“Remembering and Nourishing Each Other in Our Struggles,” Liahona, July 2025, United States and Canada Section.
Remembering and Nourishing Each Other in Our Struggles
Ministering can include reaching out and uniting with all our brothers and sisters in the Church.
Jesus Healing the Blind, by Carl Heinrich Bloch
Many years ago, I moved to a new ward. That week I attended a Relief Society activity and got there early and sat at one of the tables. The sisters kept arriving, but no one sat by me. I was feeling lonely and decided to leave.
Just then, a woman sat down and struck up a lovely conversation. I thought, “I have nothing in common with this woman.” Donna had many children and was older than me. But I thought, “I am so grateful she was friendly to me!”
Here I was—active in the Church and feeling lonely at a Church activity. And there she was—willing to sit by an unknown person. Donna and I are friends to this day. She taught me a lesson that has been seared in my heart ever since: We all need to be ministered to.
All around us in our wards and branches are struggling brothers and sisters. Their challenges may not be visible. They may be smiling, but inside they feel lonely, fearful, or hurt or may have other concerns. Probably all of us have had these feelings at times.
Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke of the importance of ministering: “Followers of Jesus Christ ‘minister one to another’ [3 Nephi 26:19], ‘rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep’ [Romans 12:15; see also Mosiah 18:9], ‘watch over [and] … nourish [the people] with things pertaining to righteousness’ [Mosiah 23:18], ‘remember … the poor and the needy, the sick and the afflicted’ [Doctrine and Covenants 52:40], let His name be known through our ministry [see Abraham 1:19].”
Over the years, I’ve learned from some kindhearted Saints wonderful ways to minister to those who struggle.
Invite
During another time in my life, my husband and I moved to California. I was pregnant with our first child. We knew no one in the area.
We went to church, and a woman named Virginia greeted me enthusiastically. She said she had a bunch of boys and wanted to invite me to lunch. She was very sweet.
Virginia served simple tomato soup and half a grilled cheese sandwich and was so pleasant. We became friends. And oh, we were so different! She was just so friendly! To a young soon-to-be mom who knew no one, she was a lifeline. That one invitation led to a lifelong friendship.
Receiving a simple invitation can be a welcome blessing for those who struggle. We can invite them to go on a walk, eat a treat, join our family for an activity, and so on. Everyone loves to be included, and one invitation can lead to a wonderful friendship that blesses both parties.
Just Say Hello
When my sister was a young newlywed with her husband in the military, she attended church by herself. Each week one sister would make a point of saying hello to her. That sister’s simple greeting kept her going to church during that challenging time.
Simply saying hello can make a tremendous difference to those who struggle with hurt feelings or loneliness. Just saying their name and greeting them can be the one thing that will help them feel connected and cared for.
As Latter-day Saints, we’re encouraged to remember brotherly kindness in our dealings with each other (see Doctrine and Covenants 4:6; 107:30). It is so simple! A smile, a hello, and remembering someone’s name can make all the difference in the world.
Pray for Them
I was startled when my new ministering sister, Amy Jo, asked me for the names of all my children and then said, “I will pray for each of them and for you.” No one had ever offered to do that for me.
Every time we talk, she asks about my needs and those of my family and says she’ll pray for specific needs such as “I’ll pray for your son to find a job, and I’ll pray that you can be healed faster.” I have been extremely touched by this ongoing practice and feel the results of her efforts.
We don’t always have to state openly that we are praying for someone—although that is appreciated—but we can also pray quietly and privately.
“The Savior is the perfect example of praying for others with real intent,” taught Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. “In His great Intercessory Prayer uttered on the night before His Crucifixion, Jesus prayed for His Apostles and all of the Saints.”
Praying by name for those who are struggling can call down the powers of heaven in their behalf. It allows us to feel of the Savior’s love for them and helps our love for them grow. We can be inspired with guidance on ways we can help support them and reach out to them in love.
Search for the Lost
When I moved to Utah, I was instantly greeted by Jenny. She welcomed me to the ward and introduced me to others in the room. Jenny radiated love for others.
Each week, she searched for those who were a bit lost at church. They would be quiet, often sitting in the back or in a corner in meetings. She hugged each one and engaged them in conversation. It didn’t matter who they were—no one escaped Jenny’s embrace. She glowed with Christlike love and acceptance.
Elder Patrick Kearon of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles described what can happen when we minister out of love: “We will serve not because our service is being counted and measured but because we love our Father in Heaven and are motivated by a higher and nobler pursuit—helping our friends find and stay on the path home to Him. We are loving and serving our neighbors as Jesus would if He were in our place, truly trying to improve people’s lives and lighten their burdens.”
Share Christ’s Love
President Jeffrey R. Holland, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, spoke of the “poor in spirit” who struggle and shared his deep testimony of the power of Christ’s love: “There can and will be plenty of difficulties in life. Nevertheless, the soul that comes unto Christ, who knows His voice and strives to do as He did, finds a strength, as the hymn says, ‘beyond [his] own’ [“Lord, I Would Follow Thee,” Hymns, no. 220]. The Savior reminds us that He has ‘graven [us] upon the palms of [His] hands’ [1 Nephi 21:16]. … When He says to the poor in spirit, ‘Come unto me,’ He means He knows the way out and He knows the way up. … He knows the way because He is the way.”
Each of us can share Christ’s love with those around us who are feeling “poor in spirit.” From testifying to encouraging to simply wrapping our arms around them and saying, “Jesus loves you!,” we can find many ways to share His love with those who desperately need reminding.
Each of us can invite others, say hello to them, pray for them, search for them, and share Christ’s love with those who struggle. This work of ministering can unite us all with bonds of charity as we do Christ’s work among our brothers and sisters.
The author lives in Utah.