Good Morning Brothers and Sisters. It's a pleasure to be here today and it's nice to see so many familiar faces! That brings peace to my mind as I was very nervous preparing for this.
For those who don't know, I'm currently in online MTC and will be flying up to Provo to continue In person MTC on Wednesday. After the MTC, I'm going to be flying to Virginia to serve the people of Richmond. This past week has been a blessing not only for me but for my family and the people I've gotten to share my experiences with. I haven't felt the spirit so much in one day! I truly have learned a lot and have felt God's love for me so much this past week.
The topic I'm going to be speaking on is growth through trials, specifically how I've felt God's love and how we call can feel God's love during those times.
President Spencer W. Kimball shares, "There are great challenges ahead of us, giant opportunities to be met. I welcome that exciting prospect and feel to say, humbly, 'Give me this mountain, give me these challenges.'"
Everyone experiences trials in our lives, but it is how we perceive those trials that we can become stronger and feel God's love more immensely. President Russell M. Nelson shares, "The joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives, and everything to do with the focus of our lives." Take for example, Joseph Smith. In a talk given by Neil L. Anderson, he asks, "Why does the Lord allow the evil speaking to chase after the good? One reason is that opposition against the things of God sends seekers of truth to their knees for answers." This is an amazing quote because I do believe that we experience these trials to grow and to recognize that the Savior wants to have a relationship with us. Henry B. Eyring says it best in his talk, Mountains to Climb, "The hardest trials fo life can surprise and humble us before God and let us know of God's divine love for all of us."
Both my brothers served missions and have been amazing examples to me and I have seen how much they've grown and been changed by Christ and His divine work. My older brother, just older than me, served in the Colorado Fort Collins Mission and he loved it there! Well, he loved it in Wyoming which is where he spent most of his mission. Anyway, he told me that very first transfer he had, his trainer/companion laid around not doing anything. he was leaving in about two transfers so he just wanted to go home. My brother, being a brand new missionary thought to himself...because so many people said missions were the best, it's gonna be so fun, so enjoyable, life changing...he wondered, "Why is this so annoying and hard to deal with? Why am I here?" He was so excited to get out and serve that he felt so discouraged when his mission started out like this. He thought to himself, "Is this right? Am I supposed to be here? Is this a sign to go home?"
It may be hard to stand at the feet of adversity and find the positive, but for my brother, he decided to read his scriptures and within that personal scripture study, he gained a testimony like no other for his Savior and for the scriptures. If you went up to him today and asked for him to find 5 verses talking about repentance, he could do it in 5 seconds. He now teaches seminary at Highland High School using the blessings he got from reading his scriptures to teach and to testify of the Savior's love.
Brothers and sisters in my life of adversity, I've also asked myself some questions like: "Should I be doing something else? Should I quit? I've prayed about this before and felt good about it then, so why does it seem wrong now?" When you're sitting there discouraged wondering why it's so hard, why do i want to quit, it's actually a sign that you should keep going because it's in those challenging times where we grow the most, grow our testimonies and see blessings we could never imagine at the time. This is where we can feel the closest to our Savior and truly see His love for us.
In Mosiah 12-13 we read the story of Abinadi. In chapter 12, Abinadi is instructed by the Lord to go and warn the people of King Noah that if they do not repent they will be visited by the Lord in anger. This story shows a great example of how as long as we put our faith in the Lord, we can overcome any adversity. So, Abinadi goes and starts prophesying, and is then taken into bondage for preaching against the people. He is brought forth before the King and High Priests of this people and is questioned for his "so-called" accusations against them. Standing at the King's feet he is mocked for what he is saying and is then ordered by the King to be taken away and slain. At this point some people would have buckled under the beliefs of man and denied God, but not Abinadi. He stands at the King's feet and says in chapter 13 verse 3, “Touch me not, for God shall smite you if ye lay your hands upon me, for I have not yet delivered the message which the Lord hath sent me to deliver. Neither have I told you that which ye requested that I should tell; therefore God will not suffer that I shall be destroyed at this time."
Nothing is more powerful than when we can stand true to our faith in troubling times. I know my mission will be hard, both my brothers have experienced amazing yet very challenging missions. Does this mean that I will buckle to the words of the world? No, I know that the Lord called me to serve and regardless of how hard it may be I know he has a work for me to complete. He wants me to serve him so I can experience my own mountains and call upon him through prayer to feel his love.
