Elder Josh Thompson flew to Elk Grove, California on April 11, 2023. Dad, Mom, Emily, Bryce, Erin, Rachel, Renee, and Hannah all greeted him at Sacramento Airport at about 4:30 pm. Everyone was excited to see Josh. After a short delay (Bryce lost the parking ticket that allowed him and Josh to get out of the parking lot) the family traveled home. Josh was supposed to meet up with President Cocker at 6 PM, but President Cocker was detained and instead, the family ventured to In and Out Burger for a family dinner. After dinner, Josh, Mom, and Dad met with President Cocker where Josh was able to talk about his mission and President Cocker released Josh as a missionary. Later that evening, Josh gave the family prayer. Josh's sisters commented that Josh sounded like a missionary.
The week following his return, Josh attended early morning seminary where he talked to the seminary students about his life as a missionary. That evening he also gave a report to the Stake council and Mom and Dad were also able to listen to his experiences.
Josh spoke in church on April 23rd, 2023. Bryce had volunteered to talk that day also. Bryce talked of his love of carpentry and how Jesus was also a carpenter. He then compared woodworking to how Jesus sculpts our lives. Josh shared how he was able to be a good samaritan on his mission. His talk is included below.
Brother and Sister Ellis along with Br. Stone came to our sacrament meeting. Parker Madsen was in town for the week so that he could be here to welcome Josh home. Many family members joined Zoom. (Grandpa Thompson, Bryan & Lin, Alan, Devan's family, Grandma Irving, Cliff, Robin's family, and Ina's family).
Family after Josh's Homecoming
Josh's Homecoming talk
Good Morning y’all, I am so grateful for the opportunity to speak to you today about my mission and how I experienced God’s love for others, and how I saw good samaritans around me and in myself as well. I wanna share first one of my favorite pseudo-good samaritan stories. I am an Oakland À’s fan, and I love the whole story behind the movement in the organization in the early 2000s by Billy Beane, known as Moneyball. I think the movie adaptation does à great dramatization of the events that unfolded, even if Hollywood took creative and dramatic liberties to make à better film. To summarize the main plot of the movie, and what happened that season of Oakland À’s baseball, Billy Beane, the general manager, and former player took aged, prideful, riotous, broken, slow, and seemingly below-average players and gave them à chance to play for Oakland on cheap contracts to help save to suffering organization who had just lost star players some much-needed money. Billy Beane saw in the players something important that no other manager or team did, they got on base more frequently than others. In baseball, it’s important for players to progress around the diamond to get into à position where they can eventually run to home plate and score runs, which leads to more wins. Billy Beane took those who baseball thought were rejected and near worthless and made them key components to their success in the 2002 season and help the À’s reach the playoffs, achieving the longest win streak in American League history at that time along the way. I like to think Billy Beane acted sort of like the good samaritan, helping out people who were passed up by others. Now to my mission. I got to serve in Houston, Texas, which is an extremely diverse area with so many different people with different backgrounds, experiences, and beliefs. I got to meet so many amazing people that were so unique and always had something special about them. It was fairly easy to fall in love with the work and want to help those around me. On my mission, there were so many different ways to serve and help others out. It felt like once or twice à week we were moving someone in or out, helping distribute food from à food bank, doing farm work, or just being à helping hand to someone we just saw or met. We had à couple of times on my mission when we held either à day or week of love and service where we prioritized helping out those around us in different ways instead of normal proselyting efforts. These experiences were great and helped us fulfill our missionary purpose and invite all to come unto Christ. However, the most meaningful and impactful times were when loving and serving were difficult, but worth it. In Matthew 5:44, Christ is giving the sermon on the mount, and he tells us an important rule to live by: “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;”. There were countless times where we felt the adversary throw situations or people our way that were difficult. Texas is the tail end of the Bible belt, meaning plenty of people there wanted to argue, disprove, and bash us. These people all had à love for Christ and had strong faith in Him. We as missionaries loved seeing those who wanted to take à step closer to Him and make covenants that binded them to Him. However, more often than not, we got people who were uninterested or felt what we were saying was untrue. The times where I most experienced à Christlike love for others and reached out like the good samaritan were when dealing with people of different faiths. Often the people we taught and helped progress were those who were humble, meek, and teachable. Like the man beaten, stripped of everything, and hungry these people were going through something rough, challenging, confusing, or impossible feeling. We as missionaries were there to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ and help them know the way to truly trust in and rely on the Savior in à greater capacity. I know à couple of times where it backfired, like when I hugged à felon and then got him arrested, or when we taught à lady who wanted to convert us and get my companion to go to à dance with her daughter, or when à friend of ours got offended by what was being taught at the institute class and he left. Sometimes we even taught like in D&C 121:43 “Reproving betimes with sharpness when moved upon by the Holy Ghost; and then showing forth afterwards an increase of love toward him whom thou hast reproved, lest he esteem thee to be his enemy;”. However, the people who I taught and saw progress and even enter the waters of baptism were wholly converted to the Lord, and definitely came from the darkness to enter into the light of Christ. I can remember special spiritual experiences with a recently immigrated and poor, hardworking family from Nigeria, an ex-convict who was disabled and had been in prison basically his whole life, à young single adult who was constantly moving all over the place trying to find her way in the world, and many others. Through it all, I’ve learned how to develop patience and Christlike love for others. Christ has said in John 13:35, after washing the feet of His disciples, “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have alove one to another.” There were so many easy-to-love people, and also ones that were difficult to be around. The thing that helped me really increase my love for others and desire to serve as well as become à better missionary and disciple was to see everyone as Christ does. That is one thing I don’t think I’ll