Homecoming Talk

(Editor's Note:  I thought I was recording this talk, but evidently I didn't push the 'record' button enough times, and it didn't start. So this is from memory.)

Elder Bartholomew apologized for the audience having to watch him cry, because he was going to cry. That's just what he does when giving talks.

He then commented on the intermediate hymn, 'Lord, I Would Follow Thee' (#220).  Verse 1 is about building our relationship with the Savior:  

      Savior, may I learn to love thee,
       Walk the path that thou hast shown,
       Pause to help and lift another,
       Finding strength beyond my own.
       Savior, may I learn to love thee—

          Lord, I would follow thee.

We learn to love Him by doing as He did: serving others.  

Verse 2 is about our relationships with other people:

      Who am I to judge another
      When I walk imperfectly?
      In the quiet heart is hidden
      Sorrow that the eye can't see.
      Who am I to judge another?

      Lord, I would follow thee.

He spoke about judging other people, and that everyone has something they are struggling with.

Verse 3 is about caring for others:

      I would be my brother's keeper;
      I would learn the healer's art.
      To the wounded and the weary
      I would show a gentle heart.
      I would be my brother's keeper—

      Lord, I would follow thee.

Verse 4 is about being the servant of the Savior by loving those around us:

       Savior, may I love my brother
       As I know thou lovest me,
       Find in thee my strength, my beacon,
       For thy servant I would be.
       Savior, may I love my brother—

       Lord, I would follow thee.

Elder Bartholomew shared an experience from his mission.  He was on splits, and not feeling well.  He and the other Elder went to City Creek so the Elder could grab some lunch.  Elder Bartholomew sat at a table amidst many other tables, waiting for the Elder to order and pay for his food.  Suddenly, he was forcefully aware that every other person in the food court was a spirit being having a physical experience, that each was a child of God, that God loved each of them, and Elder B suddenly felt love for each of them.   

After he was released, he was sitting in a traffic jam on I-15--as you do, on I-15--and he happened to glance over to the car sitting idling next to him.  A young mother was driving, and she had a baby in a car seat, and a toddler in a booster seat behind her. And just as suddenly as before, he was forcefully aware that the woman, and the children--and every person in the traffic jam--were spirit beings having a physical experience, and that each was a child of God and loved by God, and Elder B felt love for each of them.  He was surprised again, because he had been released from his mission, but was still having this experience.  His take on this was that he could still receive inspiration when not serving a mission, and it was an eye-opening experience.

Elder B bore his testimony of the atonement of Jesus Christ, and the love of God for each of us.

He used a lot of tissues.