Good
morning everyone,
I
first want to start off by thanking all of my amazing family members and
friends for supporting me and being here today. It means so much.
And for having my roommate Chloe sing with me, and my high school music
director play for us. For those of
you who don’t know me, I have been in this same ward my entire life, and I just
completed my freshman year at BYU.
I have been called to serve in the México Monterrey East Mission, and I
can’t believe that today is finally here.
I am so grateful for the opportunity that I have to speak to all of you
and the opportunity that I am going to have these next 18 months in
México. I feel so
unbelievably humbled and grateful for this chance that I have to serve a
mission. In all honesty, if you
were to ask me a year ago if I was planning on serving a mission, my answer
would have been no. Yes, I’ve
always believed in the teachings of this church, but the idea of a mission
quite honestly scared and intimidated me.
It seemed like such a distant idea, and up until my senior year of high
school, girls went on their missions at age 21. When the age was lowered to 19 in October 2012, I was 18 at
the time and I remember the announcement caught my attention. This announcement was talking to my
specific age group. But even after
this mission age change, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do.
I love this quote by
Dr. Seuss. “You have brains in your head. You have feet in
your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your
own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to
go...” This
past year at BYU, I was put in a position where I was away from home and where
I had to discover for myself who I was and who I wanted to be. I knew that I was at a point in my life where I was going to
have to make crucial decisions that would affect my future. At BYU you are required to take
religion credits each semester, and I took Book of Mormon as one of my classes
both semesters. When I started this class, thoughts of a mission crawled into
my mind. My professor for this
course began the semester by reading us the verse 2 Nephi 32:3 which says: “feast upon the words of Christ, for behold,
the words of Christ will tell you all things which ye should do”. This was powerful for me to hear
because I often forgot to turn to the scriptures for answers when facing
difficult decisions.
This class turned
out to be one of my favorite classes I took this year. Never before had I the opportunity to
learn so much about the doctrine and the Book of Mormon, and my eyes were opened
to so many new truths and so many spiritual experiences. I’ve been familiar with the Book of Mormon
stories my whole life, but this was the first time in my life where I was
thoroughly reading each page and gaining knowledge for myself that what I was
reading was true. I really did experience my own individual
conversion. For my talk today,
I’ve been asked to focus in on the importance of the scriptures in my life, and
this past year I truly recognized the significance of the Book of Mormon in my
life and how it generates personal peace and happiness.
As
a freshman at BYU, you are constantly asked the same question: “Are you going to serve a mission?” I really didn’t know what I wanted to
do, but what I did know was that I needed to make this decision all on my own
and not because of the social pressure to go. I knew that through this decision making process, I needed to
rely on one specific thing, and that was my personal scripture study.
A
key central idea of our religion is explained in this scripture: 3 Nephi 27:29
reads: “Therefore, ask, and ye shall receive; knock,
and it shall be opened unto you; for he that asketh, receiveth; and unto him
that knocketh, it shall be opened.”
We believe in a God who knows and loves us personally, listening to what
it is that we need, and answering our prayers. I know this to be true, for I have seen the hand of my
Heavenly Father aid me through trials and confusing times in my life. My answer to a mission came as I
dedicated myself to asking Heavenly Father if a mission was right for me- if
this is what I should be doing for a year and a half. I remember one night, after many weeks of reading my
scriptures with this one specific question in mind, I decided to just open to a
random verse and start reading from there. I opened my Book of Mormon, and went right to Alma 29: 9,
which reads: “I know that which the Lord hath commanded me, and I glory in it. I do
not glory of myself, but I glory in that which the Lord hath commanded me; yea,
and this is my glory, that perhaps I may be an instrument in the hands of God
to bring some soul to repentance; and this is my joy.” After reading this, I knew I received
my answer. I was called to this
work, and I knew that I needed to be an instrument in the Hand of the Lord to
bring people unto Christ. I knew I had the desire to serve a
mission, but my desire wasn’t because I wanted “praise” or “glory”, but because
I knew a mission would bring me 18 months
of joy completely devoted to serving others and sharing this same happiness and
knowledge that I have. I know
that turning to that scripture verse might seem coincidental, but I really do
believe that God answers our questions in mysterious and obvious ways if we are
sincere and ask with a full purpose of heart.
One
of the most valuable things I learned this past freshman year is the importance of loving who you are and
being yourself. In high
school, you go through a confusing period of your life where you don’t know
exactly who you are and you’re afraid to be different from your peers. As a college student, you begin to
establish your identity and your concerns for what people think of you start to
dwindle. Like Dr. Seuss says: “Be
who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter, and
those who matter don’t mind”. At
BYU, I fully embraced who I was and the choices I made, and I glowed with confidence and bliss like I
never had before. I understood
why I was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It
finally hit me that this church really did bring me immense happiness and that
I wanted others to feel and obtain this same happiness that I have had all my
life. It can be intimidating
when people question your beliefs, but I’m now at a point in my life where I am
more than thrilled to spend 18 months solely talking to people about why I live
the way that I do.
The
reason I am even alive and up here today is because of missionary work. As most of you know, my mom and dad are
high school sweet hearts. My dad
was a member of this church and my mom was not. Their relationship invited my dad to teach my mom about this
church, and my mom had the opportunity to decide for herself if she wanted to
join this faith. She needed to
know in her heart if this church was true, and when my dad went away on his
mission, she was baptized at the age of 19. My dad’s role as a missionary to my mom changed both of
their lives and their posterity. As
I am now at the age my mom was when she was baptized, there is no doubt in my mind that this is exactly what I need to be
doing these next 18 months. I
owe so much to my Heavenly Father for providing me with this gift in my life,
and now it is my responsibility to extend love and hope to others.
