Benjamin was asked to give a talk on July 12—the Sunday we were busy at county—so I asked if there was another week he could possibly speak. We only have 10 youth speakers (on a good year) and 52 weeks in a year, so it's pretty easy to find an open week...but although I was told they'd try to rearrange things, we never heard back. He wasn't on the schedule the following week (which was good because we ended up going to Sam's homecoming instead of attending our own ward) and then we just didn't hear and didn't hear and didn't hear about anything this week, so we figured Benjamin was off the hook (since next week is fast and testimony meeting, which has no assigned speakers).
But then the ward bulletin was sent out on Friday and, lo, Benjamin was on the intended program.
So he got to work writing and came up with a decent draft. I read that draft and discussed it with him, noting areas he needed to explain things better, craft some segues between ideas, and more clearly develop the theme running through his talk. He was miffed, but sat down to write a second draft, which was much better than the first. I read that draft and discussed it with him, noting areas where he needed to back up huge claims (such as "the phrase 'fear not' can be found in every book of scripture"—do you know that? Or are you just saying it? You're just saying it...okay...perhaps do a little more research before saying it) and tell enough of a story that people can understand what's going on and glean the message from it, but without reading the whole thing verbatim. He was quite upset about this feedback but agreed to give his talk another round of edits.
You can imagine how he felt when I sent him back for a third round of edits. Pretty darn frustrated, that's what! Let's not even talk about the fourth...
But, guess what! In the end he had a piece that he was really quite pleased with and could deliver with confidence. And he felt good about the research and learning he did.
In the middle of all this talk writing, Benjamin went on a youth temple trip Saturday morning.
And then after church on Sunday he got his patriarchal blessing.
So it was a very busy, churchy weekend for him!
Getting his patriarchal blessing was very special, and so very sad and sweet. Patriarch Kotter's wife passed away this past October, which meant that she wasn't there. And he kept apologizing to us for it.
"I'm sorry my wife isn't here to welcome you into our home."
"I'm sorry my wife isn't here to visit with you while I talk with Benjamin."
"I'm sorry my wife couldn't be here to give you a hug goodbye."
And the whole time I was like, "No! We're sorry!"
His wife was so kind every time we saw her. It's clear he misses her a lot! But he did a fine job of welcoming us into his home, himself, and gave Benjamin a wonderful blessing.
Here's Benjamin's talk, in case you're interested (he was assigned 2 Kings 6):
Hello my name is Benjamin Heiss. I have 5 siblings and my oldest sister is going on a mission to Hanoi Vietnam in September, and my dad got a job in Doha, Qatar, so my family will be moving there in about 10 days. I enjoy playing video games, reading, and going outside. I love looking up at the trees and feeling the peace and quiet of the forest. We won’t have any forests in Qatar, but I think I’ll still be able to find solitude in the wilderness there. Moses went up on Mount Sinai to pray to the Lord…and that was in the desert…so while the desert will be very different from the beautiful green trees of Georgia, I know that I’ll find God in Doha as well.
When Joseph Smith went into the woods to pray, Satan went about to discourage him and to stop him from praying. He made Joseph feel alone and unworthy. In Joseph Smith History it says that at the very moment when he was ready to sink into despair and abandon himself to destruction—not to an imaginary ruin, but to the power of some actual being from the unseen world—it was THEN that God came down from heaven and chased Satan away. He appeared in a pillar of light and spoke to Joseph, calling him by name, which is important because sometimes it might feel impossible that God could know what we’re going through, but He does. He knows each individual's struggle and he’s always ready to help.
Joseph Smith isn’t the only prophet to have seen heavenly help. In 2 Kings 6 the Israelites are besieged by the armies of Syria and the people are afraid that they will be destroyed because their army is not strong enough to beat the Syrians. But Elisha the prophet instructed his servants to “fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.” He asked the Lord to let his servant see the heavenly help that was available to them, and the servant’s eyes were opened and he saw chariots of fire surrounding the city. Ultimately, Elisha called on the Lord to help the Israelites outsmart the Syrians and everything was fine.
