Nov. 8, 2026
Aloha, brothers and sisters, friends and neighbors. I still wear the missionary badge because I have been set apart again as a service missionary, this time in the Church Headquarters Service Mission Office who help improve senior service missionary experiences around the world. Today, we’re reflecting on how our recent service mission in Maui drew us and our friends closer to Christ.
“I was afraid I might get sea sick on the way to Sacrament Meeting! We rose very early one Sunday and though greeted by a beautiful calm east sky surrounding Haleakala, as we drove onto the Maalaea dock we were greeted by boulders that had been thrown from the sea onto the parking lot. We navigated around them on the drenched pavement and soon learned why they were there. Suddenly an especially large wave broke the peaceful morning and burst over the concrete dike sending water high into the sky. “We are experiencing a ‘south swell’ the ship crew told us as one-by-one, hand-in-hand they helped us board the passenger ferry for the island of Lana’i. The ship tossed and heaved as we took our seats but became more steady as we departed for the open sea.”
Weeks earlier, upon receiving our assignment to conduct the Addiction Recovery Program across two stakes, we were invited to speak at each of the fourteen wards and branches on Maui, Molokai, and Lana’i. Whether near or far, we were greeted with Aloha and sincere Christ-like love. Though the people we met came from different cultures and life experiences, we found that the need to be loved, forgiven, and understood transcends every difference. Frequently after the meeting people would embrace us and with moist eyes whisper a heartfelt, ‘thank you.’ We came to understand what this meant. Everyone knew or had known someone struggling with addiction. Many carried burdens, hoping for recovery for someone they loved.
Like our trip that day to Lanai, each day started with the many outward beauties of Hawaii, indeed we walked pristine beaches, and consumed awe inspiring sunsets; but as we went about our work we saw the rocks thrown by life’s storms into the paths of people we came to love. Then, we saw the helping hand of the Lord, his power, bring them aboard his ship, his church, as Brigham Young and M. Russell Ballard called it, “the Old Ship Zion,” and guided them from life’s tossed and heaving sea to hope, peace and the miracle of Healing through the Savior.
But they were not the only ones receiving miracles in rooms of recovery. We were deeply blessed each time we stepped on that dedicated ground, in those sacred rooms of recovery. Think of a high council room. The first miracle we noticed each week was within our own hearts. Generally, I can be too judgemental, too impatient in life. But, as each participant, each friend walked through the door, we felt nothing but Christ-like love and compassion for them; all judgment and criticism taken from our hearts. We came to know that each individual was too important to God to allow our weakness to get in the way.
For many, simply walking through those doors required great courage. They came seeking something we all need–the help, love, and healing power of Jesus Christ. In confidence, and by first name only, they introduced themselves. We prayed and read together about the doctrine of Christ and of his healing power. In the short span of one hour our hearts experienced the extremes of heartbreak and joy. Friends early in their journey to recovery told of broken and shattered lives and relationships, then farther around the room, farther along their journey, another friend lifting others with their stories of hope and testimonies of Christ’s power. Many in this latter group could have used Alma’s very words,
“My soul had been redeemed from the gall of bitterness and bonds of iniquity. I was in the darkest abyss; but now I behold the marvelous light of God. My soul was racked with eternal torment; but I am snatched, and my soul is pained no more.” (Mosiah 27:29)
One friend, I will call her Leilani, came for weeks but sat in silence. She suddenly stopped coming. We wondered and prayed for her. Months later Leilani returned and there was something different. [pause] She was changed in some way. [pause] She spoke. She shared. In her countenance there was light, a light that was not there before. She opened up. Her story was progressing. She came back. She was finding her way forward, and now she was helping others find theirs. The power of Christ was nourishing and saving a beautiful precious soul. We saw in her and others the truth of Moroni’s declaration,
“And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.” (Ether 12:27)
Another friend, I will call him Kainoa, had been in and out of prison due to addiction. This return missionary had lost his marriage and the confidence of family and community. He had been homeless. When we met Kainoa he was a full participant in addiction recovery programs and had been sober for several years. He was now on a journey to help others find support and help in our meetings. With the help of the Lord, Kainoa was regaining confidence in himself, in his family and in the community. He magnified his calling in his ward, attended and actively helped others get to the temple regularly. [pause] Where there was once darkness there is light. By the way, his family is also recovering. In my heart, from across the ocean, he echoes the words of Nephi,
“I am encompassed about, because of the temptations and the sins which do so easily beset me. And when I desire to rejoice, my heart groaneth because of my sins; nevertheless, I know in whom I have trusted. My God hath been my support; he hath led me through mine afflictions in the wilderness; and he hath preserved me upon the waters of the great deep. He hath filled me with his love…” (2 Nephi 4:18-21)
Not every story of recovery unfolds as we hope, or as quickly as we pray. Yet we witnessed that the Savior’s love is present even in the midst of unfinished stories.
[not rushed] It has been sacred to walk with Jesus by walking into his rooms of recovery exploring and witnessing his power to bless the addicted and to taste his compassion and glimpse his love.
Some of us carry quiet heartache for people we love. We may wish we could ease their pain, restore a relationship, or help them find their way to peace. Elder Rasband recently offered words that have brought me comfort.
He said, “I ask you to turn over to Jesus Christ your despair for those wayward souls. We cannot change their hearts, but He can; He is a God of miracles. We love our family members and friends profoundly, but they are foremost children of our Father in Heaven, who knows and loves them even more than we do. Our Father, the great Elohim, gave His Beloved Son the authority and power necessary to heal all His children. That is the good news of the gospel. By the power of Jesus Christ’s Atonement, there is always a way back! By His Atonement from the Garden of Gethsemane to the cross on Golgotha, He paid for the sins and bore the disappointments that wrack their souls and yours…” (Rasband, Gen. Conf., Oct. 2026)
A year ago, Elder Gong said, “Recently, in Albania, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Switzerland, and Germany, I witnessed new members fulfilling the Book of Mormon allegory of the olive tree. In Jacob 5, the Lord of the vineyard and his servants strengthen both olive tree roots and branches by gathering and grafting together those from diverse locations. Today children of God gather as one in Jesus Christ; the Lord offers a remarkable natural means to expand our lived fullness of His restored gospel…I learn from faithful members and friends in every land and culture…Different expressions of Christlike attributes deepen my love and understanding of my Savior…(Gong, Gen. Conf., Oct. 2025)
I hope each of us might find opportunities to walk beside someone who is carrying a burden. There may be unexpected storms along the way. We may encounter boulders in our path, or find ourselves drenched by waves we never saw coming.
But I have learned that the Savior does not abandon us in those storms. He knows us. He loves us. And sometimes, as we reach out to help another, we discover His hand reaching out to us.
I remember those crew members at the dock in Maui, helping us aboard, one by one, hand in hand.
I think of the Savior’s hands, reaching toward each of us, wherever we are in our journey. He invites us to come unto Him, and He invites us to help one another along the way.
Sister Hardman and I went to Maui hoping to serve God’s children. We returned having been blessed and changed by them. Through those sacred experiences, we came to know a little more of the Savior’s compassion, His patience, and His healing power.
I know deep in my soul that Jesus Christ lives. His love reaches across oceans, cultures, families, and circumstances. No one is beyond His love.
I testify of these things with love and much mahalo, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
(click on the main menu, Service Mission Stories for more about our Maui mission )
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