Hello, Doer of the word!
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Let's dive into the invitations from Elder James E. Evanson's October 2025 General Conference address, "Go and Do Likewise."
Invitations
1 - "[T]he Savior's life is characterized by humble acts of service. ... He 'came not to be ministered unto, but to minister' and ... invites us to follow His example by going the extra mile, giving to those who ask of us, and loving our neighbor. When asked, 'Who is my neighbor?' Christ shared the parable of the good Samaritan, with a charge to 'go, and do thou likewise.' ...
"You don't need to have a service assignment or wear a name tag to do good. Every act of service is recognized by the Savior. We are all able to help others come unto Christ by serving with loving-kindness. We can all minister in Christ's name to the one through the power of the Holy Ghost and live as examples of faith in Jesus Christ. ...
Christ 'went about doing good.' He ministered to the sick, gave sight to the blind, and visited the downtrodden. He cooked meals, helped at wedding feasts, and fed thousands who were hungry. As we give service in Christ's name to the one, we become increasingly holy and worthy of the gift of eternal life. Jesus Christ lives. He is my Savior and yours. He is our Redeemer. He is our great example of ministering. I invite each of us to go and do likewise."
Application Idea: In addition to unplanned acts of service, consider building some planned service into your New Year's resolutions. Find ways to make it fun and meaningful by varying how/whom you serve and try inviting others to join you.
2 - "When you or a family member is blessed with a call as a service missionary, that is a moment to celebrate. Your family will now have a set-apart representative of the Lord Jesus Christ living in your home. That will change all of you for the good. There should be no disappointment in any call to serve. We sing, 'I'll go where you want me to go' and 'I'll be what you want me to be.' Here is an opportunity to show that we really mean what we say!"
Application Idea: Whether for your own mission or someone else's, find ways to normalize celebrating service missions with the same excitement as proselytizing missions. Maybe instead of a "farewell" or "homecoming" gathering with friends and family, you host or participate in a "commencement" or "honorable release" event.
3 - "You service missionaries gather Israel in so many ways, and your service changes lives. Often you don't know who the beneficiary of your service is, but God knows. Always remember that 'inasmuch as ye [serve] one of the least of these, … ye [serve Him].' We hear your voices as you volunteer at Church call centers; we see your smiles as you help in community organizations; and we feel your light as you serve in temples. You feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and give drink to the thirsty. We all need to go and do likewise."
Application Idea: For service missionaries, act on the invitation to "always remember" by keeping a daily journal. If you struggle to stick with journaling, change the medium. I find typing my journal in Google docs is far more efficient and fun than the handwritten journals I sporadically kept in my youth. It also lets you easily include photos from your phone. Alternatively, you could keep a video journal. That has the benefits of being even more efficient than typing and if your posterity has any interest in watching, they'll get to see and hear you rather than only reading your words. Where appropriate, you could post insights and testimony-building experiences from your mission on social media which would double as both a video journal and a missionary outreach tool to inspire others.
Additional Resources
Download a copy of these invitations: Google Sheets | PDF. If you use these resources as a handout in Church, use the PDF (it prints prettier) and please invite the members of your ward to subscribe to the General Conference Applied newsletter and podcast!
General Conference Applied S6 E45. Service Missionaries Aren't Second Class Servants—Elder Evanson—"Go and Do Likewise" - Amazon Music | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube. This short podcast episode is an audio / video version of this newsletter.
General Conference Applied S6 E46. Teaching the Gospel of Christ Through Service—Elder James E. Evanson—"Go and Do Likewise" - Amazon Music | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube. Clay and Mitch were joined by special guest, Elder Greg Cramer, an Idaho Falls employment center service missionary. Elder Cramer didn't initially have any interest in anything other than a proselytizing mission, but gained a powerful testimony of service work that surprised him. He and his wife have already served 2.5 years and just extended for another because they can't imagine life without the wonderful gospel teaching and temporal assistance experiences they're having! This was a wonderful conversation about what we can all learn from Elder Evanson's talk on going and doing likewise.
External Resources Shared In This Episode:
Parable of the Talents - Matthew 25:14-30
BYU Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies | The Light in Their Eyes (October 2005 General Conference address, President James E. Faust)
Elder Dallin H. Oaks, Why Do We Serve?, October 1984 General Conference
Elder Dallin H. Oaks, Why Do We Serve at BYU?, August 23, 1998, BYU University Conference Address
Take Action
Clay's Application: I'll set a goal of creating a family culture of service by taking at least one of my kids with me to provide service outside of our normal routine six times in 2026. I'll look to change up the service by finding at least three different needs where we can help.
Mitch's Application: I will continue my efforts (which currently are unpaid) with General Conference Applied. In particular, I will continue to focus my attention on finding ways to share General Conference Applied with more people.
Reply to this email and tell us how you'll take action on one of these invitations and whether we can share your response in our newsletter, podcast, and/or on social media.
Thanks for joining us in becoming a "Doer of the word!" Please help others do the same by sharing this newsletter with them.