ever forget from my mission. Being able as à missionary to talk with and interact with so many allowed me to have à greater desire to know others and see what really made them amazing. Everyone loves talking about themselves and sharing what they enjoy and love. Christ helps us all to recognize what we love and what our strengths are, so we can fulfill our eternal purpose. As à missionary, we got to represent Jesus Christ and see the good in others. That allowed us to have à greater love for them and helped us want everyone to come and partake of the saving power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Getting to know and serve others allowed us to best know what others needed to better themselves and progress closer to the kingdom of God. The most satisfying thing was seeing à lightbulb go off in someone’s head, seeing their aha moment and seeing the gospel of Christ resonate with them. One thing I really wanted to help y’all out with today was how to become more like the good Samaritan. Now how do we ourselves create à greater desire to love and serve others like Christ? I think the words of I’m Trying to Be Like Jesus give us à great place to start. “Love another as Jesus loves you, try to show kindness in all that you do, be gentle and loving in deed and in thought, for these are the things Jesus taught.” I’m sure if we all followed these words of wisdom and helped others do the same, everything in our lives and around us would be oh so much better. Marvin J. Ashton gave some great insight on what love is and how to show it in his October 1975 general conference talk titled Love Takes Time. “True love is a process. True love requires personal action. Love must be continuing to be real. Love takes time. Too often expediency, infatuation, stimulation, persuasion, or lust are mistaken for love. How hollow, how empty if our love is no deeper than the arousal of momentary feeling or the expression in words of what is no more lasting than the time it takes to speak them. A group of college students recently indicated to me their least favorite expression to come from us as the older set is, “If there is ever anything I can do to help you, please let me know.” They, as do others, much prefer actions over conversation.” I want to focus on the last part he brought up, how love requires action. The true way to develop à love for others and help them see the love of Christ is by showing them through our deeds, that’s what makes the parable of the good samaritan so important. The samaritan just didn’t lean over the man and say “I love you, I’m here if you need me, just ask me for anything” No, he saw à need and fulfilled it. He did this all without muttering à word. Being willing to act and help others in any capacity is how to really develop charity and à Christlike love for others. Moroni teaches us in Moroni 7:47 “But acharity is the pure blove of Christ, and it endureth cforever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him. Now what actions can we take and what habits can we build right now so that we can develop charity? We could jump straight to what Christ taught in John 15:13 “Greater alove hath no man than this, that a man lay down his blife for his cfriends.” I don’t, however, think God expects that much from us at this very moment. The first thing I’d say to do is pray with real intent for opportunities to grow à Christlike love and be charitable. Prophet Thomas S. Monson gives some action items and ideas in his October 2010 talk titled Charity Never Faileth. “I consider charity—or “the pure love of Christ”—to be the opposite of criticism and judging. In speaking of charity, I do not at this moment have in mind the relief of the suffering through the giving of our substance. That, of course, is necessary and proper. Tonight, however, I have in mind the charity that manifests itself when we are tolerant of others and lenient toward their actions, the kind of charity that forgives, the kind of charity that is patient…There is a serious need for the charity that gives attention to those who are unnoticed, hope to those who are discouraged, aid to those who are afflicted. True charity is love in action. The need for charity is everywhere…Charity is having patience with someone who has let us down. It is resisting the impulse to become offended easily. It is accepting weaknesses and shortcomings. It is accepting people as they truly are. It is looking beyond physical appearances to attributes that will not dim through time. It is resisting the impulse to categorize others…In a hundred small ways, all of you wear the mantle of charity. Life is perfect for none of us. Rather than being judgmental and critical of each other, may we have the pure love of Christ for our fellow travelers in this journey through life. May we recognize that each one is doing [their] best to deal with the challenges which come [their] way, and may we strive to do our best to help out.” Charity isn’t always à grand gesture of love or à big service project or some large amount of time spent on someone. Charity can be found in small and simple things we do and say and how we live our lives as Christ would. Finally, I’m sure some of y’all are wondering, what’s in it for me, what do I myself gain when it’s all about helping and loving others? Charity can be difficult sometimes purely because we can sometimes be selfish, or prideful, or just unwilling to connect with, interact with, serve, or love others. We sometimes lose sight of how it helps us ourselves and then lose à motivation and desire to love. There are actually some great personal and spiritual benefits that come from developing à Christlike love for everyone. In his October 2018 talk Try, Try, Try, Henry B. Eyering makes some promises to those who develop charity: “Brothers and sisters, the Lord has opportunities near you to feel and to share His love. You can pray with confidence for the Lord to lead you to love someone for Him. He answers the prayers of meek volunteers like you. You will feel the love of God for you and for the person you serve for Him. As you help children of God in their troubles, your own troubles will seem lighter. Your faith and your hope will be strengthened.” J. Anette Dennis shared in her October 2022 talk His Yoke is Easy and His Burden Is Light some more benefits from being charitable “Many talks have been given by our Church leaders on charity, unity, love, kindness, compassion, forgiveness, and mercy. I believe the Savior is inviting us to live a higher, holier way5—His way of love where all can feel they truly belong and are needed. “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
“Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; …“For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”9 The Savior does not condone sin but offers us His love and extends forgiveness when we repent. To the woman caught in adultery, He said, “Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.”10 Those He touched felt His love, and that love healed and transformed them. His love inspired them to want to change their lives. Living His way brings joy and peace, and He invited others to that way of living with gentleness, kindness, and love.”
Bear Testimony
