As the June 8 devotional opened with a hymn bearing these words, “Go forth with hope and courage strong to spread God’s word abroad…” all present were primed for the topic of the meeting: “Go Forward with Faith.” Speaking was Gregory P. Gonsalves, a graduate of BYU-Provo, father of four children, and current president of the Kauai, Hawaii Stake.
President Gonsalves reiterated the encouraging words of President Thomas S. Monson as he said, “I plead with you not to let those most important things pass you by as you plan for that illusive and nonexistent future when you will have time to do all that you want to do. Instead, find joy in the journey—now."
He taught that our goal is to find joy and happiness in this life. He stated that in order to do so, we need to attain the obedience of Simon-Peter, the love of Jesus Christ, and the faith of the Nephites.
Growing up in a family of 7 children, President Gonsalves was taught the importance of being obedient. As his friends invited him out to play on Sunday afternoons, he declined knowing that the Sabbath day was unlike every other. “This simple pattern of obedience to one of our Father in Heaven’s commandments has stuck with me throughout my life,” he said. It is obedience that will grant us the greatest joy.
He illustrated the importance of having direction in our lives by referencing the ancient Polynesians who crossed from Tahiti to Hawaii only by following the stars. “We must follow an inspirational North Star to guide us in this mortal journey,” he said. Michelle Lewis, a junior studying elementary education from Florida enjoyed this comparison and said, “I think that we have lots of north stars, our ward, our friends, the scriptures- we have all of these guides in our life that can lead us and we can be successful just how they were successful if we just follow the guidance that’s given to us.”
In his stake, President Gonsalves has instituted three goals that will help influence the members’ actions, and he encouraged the students to follow suit. 1) Gain greater faith in Christ. 2) Help others gain greater faith in Christ. 3) Go forward with faith. Not only do we need to strengthen our own faith, but we need to strengthen others and continue enduring to the end.
Leonardo Li, a sophomore studying accounting from China said, “I enjoyed the three steps from the devotional, it taught me the best way to obey the gospel and live a virtuous life.”
President Gonsalves left us with three acronyms that are widely known, but that he has interpreted in different ways: CTR, LDS, and MTC. CTR was defined as “Current Temple Recommend,” LDS as “Lifetime Daily Searchers (of the scriptures),” and MTC as “Meet the Christ.” As we remember these admonitions, we will have the desire and strength to “Go forth with hope and courage strong to spread God’s word abroad.”
—Photo by Nathan Lehano
Click here to view full transcript of Gregory P. Gonsalves' devotional