My ward thought I was inactive the summer after I graduated high
school, because I was never at my home ward. I went to mission farewells
all but 2 or 3 Sundays that entire summer, and sometimes even went to 2
or 3 farewells in one day! Welcome to Utah, right? I love mission
farewells more than any other sacrament meeting. It's always so
inspiring to hear the testimony of someone who's putting their whole
life on hold and leaving everything behind to go serve the Lord, and the
spirit is always soo strong. (Not to mention the free food!) Whether it
was a family member or a close friend or just someone I went to high
school with, I always loved going to farewells. And every time that I
sat on one of those hard chairs at the back of a cram packed chapel, I'd
find myself wondering what it would be like for me... What if this was
my farewell, and what if these people were all here supporting me? What
would I say? How would I feel? And most importantly...... what kind of
food would we eat?!
Little did I know back then, that on March 10th 2013
all those thoughts and questions would turn into a complete reality for
me. I found myself sitting up there on the stand, because it really was
my farewell. And the best part about it was looking over and
seeing my big brother sitting there next to me. Because not only was it
my farewell, it was also his homecoming. How
sweet is that?! My brother is a pretty well liked guy, so naturally, a
LOT of people came to hear him speak. (I like to think that a few of
them were there for me too:) It was a little nerve-wracking to be up
there in front of so many people! I thought about wearing my glasses
that day, so that I could just take them off when I got up to the pulpit
and not have to see everybody staring at me! But then I realized that
it would actually be a lot scarier to be blind and not be able to see
any of my notes on what I was going to say... Well it turned out ok and
was a lot less scary than I thought! I honestly loved being up there and
loved being able to share some of my thoughts and experiences and my
testimony with everyone. They say that by sharing your testimony, you
strengthen it. THAT IS SO TRUE. Seriously, try it. I can't even IMAGINE
how much my testimony is going to grow on my mission, since all I'll be
doing for a year and a half is sharing it. I'm soo excited for that! My
farewell was a wonderful experience for me, and I'm SO grateful for all
the love and support that I was given. It really meant the world to me.
For those who asked for a copy and also for those who weren't able to make it that Sunday, I thought I'd post my talk here. And since my farewell was the first big step of this journey, I thought it would be the perfect way to start out this blog. Soooo yeah. Here it is.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
I have a testimony of this gospel. I KNOW that it’s true.
God be with you till we meet again.
I’ve been called to serve in the Denmark Copenhagen
mission, where I’ll be preaching the gospel in the Danish language. I couldn’t
even dream up a more perfect place for me, and I know that it’s exactly where
the Lord needs me. I leave on April 10th, one month from today,
and I couldn’t be more excited!
I’m really happy to be here today, and I’m especially
glad that I get to share this special day with my amazing brother. I’m sooo
proud of him and all of his hard work and his willingness to serve. He was an
incredible missionary and set such a perfect example for me. My whole life I’ve
always just been one step behind him. He taught me how to tie my shoes, how to
read, how to ride a bike, he taught me how to be a good friend and how to be a
good person. Now he’s taught me how to be a good missionary, and I’m so eager
to follow his example once more.
Just as I’ve always been trying to follow Kaden’s
footsteps, I also have another older brother I’m striving to be like, who’s
example it’s my life’s mission to follow. That’s the perfect example of my Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ.
Several weeks ago I had an eye opening experience
when I was flying home from New York City. The man I was seated next to on the
plane was friendly and we had a nice conversation. He asked me why I had been
in New York all by myself, and I explained to him that I had gone to meet with
the Danish consulate to get my Visa and residency permit so that I could move
to Denmark. I told him I was going there for a year and a half to serve an LDS
mission. He said “Oh so you’re Mormon? Well you don’t seem that weird!” (Obviously he didn't know me...) He was
curious about my mission, and so I told him more about it and he was really
kind of awestruck. He gaped at the fact that I would go through all this trouble,
and sacrifice so much, and leave my family behind, and put my whole life on
hold, to go learn a new language and move to another country for 18 months.
What he asked me was, “So then, is your church a pretty big part of your life?”
My instinctive response was that yes, it’s definitely a big part of my life.
