Stand Close Together and Lift Where You Stand
“Stand Close Together and Lift Where You Stand”
President Quinn’s Weekly Message
California Santa Rosa Mission
October 16th, 2023
Sister Quinn and I enjoyed being with you last week in zone conferences. You inspire us! I hope you found the training useful. I am grateful for the training materials prepared and delivered by the zone leaders across the mission, our tech Elders, and the APs.
Sister Quinn and I focused a portion of our training on maintaining and strengthening the unity in our mission. We spoke about the beautiful and majestic redwoods that are found throughout the northern zones of CASRM. We discussed the lessons these trees can teach us about unity. We shared how redwoods grow tall together (some over 300’) as a forest to protect and shield each other. We also shared how their root system intertwines to compensate for their shallow depth (only 6’-13’). These facts about redwoods reminded me of a story Elder Uchtdorf shared several years ago in General Conference:
“Some years ago in our meetinghouse in Darmstadt, Germany, a group of brethren was asked to move a grand piano from the chapel to the adjoining cultural hall, where it was needed for a musical event. None were professional movers, and the task of getting that gravity-friendly instrument through the chapel and into the cultural hall seemed nearly impossible. Everybody knew that this task required not only physical strength but also careful coordination. There were plenty of ideas, but not one could keep the piano balanced correctly. They repositioned the brethren by strength, height, and age over and over again—nothing worked.
“As they stood around the piano, uncertain of what to do next, a good friend of mine, Brother Hanno Luschin, spoke up. He said, “Brethren, stand close together and lift where you stand.”
“It seemed too simple. Nevertheless, each lifted where he stood, and the piano rose from the ground and moved into the cultural hall as if on its own power. That was the answer to the challenge. They merely needed to stand close together and lift where they stood.
I love this story! It reenforces the lesson we discussed last week in our zone conferences about standing together in unity as emissaries of Jesus Christ. I testify that as we “stand close together” and “lift where we stand” we will move this work forward. I pray that we will be united in standing with each other, members, and most importantly the Savior. I know that as we do, this work will move forward “as if on its own power” – the power of God.
I am grateful for the privilege of standing with each of you as a disciple of Jesus Christ.
Love,
President Quinn
(707) 758-6380
