The following is excerpted from the Church Newsroom. To read the full report, CLICK HERE.

One day in early 2004, Robert C. Gay and his wife, Lynette, sat in the office of an Apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Gays, Church members living in the eastern United States, were busy with family, large humanitarian projects around the world, and Elder Gay’s work as a senior managing partner of a global investment firm.

Even so, on that day, this Apostle asked them to set their everyday lives aside for three years to be a mission president and companion of one of the faith’s 337 missions. Considering the busyness of their lives, they politely declined.

The Apostle did not miss a beat. “Lynette, you are going to make a great missionary and companion to your husband,” he said. Then, turning to Robert (now Elder Gay of the Presidency of the Seventy) he spoke with unmistakable candor. “You really don’t get it,” the Apostle said. “The Lord is calling you to save your life. You are either going to live your life by covenant or convenience. There is never a convenient time to serve. This is a matter of faith. You either believe that the Lord will bless your life with the blessings you need as you do His priorities, or you don’t.”

Elder Gay was stunned. Upon further prayerful reflection, he and Lynette realized their lives were out of balance with their faith and their Church. They chose to serve the mission, which would be in Accra, Ghana.

“A covenant life is a more balanced life, lived according to God’s priorities, not our own agendas,” Elder Gay said Sunday, May 3, 2020, during a devotional for young adult Latter-day Saints worldwide. “Our lives have not been the same since. We have been completely blessed by His love and tutoring. If I know anything, I know that this same blessing will be yours if you faithfully stay on His covenant path. God wants to save your life.”

To read the full report, CLICK HERE.