But that question really struck me, and I found myself thinking back on it a
lot over the next few weeks. It’s a simple question really, “Is your church a
big part of your life.” But for some reason it caused me a lot of
contemplation. The more I thought about it, I began to realize that I really hadn’t
answered that question quite right, and it just happens that one of the
scriptures I was given to use in this talk teaches the better answer.
Alma 37:36 “Cry unto God for ALL thy
support; yea, let ALL thy doings be unto the Lord, and withersoever thou goest, let it be in the Lord; yea let ALL
thy thoughts be directed unto the
Lord; yea, let the affections of thy heart be placed upon the Lord forever.”
What this scripture taught me is that the church
isn’t just a big part of my life… the gospel is my life.
I pondered that a lot, and then I wrote this in my
journal about just how the gospel really is everything to me:
“My faith gives me comfort in times of sorrow and
strength in times of trial. My faith gives me the will to overcome temptation
along with the reassuring knowledge that I can always repent. My faith inspires
my thoughts, drives my actions, and guides my steps. My faith brings me
happiness and hope, and motivates me to be the best I can be. Every day when I
wake up, it’s the gospel that gives my life purpose; it is the definition of my
existence.”
As taught so clearly in that verse of Alma, the Lord
should be the center of our thoughts, the center of all our doings, and the
center of our hearts. As faithful
members of the gospel, we need to stand as witnesses of God at ALL times, and
in ALL things, and in ALL places.
A perfect example of this faithfulness and
dedication to the Lord is the stripling warriors.
“They were men who were true at all times in whatsoever thing they were entrusted… yea, they had been taught by their mothers that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them…. And they did obey and observe to perform every word of command with exactness… and they are strict to remember the Lord their God from day to day; yeah they do observe to keep his statutes and his judgments and his commandments continually… They are young, and their minds are firm, and they do put their trust in God continually.” (Alma 53:20, 56:47, 57:21, 58:40, 57:27)
“They were men who were true at all times in whatsoever thing they were entrusted… yea, they had been taught by their mothers that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them…. And they did obey and observe to perform every word of command with exactness… and they are strict to remember the Lord their God from day to day; yeah they do observe to keep his statutes and his judgments and his commandments continually… They are young, and their minds are firm, and they do put their trust in God continually.” (Alma 53:20, 56:47, 57:21, 58:40, 57:27)
In the world that we live in, it is not
always easy to remain perfectly steadfast as the armies of Helaman. President Henry B. Eyring said that in today’s
world, the forces of wickedness are increasing.
“And so it will become harder, not easier, to keep the covenants we must
make to live the gospel of Jesus Christ. But there is hope in the promise the
Lord has given us of a place of safety in the storms ahead.”
This “place of safety” is spoken of in Helaman 5:12, by a loving father trying to strengthen his sons against the storms of temptation-
“And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.”
This “place of safety” is spoken of in Helaman 5:12, by a loving father trying to strengthen his sons against the storms of temptation-
“And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.”
I love that scripture. And I know that it has never
been more important than it is now to
build on that sure foundation.
President Eyring taught that in order to build on
this foundation, “we will need to have developed and nurtured faith in Jesus Christ.”
Having faith in Jesus Christ means completely relying on Him- trusting in His infinite power, intelligence, and love. The Savior promised
“If ye will have faith in me ye shall have power to do whatsoever thing is expedient in me” (Moroni 7:33). The Lord will work mighty miracles in our life according to our faith. And, when times of trial come, faith can give us strength to press forward and face our hardships with courage.
Having faith in Jesus Christ means completely relying on Him- trusting in His infinite power, intelligence, and love. The Savior promised
“If ye will have faith in me ye shall have power to do whatsoever thing is expedient in me” (Moroni 7:33). The Lord will work mighty miracles in our life according to our faith. And, when times of trial come, faith can give us strength to press forward and face our hardships with courage.
I recently had an experience where I had to exercise
my own faith. I learned to put my trust in the Lord, to trust that He has a
plan for me, and to have faith in His will and in His timing.
I had a wonderful
opportunity to spend my first year of college at Southern Virginia University.
I learned so much from all of my professors, made some amazing friends, and
really started gaining a true testimony of the gospel as I learned to rely on
my Heavenly Father through scripture study and prayer. My year at school in
Virginia was the most incredible experience, and I loved every second of it.
