The Widow's Heart

Cultivating a Tender Heart

Sacrament talk delivered Oct. 29, 2017, Laie 12th Ward

by Elvin Jerome Laceda

Aloha!

                 While Jesus was near the temple in Jerusalem, He watched people put money for the Church into big boxes. Many rich men put a lot of money into the boxes. A widow, a poor woman whose husband had died, went to the boxes and put in two pieces of money called mites. It was not very much money, but it was all the money she had. Jesus saw her. Wanting to teach His disciples a lesson, He told them about her. He also told them about the rich men who had given lots of money. The rich men had more money at home. The widow had no money at home. In a way, she had given more to the Church than all the rich men, because she had given all she had.(The Friend, 2002)

                I feel that this is a tender mercy of the Lord to me, exactly this week, last year I gave my first talk in the same pulpit but in a different ward. Thank you, Bishop. Last year as well, I talked about mostly the same thing I will share with you today. I shared about Courage to Make Decisions, I shared about Heart, the literal meaning of Courage. I will talk to you about hearts today, but not the romantic heart that you might be thinking, for I am still in search of it.

               I will be sharing with you a message inspired by a talk given the last Gen. Conference entitled, The Heart of the Widow by O. Vincent Haleck, you might know him because he had served here in the Pacific for the Church ( LDS Conference, Oct 2017)

             Elder James E. Talmage (1862–1933) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explained why the Lord commended the widow even though her offering was a relatively small donation: “The rich gave much yet kept back more; the widow’s gift was her all. It was not the smallness of her offering that made it especially acceptable, but the spirit of sacrifice and devout intent with which she gave” (Jesus the Christ, 3rd ed. [1916], 561–62). Elder Talmage also stated: “Whether it be the gift of a man or a nation, the best, if offered willingly and with pure intent, is always excellent in the sight of God, however poor by other comparison that best may be” (The House of the Lord, rev. ed. [1968], 3).

If we dissect the scriptural passages leading to the story of the Widow’s Mite in Mark chapter 12, Mark carefully introduced this story by first putting and mentioning very famous dialogue of Jesus between him and a man, the scribed asked, 

“Which is the first commandment of all? And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.32 And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he:33 And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.34 And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God…

How can we have that kind of Heart? Three takeaways from the talk of Elder Haleck, 

• 1.       Give all by making sacrifices, by enduring hardship, persecution, and rejection, bearing burdens of many kinds

• 2.       Senses, feels, and knows the light of truth and will give anything to embrace that truth, helps others to see that same light and come to the same measure of eternal happiness and joy.

• 3.       Willingness to give all for building up the kingdom of God on the earth.

            Mormon described the results of a person seeking to do good works without real intent. In Moroni 7:7–10. 7 For behold, it is not counted unto him for righteousness.8 For behold, if a man being evil giveth a gift, he doeth it grudgingly; wherefore it is counted unto him the same as if he had retained the gift; wherefore he is counted evil before God.9 And likewise also is it counted evil unto a man if he shall pray and not with real intent of heart; yea, and it profiteth him nothing, for God receiveth none such.10 Wherefore, a man being evil cannot do that which is good; neither will he give a good gift. From these verses, we learn that to be blessed for good works, we must do them with the real intent of heart. Real intent includes doing good works out of a love for God and others.

         Even though her two mites were a meager contribution, to the Savior her gift was of supreme value because she gave everything. In that moment, the Savior fully knew the widow, for her gift showed Him her heart. The quality and depth of her love and faith were such that she gave knowing that her “want” would be supplied.

      

The heart of the widow who gave her two mites is a heart that will give all by making sacrifices; by enduring hardship, persecution, and rejection; and by bearing burdens of many kinds. The heart of the widow is a heart that senses, feels, and knows the light of truth and will give anything to embrace that truth. It also helps others to see that same light and come to the same measure of eternal happiness and joy. Finally, the heart of the widow is defined by a willingness to give all for building up the kingdom of God on the earth.

