2013 10 2050 elder arnulfo valenzuela eng

8/12/2019 2013 10 2050 Elder Arnulfo Valenzuela Eng

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same brother came to sacrament meet-ing with his entire family.

During a visiting teaching visit,Martha, a member of our ward, toldmy wife and her companion never tocome back again. She had decidedto stop coming to church. One of the

visiting teachers asked Martha if theycould sing a hymn together this onelast time, and she agreed. As theysang, something special happened.

Little by little, the Spirit began to fillthe room. Each of them felt it. Martha’sheart began to soften. With her eyesfilled with tears, she expressed to her

visiting teachers the feelings of herheart. At that moment, she realizedthat she knew that the gospel wastrue. She now thanked her visitingteachers and expressed a desire forthem to return. From that day forward,she received them with joy.

Martha began to attend church withher young daughter. For years theyattended regularly, with Martha neverlosing hope that her husband mighteventually choose to join them. At lastthe day came when the Lord touchedhis heart, and he began to attend

with them, as did their other daughtersoon thereafter. This family beganto feel the true joy that comes fromhaving gospel blessings in their home.

Martha has since served faithfully asour ward Relief Society president,and her husband has served well inseveral callings within the stake. Allthis began with the singing of a hymn,a small and simple thing that touchedMartha’s heart.

Naaman was a captain of the hostof the king of Syria, an honorableman, a mighty man in valor, but he

was also a leper (see 2 Kings 5:1).

After being unsuccessful in receivinga cure from the king of Israel for hisleprosy, Naaman went to the houseof Elisha, the prophet. Elisha sent amessenger out to him, saying:

“Go and wash in Jordan seventimes, and thy flesh shall come againto thee, and thou shalt be clean.

“But Naaman was wroth, and wentaway, and said, Behold, I thought, He

will surely come out to me, and stand,

and call on the name of the Lord hisGod, and strike his hand over theplace, and recover the leper. . . .

“And his servants came near, andspake unto him, and said, My father,if the prophet had bid thee do somegreat thing, wouldest thou not havedone it? how much rather then,

when he saith to thee, Wash, andbe clean?

“Then went he down, and dipped



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exhausted and demoralized after suf-fering his infirmity for 38 years.

As the Savior raises the edge of thecloth with one hand, He beckons withthe other and asks a penetrating ques-tion: “Wilt thou be made whole?”

The man replies, “Sir, I have noman, when the water is troubled,

to put me into the pool: but while Iam coming, another steppeth downbefore me” ( John 5:6–7).

To the man’s seemingly impossiblechallenge, Jesus provides a profoundand unexpected answer:

“Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.“And immediately the man was

made whole, and took up his bed,and walked” ( John 5:8–9).

In another tender scene, Luke tellsus that the Savior, while traveling to

Jerusalem, met 10 lepers. Because oftheir infirmity, they “stood afar off”(Luke 17:12). They were outcasts—unclean and unwanted.

“Jesus, Master, have mercy on us,”they cried (Luke 17:13)—in other

words, importuning, “Isn’t there some-thing You can do for us?”

The Great Physician, full of com-passion, still knew that faith mustprecede the miracle and therefore told

By Elder Timothy J. DychesOf the Seventy

During a time of joyful feastingat Jerusalem, the Savior left themultitudes to seek out those

in greatest need. He found them atBethesda, the five-porch pool by thesheep market that was renowned forattracting the afflicted.

The Gospel of John tells us that

near the pool “lay a great multitude ofimpotent folk, of blind, halt, withered,

waiting for the moving of the water.“For an angel went down at a cer-

tain season into the pool, and troubledthe water: whosoever then first afterthe troubling of the water stepped in

was made whole of whatsoever dis-ease he had” (John 5:3–4).

The Savior’s visit is depicted in abeautiful painting by Carl Bloch titledChrist Healing the Sick at Bethesda.

Bloch captures Jesus gently liftinga temporary canopy, revealing an“impotent man” ( John 5:7) who islying near the pool, waiting. Herethe word impotent refers to someone

who is powerless and emphasizes themercy and grace of the Savior, whocame quietly to minister to those whocould not help themselves.

In the painting, the afflicted manhuddles on the floor in the shadows,

Wilt Thou BeMade Whole? As we repent and become converted to the Lord,

we become whole, and our guilt is swept away.

himself seven times in Jordan, accord-ing to the saying of the man of God:and his flesh came again like untothe flesh of a little child, and he wasclean” (2 Kings 5:10–11, 13–14).

Our prophet, President Thomas S.Monson, has invited us all to go forthand rescue our brothers and sisters.He said: “The world is in need of yourhelp. There are feet to steady, handsto grasp, minds to encourage, heartsto inspire, and souls to save. Theblessings of eternity await you” (“Tothe Rescue,” Ensign, May 2001, 48; or Liahona, July 2001, 57).

I testify that many of those whoneed our help are there waiting for us.

They are ready for their valiant broth-ers and sisters to reach out to themand rescue them through small andsimple means. I have personally spentmany hours visiting less-active mem-bers of the Church whose hearts havealready been softened by the Lord,

who are now ready to receive our tes-

timonies and our sincere expressionsof love. When we reach out and invitethem, they will return to the Church

without hesitation.Let us reach out to others with faith

and with love. Let us remember thepromise of the Lord:

“And if it so be that you shouldlabor all your days in crying repen-tance unto this people, and bring, saveit be one soul unto me, how greatshall be your joy with him in the king-

dom of my Father!“And now, if your joy will be great with one soul that you have broughtunto me into the kingdom of myFather, how great will be your joy if

you should bring many souls untome!” (D&C 18:15–16).

I bear witness of the love of theLord toward all His children. I knowHe lives and that He is our Redeemer.In the name of Jesus Christ, amen. ◼

2013 10 2050 elder arnulfo valenzuela eng

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