Feed My Lambs, Feed My Sheep

I remember a General Conference for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints a less than a year before I left on my mission. A talk was given by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland entitled, "The First Great Commandment."
In it, he talks about an exchange between the resurrected Lord and His senior Apostle, Simon Peter (found in John 21): "Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.
He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said [it] unto him the third time...And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep."
Elder Holland then gives a non-scriptural elaboration of what the conversation might have been: “Then Peter, why are you here? Why are we back on this same shore, by these same nets, having this same conversation?...What I need, Peter, are disciples—and I need them forever. I need someone to feed my sheep and save my lambs. I need someone to preach my gospel and defend my faith. I need someone who loves me, truly, truly loves me, and loves what our Father in Heaven has commissioned me to do. Ours is not a feeble message. It is not a fleeting task. It is not hapless; it is not hopeless; it is not to be consigned to the ash heap of history. It is the work of Almighty God, and it is to change the world. So, Peter, for the second and presumably the last time, I am asking you to leave all this and to go teach and testify, labor and serve loyally until the day in which they will do to you exactly what they did to me.”

This struck me. Just previous to this talk, President Thomas S. Monson had announced the age change for missionaries - young men could serve at age 18 as compared to 19 and young women could serve at age 19 as compared to the previous age of 21.
This announcement changed my life.
As a 19-year old I embarked on the most valuable lesson of my life - a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, serving the Lord for 18 months of my life without worry for home, school, or friends.
My question today is, do you love the Lord? Do you love the Lord enough to feed His sheep, find his lambs, care for His flock?
My answer to the Lord was, "Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love Thee." And so I came on a mission. I came to find His sheep, feed them, care for them, love them; and in the process of loving and serving them, my love for the Lord has grown. My love for His work has grown.
"And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God." (Mosiah 2:17)
We are a part of a great work. We "cannot come down." (Nehemiah 6:3) We must seek out the children of God who are seeking for His light, His truth, His hope and His love. All of that is found in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
This is not "a feeble message!...It is the work of Almighty God, and it is to change the world!"
God will not leave us alone and comfortless in this, His great work of salvation among the children of men.
May we ever seek to do the will of Lord: to feed His lambs and feed his sheep.