              When I served a mission in the Phils. Cagayan de Oro, it was my great honor to meet and serve with these people, with great and meek hearts. Just yesterday, though I’m thousands of miles apart from my previous mission area, Tudela, I served there for 5 months, we organized a Family Home Evening for their group. These are farmers, laborers, and a soldier humble people. When we opened the area, we met about 18 people who are already LDS, and before I left the area, more than 40 faithfully attend services, and 3 of the families were sealed in the temple, and I had the great blessing of witnessing that. Until now, they are still a group, they are still waiting for approval from the Church to become officially a “branch”. However, the Full-time missionaries were pulled out last month, and the closure of the area is imminent, which we did not understand. And before the FHE ends, they told me, “Elder, we were told that tomorrow is our last sacrament meeting in Tudela”. 


              And I was shocked, sad and was crying, for more than 2 years, we worked hard for this to happen?. But I learned a great lesson from them, “Elder don’t worry, we are preparing, yes we are sad and even concerned how can the others travel to the nearest meetinghouse/chapel now. But we just talked amongst ourselves, we will use the multicab (a small truck) for the members to travel to the nearest ward”. Knowing that these are not familiar with Church vocabularies And might be offended, they chose not to. They even said, there might be a reason and the Lord is preparing them for something greater. The original 1-2 mile travel will now entail them additional 22 miles of travel towards the nearest ward. The feelings of frustration and sadness were replaced by peace. Knowing that the hearts of these people are in tune with the Lord, accepting all things, in building up the Kingdom of God. But until now, I had been communicating with the mission on how can we work out the area.

              In scripture we read a term called, “real intent of heart”. Do you think a person can merely pretend to be righteous? Or pretend that he or she loves you, but not really?

Mormon addressed this issue in Moroni 7:6. Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles can help us understand what it means to the have the real intent of heart. “We must not only do what is right. We must act for the right reasons. The modern term is good motive. The scriptures often signify this appropriate mental attitude with the words full purpose of heart or real intent.

“The scriptures make clear that God understands our motives and will judge our actions accordingly” (Pure in Heart [1988], 15).

Let us ponder this question:

1.      What differences have you noticed when you have done good works with the right intent as opposed to having done something good with a selfish intent?

-       Very interesting scenario, “I read that if a person prays without real intent, ‘it profiteth him nothing, for God receiveth none such.’ I often feel like I don’t pray with real intent. Should I just quit praying?”

President Brigham Young gave this helpful counsel on how we can gain a desire to pray with real intent: “It matters not whether you or I feel like praying when the time comes to pray, pray. If we do not feel like it, we should pray till we do” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young [1997], 45).

              Finally, let me tell you 2 personal stories, I also know the literal heart of a widow, I was raised by a widow most of my childhood until my teenage life.  I am super blessed to have her in my life, along with my late grandfather. I know of her sacrifices and abiding love she has for me. When my parents cannot take their responsibility of raising me up, God endowed this woman along with her husband of enough strength and courage to raise me up and become what God has designed me to become. I know the heart of a widow is the heart of sincere love, compassion, and courage. When no one wants to take responsibility, he/she will stand up and to it!

             My grandfather was a farmer and fisherman and my grandma used to sell produce in the local market. I know their sacrifices just make ends meet. But the greatest inheritance they gave me is my FAITH. An Abiding Faith and Love for my Savior. I am not perfect, I am still working out to “put off the natural man”, but I have learned that as we become like a child, we, in turn, become Christlike. 

 Jesus said, “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light”

I know that God is aware of our individual situations, ai know that He loves us. We are His children. I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God and this is His church. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen 

Mr. Jimmy, Texas, Manny Pacquaio and PCC

          

 "So, when you go to your classes, you tell them, Thanks a lot!"

Miracle in Island Buffet 

by Elvin Jerome Laceda

Island Buffet Restaurant, Gateway Building, Polynesian Cultural Center, Lai, Hawaii October 2017 ©Laceda

25 OCTOBER 2017

          As our team prepares for the closing of our restaurant, a man came to the buffet line, and as I approach him, I hear him saying, "Oh, this looks delicious, you have lot's of food...". Usually, when 7:15pm comes, I usually tell the remaining guests that the "Ha: Breath of Life" night show "begins in about 10 minutes", and I also ask them if they still need food from our lines. But for this individual, I even told him, "Sir, you can take your time and enjoy your dinner, it's your private restaurant now". He is gleaming, warm and friendly. 

