Elder Marcus B. Nash of the Seventy said in October 2021 general conference:
While on a flight to Peru a few years ago, I was seated next to a self-proclaimed atheist. He asked me why I believe in God. In the delightful conversation that ensued, I told him that I believed in God because Joseph Smith saw Him—and then I added that my knowledge of God also came from personal, real spiritual experience. I shared my belief that “all things denote there is a God”1 and asked him how he believed the earth—this oasis of life in the vacuum of space—came into existence. He replied that, in his words, “the accident” could have happened over eons of time. When I explained how highly improbable it would be for an “accident” to produce such beauty and order, he was quiet for a time and then good-naturedly said, “You got me.” I asked if he would read the Book of Mormon. He said he would, so I sent him a copy.
Years later I made a new friend while in an airport in Lagos, Nigeria. We became acquainted as he checked my passport. I asked him about his religious beliefs, and he expressed strong faith in God. I shared the joy and vibrancy of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and asked if he would like to learn more from the missionaries. He said yes, was taught, and was baptized. A year or two later, as I walked through the airport in Liberia, I heard a voice call out my name. I turned, and that same young man approached with a big smile. We joyfully embraced, and he let me know that he was active in the Church and working with the missionaries to teach his girlfriend.
Now, I do not know whether my atheist friend ever read the Book of Mormon or joined the Church. My second friend did. For both of them, my responsibility2—my opportunity—was the same: hold up the gospel light—to love, share, and invite each of them in a normal, natural way.3
Brothers and sisters, I have experienced the blessings of sharing the gospel, and they are remarkable. Here are a few of them:
Sharing the Gospel Brings Joy and Hope
You see, you and I know that we lived as children of our Heavenly Father before coming to this earth4 and that the earth was created for the purpose of giving each person the opportunity to obtain a body, gain experience, learn, and grow in order to receive eternal life—which is God’s life.5 Heavenly Father knew we would suffer and sin on earth, so He sent His Son, whose “matchless life”6 and infinite atoning sacrifice7 make it possible for us to be forgiven, healed, and made whole.8
To know these truths is life changing! When a person learns the glorious purpose of life, comes to understand that Christ forgives and succors those who follow Him, and then chooses to follow Christ into the waters of baptism, life changes for the better—even when the external circumstances of life do not.
A radiantly happy sister I met in Onitsha, Nigeria, told me that from the time she learned the gospel and was baptized (and now I use her words), “everything is good for me. I am happy. I am in heaven.”9 Sharing the gospel kindles joy and hope in the souls of both giver and receiver. Truly, “how great shall be your joy”10 as you share the gospel! Sharing the gospel is joy upon joy, hope upon hope.11 ~For Elder Nash’s complete talk click. . . ‘Hold Up Your Light.’
