Enduring Together

Bishop Richard C. Edgley

"From bearing one another's burdens as ward members, we have learned several lessons:

"1. The Lord's organization is fully adequate to know and care for those with even the most dire emotional and spiritual needs.

"2. Adversity can bring us closer to God, with a renewed and enlightened appreciation for prayer and the Atonement, which covers pain and suffering in all their manifestations.

"3. Members who suffer tragedy firsthand often experience an increased capacity for love, compassion, and understanding. They become the first, last, and often the most effective responders in giving comfort and showing compassion to others.

"4. A ward, as well as a family, draws closer together as it endures together—what happens to one happens to all.

"5. And perhaps most important, we can each be more compassionate and caring because we have each had our own personal trials and experiences to draw from. We can endure together.

"I rejoice in belonging to such a loving and caring organization. No one knows better how to bear one another's burdens, mourn with those who mourn, and comfort those who stand in need of comfort. I choose to call it 'enduring together.' What happens to one happens to all."

Bishop Richard C. Edgley, "Enduring Together," Liahona and Ensign, Nov. 2007, 11.

Alexa's father, Gary, recalls: "[Our ward] realized we needed to help each other and comfort each other. Love from our ward got us through that initial tough time."

"I really believe this—the ward family—is the way God intended for things to work," says Christine Callans. "It's a whole different way of thinking about relationships and people."

Debbie said, "I wouldn't change the experiences I have had because in the worst of times, you see the grace of God and the absolute goodness of others."

Photography by Craig Dimond, except as noted

Above, right: photograph by Sharry Tingey; right: photograph by Jerry Garns

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