This talk was given as a homecoming address upon returning from full-time missionary service in Viña del Mar, Chile.
There once was a man who was commissioned by his long-time employer to build a new house. The employer called him into his office and gave him some very specific instructions before he started the project. “I want you to use the finest materials on this house” he said. “Use the finest cement for the foundation and hardest wood for the frame. Build the walls strong and sturdy, straight and tall. Make sure it is 100%.”
The man, ever the eager and loyal employee, took the instructions and set to work. When he went to purchase the needed supplies, however, he found that the materials necessary to build such a quality house were very expensive. In an effort to save his employer money, like a good employee would, he instead decided to purchase products of more ordinary quality in a more reasonable price range. He bought cement that wasn’t quite as smooth and wood that wasn’t quite as hard. All the things he purchased would suffice for an ordinary project, he reasoned, but were not the absolute best like his employer had requested. He had saved money though, and at the time, that was all that mattered.
The weeks went by and he built the house according to the plans that had been provided him with the materials he had purchased. When he was finished, he walked through the house and took note of his work. He found the foundation to be almost 100% solid. The walls were almost perfectly straight. The house had been completed according to the plan, under budget, and even ahead of schedule. But in the end, it was not what the employer had asked for, and the man knew it. The house was merely “good enough,” and was not the masterpiece that it otherwise could have been. With that, the man returned to the employer to report on the work he had done.
“I have finished the house” said the man. “Excellent” said the employer, handing him a shiny set of keys. “The house is for you, my friend. You have worked for me for so long and have done such great work, and this is my gift to you. You used the finest materials and did your finest work. I hope this house will forever stand as a symbol of my appreciation for your loyalty and the fine work you have done over the years and as a token of my affection and gratitude.” Then the employer left, leaving the man alone in his new house. Again, the man walked from room to room, and after further examination, found that the foundation had started to crack, a wall was collapsing, and the roof started leaking. The floor squeaked, the door didn’t hang straight or close tight, and the lights started to flicker on and off. He slumped in his chair with a long sigh, and wished he had used the finest materials. In that moment he learned that when you set out to do something, you may as well do it 100%.1
As previously mentioned, my name is Dillon Boss, and I recently returned home from a mission in Viña del Mar, Chile, and I loved it. I loved my mission. I love the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and I love the Lord. Approximately 756 days ago, I stood at this very pulpit not having any idea of what I was getting myself into… But now I do. The purpose of this message is to tell you all that the experience served me well. Now let me tell you why.
The reason I shared the story of the builder and his materials has much to do with some of the most important words that God could ever to say to us. Interestingly, they happen to be the first words spoken by the Lord in the Book of Mormon. “Blessed art thou Lehi,” the Lord said, “because of the things which thou hast done; and because thou hast been faithful….”2
Later on in the Book of Mormon, but even earlier in history, the Brother of Jared said unto the Lord:
32 And I also remember that thou hast said that thou has prepared a house for man, yea, even among the mansions of thy Father, in which man might have a more excellent hope, or he cannot receive an inheritance in the place which thou hast prepared…
37 And it came to pass that the Lord said unto me: If they have not charity it mattereth not unto thee, thou hast been faithful, wherefore, thy garments shall be made clean. And because thou hast seen thy weakness thou shalt be made strong even unto the sitting down in the place which I have prepared in the mansions of my Father.”3
Here we read that the Lord also has prepared mansions for us in the kingdom of the Father, but only according to our faithfulness will our garments be made clean and our weakness be made strong. And only according to our faithfulness will we enter into the Kingdom, to enjoy the blessings of eternal life and exaltation with our families. There is an eternally sounding truth within these words, powerful instruction teaching us that, appropriately, if we are faithful and obedient, we will be blessed. It could not be any clearer!
Chile is a very interesting place. The Church of Jesus Christ is not new there. The ‘Mormons’ have weaved our way so profoundly into the fabric of Chilean society that it was difficult to find anyone who hadn’t at some point talked to or had missionaries in their home. Walking down the street, riding the bus, shopping at the grocery store, you could easily be surrounded by members of the Church and not even know it. Thirty years ago, the Church flourished in Chile more than anywhere in the world, but unfortunately things spun wildly out of control and local congregations were unable to accommodate the rapid growth. Today, missionaries and members of the Church all across Latin America are suffering the consequences of several periods and occurrences that prove to us all that Satan indeed gains control of the hearts of the children of men, and it will always be a constant battle. Now, with Church membership in Chile totaling around 583,000, barely a low fraction of that number is considered active. My purpose as a missionary wasn’t just to invite and baptize, but to remind and rescue.
Nevertheless, the work of salvation continues, and the Church continues to grow. Not necessarily in the quantities in did in the 1980s and 1990s, but in quality. We have the responsibility to baptize the future of the church, but in a world where the good news of the restored gospel is not as “new” as it used to be, the majority of my time was spent searching and sifting for those who had truly been chosen by the Lord. The difference is profound. About a month ago, I found myself in a particularly trying situation. Soon to finish my mission, when things should have been easy and calming down, I was presented with a unique set of challenges with which the Lord tested me even further. The temperature of the refiner’s fire increased. Just when I thought I knew it all, the Lord, in His loving manner we probably all have experienced at one time or another, subtly revealed to me the contrary. In the middle of this situation, I found myself reading in Alma, and I was led to a passage of scripture that truly changed my outlook on my mission, who I am as a person, and also my future service in the Church. After nearly two years, finally my will aligned a little better with what the Lord wanted for me and expected from me, and He showed me the attitude I ought to have. In these scriptures, the prophet Alma relates the following:
14 And thus we see the great call of diligence of men to labor in the vineyards of the Lord…
1 O that I were an angel, and could have the wish of mine heart, that I might go forth and speak with the trump of God, with a voice to shake the earth, and cry repentance unto every people!