But when I came home for the summer, I felt like going back to Southern
Virginia University wasn’t the best choice for the next school year.
After
praying really
hard about it, I knew that staying in St. George and finishing up my
degree at
Dixie State was the right decision for me, even though I wasn’t sure
why. Over
the next few months I prayed more earnestly than I ever had in my life,
searching for guidance and direction. I started applying to a few
different universities
that I could transfer to in the spring once I finished my associates at
Dixie,
but when I prayed about my options, none of the schools felt right. So
instead
I decided to join a service abroad group, and I started saving all my
money for
a 4 month humanitarian trip to Africa. But all of those plans fell
through and
I was devastated because nothing seemed to be working out. I continued
to pray my heart out, but as the months passed by I started getting
more and more discouraged because I felt like my prayers weren’t being
heard or
answered. I felt hopeless, lost, and forgotten.
But I didn’t lose
faith. I remember it was the day before
General Conference last October; Kaden was on his mission and I wrote him a
letter. I told him of my discouragement, and how I couldn’t figure out what I
was supposed to do next. I wrote to him that what I really wanted was to serve
a mission. But that I didn’t want to wait until I was 21, because I really felt
like it was the right time for me to go now.
The very next morning, President Monson stood up in conference and announced
the new changes for missionaries, and that sisters could now serve at age 19.
And even though he was speaking to the whole world, I knew the words he said
were specifically for me. I was completely overwhelmed and so overjoyed, and I
knew without a doubt that this was God’s plan for me all along. In that moment,
every single one of my prayers was answered, in a way that I never could have
expected. And in that moment, I was reminded that I hadn’t been forgotten.
I’m so glad that I put my trust in the Lord. It was hard
at the time, because I couldn’t see the bigger picture. Living at home and
going to Dixie was not what I wanted to do, but now I see why it was so
important. I was able to be close with my family and spend a lot of good time
with them before I leave for a year and a half. I was able to graduate with my associate’s
degree, and I was able to work and earn enough money to get myself out on a
mission.
I testify, that if we remain faithful and put all of
our trust in the Lord, we will be guided and blessed. By building our
foundation with faith in Jesus Christ and by having faith in God’s will, we
will feel of their great love for us and find the strength we need to be as
steadfast and valiant as the armies of Helaman.
Sometimes
it’s hard! It’s hard to remain faithful when we can’t see the whole picture.
But that’s exactly why we need to exercise our faith. While faith is not a
perfect knowledge, it's having a deep trust in God, whose knowledge is perfect. Heavenly Father loves us,
and desires our happiness. He knows each of us perfectly and He has a plan for
us.
Our
prophet Thomas S. Monson told us that “Our Heavenly Father did
not launch us on our eternal voyage without providing the means whereby we
could receive from Him guidance to ensure our safe return… We can communicate with our
Heavenly Father through prayer and those prayers will be heard and answered.”
A couple months ago I had an
experience that taught me a lot about prayer, and its important role in our eternal
voyage.
I
was on my way up to Salt Lake City to meet up with two of my best friends that
live in Northern Utah. Soon we’d all be leaving to serve missions or go to
college, and so this was the last chance we had to see each other and spend
some time together. I was only going to stay up there for the day so I left really
early in the morning at like 5 am. When I was about an hour out of town, it started
to snow, and the farther north I drove the heavier it came down. I was a little
nervous, because being from the desert, I had never driven in the snow before,
and my car didn’t have four wheel drive. But I just figured I’d be
fine and so I kept on driving. Pretty soon, I found myself driving through what
would be one of the worst snow storms of the season. Everything was white, and
I could barely see the cars around me. The roads grew icier and icier as the
snow fell harder and harder. And the worst part about it was that I was all
alone.
That
was when my phone rang, and I answered it to hear the voice of my father. He
wanted to know where I was at, and if I was ok. He was on his computer at home
looking at the weather reports, and he told me that the storm would be getting
worse before it would start to get better. He cautioned me to drive really
slowly, and told me to call him as soon as I got there. It wasn’t long after I
hung up the phone, that I realized just how right he had been. The roads were
so icy that several times I felt my car swerving out of my control. Because it
was so early in the morning, there were no snow plows out on the roads yet. I
saw four different cars slide off the road into the deep snow, and I was
terrified that that might happen to me. But I drove really slowly like my dad
told me to, and I didn’t stop praying the whole way. It was stressful and so scary
for me! But eventually, I made it through the storm.
