400
A story was shared about David Orchard – “Was it worth it?”
Dave Orchard grew up in Salt Lake City, where most of his friends were
members of the Church. They were a great influence on him. In addition, Church leaders in his
neighborhood constantly invited him to activities. His friends did the same. Even though he
didn’t join the Church at that time, his growing-up years were blessed by the influence of good
LDS friends and Church-sponsored activities. After he entered college, he moved away from his
home, and most of his friends left on missions. He missed their influence in his life.
One of Dave’s high school friends was still home. This friend was meeting every week with his
bishop in an effort to put his life in order and be able to serve as a missionary. He and Dave
became roommates, and as would be both natural and normal, they talked about why he
wasn’t then serving as a missionary and why he was meeting frequently with the bishop. The
friend expressed his gratitude and respect for his bishop and the opportunity to repent and
serve. He then asked Dave whether he would like to come to the next interview. What an
invitation! But in the context of their friendship and circumstances, it was both natural and
normal.
Dave agreed and was soon meeting with the bishop himself. This led to Dave’s decision to meet
with the missionaries. He received a testimony that the gospel is true, and a date for his
baptism was set. Dave was baptized by his bishop, and a year later, Dave Orchard and Katherine
Evans were married in the temple. They have five beautiful children. Katherine is my little
sister. I will be forever grateful to this good friend who, together with a good bishop, brought
Dave into the Church.
As Dave spoke of his conversion and bore his testimony regarding these events, he asked the
question, “So, was it worth it? Was all the effort of friends and youth leaders and my bishop,
over all the years, worth the effort to have just one boy be baptized?” Pointing to Katherine and
his five children, he said, “Well, at least for my wife and our five children, the answer is yes.”