From
the scriptures, we know that the objective of missionary work is not to simply
baptize and convert. It is to invite others to come unto Christ. The qualities I want to have as a
missionary can be described in these verses: Alma 7: 23-24 reads “And now I would that ye should be humble,
and be submissive and gentle; easy to be entreated; full of patience and
long-suffering; being temperate in all things; being diligent in keeping the
commandments of God at all times; asking for whatsoever things ye stand in need;
always returning thanks unto God for whatsoever things ye do receive. And see that ye have faith, hope, and
charity, and then ye will always abound in good works.” I love those last three words- faith,
hope, and charity. As President
Uchtdorf says- “Doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith”. I have great faith in my Heavenly
Father and I know that if I continue to rely on him, I will remain safe and
directed all my life. I have faith
that the Spanish Language will come to me, and that I will be blessed every
step of the way through out my mission.
I have a hope that I will touch the lives of those I come in contact with
as they will also touch mine, and I hope that I leave a positive impression on
them. I don’t hope to baptize everyone I meet. That is not the reason why I’m going on a mission. I have hope that I can brighten
someone’s day, I have hope that I can have the people of Mexico recognize that
there is a Heavenly Father who loves them personally and who wants to comfort
them and tend to their needs. I
have a hope that my investigators will know they are children of God and that
they can return to live with God again someday. I have a hope that the people I teach will come to know that
they have a savior, Jesus Christ, who died and suffered for them and who understands
the trials each of us go through.
I have a hope that the people I teach will know that all of their wrongs
can be forgiven, and that God does not judge them but is waiting for them with
open arms. I have hope that my
investigators will see the faith that I have, and that they can see in my eyes
that I know for myself that what I am saying is true. I know that I need charity and kindness in my heart for all
those I come in contact with and that I need to uphold Christ-like attributes. Although I will be teaching others
about my own beliefs, I know I will be taught so many valuable lessons from the
individuals I interact with as I listen to their life stories and experiences. As
a missionary, I am simply an instrument in Heavenly Father’s hand, as he
directs me to those who need to hear the message of happiness that I have to
share. I am not a saleswoman
trying to convince someone to buy a product. I am just a teenage girl who feels so passionate about this
gospel and the things I believe to be true. My intent is to positively
effect those around me and to have them develop a stronger faith in themselves
and in a God who loves them.
The keystone of our religion is the Book
of Mormon, and I hope that the people I teach will find direction in their life
as they grow to study this book along with the Bible. Richard G Scott tells us that “Scriptures can calm an
agitated soul, giving peace, hope, and a restoration of confidence in one’s
ability to overcome the challenges of life. They have potent power to heal
emotional challenges when there is faith in the Savior. Scriptures can communicate different
meanings at different times in our life, according to our needs. A scripture
that we may have read many times can take on nuances of meaning that are
refreshing and insightful when we face a new challenge in life.”
My
outlook on life and what is important to me really changed this year, and I
have developed a deeper understanding of how strong Heavenly Father’s love is
for me. I owe all of my ability and strength that I have to my Heavenly Father,
and I know that without Him constantly being there for me I wouldn’t have the
strength to take this leap of faith and dedicate myself to doing such hard work
for 18 months. The scripture
Alma 26:12 reads: “Yeah, 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; yeah behold, many mighty
miracles we have wrought in this land, for we will praise his name forever.” I fully believe in this, and I know
that I’m not going to be alone on my mission. Yes, I’m nervous to put myself out there. Yes, I’m nervous about having to learn
Spanish. And at times I feel
inadequate to hold this title as a missionary. But I know that He is going to tell me what to say to my
investigators and that I will be led every step of the way.
We
spend our lives sharing with people our interests, sharing what we learn in
school, and sharing advice to those who come to us. I am so excited to spend 18 months simply sharing and
telling people about this church that I know brings me the most happiness in my
life. I know that a mission is going to be the hardest time of my life. I know that I am going to be the most
frustrated and the most tired I have ever been in my life. But I know that this time away from
worldly distractions will be the best and most rewarding time of my life. I don’t know all the answers, I’m not a
master scriptorian, and I don’t speak Spanish, but what I do have is
faith. One of my favorite scriptures, Philippians 4:13 says: “I can do all things through Christ which
strengtheneth me”. I know that
if we all rely on Christ through strenuous times, our burdens will be made
lighter and we will feel the love he has for each of us individually. This
is what I’m going to share with the people of México- that everything is
possible through Christ.
Since
I’ve received my call 6 months ago, I have thought about and prayed on a daily
basis for the people of Monterrey, Mexico that I am going to meet, and I
already love them so much. I really do feel a connection with them
already, and I know that their influence on me is going to make me a better
person. I want to end by
testifying that I know prayer is real and that Heavenly Father hears and
answers every single one of our prayers.
I know that through the atonement of Christ, we can be forgiven of all
of our imperfections. I know that
the bible and the Book of Mormon are tools that can guide and direct one’s life
to complete contentment. I know
that individuals who dedicate their time to asking Heavenly Father if the
scriptures are real inspired works, they will receive an answer and know that
they are legitimate. I know that
Joseph Smith, an illiterate boy of just 14 years old, translated the Book of
Mormon through the Power of God, for no common, ordinary man could have
fabricated those things. I know
that my call to serve in Monterrey México is an inspired call from God, and I know
that there are people there waiting for me to answer their questions about life
and their purpose here on earth. I
feel so honored to be a part of the 85,000 missionaries currently serving all
over the world. One last Dr. Seuss
quote that I’ll end with goes like this: “Today is your day, your mountain is waiting. So
get on your way.” It’s time for me
to get on my way and to start this journey of changing lives, and I know that
among those many lives will be my very own. And I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ Amen.
l o v e
hermana riches
l o v e
hermana riches
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