2 Yea, I would declare unto every soul, as with the voice of thunder, repentance and the plan of redemption, that they should repent and come unto our God, that there might not be more sorrow upon all the face of the earth.
3 But behold, I am a man, and do sin in my wish; for I ought to be content with the things which the Lord hath allotted unto me.
4 I ought not to harrow up in my desires the firm decree of a just God, for I know that he granteth unto men according to their desire, whether it be unto death or unto life; yea, I know that he allotteth unto men, yea, decreeth unto them decrees which are unalterable, according to their wills, whether they be unto salvation or unto destruction.
5 Yea, and I know that good and evil have come before all men; he that knoweth not good from evil is blameless; but he that knoweth good and evil, to him it is given according to his desires, whether he desireth good or evil, life or death, joy or remorse of conscience.
6 Now, seeing that I know these things, why should I desire more than to perform the work to which I have been called?
7 Why should I desire that I were an angel, that I could speak unto all the ends of the earth?
8 For behold, the Lord doth grant unto all nations, of their own nation and tongue, to teach his word, yea, in wisdom, all that he seeth fit that they should have; therefore we see that the Lord doth counsel in wisdom, according to that which is just and true.
9 I know that which the Lord hath commanded me, and I glory in it. I do not glory of myself, but I glory in that which the Lord hath commanded me; yea, and this is my glory, that perhaps I may be an instrument in the hands of God to bring some soul to repentance; and this is my joy.”4
Needless to say, I feel I was able to achieve more personally and come closer to God in the last month of my mission than ever before after reading those verses. I learned that it was required of me to teach people about the importance of this life, and all of the things we have to do in order to prepare for the life to come. It is more than just teaching to baptize. It is helping people know and understand the Plan of Salvation so that they know what is required of them, then at least they won’t perish in ignorance. I know that now is the time to build our mansions in the heavens. I invite you all to consider what some of the finest materials are and use them.
Faith, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end, which includes sacred priesthood and temple covenants, loyal service to the Church and our fellow men, and obedience to the laws, ordinances, and covenants we make. All of these constitute the one and only path led by Jesus Christ that conduces us to everlasting life. This year in our priesthood and Relief Society meetings we have the privilege of studying the teachings of Joseph Fielding Smith. In my reading of the manual, I came across a passage that illustrates this point:
“Some men inherit wealth through the industry of their fathers. Some men are through inheritance raised to worldly thrones, to power, and position, among their fellow men. Some seek for the inheritance of worldly knowledge and renown through the application of their own industry and perseverance; but there is one inheritance which is worth more than all, it is the inheritance which is worth more than all, it is the inheritance of eternal exaltation.
“When we have come out of the world and have received the gospel in it’s fullness, we are candidates for celestial glory; nay, we are more than candidates, if we are faithful, for the Lord has given unto us the assurance that through our faithfulness, we shall enter into the celestial kingdom.
“Let us live so that we will be assured of our place, and so we will know, through the lives we live, that we shall enter into His presence and dwell with Him, receiving the fullness of the blessings that have been promised. Who among the Latter-day Saints will be content with anything short of the fullness of salvation which is promised to us? … It is necessary for us, in our humility, and in the spirit of repentance, to press on and on; keeping the commandments unto the end, for our hope and our goal is eternal life, and that is life in the presence of the Father and of the Son; ‘And this is life eternal,’ said the Lord, ‘that they might know the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent.’5 6
I testify that that is eternal life. That is the purpose of our existence here and the purpose of our Heavenly Father’s Plan of Happiness. Only through our faithfulness and obedience to the commandments and laws of God will the teaching of Jesus Christ come to pass that reads, “Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”7 My mission truly was exactly what I needed to understand my place and role in God’s plan, and God’s place in all of our lives. I was able to learn how necessary the basic principles of the gospel are, not because I didn’t know them before, but because day after day I saw and served among people that didn’t live it. And every one of them suffered tremendously.
My invitation to everyone is that we consider our place in the Plan of Salvation and what we must do to fulfill everything that has been asked of us. As Elder Ballard, together with my mission president, always says, “Just do it!” Simply enough, that is the model of faithfulness. We just have to do it. I hope that we might recognize and take advantage of the finest materials God has given us, so that the mansions he has prepared for us don’t end up with leaky roofs, crooked doors, and squeaky floors.
I testify that the Holy Ghost is a God and through Him we can know the truth of the gospel and be taught. I know by His power that our Heavenly Father lives. His Son Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world, and through His atoning sacrifice is the only way back to our heavenly home. This is His church. His doctrine. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. I add my testimony to those of other faithful returned missionaries and share the same hope and vision as did the prophet Enos when he said,
26 And I saw that I must soon go down to my grave, having been wrought upon by the power of God that I must preach and prophesy unto this people, and declare the word according to the truth that is in Christ. And I have declared it in all my days, and have rejoiced in it above that of the world.
27 And I soon go to the place of my rest, which is with my Redeemer; For I know that in Him I shall rest, and I rejoice in the day when my mortal shall stand before Him; then shall I see His face with pleasure and He will say unto me: Come unto me, ye blessed, there is a place prepared for you in the mansions of my Father…”8 In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
References
- This was a story that my mission president, Federico M. Kähnlein, told at a transfer meeting. Though many versions of this same story exist, all with the same general idea and principle, the exact source of the story is unknown.
- 1 Nephi 2:1
- Ether 12:32, 37
- Alma 28:14, 29:1-9
- John 17:3
- Joseph Fielding Smith, Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph Fielding Smith (Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2013), 68-69.
- Matthew 25:34
- Enos 1:26-27
Dillon Boss 