“There is a positive side to the congregational microscope my ward lives under. . . . What happens to a few happens to all” (“Well-Being of Others Is Our Business,” Salt Lake Tribune, July 30, 2005, p. C1).

If ye are willing to bear one another’s burdens then ye are prepared to be baptized unto Christ.

We have learned several lessons from bearing one another’s burdens:

1. The Lord’s organization is fully adequate to know and care for those with any emotional and spiritual needs.
2. Adversity can bring us closer to God and the Atonement, which covers pain and suffering in all their manifestations.
3. Members who suffer tragedy firsthand often experience an increased capacity for love, compassion, and understanding.
4. A ward, as well as a family, draws closer together as it endures together – what happens to one happens to all.
5. And we can each be more compassionate and caring because we have each had our own personal trials and experiences to draw from.