Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
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"The service which builds a young, growing church is not casually requested nor whimsically given. On occasion the obstacles have been great and the price sometimes very dear."
Elder and Sister Holland and Elder and Sister Dallin H. Oaks have been called to serve in Chile and the Philippines, respectively. The call of church leaders to serve abroad is not new.
Early members of the church sacrificed to serve and often found themselves in difficult circumstances. Though members of the church serving today don't face the same hardships, many still make sacrifices as missionaries or in church callings.
"To raise our families and serve faithfully in the church, all without running faster than we have strength requires wisdom, judgment, divine help and inevitably some sacrifice. From Adam to the present hour, true faith in the Lord Jesus Christ has always been linked to the offering of sacrifice, our small gift to be a symbolic echo of his majestic offering."
Family members of those serving must at times also make some sacrifices as they support their loved ones in callings. One sister said she stopped resenting the time and sacrifice her husband's calling as a bishop required once she learned of how he had helped a ward member in need.
"I testify of home and family and marriage, the most precious human possessions of our lives. I testify of the need to protect and preserve them while we find time to serve faithfully in the church."
