Farewell Talk

For those who weren't able to hear my farewell talk it's listed below:

Good morning brothers and sisters,

I can’t believe this day is actually here. Thank you so much for coming out. I see so many faces in the crowd of family, friends, and loved ones. Fun fact about me: I hate speaking, which you wouldn’t think because I don’t get nervous to sing in front of large crowds, so I wish I could just sing to you right now for the next 10-12 minutes but that is probably not going to happen.

As many of you know I have been called to serve a mission in the Chile, Concepcion Mission. I fly out Tuesday morning for the Mexico City Missionary Training Center, where I will be for the next 6 weeks trying to learn Spanish. If you’re like me and heard Concepcion (like when I opened up my call) and don’t know where it was, let me be the first to tell you. Santiago (the capital) is in the middle of the country and Concepcion is about 7 hours south by bus. Luckily for me, the average temperature is between 73 and 44, so I will not be sweating buckets nor shoveling snow. So some fun facts. It is the longest country in the world and the largest fruit exporter in the world because of all the different climates (lucky me cause my favorite food is fruit). There are 10 missions in Chile with about 580,000 church members. Concepcion is one of the biggest cities in Chile with a population of 225,000. On October 3, 2009, President Thomas S. Monson announced plans to construct a temple in Concepción. It will be dedicated sometime during late 2018-early 2019, which I am really excited to be apart of. And what I am most excited for, is that concepcion is seismically active. Concepcion was the center of the 8.8 magnitude earthquake in 2010. Keep in mind the san francisco earthquake that caused the bay bridge to fall was a 6.9. I researched some stats and I found that in the past 2 months there have been 10 earthquakes in Concepcion with a magnitude of 4 and up.

The real question is, why would I want to serve in a foreign country filled with natural disasters, speaking a new language, and moving there knowing nobody. I want to serve there because the lord has called me to preach his gospel in this specific location at this specific time. I did not really start thinking about I’ve always known my whole life I would go on a mission, but I never had that burning passion of I’m gonna go on a mission and I cannot wait. Was I always stoked about this decision? No. Trust me I have had more than a fair share of moments of worry, doubt, panic, and fear about the unknown path ahead of me. What can I do. Rely on my savior and know that he has a plan for me. I have been commanded to do this and there is no where else better for me to be. I truly believe, as my dad always says, two people can do anything as long as one of them is the lord. If there is anything I have learned from my parents, it is that we can do hard things through christ.

A big push that got me excited to serve was the privilege I had to go on a youth humanitarian trip to Fiji the summer before my senior year. My mom was able to go as the parent chaperone and we worked in the poverty stricken village of Naduru building bathrooms as they only had 1 for the whole village of 50 people. For me, this was like a pre mini mission, as I was in a foreign country, eating ethnic foods, surrounded by a different language, and assigned to a Fijian speaking ward. I loved watching the members there and seeing how happy they were with so little. We got to watch a baptism, attend a fast and testimony meeting, split up and go to member’s homes for Family Home Evening, go to the temple, and have a meeting with the mission president. I was only there 2.5 weeks and I still keep in touch with several of them, so I know 2 years will create lasting relationships. Another really cool experience I had was 2 months ago I was able to bear my testimony in a spanish ward in Barcelona, Spain. I must have said a lot of things wrong because they were laughing at me the whole time. Even though we did not know what they were saying, we could feel that they were speaking the truth. It brought me joy knowing that even though I was 6,000 miles away from Danville, the gospel was the same there as it is here.

One of the main reasons I have wanted to serve is watching a missionary grow. I find it unbelievable seeing the person that leaves on a mission and 2 years later meeting the new person they have become. Missionaries gain experiences and develop christlike attributes that change them for the better. Now…... I know a mission is hard work, and I haven’t been on one yet, so I will probably get a brutal awakening the first few weeks, but I know that as I try to develop these attributes on my mission, everything will somehow fall into place.

The first is a love for the people. A missionary can be the smartest, respectful, sociable, and well-mannered person, but if they do not have the love for the people, love for the mission, love for the gospel, and a love for the savior, then they will not be as effective. Elder Don R. Clarke of the Quorum of the Seventy said “I’ve seen thousands of missionaries, and the ones that are happy, are the ones that care more about the people than themselves.” This parallels perfectly with the famous lines of Gordon B. Hinckley’s father which state, “forget yourself and go to work”. A mission is probably the only time in our lives that we get to leave everything behind and 100% focus on the lord’s work. I testify that if you are ever down, service will surely bring you up. In high school, I volunteered at the two assisted living center’s here in danville. Every week I would leave feeling happier, in a better mood, and with a bigger smile than I was before. It is really hard to be sad when you are in the service of others. I believe that as we actively serve others with an open and willing heart and mind, we will be able to connect closer with them and draw the spirit into their lives.

The second is patience. Most of us have heard the story “Fourth Floor, Last Door” where two missionaries had the feeling to approach the residents of a four-story apartment building. On all four floors, nobody would listen—that is, until they knocked on the last door of the fourth floor. A family who was in great distress needed them at that moment. Sometimes we may feel discouraged, these are the moments that we need to be patient. Something good always comes to those who have faith for the future. The lord tests us with different strengths and weaknesses. One of my favorite scriptures is Ether 12:27 and it says, “And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them”. Patience is key because we do not know when we will receive these blessings. But I do know that as we exercise our faith in him and get on our knees to talk with him, we can feel him strengthen us. That is one thing I know without a doubt. That he is always there. When I am feeling down, happy, blessed, or anything in between, he is always there to hear and listen. Any question or concern I can tell him. We just have to be receptive to the spirit to listen to his answer.

Third is obedience, not only because there are mission rules set in stone, but because of a personal desire to do what is right. I know that obedience brings nothing but joy. Sometimes it can feel as a burden especially when it seems ridiculous, but we have counsel for a reason. When we stray from the path of obedience, that’s when trials and tribulations occur and satan tries to tempt us. The result of complete obedience will pour in blessings to you and those you love.

I am excited for this opportunity to help others come unto christ and teach them how much our heavenly father loves everyone. This is a time where I can try and pay back the lord for everything that I have been blessed with. 2 years sounds like an insane amount of time (and I am sure there will be days that seem like years), but that is so little in the big picture. I know we have a prophet here on the earth like they did in biblical times and that he is called of God.

Testimony of:

Tender mercies and the role they play in our lives.

Prayer and the power that comes with it.

Families are together forever.