“And out of Small Things Proceedeth That which is Great”

After World War II, my mother and father settled for a time in South Africa. My father was a seaman and the shipping company he worked for was based in South Africa and sailed the world. My parents had two very young children at the time and while my father was a world away from home on one trip, their younger child, Gillian, fell ill. She was less than a year old and sadly passed away during emergency surgery.

My mother was devastated. She was not only without the support of her husband, but also, because they were still not well established in South Africa, she had no extended family or even close friends to turn to. Fortunately, around the same time, missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had recently knocked on her door and had been teaching her the gospel of Jesus Christ. I am so grateful for those missionaries.

They taught my mother that “little children are alive in Christ, even from the foundation of the world” (Moroni 8:12).

Something we never knew until we read about it in her diary decades later, is that in the days after the loss of her child, the mission president sent his car with a driver to take my mother to all the places she needed to go and to attend to all the matters that arose, including arrangements for a funeral. I am so grateful for that mission president.

His act of kindness to someone whom the missionaries were merely teaching has had long lasting effects unknown to him.

As I look back on my own history, there are many who have changed the course of my life. I invite you to reflect on your own lives. As you do, you will see that acts of kindness and concern are never random. Instead, they reflect the Lord’s trust and love for you, His knowledge of your potential and the potential of those you serve, and the love He has for them. Both givers and receivers are blessed.

Often those who change the course of your life are leaders who have a Christlike ability to see you the way the Lord sees you. Whilst presiding at stake conference recently I greeted a brother in the foyer who introduced himself as Bishop Ormsby. This is a very common name in the Church, and I enquired who his father was. His dad, whom I hadn’t seen in probably 45 years, had been in my ward’s bishopric when I was a deacon and a teacher.

I remember this elder Brother Ormsby as diligent, interested, kind and present. He often provided rides to service projects and meetings. By then, my mother was raising us on her own and had to go out to work each day, so she depended upon the ward leaders like Brother Ormsby to fill in the gaps. Bishop Ormsby reported that his father was still alive, and I asked that he let his dad know how much I appreciated his influence. I was able to meet with Brother Ormsby the following week and I expressed my gratitude to him in person. He said something to the effect that he saw in me and my brother something beyond our youthful misbehaviour.

I am so grateful for Brother Ormsby. He exemplified the many servants of God who treat people as who they can become.

There are so many people that come to mind. When I was worried sick about a business setback, our bishop at that time visited our home. He promised us that all would be fine. Emphatically, he declared that as faithful tithe payers we shouldn’t be so worried. The Lord would keep His promises. Hope immediately replaced anxiousness.

I am grateful for that inspired bishop and for the law of tithing.

In the examples I have provided, the acts of service in themselves were not extraordinary, but over time, they turned out to be momentous. That is because God has a plan that includes bringing about the immortality and eternal life of all His children and is ensuring that each of His children can receive His promised blessings. He gives us the opportunity to participate in this work. He places people in our paths whom we can serve, and as we keep our baptismal covenants, He sends us the Holy Ghost to guide our daily actions, which constitute our lives. No wonder our prophet, President Russell M. Nelson, emphasizes the process of daily repentance.¹

The Saviour led by example. Elder Stephen A. West described it this way:

“In the meridian of time, among other things, the Savior gave a touch here, a kind word there, food (both real and spiritual) to the hungry, advice and counsel to those in need. He gave prayers with the frightened, kindness to the passed over, respect and affection for the children, loving care for those who are burdened. ’And thus, we can see that by small means the Lord can bring about great things’ (1 Nephi 16:29). ‘Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great’ (Doctrine and Covenants 64:33).”²