Good morning brothers and sisters! I’m so excited to see so many familiar faces of friends, family, and this ward family here today. So I am about to leave on my 18 month mission to serve the people in the New Mexico Albuquerque mission and since I am speaking Spanish I’ll report to the Missionary Training Center in Mexico City in 10 days. Not that I’m counting or anything. But really I can’t even begin to express the joy and excitement that fills my heart as I think about my opportunity to serve and to teach.
So I was asked to talk today about what got me to where I am right now, standing before you all as I’m about to leave on my mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I guess I’ll start from the beginning with how my testimony of this gospel has grown and developed over the years. When I was young, probably about 8 form my best recollection, I started developing my testimony of prayer and the fact that Heavenly Father is always there to listen and help us. Whenever something was hard for me I turned to prayer and I am so grateful that I developed that habit at such a young age. This has helped me in so many ways, more than I can find adequate words to describe. I have turned to Him for comfort and guidance countless times and though the answers to my prayers don’t always come in the way that I expect them to, they do always come. Because of prayer I have been able to develop a relationship with my Heavenly Father and through this I have come to begin to understand my infinite and eternal worth and that I am a daughter of God. I understand that He has a plan for me and though my own plans might not always line up with His, He knows what I need and He is always there to help me.
This testimony of prayer was like a springboard for me as I began to think about and even question aspects of the gospel. Piece by piece I would study and ponder something, like Jesus Christ and all that He did for us: Suffering for our sins in the Garden of Gethsemane, dying on the cross, and becoming resurrected. As I studied I would pray to know if the things I had learned about since I was a child in church were really true. Because I had started developing my relationship with my Heavenly Father I started to learn to recognize His voice and how The Spirit speaks to me and I received confirmations of the truthfulness of the gospel, piece by piece.
This helped me to really understand and trust in the Plan of Salvation at a time when I needed it most. The Plan of Salvation, also often referred to as the Great Plan of Happiness, essentially outlines God’s plan for us. It includes the time when we all lived with our Heavenly Father before we came to Earth, our time here on Earth, and then when we return to live with Heavenly Father again. One of the most important aspects of this for me is the fact that we can be sealed to our families for time and all eternity so when we pass on from this life we will still be with our loved ones. This knowledge has brought me so much comfort and joy. When I was about 13 I had three close family members pass away within the span of two years. Needless to say, it was hard. But still, I can’t even imagine facing those years without the knowledge that I had that I would see those people that I care so much about again and that they are safe with our Heavenly Father. Even though those two years were filled with so much grief for my family, I received so much comfort from the testimony I had been able to gain of the truthfulness of God’s plan.
The next biggest piece of my testimony was when I knew for myself, and for a surety, that The Book of Mormon is the word of God. I started reading from cover to cover and after a few months I finished the book and I followed the challenge at the end in Moroni 10:4 which states
“And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you by the power of the Holy Ghost.”
And, at first, I didn't get an answer. I was confused because, though I didn't know it at the time, I had slowly been gaining a testimony and I already knew that the Book of Mormon was true and so I didn't understand why I didn't receive a confirmation through the Spirit like the scripture promises. I quickly realized, though, that I had not pondered the question before I asked and I had not truly prayed with a sincere heart, I was just going through the motions I guess. I thought about the scriptures and the church for several minutes and when I felt ready I asked again, this time truly pouring my heart out to God asking to know if it all was true. I was immediately filled with feelings of love, peace, and a general warmth that filled my whole body and I knew. Since that night I have not been able to deny the truthfulness of this gospel. Because I know that the Book of Mormon truly is the word of God, complementary to the Bible, everything else just kind of fits into place. President Ezra Taft Benson in the January 1988 edition of the Ensign stated “if the Book of Mormon is true, then Jesus is the Christ, Joseph Smith was His prophet, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true, and is being led today by a prophet receiving revelation.”
