling he perfectly knows.
Your path may be thorny, but Jesus is nigh you;
His arm is sufficient, tho demons oppose.
His arm is sufficient, tho demons oppose