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Creating a Beautiful Mosaic | Michelle Hodge

Creating a Beautiful Mosaic | Michelle Hodge

Last updated on: September 12, 2026 at 1:44 pm by Delisa Hargrove

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Creating a Beautiful Mosaic | Michelle Hodge 2026-09-12T13:44:43-10:00 Delisa Hargrove

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

I am Michelle Hodge. My husband and I moved to Lubbock three and a half years ago so we could live closer to a temple. I grew up in upstate New York, about two hours from Palmyra, where Joseph Smith lived, and in my youth I had the opportunity to visit the Sacred Grove and the Hill Cumorah frequently. These experiences helped me form a strong testimony of the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ from a young age.

I began Spanish classes in 1987 when I entered seventh grade. I loved the language from the first day of class with Mrs. Cabrera, an Argentinian woman who loved her culture and had an incredible passion for teaching students. When I was twelve years old, I remember we spent eight hours on a bus to get to the Washington D.C. temple to perform baptisms. After performing baptisms for my own ancestors, I made a list of names of people the temple had, and all of them were from Mexico or South America. From then on, my love for Spanish speakers grew greatly.

When I filed for a mission 30 years ago, I hoped to go on a Spanish-speaking mission, and I was called to serve in Viña del Mar, Chile. When I finished my mission, I said, “I am Chilean at heart,” and I still feel that, although my first language is English, my soul is Hispanic.

In a priesthood blessing some years ago, I was told that Spanish is the language that makes my soul sing.

Three Simple Truths

ministering

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez

My message today is simple: Ministering is not just fulfilling an assignment; it is learning to love people in such a way that they begin to feel the way the Savior makes them feel.

I want to share three simple truths that illustrate this topic. First, Ministering is a way of life, not just an assignment. In the Bible, 1 Corinthians 12:13 says,

For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.

Verses 14-28 tell us that we are one body in the Church and that we help one another because we want to strengthen that body. Just as we cannot forget an arm or a leg, we must not forget the other members of the Church.

In her April conference address, Sister Kristin M. Yee said,

Ministering is truly loving and caring for others as the Savior would. It is a way of being. Ministering is the essence of who God is and who we can become by following Him.

This leads us to the second simple truth: The Savior ministered because He loved.

By studying the life of the Savior, we see so many stories about how He viewed each person. I love Elder Caussé’s talk, “Love All; Love Each,” because it speaks of this love of Jesus Christ and how we should follow His example and learn to love everyone.

When speaking about loving each person, Elder Caussé asked us, “Do we interact superficially with others, or do we sincerely try to know and care for each person we meet?” He went on to explain Jesus’s example, saying, “Even though He was often surrounded by crowds, the Savior always gave His full attention to the individual person—a sheep, a leper, a Samaritan woman, or a child, one soul at a time. In His love, no one was ever lost in the crowd.”

I liked Elder Caussé’s question because I know it’s very easy to interact superficially, especially when we have our own problems and worries. We often respond with a simple “I’m fine,” even if it’s not true inside. Sometimes it’s because we don’t have the time or energy to explain how we feel; other times it’s because we don’t know the person well yet. I also know that it can be very difficult to meet new people. I’m not an extrovert. It’s not easy for me to approach people I don’t know, but if someone approaches me first, I’ll talk to them, and we often end up becoming friends.

Although we are all different, we can pay attention to others and learn to love them.

Elder Caussé said,

Our congregations are a beautiful mosaic—enriched by diverse backgrounds, cultures, and experiences—but a mosaic united in devotion to Christ. Service in the Church broadens our circle of love and expands our interpersonal relationships. We do not serve only those we already love; rather, we come to love people as we serve them.

Creating a Beautiful Mosaic

I love the connection between our congregations and a mosaic because I love creating glass mosaics. I love when the little pieces of glass fit together in such a way that they create a beautiful image. We can do the same thing in our congregations and our neighborhoods.

ministering mosaic

Photo by Giulia May on Unsplash

For our lives to form a beautiful mosaic, we must take into account the third simple truth: We can all minister every day.

The Prophet Joseph Smith taught that

a man who is filled with the love of God is not content to bless only his own family, but goes about the whole world, eager to bless all mankind.

I think that sometimes when we hear the word “minister,” we think it has to be something big and incredible, but there are many simple things we can do to minister as Jesus Christ did.

We have served as temple workers since we arrived in Lubbock. I now serve as a temple worker three times a week. I have had countless experiences in the temple where a smile or a hug has completely changed the day of a temple worker or attendant. Just the other day, I was the one who received that ministering. I was working in the temple, but I wasn’t feeling well because I had been having trouble sleeping all week; I was emotionally drained. One of my friends from my ward walked in, whom I hadn’t expected to see. She smiled at me with a big smile. I gave her a hug, and she said, “Thank you for welcoming me like that.” Without realizing it, we both ministered to each other, and my attitude changed. That experience brought me a feeling of peace for the rest of the day.

Ministering rarely requires doing anything extraordinary.

Often, it’s enough to help someone feel seen, loved, and remembered by the Savior. I know my life has changed because of a text message, uplifting messages on social media, or simply smiles, quiet conversations, and hugs.

Elder Caussé explains what happens when we show love like Jesus Christ: “As we extend Christlike love to each person we serve, our eyes are opened to their divine potential, and we begin to see them as the Lord sees them: earthly souls capable of becoming exalted beings through the Savior’s restoring power and grace. As we care for each soul, we help connect them to the Savior and invite them to be healed and transformed through His atoning blood. And in return, our own lives are blessed: we become more like the Savior and are filled with great joy.”

Seeing Others

Megiddo Mosaci

The Megiddo Mosaic at the Museum of the Bible

When I was on my mission, I had the opportunity to visit the Santiago Chile Temple with my first mission president and other missionaries. As we entered the celestial room, President Killian embraced us and then spoke about how every person in the world accepted the plan of salvation before this mortal life. He told us that we should return to our areas thinking about this and how we might see the people around us differently if we remembered that we were all together in the premortal life and can be together again in the celestial kingdom. For the past 30 years, this thought has helped me strive to love more like Jesus Christ.

I know that our lives can be strengthened, that we will receive more blessings, and that our joy will increase as we strive to work together to create a beautiful mosaic in our families, congregations, workplaces, and neighborhoods through simple acts of love toward our Heavenly Father’s children.

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