July 27, 2014
Here is my farewell talk for those of you who weren't able to attend:
So normally I would start off with a joke or a quirky comment, but I really want the spirit to be here and accompany my words, so instead I’m going to do something similar to what my fried did for his farewell last year. I would like to start by asking a favor of all of you. For just a moment I would like for all of you to just pray silently, pray that the spirit while be here to testify to you personally. That you will be spiritually fed, not by my words but by the sweet testimony of the spirit.
Alright, since I haven’t shared this story with many of you, I wanted to quickly tell you my experience of deciding to go on a mission. I never really thought about serving a mission but last year with the age change, I really started to consider it. I still wasn’t sure however, so I began to pray from some kind of confirmation. Then on March 28 of last year, a Wednesday, my ward had a temple baptism night and we had been asked to fast all day. So I decided to fast about serving a mission. Brothers and sisters, I love the temple with all my heart. I was hungry and tired from school, but stepping into the temple and focusing on serving those who have passed on helped me forget all that. So as we were sitting there inside the temple where it was quiet and peaceful, I decided to pray again. I started my prayer, “Dear Heavenly Father…” and then I heard a clear “Yes.” This actually kind of made me laugh to myself because I hadn’t even asked the question. So I continued to ask if a mission was right for me, and again the answer came, “Yes.” Nothing like this had ever happened to me before, it was such an incredible experience and it was that last confirmation that I needed to know without a doubt what my Heavenly Father wanted for me.
Ok, so now we’ll get onto my talk. I was asked to use Elder Russell M. Nelson’s talk “Let You Faith Show”, so what is faith? Put simply, “faith is to hope for things which are not seen, but which are true.” Faith is a hope that over time becomes something we believe and know to be true. We hear often times that faith is like a seed that will grow. But it’s not just that, it’s not going to magically and suddenly become a big, beautiful tree. Faith is more like a muscle. You can’t exercise once and expect to go from having tiny arms like mine, to having arms like Arnold Schwarzenegger. It’s something that you need to work at every day. Same goes for faith, there are those “primary answers” that we should be doing daily, reading our scriptures, saying our prayers, keeping the commandments, and so on. I know you all know them, it’s repeated all the time. Why? Because it’s important! If you’re not exercising and building up your muscle of faith, how are you ever going to be strong enough to stand when temptation comes?
Elder Nelson states, “…one of the realities of mortal life is that our faith will be tested and challenged… When we speak of faith - the faith that can move mountains - we are not speaking of faith in general but of faith in Jesus Christ. Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ can be bolstered as we learn about Him and live our religion… The word religion literally means ‘to ligate again’ or ‘to tie back’ to God. The question is, are we securely tied to God so that our faith shows, or are we actually tied to something else? ... We might ask ourselves, where is our faith?”
So I want you all to picture an anchor. The definition is:
“An anchor is a device normally made of metal that is used to connect a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the craft from drifting due to wind or current”
Jesus Christ is often referred to as our rock, or foundation, and in this analogy, the bed of a body of water. Faith is our anchor connecting us to “the bed of a body of water” (Jesus Christ). This connection/faith will help keep us from drifting during times of trial or “wind”.
Neil L. Anderson said, “More concerning than the prophesied earthquakes and wars are the spiritual whirlwinds that can uproot you from your spiritual foundations and land your spirit in places you never imagined possible, sometimes with your barely noticing that you have been moved.”
Sometimes in life we forget we have this anchor of faith, and so we simply float where the current takes us, often leading us far from where we want/need to be. Other times we become prideful in our own abilities and feel like we can keep our lives, or our ship, where we want without the help of the anchor. It simply doesn’t work. But when we are anchored to Jesus Christ and His true gospel, we become stable, grounded, and strong against the whirlwinds satan would send our way.
Elder Anderson said, “Challenges will come to you, but as you trust in God, they will strengthen your faith”
There is a primary song titled, Faith, and I would like to read the lyrics to you:
“Faith is knowing the sun will rise, lighting each new day. Faith is knowing the Lord will hear my prayers each time I pray. Faith is like a little seed: If planted, it will grow. Faith is a swelling within my heart. When I do right, I know.
Faith is knowing I lived with God before my mortal birth. Faith is knowing I can return when my life ends on earth. Faith is trust in God above; In Christ, who showed the way. Faith is strengthened; I feel it grow whenever I obey.”
Elder Nelson says, “Day after day, on your path toward eternal destiny, increase your faith. Proclaim your faith! Let your faith show!” So we know what faith is. And we’ve talked about strengthening it like a muscle, but how do we show it? I wasn’t quite sure how to answer this, so I asked a few of my friends for their perspective on the matter
I have a friend who is also preparing to go on a mission and she said, “I like to keep a smile on my face and do as Christ did in the bible, Christ personally gave us the perfect example, He taught us to always help others and to go the extra mile and to love one another and forgive always.”
I had another friend tell me his favorite scripture, Alma 37:6-7 <Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise. And the Lord God doth work by means to bring about his great and eternal purposes; and by very small means the Lord doth confound the wise and bringeth about the salvation of many souls.> He then says, “Doing small things means a lot to the Lord, like scripture study and saying hello to someone and such. Those kinds of things make me happy, so I suppose that’s how I show my faith.”
When asked what showing her faith meant to another friend of mine, she replied, “Oo, that’s a good question. I bare my testimony of Him and I follow the commandments. I couldn’t do either of those without having faith in Christ.”
And I received so many other wonderful answers on how to show your faith. But the one reoccurring theme of them all way to simply be Christ-like. To stand as a friend and a comforter. To be kind to others. To show your faith through example, the way you act and speak to others. Everything Jesus Christ did in life, He did for someone else. What better way is there to show your faith than Christ-like service?
Now there is one last thing I would like to speak on before I close, fear. And I don’t mean fear of spiders, or heights, or tornados. I want to talk about the fear of standing alone. The fear of ridicule and hatred. The fear of rejection. The world would have us believe that right is wrong, and wrong is right. That because “everyone” believes it to be right, it must be. We know that this is not true. “Evil, error, and darkness will never be truth.” So we stand alone against the world. And then on top of that, we are asked to leave for 18 month to 2 years and to be ridiculed, to be rejected, to be hated. That my friends, is terrifying. That is fear. But there is a way to conquer this because “…faith is the antidote of fear…”.
President Thomas S. Monson said, “Of course we will face fear, experience ridicule, and meet opposition. Let us have the courage to defy the consensus, the courage to stand for principles. Courage, not compromise, brings the smile of Gods approval… Remember that all men have their fears, but those who face their fears with [faith] have courage as well.”
Brothers and sisters, the adversary is real and he is aware of every single one of us. He knows our potential, but he doesn’t want us to reach it. He will send whirlwinds our way to try and drag us down, but I promise you, as you anchor yourself to Jesus Christ, and continue to build us your faith muscle, you will be able to stand with courage and strength. The stronger you become in your personal faith of Jesus Christ, the more you will be able to resist those temptations and whirlwinds of life. You are all so strong, even if you can’t always see it. Remember to be courageous. Face your fears and doubts with faith.
I know how much Heavenly Father loves all of you. It is indescribable the magnitude of love and joy He has for all of us. I know that this church is true. I know that Jesus Christ is our Savoir, Redeemer, and perfect example. They only want the very best for each of us. Trust Them, anchor yourselves to Them and you will never be lost.
I love you all so much, and I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
