followHIM - Not Uncle Fred! • followHIM Favorites • June 16 - 22 • Come Follow Me

Episode Date: June 12, 2025

SHOW NOTES/TRANSCRIPTSEnglish: https://tinyurl.com/podcastDC225ENFrench: https://tinyurl.com/podcastDC225FRGerman: https://tinyurl.com/podcastDC225DEPortuguese: https://tinyurl.com/podcastDC225PTSpanish: https://tinyurl.com/podcastDC225ESYOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/P5wux-iPG3EFREE PDF DOWNLOADS OF followHIM QUOTE BOOKSNew Testament: https://tinyurl.com/PodcastNTBookOld Testament: https://tinyurl.com/PodcastOTBookWEEKLY NEWSLETTERhttps://tinyurl.com/followHIMnewsletterSOCIAL MEDIAInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/followHIMpodcastFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/followhimpodcastThanks to the followHIM team:Steve & Shannon Sorensen: Cofounder, Executive Producer, SponsorDavid & Verla Sorensen: SponsorsDr. Hank Smith: Co-hostJohn Bytheway: Co-hostDavid Perry: ProducerKyle Nelson: Marketing, SponsorLisa Spice: Client Relations, Editor, Show NotesWill Stoughton: Video EditorKrystal Roberts: Translation Team, English & French Transcripts, WebsiteAriel Cuadra: Spanish TranscriptsAmelia Kabwika: Portuguese TranscriptsHeather Barlow: Communications DirectorIride Gonzalez: Social Media, Graphic Design"Let Zion in Her Beauty Rise" by Marshall McDonaldhttps://www.marshallmcdonaldmusic.com

Welcome to another Follow Him Favorites. This is where John and I are sharing a single story to go with each week's lesson. John, Doctrine and Covenants 64-66. You've told me you have a story to share. I'm ready for it. I do. It makes me laugh. I have kind of a connection to it too. Here we go. This is from elder Michael J. Tay, T-E-H, in October 2007. He said, when I was six years old, Uncle Fred was my worst nightmare. He was our neighbor, he was always drunk. One of his favorite pastimes was to throw rocks at our home. He's kind of an Ernest T. Bass character.

Because my mother was a great cook, single adult members from our small branch frequented our home. One day, when Uncle Fred was sober, these members befriended him and invited him into our house. This development terrified me. He was no longer just outside, he was inside our house. This happened a few more times until finally they convinced Uncle Fred to listen to the missionaries. He accepted the gospel and was baptized. He served a full-time mission, returned with honor, pursued further education, and was

buried in the temple. He's now a righteous husband, father, and priesthood leader. Watching Uncle Fred today, one would find it difficult to believe he once brought nightmares into the life of a six-year-old boy. My mother was a great example of helping others by giving them a boost. She taught us many important lessons. The one lesson that has had the most lasting effect on my life was her desire to help anyone in need who visited our home. It bothered me to see so many thinly with our food, our clothing, and even our money because I was young and we were poor. I did not like what

I saw. How could she give it to others when our family did not even have enough? Was it wrong to attend to our needs first? Didn't we deserve a more comfortable life? For years I struggled with these questions," Elder Tay says. Much later in life, I finally realized what Mother was teaching. Even as she struggled with the effects of a crippling disease, she could not stop giving to those in need. Wherefore, Elder Tay quotes scripture, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work, and out of small things proceedeth that which is great. Now Hank Elder Tay is from the Philippines.

One time I was in the Nauvoo Visitor Center and I could hear some people around the corner speaking Tagalog and I don't speak it very well but I understand I could hear it. I walked over there and I said, hey is that Tagalog I hear? And they're like, yeah, I started talking. I said, I heard there was a typhoon and everything, and I think Elder Tay talked about it. He goes, I am Elder Tay. You're like, oh, oh, sorry about that.

He looked so young. So we had a wonderful conversation. Love the Philippines, but that just made that story even better for these people. That's our food, that's our clothing but that just made that story even better for these people. That's our food, that's our clothing, that's our money. Wouldn't that be funny? There's his mom handing all this stuff and there's this little boy in the corner glaring

at you. That was mine. That was mine. It reminds me of my mom a little bit because she taught in a difficult part of Salt Lake City. She taught elementary school. She would make these cookies. We're like, yay, we come walking up to take one. She like slapped your hand. No, those are for my kids. The burnt misshapen ones over there. Those are for you guys.

And you can have some of those. What was that uncle's name? Uncle? Uncle Fred. Uncle Fred. Nightmare. Yeah. I wonder if there's anybody in the Nephite times who are like Alma, the younger, he was scary. And now look at him. You go and listen to him at church, right? Four sons of Mosiah. They ransacked the neighborhood.

Yeah. There's people with PTSD sitting in church towering, be not weary and well-doing. Do you remember we had a guest on Fronts Below made this great statement? I get tired in his work, but I never get tired of his work. He's a mission leader right now. Yeah. Right. He's probably a little tired in the world out there in Orlando. We hope you'll join us on our full podcast. It's called Follow Him. You can get it wherever you get any podcast. We're with Dr. Jason Whiting this week. He talks about forgiveness from his expertise as a marriage and family counselor.

It is unbelievable. Then come back here next week. We'll do another Follow Him, Faithless.