This testimony that I have gained brings me so much peace, joy, and comfort and I want to be able to share that with the world. This is why I have decided to serve a mission. Now, backing up a little bit, actually getting to this end decision took some work, though it was easier for me than for most young women that I’ve talked to. Growing up the minimum age for sister missionaries was 21 and so there was a kind of a stigma surrounding the sisters, that only the kind of strange young women who couldn’t get married by that time would go. With that said I have to add that some of my most amazing leaders growing up in the church have been return sister missionaries so of course that stigma is not always true but that is how many people saw it. Because of this not a lot of young women grew up wanting to serve a mission. I was a little different though. One of my earliest memories that I can think of specifically was when I was five and sitting in Sunday school. We were learning about priesthood authority and how we have a prophet here on the earth today and this was the day I learned that I could not just choose to be the prophet and I was devastated. I don’t know why because I don’t remember ever planning on being the prophet but just knowing I couldn’t broke my little heart. With this news I decided that I would just become what in my mind then was the next best thing, something I could choose, a sister missionary. Now at the time I had just found out that there was a country called Turkey so naturally I chose there to serve because no one had told me that missionaries don’t get to pick where they serve. As I’m sure you can imagine, that was another devastating revelation for me when I found out. Nonetheless, I still wanted to serve and I’ve had that desire ever since. For most of my life I grew up thinking “well if I’m not married by the time I’m 21 I’ll definitely go” and then, in the October 2012 General Conference as our current prophet, Thomas S. Monson announced that the church had decided to change the age requirements for young missionaries and that worthy young men could now serve beginning at age 18 and worthy young women could begin service as early as age 19. This opened up a whole new world for willing sisters and all of a sudden a mission became more possible. I remember thinking “well I guess this means I’m going to go” but I wouldn’t officially decide until I really had to. As I went off to college this last year I had the thought of a mission at the back of my mind and I started really considering it. I still knew that I wanted to go but for some reason I hesitated on making a final decision. I guess Heavenly Father needed me to hurry up and commit finally because as I attended one of the regular BYU Tuesday devotionals I knew I had to go. I couldn’t tell you what day it was, who the speaker was, or even what his topic was, but he briefly mentioned something about missionary work and I felt the Spirit so strongly. I received one of the clearest impressions that I have ever gotten and I understood, without a shadow of a doubt, that I need to go on a mission. As I prayed later that day for confirmation and as I thought about my decision I felt the Spirit time and time again testifying to me that I need to serve and I have been filled with so much joy in my heart as I think of sharing what I have learned and know to be true with others so it can help them, guide them, and comfort them like it has for me throughout my life.
Once I finally submitted my mission papers I was so anxious to finally get my call and learn where I would be serving for 18 months of my life and what language I’d be speaking. The day I got my call I picked it up from the mail shed as soon as possible and I carried it around with me everywhere I went because I had to wait until later that night to open it and my roommates kept joking that they were going to open it for me so I never let it out of my sight. I remember I had so many people ask me where I was hoping to go, if I would rather be stateside or serve a foreign mission and I had no idea. On one hand I personally really wanted to go foreign. I absolutely love learning about other cultures and so on my mission I was hoping to be able to learn another language and be immersed in another culture, which a foreign mission would allow. On the other hand my family didn’t exactly hide the fact that they really wanted me stateside and so I was torn. I assumed either I would get what I wanted or my family would get what they wanted and I was just really glad that I didn’t have to make the decision myself. And I just have to say, Heavenly Father is so mindful of each of us individually and He knows exactly what we need. I never would have chosen to serve in the southwest, honestly that area wasn’t even on my radar when I was considering where I could end up serving, but the New Mexico Albuquerque mission is perfect for me. It’s stateside like my family wanted, but I’ll be learning a language and I’ll be able to be immersed in the Hispanic and Navaho culture that is so rich there. Plus I’ll still be able to have my cherry coke.
As it’s been getting closer to my report date people have been asking me if I’m nervous or excited. And yeah it is scary, getting on an airplane with no phone, no music besides hymns and the mormon tabernacle choir, and so little communication with my friends and family about to start what I know are going to be some of the hardest 18 months of my life, but honestly I’m so much more excited than nervous because I know that they will also be some of the best 18 months of my life. I’m so excited to be able to serve and get to know so many amazing people. I’m excited to share with others the things that are the most important to me and to be able to watch them change as they allow the Light of Christ to enter their lives. I’m excited to be able to live so in tune with the Spirit and my Heavenly Father as I do my best to let the Spirit teach through me. I’m just so excited to finally be a sister missionary. One of my friends has been out on her mission for a month now and I asked her what her favorite part of being a missionary is and she told me that it was the opportunity and even expectation that missionaries have to bear their testimony to everyone they talk to and how close that allows you to be to the Spirit. I can’t wait to be able to experience this too and I know it will be hard, but I can already tell that it is going to be worth it. I love this gospel, I already love the people I’ll be serving, I love all of you, and I am so grateful that I have had this opportunity today to speak to you before I leave. And I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
