Tahquitz Farewell Talk

Aaaaaaaaaaaand now we have a week until I report! On Sunday I gave my final farewell talk in the YSA ward. Brother Leavitt asked me to speak on a talk given by President Monson in October 2012, entitled "See Others as They May Become" (https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/10/see-others-as-they-may-become?lang=eng). It really is a great talk.

I started off telling about How the Leopard Got His Spots, a short story by Rudyard Kipling (which can be found here). In this story the Ethiopian and the Leopard have to change their skins in order to blend in and eat. Kipling got the idea from Jeremiah 13:23. Jeremiah is expressing his disbelief that Israel can ever change as an Ethiopian can change his skin or a Leopard his spots. President Monson brought all this to my mind with this:

"During the 1940s and 1950s, an American prison warden, Clinton Duffy, was well known for his efforts to rehabilitate the men in his prison. Said one critic, 'You should know that leopards don’t change their spots!'

Replied Warden Duffy, 'You should know I don’t work with leopards. I work with men, and men change every day.'"

People can change. How? Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

When a person has become inactive, smokes, drinks, etc., we shouldn't write them off as a hopeless case. You never know when a person will make it. Sometimes all it takes is a push in the right direction: a kind word, a call for service.

How can we see others as they may become? Start with yourself (patriarchal blessing). Pray for love, read the scriptures, serve, don't judge. What would Jesus do?

I've seen what trusting in Christ can do in myself, as well as other people. If we can learn to see others as they may become, we will realize what the purpose of this life is---because becoming like our Heavenly Father can only be accomplished through change.

Post to the West Indies

For those people who want to send me letters and packages while I'm on my mission, here is a blog post written by a sister who served in the West Indies Mission. She has some general information that y'all might find useful :)

http://alexisfish.blogspot.com/2013/05/shipping.html

I'll make sure that my mailing address is posted somewhere so that it's handy.

Cheers!

San Jacinto Farewell Talk

I gave my farewell talk in my home ward last Sunday, even though I don't leave for a month. It's starting to feel very real. The topic that Bishop Holmes gave me was 2 Nephi 25:26: "And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins." For the first time, I decided not to write my talk out word-for-word; I just had a 3x5 card with notes, and a few quotes. As you can probably imagine, I pray A LOT beforehand, trying to get the Spirit for help. I'm not much of a public speaker, so I knew that if I just tried to do it without help it wouldn't turn out well. Heavenly Father really came through. It wasn't easy, but I found the words coming in moments when I thought I was going to stall. I felt like He was really helping me. It was so awesome :)
Basic outline: I spoke about how the scriptures really testify of Christ a lot. There are many types and shadows of Him: the brass serpent, the Passover, Isaac's almost-sacrifice. It's because He is the source of the remission of sins, because of His Atonement. We are saved by His grace (2 Nep. 25:23). Faith, repentance, baptism, and the gift of the Holy Ghost bring the remission of sins. "My purpose is to invite others to come to Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel though faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end." This is why missionaries are so relentless in sharing the gospel: it brings the remission of sins. We want to not only be WITH God again, but also to be LIKE God, and that comes through trial and experience. We need to talk to Christ more: He is the foundation of our religion. He is everything. "No matter how large the organization of the Church becomes or how many millions of members join our ranks, no matter how many continents and countries our missionaries enter or how many different languages we speak, the true success of the gospel of Jesus Christ will be measured by the spiritual strength of its individual members. We need the strength of conviction that is found in the heart of every loyal disciple of Christ" (Boyd K. Packer, Oct. 2014 Conf). Talk of Christ, rejoice in Christ, preach of  Christ, prophecy of Christ: He is the foundation of our religion. Bring YOURSELF closer to Christ: pray more, read more, love more, serve more.
This Church is God's Church. I know it through my own experience. Heavenly Father loves us. He restored the gospel onto the Earth through Joseph Smith. Come unto Christ and you can know this truth for yourself.

Quotes

"Never let a problem to be solved, become more important than a person to be loved." -Thomas S. Monson

"The decision has been made. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I won't look back, let up, slow down or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, and my future is secure. I'm finished and done with low living, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, worldly talking, cheap giving, and dwarfed goals. I no longer need pre-eminence, positions, promotions, plaudits, or popularity,. I don't have to be right, first, recognized, praised, regarded or rewarded. I now live by faith, lean on His presence, walk with patience, am uplifted by prayer, and labor with power. My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is Heaven. My road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions are few, my guide is reliable, my mission is clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, divided, or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of the adversary, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity. I won't give up, shut up, or let up until I have stayed up, stored up, and paid up for the cause of Christ. I must go till He comes, give till I drop, preach till all know, and work till He stops me. And when He returns for His own, He will have no problem recognizing me. My banner will be clear." -Henry B. Eyring

"Give me a young woman who loves home and family, who reads and ponders the scriptures daily, who has a burning testimony of the Book of Mormon . . . Give me a young woman who is virtuous and who has maintained her personal purity, who will not settle for less than a temple marriage, and I will give you a young woman who will perform miracles for the Lord now and throughout eternity.” ― Ezra Taft Benson

"Only in the surrender of the light could the darkness prevail." -David Eddings

“But God doesn't call us to be comfortable. He calls us to trust Him so completely that we are unafraid to put ourselves in situations where we will be in trouble if He doesn't come through.”― Francis Chan

“The Christian does not think God will love us because we are good, but that God will make us good because He loves us.”― C.S. Lewis

“Don't give up. Keep going. there is always a chance that you stumble onto something terrific. I have never heard of anyone stumbling over anything while he was sitting down”― Ann Landers

“DEAR GORDON, FORGET YOURSELF AND GET TO WORK! LOVE, FATHER.” -Bryant Hinckley

The Beginning: A Call to Serve!

I received my call 7 July 2014, a Monday. I was called to serve in the West Indies Mission, Trinidad Mission Region, English-speaking. This mission has three languages: English, French, and Dutch, and includes 11 countries: Guyana, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Grenada, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago (English-speaking), French Gaiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, St. Martin (French-speaking countries), Suriname, and St. Maarten (Dutch-speaking). The mission president is Daniel Mehr. I'm reporting to the Provo MTC November 19th.

I am really excited that I was called to serve the Lord in the West Indies, and I get more excited the closer I get to it. The countries there sound lovely: it sounds like I'll be looking forward to learning words in other languages (no matter what my call says), eating fish and Indian food, and listening to steel pan music! It feels a little unreal, but Heavenly Father doesn't send His missionaries someplace unless they are needed there, so I believe there is something in the West Indies for me!