I liked the reminder to fear not, to trust God. The mention of “fear not” in 2 Kings 6 reminded me of last year's youth theme which was D&C 6:36— “look unto me in every thought; Doubt not, Fear not.” I like this scripture because it says that when we look unto God we will have no need to fear. This year’s youth theme takes it a step further. In Moses 6:34 the Lord says “Behold my Spirit is upon you, wherefore all thy words will I justify; and the mountains shall flee before you, and the rivers shall turn from their course; and thou shalt abide in me, and I in you; therefore walk with me.” In this scripture the Lord promises that our trials will seem a lot more manageable if we go through them with His help, following his footsteps, and walking with him (which takes a little more effort than looking to him).
One of the scriptures that my family is memorizing this year is Psalm 23 and in verse 4 it states, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me…my cup runneth over, surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” The “valley of the shadow of death" is a metaphorical term that means that somebody is in deep despair or they are in their darkest hour and even when we are in these seemingly dark places, we need fear no evil because the Lord is with us. It can be difficult not to feel afraid when life is hard, but it’s important to remember to look to the Lord, walk with him, and fear not.
The phrase “fear not” can be found in every book of scripture [*except we forgot to check the Pearl of Great Price, which is usually lumped in with either the D&C by proximity or Old Testament manual when we study it].
For example, in Luke 12:32 it says “fear not little flock for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” I liked this scripture because it says that it is God's wish for us to return to live with him. This wording is repeated a couple of times in the Doctrine and Covenants. For example, D&C 6:34 says, “Fear not, little flock; do good; let earth and hell combine against you, for if ye are built upon my rock, they cannot prevail.” Why? Because “they that be with us are more than they that be with them.”
We become part of the Lord’s little flock and are counted among his number when we are baptized. Alma 7:15 says, “Yea, I say unto you come and fear not, and lay aside every sin, which easily doth beset you, which doth bind you down to destruction, yea, come and go forth, and show unto your God that ye are willing to repent of your sins and enter into a covenant with him to keep his commandments, and witness it unto him this day by going into the waters of baptism.” That is one of the first steps on the covenant path as we walk with the Lord, but baptism only marks a decision to walk with him. Following him day after day—through blessings and trials, enduring to the end—is what is hard.
Elder Holland once shared a story about when he had to move across the country to attend college. At this time he was a young father with 2 children. After only 34 miles of driving the car broke down and he had to walk 3 miles to the nearest town to get help. A kind man drove him back to his car, towed it to town, and fixed it up. The family set out again but the car broke down a second time in the very same spot. And young Elder Holland again had to walk back to town to get help, where the very same man helped him tow his vehicle again. Eventually their journey was successful, but having their car break down several times felt very overwhelming for Elder Holland. Later Elder Holland visited this place where he broke down and wished he could have said to his younger self as he was going through that trial, “Don’t give up, boy. Don’t you quit. You keep walking. You keep trying. There is help and happiness ahead—a lot of it—30 years of it now, and still counting. You keep your chin up. It will be all right in the end. Trust God and believe in good things to come.”
God will help you whether you're in your darkest hour, like Joseph Smith, or if you're just going through life, like Elder Holland. He will help you make the right decisions so that you can live with him again.
Jesus Christ died so that we could live with him again, he also died to atone for our sins. When he was in the Garden of Gethsemane he was in the ultimate valley of the shadow of death. He felt all our pains and paid the price of all of our sins. He felt all of that and more. He was up on the cross and even God left him at that time so that he could feel so alone, but even whilst that he looked at the soldiers and Pharisees that had accused him of so much and he asked God to forgive them. Jesus taught that we should love our enemy AND that we should be like him. We need to have no fear. We need to walk with God and feel His power and we will not be alone.
I testify that Joseph Smith did see God and Jesus Christ in that grove of trees, just as Elisha saw heavenly help surrounding the city, but even if we can't see heavenly help it is there for us, too. I testify that Jesus suffered all of our pains in the garden of gethsemane so that whatever trial we are going through we will not be alone and that as we walk with him we will have no need to fear. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
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