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During the summer, with many student volunteers away, FACES food pantry always welcomes volunteers to help with sorting and packing from 8-11 a.m. and 3-5 p.m., Thursdays and with distribution 7:30-10:30 a.m., Saturdays.

One of the volunteer roles on Saturdays is that of caller. The caller’s responsibility is to communicate information about the food recipient’s order and a description of their vehicle so that runners can assemble the order and deliver it to the parking lot. The information must be communicated clearly, and must be heard by other volunteers.

In many ways, the caller is similar to the crucial role of prophets in God’s plan. “Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7).

Prophets testify of Jesus Christ. The mighty Peter testified boldly that “God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ” and then invited his listeners to repent and be baptized in Christ’s name (see Acts 2:36-39).

At FACES, the message is sometimes misheard due to noise, or details are forgotten before the order is finished and delivered.

Likewise, we sometimes miss or forget the prophet’s message.

In the Old Testament, Naaman was a Syrian leader who suffered from leprosy. Prompted to visit the prophet Elisha, Naaman was enraged when invited by the prophet to wash in the Jordan River, which he saw as inferior to the rivers of Syria.

Eventually Naaman was persuaded by his servant: “If the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it?” Washing as instructed, Naaman was healed and testified of God’s greatness (see 2 Kings 5:1-15).

Often prophets invite disciples of Jesus Christ to follow the gospel’s “small and simple things” (Alma 37:6-7), such as daily prayer, faith, repentance and scripture study.

In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we believe that prophets and apostles have been called in modern times. The senior apostle is sustained by church members as the prophet, seer, and revelator, and as president of the church. Our current church President is Russell M. Nelson.

What has the living prophet taught recently?

President Nelson taught of the importance of building spiritual momentum in our lives by seeking and expecting miracles. He testified:

“The Lord will bless you with miracles if you believe in him, ‘doubting nothing’ (Mormon 9:21). Do the spiritual work to seek miracles. Prayerfully ask God to help you exercise that kind of faith. I promise that you can experience for yourself that Jesus Christ ‘giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength’ (Isaiah 40:29). Few things will accelerate your spiritual momentum more than realizing the Lord is helping you to move a mountain in your life.”

We will see miracles in our lives as we follow God’s prophets.

DR. BRENT ROBERTS is the Branch President in the Sandy River Branch, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and also Dean of Greenwood Library at Longwood University. He can be reached at brentsroberts@hotmail.com.