You can watch Sister Yee’s talk here.

In her talk, Sister Yee teaches that ministering is a Christlike way of loving and caring for others one by one. Rather than being a checklist or assignment, it is a spiritual way of seeing people as the Saviour does and responding to their needs with compassion.

Key quotes and questions to discuss or ponder

‘Bless this ministering couple for helping my dad. They didn’t judge him for where he was in his life. They walked with him and helped him to develop his relationship with God.’ (Paragraph 4)

What does it mean to ‘walk with’ the people we minister to?

‘When we minister, we are helping to answer each other’s prayers. We are the Savior’s hands.’ (Paragraph 6)

How can we become the Saviour’s hands?

‘Ministering by the Spirit invites the Savior’s healing into our lives and the lives of those we minister to.’ (Paragraph 9)

What blessings can we experience as we minister?

‘…ministering is the essence of who God is and who we can become as we follow Him.’ (Paragraph 10)

‘When we minister as He would, we begin to think, feel, and love as He would.’ (Paragraph 11)

‘I testify that Jesus Christ lives. As we emulate His sacrifice by loving and ministering as He would, we will be blessed to find our own joy, healing, and relief in Him. We will become even as He is.’ (Paragraph 24)

How does ministering help us to become more like Christ?

What fears or obstacles sometimes prevent us from ministering? (Paragraphs 17 and 18)

‘As we minister in faith, we do not go alone. The Lord will be with us.’ (Paragraph 19)

When have you felt that the Lord was with when you ministered to someone?

‘As His disciples, you and I have the covenant blessing and responsibility to bring the Savior’s love and relief to all of God’s children.’ (Paragraph 21)

In what ways is ministering both a covenant blessing and a covenant responsibility?

‘I believe our Father in Heaven wants you to be happy. He loves you. His work, including ministering, is designed to bring you and me the greatest joy we can experience.’

How does ministering bring you joy?

Invitations and applications:

‘The Savior showed us this pattern often during His mortal ministry as He compassionately blessed, healed, and cared for “the one.” He invites us to do likewise—to minister in individual and personal ways, ways that help us to feel the love of God.’ (Paragraph 12)

‘When we pause and choose to care for someone over something, His Spirit and love can enter in and we can receive the peace and perspective that we really need.’ (Paragraph 17)

‘If you want to feel grounded, gain a sense of divine belonging, and make a real difference in the world, I invite you to follow the Savior and minister in His name.’ (Paragraph 21)

Other Thoughts:

‘Higher and holier ministering comes when we pray for “the pure love of Christ” and follow the Spirit. It also comes as elders quorum and Relief Society presidencies, under the bishop’s direction, oversee ministering efforts, including assigning ministering companionships. Please give our young men and young women needed opportunity to accompany and be mentored by experienced ministering brothers and sisters. And please let our young rising generation inspire ministering brother and sister companions.’ (Elder Gerrit W Gong, General Conference, April 2023)

“We are surrounded by those in need of our attention, our encouragement, our support, our comfort, our kindness. … We are the Lord’s hands here upon the earth, with the mandate to serve and to lift His children. He is dependent upon each of us.” (Thomas S Monson, “What Have I Done for Someone Today?” Ensign, Nov. 2009, 86.)

‘The Savior is our example in everything—not only in what we should do but why we should do it. His life on earth was [an] invitation to us—to raise our sights a little higher, to forget our own problems and [to] reach out to others.’ (Julie B Bingham, General Conference, April 2018).

‘I am confident there are within our sphere of influence those who are lonely, those who are ill, and those who feel discouraged. Ours is the opportunity to help them and to lift their spirits. The Savior brought hope to the hopeless and strength to the weak. He healed the sick; He caused the lame to walk, the blind to see, the deaf to hear. He even raised the dead to life. Throughout His ministry He reached out in charity to any in need. As we emulate His example, we will bless lives, including our own.’ (Thomas S Monson, General Conference, October 2015)

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