By ELIZABETH PALMER
Speaking at the Saturday afternoon session of general conference, Elder Athos M. de Amorim said that obedience and service go hand in hand.
Elder Amorim, a member of the Quorum of the Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said obedience allows members of the church to reach a more spiritual level in their lives, which inspires them to serve their fellow man.
“I’m not talking about blind obedience, but using our agency to do the will of the Lord,” he said.
Elder Amorim said that at the Brazilian Army Academy, cadets are taught obedience.
“I learned in the army … that soldiers in my country do not use the verb ‘to work’ when they talk about their assignments. Rather, they use the verb ‘to serve,’ helping them to always remember the commitment to serve our people and our country,” he said.
Elder Amorim said that missionaries and temple workers are good examples of obedience and service. He also spoke of an elderly widow in Brazil, Ana Rita de Jesus, whom he called a beautiful example of obedience and service.
He said that de Jesus, who could not read or write, paid her tithing — sometimes only a few cents — and placed a flower on the pulpit at sacrament meeting every week.
“That sister, in a very simple way, taught us obedience and service through her faith, because she knew that obeying the commandments is the best preparation to serve,” he said.
Elder Amorim said that when he was called as a seventy, he felt inadequate for the calling but realized that it was his opportunity to serve.
