Farewellish Talk

I know that the church doesn't technically do "Farewell" talks anymore, but most wards typically do ask a missionary to speak before they leave. Because I'm a million miles away, I couldn't go, but Kinz graciously sent me her talk. She inspires me to be better, she is such a wonderful example to me, and when I grow up, I want to be exactly like her! Here's her talk:

During the mortal ministry of Jesus Christ, he said to two of his disciples, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” That invitation applies to all of us. As followers of Jesus Christ, we are called to do His work. He invites us to follow His example and to become like Him.

Jesus is the most perfect man who has ever lived on this earth. He was humble and submissive to the Father as he allowed his will to be swallowed up in God’s will. He was perfectly obedient and kind and loving. He was meek, patient, diligent, hopeful, virtuous, and full of knowledge and faith.

We are commanded to become more like Christ and become perfect through his atoning blood, but we can’t develop Christlike qualities without help from the Lord. We must pray to God, with a desire to please him, recognizing our imperfections and showing a willingness to improve.

Elder Soares taught in his general conference address in October, “Meekness is the quality of those who are “Godfearing, righteous, humble, teachable, and patient under suffering.” As we take Christ’s name upon us, it is expected that we strive to emulate His attributes and change our character to become more like Him each day.”

I want to talk about a couple of the attributes of Christ that will help us as we strive to do His work among the children of God. Humility and Charity.

Humility is submission to the will of God. As we strive to become more humble, we show gratitude to God and we acknowledge our constant need for Him. We trust in the Lord and his power. We have hope for his mercy and we understand that his commandments are for our good, as we allow him to direct our paths.

Another example of humility we can learn from is that of Ammon in the Book of Mormon. Ammon was a missionary for about 14 years among the Lamanite people between 90 and 77 BC. He was able to convert many souls unto Christ and teach them to have faith that Jesus would come and be the Savior of mankind. Ammon knew that all power comes from God and that He was only an instrument in His hands. We can read Ammon’s words recorded in Alma 26:12,

“Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever.”

I have a testimony that as we rely on the Lord for help in this life, we will feel a greater measure of peace and happiness and have more hope for our future. As I have endured trials and opposition, I have been grateful for the power of prayer as a means for me to communicate with God. I know that God answers prayers and I have learned to be faithful in how he answers them, because our loving Heavenly Father truly knows what’s best! He will give us the strength and the patience to endure and overcome any affliction or temptation that meets us in this life. These experiences are humbling and are a beautiful opportunity for us to learn and grow and become more Christlike and be more prepared to meet God one day and live with Him in Heaven.

Jesus Christ is also, the perfect example of love. We learn in Moroni 7:45 in the Book of Mormon that “charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 also teaches us that “Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemingly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth.” Charity is the eternal love that God has for all His children. Christ’s supreme act of charity to suffer for the sins of this world and die for all men, allows us to repent and be forgiven to become cleansed, purified, and worthy to live in God’s presence.

As we are obedient to God’s commandments and as we seek opportunities to serve our fellow men, we can be filled with this pure love. Our love for all people will increase as we live the gospel and follow the example of Jesus who was a friend to those who were less fortunate, a friend also to publicans and sinners. So, Christ is a friend to all of us, as we are all imperfect and all sin. One of my favorite scripture verses is John 15:13 “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” I love thinking of the Savior as my friend. He is the perfect friend. He loves us more than we can comprehend and we are eternally indebted to him for his sacrifice that makes it possible to return to our Heavenly home.

As I have chosen to live the gospel, I have felt a greater love for all of God’s children. As we continue to develop charity through service, we will feel concern for other’s welfare and happiness. We will be slower to judge and be able to see others as children of God, with the potential to become like our Father in Heaven.

In his general conference talk entitled “Sharing the Gospel” in October 2001, Elder Oaks said, “From our testimony of the truth and importance of the restored gospel, we understand the value of what we have been given. From our love of God and our fellowmen, we acquire our desire to share that great gift with everyone. The intensity of our desire to share the gospel is a great indicator of the extent of our personal conversion.”

We read about an example of this type of love and desire to share that comes from true conversion in the Book of Mormon. The Sons of Mosiah had been the vilest of sinners. They were called to repentance as they experienced anguish and suffering for their iniquities. Through the process of repentance and forgiveness, they experienced a change of heart as they were converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ. In Mosiah 28:3 we read, “Now they were desirous that salvation should be declared to every creature, for they could not bear that any human soul should perish; yea, even the very thoughts that any soul should endure endless torment did cause them to quake and tremble.” These sons became God-fearing and God-loving people. Their love and concern for the welfare of other’s lead them to spend years of their lives sharing the gospel. Ammon was among these righteous and humble missionaries.

We have received a wonderful knowledge as members of Christ’s church. We know that following the Savior and being obedient brings happiness to our lives. Everyone we meet is our brother or sister and all have chosen this earthly test. How can we not share the joy we’ve found in the gospel and help each other make it to our heavenly home?

The book of Mark records the words of the Savior in Mark 16:15: “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”

I have the wonderful opportunity of being called to share some great news with my brothers and sisters in Japan. We have a loving Father in Heaven. He wants us to be happy and be able to learn and grow in this life and be able to live with Him again forever. He has a plan for us to be able to repent of our sins and be purified through the love and sacrifice of His Son, our brother, Jesus Christ.

            My decision to serve a mission came as I recognized my many blessings and felt so grateful to know of God’s love for me. I feel so lucky to have an understanding of Christ’s gospel and know why I am here on earth and know God’s plan. Love is a motivating factor for me as I understand that we are all children of God and the gospel message is for everyone! The gospel has blessed my family and has blessed me personally. As I have committed to follow Christ and keep his commandments, I have felt peace and happiness and found a direction and purpose in my life. The gospel truth brings me so much joy and I want others to feel the same way. Obedience to the gospel really does bring happiness. In Mosiah 2:41 we read, “And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with god in a state of never-ending happiness, o remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it.” I am so excited to serve a mission and share my testimony of Christ. I find these eternal truths to be so important that I am willing to put off my schooling and my other interests for a year and a half to serve full-time. It will be hard to leave my family and friends, but the joy I will feel in service will make it all worth it. Serving a full-time mission isn’t the only way to be a missionary and share the gospel. We can all be missionaries in our every day lives, but I am so grateful to have this opportunity while I am young to take time off from my educational and career pursuits and be a friend in Japan.

            Our wonderful prophet, President Monson declared in the Saturday morning session of the October general conference, “Now is the time for members and mis­sionaries to come together, to work together, to labor in the Lord’s vine­yard to bring souls unto Him. He has prepared the means for us to share the gospel in a multitude of ways, and He will assist us in our labors if we will act in faith to fulfill His work.”

            I have a testimony that this Church is true. Many truths were lost or changed after Christ’s death, but through modern day prophets, Christ’s church has been established again and the missing truths and authority have been restored. I know that the nature of God is eternal. He is merciful, all-knowing, and all-powerful. He continues to reveal His truth to us through words of ancient scripture, answers to prayer, and through righteous prophets in these days. I am grateful for the agency he has given us and for the sacrifice of his son that makes repentance possible. I have hope in God’s mercy and strive to remember his goodness and love and show my love for him through faith and obedience. I testify of these things in name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen.