Learning to receive can sometimes be as difficult as learning to serve, she said, but both are equally important. Sister Parkin invited her husband, James Parkin, to tell a story about a time he learned to receive.

One Sunday when his wife was ill, James Parkin carefully fixed the family's favorite dinner — a pot roast. When he arrived home from church, he asked his wife for further cooking instructions.

"She told me to put the roast and all the trimmings on serving dishes and take it to another family in the ward," he said.

A member of their ward had heard about Sister Parkin's sickness and volunteered to bring the family dinner.

"I said, 'Well, how about we eat our dinner and give (the donated dinner) to someone else?" James Parkin said. "Bonnie responded, 'No, we need to learn to receive as well as to give.'"

As individuals strive to fulfill their personal ministries, they will answer the prayers of others, Sister Parkin said.

"We can initiate and partake of small miracles on behalf of others," she said. "Both the giver and the receiver are blessed."

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E-mail: rwestenskow@desnews.com