Wonderful message about obedience from Lavona Richardson

RICHARDSON REVIEW 11-10-13

Dear Family,

I am grateful that we are a missionary family.  One of my memories of growing up was that my Daddy loved missionary work and often told us missionary experiences from his mission in San Antonio and Laredo Texas.  All of his children served missions. You have heard me say many times that the missions that your Dad and I served together were the crowning events of our lives.  I know that my Daddy and Mother are happy that we have so many in our family involved with missionary work.  I am grateful for the five grandchildren I have serving full time missions and for the two that will be leaving for their missions in January.  I know we are all missionaries and need to find people for the full time missionaries to teach. I am enjoying being a missionary each Wednesday at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City and each week I have some wonderful experiences.  Recently I was assigned to give the spiritual thought in our prayer meeting on obedience.  These are some of the thoughts that I used in my talk.

                                       

                                                                     OBEDIENCE

I have five grandchildren serving missions all over the world with two more with calls to serve. As I visit with them before they leave my advice to them is to be obedient to all the rules even though they might not know the reason for them. If they are obedient the Lord will bless them with His spirit and they will be effective missionaries.  I like the words of the Children’s song “Follow the Prophet”. There are nine verses that tell about the prophets in the Old Testament such as Adam, Noah, Abraham, Daniel, Samuel, Jonah and ending with the verse- “ Now we have a world where people are confused , If you don’t believe it go and watch the news. We can get direction all along our way, if we heed the prophets—follow what they say” 

A quote I like about obedience, “A seed of faith is already planted in your heart…But like a growing plant, it must be nurtured or it will wither. Frequent and heartfelt prayers of faith are crucial and needed nutrients. Obedience to the truth you have received will keep the testimony alive and strengthen it. Obedience to the commandments is part of the nourishment you must provide for your testimony.” 
I am currently reading the book Choose Higher Ground by Henry B. Eyring. On page 37 I found another quote about obedience I like.  “However much faith to obey God we now have, we will need to strength it continually and keep it refreshed constantly. We can do that by deciding now to be more quick to obey and more determined to endure”

Joseph F. Smith said, “.Men must not be constrained against their will to obey the will of God; they must obey it because they know it to be right, because they desire to do it, and because it is their pleasure to do it. God delights in the willing heart.”

One last quote that was posted at the MTC when a grandson was there, “Obedience is the price, faith is the power, love is the motive, the Spirit is the key, happiness is the reward, Christ is the reason.”

It is my prayer that we can all obey and sustain the leaders called to direct the work in these Latter-days.  

Lots of love now and forever, Mom, Grandma, Lavona