        After ten minutes, I returned to his table, and I asked him about his experience so far in the islands, I learned he is from Houston, Texas, and his family was affected by the recent Hurricane Harvey. Then he continued asking me questions about my studies and share some counsels, to study well and work hard. When we start talking about the Philippines, he told me that Manny Pacquiao the world-class Filipino boxing champion is his idol. He said, "I watched all his fights, I admire him so much". He continued, "I know Manny's secret, why he keeps winning during the heyday of his career". I was curious to know it, so I asked, "what is it?". "It is the Bulalo" (Bulalo is a Filipino stew made from beef shanks and marrow bones), he said his mom (Mommy Dionesia) has a special recipe for that. I attest, Bulalo is also my favorite. Then our conversation goes on, we also talked about why he is here in Hawaii.

      He said, "I came here to bury my foster father". I felt sorry for him, but he said he is fine and happy he came into the Polynesian Cultural Center. As he finishes his dinner, I returned to his table and he told me, "when you meet Pacquiao tell him, I admire him and tell him I told you his secret!". "Definitely", I replied, then I asked him if it is okay for us to take a photo for a souvenir and also for me to show Manny Pacquiao once I have the chance to meet him.

Elvin, Tutana, and Jim, at Island Buffet Restaurant. October 25, 2017, ©Laceda

     After taking photos, something remarkable happened,

"After Hurricane Harvey, all people who helped us are LDS. You know what your vest on, helping. So, when you go to your classes, you tell them, Thanks a lot! You guys are everywhere helping us!". Jim knows we are LDS but we are not the same individuals who helped him, but still, he recognized that we belong to a group of people who directly helped them during the recovery in Houston.   

So grateful to be part of the community of Latter-day Saints. We are our brothers and sisters keepers.

WATCH THE VIDEO OF CONVERSATION HERE.

   Have I done any good today?

The Choice to be Courageous by Elvin Laceda

"Courage means Heart"

Introduction:

       Various internet sources estimate that an adult makes about 35,000 remotely conscious decisions each day (in contrast a child makes about 3,000). This number may sound absurd, but in fact, we make 226.7 decisions each day on just food alone according to researchers at Cornell University (Wansink and Sobal, 2007). If we narrow down the data if how many of those 35,000.

1. Decisions

        - We make daily decisions in life. Decisions that are both trivial, temporary or eternal in effect. Most of the times, young people are caught up in the situation wherein quick decisions and judgments should be made. Like when a friend give you an alcoholic drink, invited you into a late night party, a man simply asking for a date or when you receive your payslips and thinking if you’ll pay an honest full tithe. Some say I would never know how to react unless I am at the situation, but I learned a new principle as I read Sister Elaine Dalton’s message given 5 years ago, she said “I learned that some decisions need to be made only once. I wrote my list of things I would always do and things I would never do in a small tablet. It included things like obeying the Word of Wisdom, praying daily, paying my tithing, and committing to never miss church. I made those decisions once, and then in the moment of decision, I knew exactly what to do because I had decided beforehand. When my high school friends said, “Just one drink won’t hurt,” I laughed and said, “I decided when I was 12 not to do that.” Making decisions in advance will help you be guardians of virtue. I hope each of you will write a list of things you will always do and things you will never do. Then live your list.”

That’s the key word; I made those decisions once, and then in the moment of decision, I knew exactly what to do because I had decided beforehand. Let’s ponder and think about what decision that we can now choose to make and when that moment to decide comes we will be “courageous and stand firm on what we’ve decided beforehand”? I’m sure many of us have done the same thing. We need to be consistent, and if we fail, we need not to worry. Repentance is available.

B. Courage is Needed.

        - I have learned that in each important decision we will make, a certain ingredient is vital. It is called COURAGE. The root/heart word of the word courage is cor—the Latin word for heart. In one of its earliest forms, the word courage had a very different definition than it does today. Courage originally meant “To speak one's mind by telling all one's heart.” “Courage is a heart word. The root of the word courage is cor - the Latin word for heart. 