I've seen God's hand in my life so much, and being a missionary has only opened my eyes to all the different times God has been at my right hand and at my left. In High School I played baseball. I was a pitcher and I loved being out on the field. It's where I felt comfortable and the most happy. I also played the cello in orchestra and I loved doing that as well. Music has a special spot in my heart. But, I never thought that if the time came I would choose orchestra over baseball. Well, starting my sophomore year of high school, we got a new coaching program which was so exciting since my freshman year, although I loved it, was a little more laid back and gave many kids the thought process of baseball being a place to come and to mess around. When the new staff came, those kids still thought baseball was a place where they could say whatever they wanted, do whatever they wanted, and brag about things that should never be bragged about in high school. It was a rough set of kids with a lot of negativity. Although I still loved playing baseball everyday, I couldn't shake the thought that I needed to choose a better environment to be around. I was really taken back by this thought because I didn't know what to do. I talked with my dad about it from which he said to go and pray, asking what I should do. So I did, I prayed and then I just sat there listening to my thoughts and what the Lord wanted me to hear. The most distinct thought that came into my mind was the cons of staying in the baseball environment and the pros of continuing in the orchestra environment. It was so hard to understand that this was the right decision but after receiving a pretty strong answer that I shouldn't stay in that negative environment, I still had to figure out how I was going tell my coach, who was brand new to our school and I didn't really know him well. I was very troubled and very nervous because I thought he was going to be upset with me. I kept thinking that maybe I could just not worry about this right now and maybe I could just keep playing baseball and hope that the kids negative energy wouldn't rub off on me. But, the thought that rendered in my mind was that baseball was negative and that I didn't want to be around that negativity for the rest of my high school career. So, I ended up telling my coach and the thing that surprised me most was he respected my path. He was sad to see me leave but he respected my maturity. We shook hands and went on our way. It's interesting looking back on that now, what if I chose to stay in baseball over orchestra, how would I act, would I be serving my mission right now if I didn't stay true to my answer and fell into the guilt of not wanting to upset anyone. How would my attitude of the Savior be if I stayed around all that negativity. I don't know what would have happened but I know I'm here now today, I have a testimony in my Savior and I know that through our decisions we can either see His love and grow through Him or we can fall into adversity and “worry about it later” or “not want to upset anyone."
Another time in my life where I've seen God's hand and His love for me through a trial was when I and my sisters and my friend were involved in the car wreck in August. I remember very little when we were driving other than the fact that I was about a few car lengths away from the car in front of me and there was moderate traffic but, we were moving about 65-70 miles an hour so I thought it would be smooth sailing home. Just passing the sunset point rest stop I remember seeing lots of brake lights, about three cars swerved off to the side and in a matter of seconds, the car in front of me came to a complete stop, and as I approached the car I couldn't stop in time and I slammed into the back of this car going 55-65 miles an hour. All I remember next was my friend telling us all to get out of the car, so I did, and quickly, because I really didn't know what was going to happen. I called my mom, told her I was in a crash and that she needed to get here fast, and from my mom's point of view, she probably thought it was a minor fender bender. But, as she got to us she told me she looked at us, then looked at the car which was completely smashed in, not drivable and she remembers asking herself how, how are all my kids ok. She then was saying she was grateful my sisters were wearing seatbelts because they usually don't wear their seatbelts during road trips. But my sisters both informed her later that they didn't have their seatbelts on. She still kept asking herself how they are all ok, and the one thing that came to her mind was “I have a work for them to do." Miracles do happen, and even though the Lord couldn't prevent the crash, He protected us with lots of angels that day. The Lord wasn't going to let anything happen to us.
As we read in Luke 22:41-44 we read that the Savior, while atoning for the sins of the world, prays to the Father asking, “...remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will but thine, be done.” After which, an angel appears to the Savior strengthening and comforting Him. In these verses we learn that trials are meant to strengthen us. God won't take our challenges away but, if we pray to Him in faith we will be comforted and strengthened through the love which He has for us.
This crash was one of the scariest moments I've ever experienced but it grew my testimony of the Savior's love for me and how He knows me personally. The Lord not only needs me to serve, he wants me to go serve a mission. Maybe there's someone that I need to meet or someone that needs to meet me, or maybe I need to meet my divine identity and be changed through Christ, but I know and can testify that the Lord loves me and He does have a work for me to do. President Russel M Nelson teaches, “That the Lord asks every worthy, able young man to prepare for and serve a mission. For latter day saint young men, missionary service is a priesthood responsibility. Young men have been reserved for this time when the promised gathering of Israel is taking place. As you serve missions, you play a pivotal role in this unprecedented event!”
President M. Russell Ballard shares that missionary service can prepare me to be a better husband and a father. It also can prepare me for a lifetime of service to the Lord and His church. Regardless of whether or not I wear this badge, the Lord needs people to be missionaries forever. I can't wait to get out and serve the people of Virginia for two years and I can't wait to feel my Savior's love even more and be changed through him. Mom, Dad: I've said this before but I'll say it again, 2 years is merely a blip in the lifetime of love and support you guys have given to me and I can't wait to make you proud. I testify that the Lord is real. This is His church. God loves us all, He wants a relationship with all of us, so much so that he gave his only Begotten Son to die for us so that we have the chance to build that relationship and return to His presence. I'm called by God to serve Him and to represent His church and give the opportunity to those who are "poor in spirit" to become "rich in spirit." Christ lives and is central to the plan of happiness and if we cleave unto Him, we can be changed by Him and have the power to cast off evil and stand faithful in these trying times. I testify of these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen
