David James Archuleta is no stranger to the entertainment world as most people will remember that at sixteen years old, he became one of the youngest contestants on the seventh season of American Idol. Following his time on American Idol, his music career soared as he became well-known as a world-class performer and recording artist appearing in concerts across the nation and around the world. He also had a stint as an actor when he was cast in a role in a new television series for TV5, the third largest Filipino network, in 2012 prior to leaving on his mission.

In March 2012, David put his career on pause as he left to serve a two-year full-time mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Since returning home from his mission, he has become a familiar face and voice at several Church related activities to include Firesides at home and abroad, to include a Fireside in Ethiopia in July 2013. Before going on his mission, David was reserved about sharing his faith and testimony, and about letting many people know that he is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ. However, serving a mission has given him a new perspective on life and has brought about a change in direction and purpose. He still has a passion for music and has plans to continue making quality music for his fans to listen to, but he also realizes that sharing his faith is an important part of who he is. He is no longer afraid to speak about the things that he believes and hopes that someone may be able to use his testimony to help strengthen their own. Such was the case on a recent trip to Australia and New Zealand.

On Wednesday, 12 August 2015, in Auckland, New Zealand, David shared his faith in Jesus Christ and testimony that “through the small and simple things we do each day, great things can happen” by using his gift of music and the spoken word during a special devotional meeting that was held at the Redoubt Road Latter-day Saint meetinghouse in South Auckland.

During his message to the missionaries from the New Zealand Hamilton Mission, David cited examples from his own two-year mission in Chile, South America. He talked about how approaching people that he didn’t know and inviting them to Church services seemed awkward to him and something that was hard for him to do. His advice to the missionaries was, “Even when it gets hard, even when you’re feeling down, even when it’s hard to make those decisions to keep going, please just pray, get on your knees and pray and just do it anyway. Those small and simple things bring about the work of the Lord.” In the course of his remarks, David also stated, “For me, music is a way I can share my belief in Jesus Christ.”