1. Courage to Believe and to Have Faith- 
   
   

        > In this world and time of disbelief and confusion it is easy for men to forget. Satan and his minions are tirelessly luring God’s children to abandon their “first love” (Rev2:4), as the scriptures describes the Gospel. We who have committed ourselves and made sacred covenants with God needed to be firm, and if the way “be full of trial, weary not” as the hymn says. We don’t need to “move mountains, or walk the Sea” but we just need to walk, one step at a time, “our speed does not matter, what matters most is our direction”. Like Alma said, our faith is like a seed, we need it to be planted in good ground, which means in our “cor” - in other words in our hearts. Good ground, is a heart that is both humble to accept God’s counsels and corrections then a courage to change for the better.

2. Courage to Obey -

> As we go about living from day to day, it is almost inevitable that our faith will be challenged. We may at times find ourselves surrounded by others and yet standing in the minority or even standing alone concerning what is acceptable and what is not. Do we have the moral courage to stand firm for our beliefs, even if by so doing we must stand alone? As holders of the priesthood of God and members of his Church, it is essential that we are able to face—with courage—whatever challenges come our way. Remember the words of Tennyson: “My strength is as the strength of ten, because my heart is pure.”2

> “Is it any wonder,” said Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, “that Christ chooses first and foremost to define himself in relation to his father—that he loved him and obeyed him and submitted to him like the loyal son he was? … Obedience is the first law of heaven.”1            

The scriptures teach “when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated” (D&C 130:21). Our spiritual growth takes place as we draw close to God through obedience and invite the power of the Savior’s Atonement into our lives.

We have to have the courage to obey, no matter the consequence, we may become unpopular, we may lose friends, we may lose the whole world but we gain a Friend, a true friend, which is Jesus Christ! Matt. 16:25 “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.”

Choose now to be courageous when the situation needs, we are prepared and ready.

> There will be times that our courage to defy the consensus is needed and we will prevail in the end if we have chosen the right thing.

3. Courage to Love:
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

    > The example I offer in this 3rd element is personal to me. When I was young, and I’m still young, hahaha. My grandfather used to tell me how he fought for the love he has for my grandma. My grandma doesn’t like him very much, but it is a custom in the Philippines then, that if the parents of the woman like the lad or the man, their daughter does not have the choice but to accept the offer of marriage. My grandfather really impressed my grandma’s parents in his first visit at their house, that’s why, that afternoon, a marriage arrangement was made and a schedule of the wedding was set in the coming week. My grandma retaliated at first, but my grandpa prevailed, he told her how he loved her so very much since they first met in the marketplace and tried to somehow “stalk” her and know where their house is to court her parents. I’m thankful for my grandpa's courage and my grandma’s eventual love for him. The fruit of their love are 9 beautiful children and one of whom is my mother. If not for that determination of my grandpa, i would not be here in front of you, hahaha. Lesson: If you love the person, fight for him/her. But not stalk her/him. Have the courage to say a woman is beautiful and have the courage to spread love.

    > Second, is it hard to love an enemy?. Jesus said this very wonderful principle, “ 43 ¶Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.

44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

 46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? 48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

Notice this, Jesus integrated the lesson of loving our enemies in being perfect, that’s wonderful.

> Who is our best example of loving his enemies?. It’s Jesus and our Father in Heaven, in the Book of Mormon, we become and enemy to God when we sin, In new testament Rom. 5:10 we read “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life” He loved us even we had rebelled against him. He later said “Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.” Let us be His friend as we obey.has

1. Courage to Repent and Change:

    > Our mortal journey is not thrilling as it is without the challenges and trials. This trials refine and purify us. There will be times that we will stumble, we will commit mistakes and sin against God. But is it the end, Pres. Monson has said, “One of God's greatest gifts to us is the joy of trying again, for no failure ever need be final”. This week while having this kind of weird haircut, I wondered, I hope change is as easy as getting a haircut. And yeah I was partly correct, but real change, Christlike Change needs time and it depends on my “will, determination and courage to change”. Is there something in our attitude now, or habit or any behavior that’s bothering us, and makes us guilty or having lack of confidence “in approaching the throne of God”, if it happens now?, May I offer a suggestion, it is found in D&C121: 45 “Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God; and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from heaven.

46 The Holy Ghost shall be thy constant companion, and thy scepter an unchanging scepter of righteousness and truth; and thy dominion shall be an everlasting dominion, and without compulsory means it shall flow unto thee forever and ever.” The Holy Ghost’s role is to refine us, change us, and help us gain courage to approach the throne of God.

2. Courage to Sacrifice and Serve:
   
   

   

   courtesy from BYUH Magazine

   
   

    > a beloved leader in the Philippines Miriam Santiago, who is known for being so courageous and being described as “eating death threats for breakfast because of her strong stance against evils in the politics. Once said, “For evil to triumph it is sufficient that good men do nothing!”. We, as students of this great school, we need to become what Pres. David O. McKay

prophesied “One man said the world needs men who cannot be bought or sold, men who will scorn to violate truth, genuine gold,”“That is what this school is going to produce. More than that, they’ll be leaders. Leaders! Not only in this island, but everywhere. All the world is hungering for them.” We need to serve and sacrifice, we need to go forth and be courageous in our chosen fields and we need to do our work with a heart!

4. Courage to Finish Strong:

   
   
   
   
   

        > Often we are being taught to endure, yes that’s true, but ahve you ehard being told to “finish strong”, what do you mean by that?.  I will read Pres. Uchtdorf’s message last Oct. 2015, In ancient Greece, runners competed in a relay race called a lampadedromia.1 In the race, runners held a torch in their hand and passed it on to the next runner until the final member of the team crossed the finish line. The prize wasn’t awarded to the team that ran fastest—it was awarded to the first team to reach the finish line with its torch still lit. There is a profound lesson here, one taught by prophets ancient and modern: while it is important to start the race, it is even more important that we finish with our torch still lit.

               

The great King Solomon is an example of someone who started strong. When he was young, he “loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of David his father” (1 Kings 3:3). God was pleased with him and said, “Ask what I shall give thee” (1 Kings 3:5).

               

Though Solomon was indeed very wise and did many great things, he did not finish strong. Sadly, later in his life, “Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and went not fully after the Lord” (1 Kings 11:6).                       

Finishing Our Own Race

               

How many times have we started something and not finished? Diets? Exercise programs? Commitments to read the scriptures daily? Decisions to be better disciples of Jesus Christ?

               

How often do we make resolutions in January and pursue them with red-hot determination for a few days, a few weeks, or even a few months only to find that by October, the flame of our commitment is little more than cold ash?

    “Shall I falter or shall I finish" Pres. Monson said, from the poem by William Henley, Invictus we read:

“It matters not how strait the gate,

     How charged with punishments the scroll,

I am the master of my fate,

     I am the captain of my soul.”

Conclusion:

> Today, this very day, I commemorate my 11 years since I was baptized into the Church, I honor my ever courageous grandpa who defied the consensus, he was the first convert in a family of a well-known protestant family in our community. He was alone then, but I joined him when I was 11 yrs old. A year after my baptism, he died. I was alone for almost 6 years, till my grandma followed and many more followed in the legacy of my grandpa. We need men who are brave, men who love God and who loves the truth. Men and women who were changed by the atoning blood of Christ.

>Let us have the courage to defy the consensus, the courage to stand for principle. Courage, not compromise, brings the smile of God’s approval.  (Thomas S. Monson) 2004.

>One day a farmer’s donkey fell down into a well.

The animal cried for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally, he decided the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway; it just wasn’t worth it to retrieve the donkey.

He invited all his neighbors to come over & help him. They all grabbed a dirt & began to shovel dirt into the well.

At first, the donkey didn’t realized what was happening & cried horribly. Then, to everyone’s amazement he quieted down. A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well. He was astonished at what he saw. With each shovel ­of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing.

He would shook it off & take a step up. As the farmer’s neighbors

continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off & take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well & happily trotted off..!!!

Always Remember in Life that:

Life is going to throw dirt on you.

The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off & take a step up.

Each of our troubles is a stepping stone.

We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping, never giving up..But by taking a step up.

In this world people will always throw stones in the path of your success, It depends on you..what You make from them A wall or A bridge…!!!

Isn't’ that amazing story? So whatever happens, be faithful and have hope. Love God and serve Him. He will lift us up!

Today marks the 11th year since I joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I am grateful for my decision and specially to my grandpa, because of his courage he was the first LDS in our family, then he introduced me the gospel and now continuing his legacy. I know this Church is true. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. 

(Sacrament Concluding Talk, Oct. 16, 2016, 9:25am) Laie 9th Ward, Honolulu, HI