I
had only been with my friends in Salt Lake for an hour or two when my Dad
called me up again. He told me that a bigger storm was coming and that if I
didn’t get on the road and head home right then, I might be stuck in Salt Lake
for the rest of the week. (Normally I wouldn’t mind staying up there for a few
days, but my mission call was supposed to be coming in the mail that day so I
was dying to get back home!) I was so nervous to drive on those icy roads
again, but my dad assured me I would be ok if I left right away. He said he’d
be watching the weather reports, and that he would keep calling me to make sure
I was doing alright. I could hear him choke up as he said to me, “Breanna, I
just want you to be safe, and I want you to come home.”
So
I said goodbye to my friends, and I got back in my car to begin my treacherous
journey. My dad kept his promise, calling me every half hour with words of
advice, comfort, and encouragement. It was a long, long drive, but I finally
made it back to St. George. And when I walked through the doorway, my loving
father was there waiting. He gave me a big hug and he said, “I love you so
much, and I’m so glad you made it back home.”
In our earthly lives,
we are all on our own treacherous journey. Sometimes the storm clouds clear up,
but sometimes the storm clouds thicken. Sometimes the road we are traveling
grows icy and dangerous, causing us to feel afraid and inadequate. But just as
my father was only a phone call away whenever I needed comfort and reassurance,
so our Heavenly Father is only a prayer away and will help us through the
storms and trials of life. He just wants us to be safe, and he wants us to come
home. If we have faith, the Lord will answer our prayers, giving us the
guidance we need to return to Him.
Our journey home will be treacherous, the roads will
be icy and snow will continue to fall. We will be faced with trials that test
our faith. But if we build our foundation on the rock that’s Jesus Christ, if
we have faith in God and trust in His will, and if we pray continually, we will make it back to His presence. We’ll walk through the doorway to Heaven, and
our loving Father will be there waiting. With open arms He’ll say, “I love you
so much, and I’m so glad you made it back home.”
I testify that if we realize that the church isn’t
just a big part of our lives and we really let the gospel become our lives and define
who we are, we will become just as the stripling warriors. We’ll be given SO
much strength and find SO much happiness. I’ve experienced it. Especially over
the past few months as I have been preparing to serve a mission. I have chosen
to dedicate not just the next 18 months but my entire life to serving the Lord,
and as I have submitted myself to Him, I have felt the Heavens open up as He is
pouring blessings upon me and surrounding me with His love.
So many of those blessings have come and so much of
that love has been felt through the incredible love and support I’ve been given
these past few months. So many of you have really reached out and have been so
encouraging and so helpful, and I can’t thank you enough.
I’ve been so blessed with the most amazing friends who
inspire me to be a better person and are such great examples to me. And even
though sometimes I think the real reason they’re excited for me to go on a
mission is because it means they get all of my clothes, I’m so thankful for
their support.
I’m eternally thankful for my wonderful family. I
don’t know how I got so lucky. Everything I am, I owe to my incredible family.
It’s been really hard for me, knowing that I only get six weeks with Kaden after two years apart. But I know he’ll always be there for me, and he’ll be able to offer the best support and advice while I’m on my mission. I’m so thankful for the friendship we have and for his awesome example.
Then there’s my younger siblings, Josh and Tia and Kolby. I absolutely adore them and would do anything for them, and I hope they know that!
I’m probably going to miss Abby’s hugs more than most anything else. She always lights up my day and she brings my whole family closer together. I’m so thankful for the love and joy that she brings into our home.
The fact that I was blessed with the parents that I have is the surest testimony to me of how much God really does love me.
I’m so thankful for my father, and so thankful for his powerful testimony and for the priesthood that he holds. I’ve always thought that I can feel Heaven in his hands when he gives me a priesthood blessing. My dad has more faith in me than anybody else does, even more than I have in myself. Nothing in the world is better than to hear him tell me that I’ve made him proud. I’m so proud to be his daughter.
When I count my blessings, I count my mom twice. Actually like 27 times. She’s amazing. The best compliment I have EVER received is being told by someone that I remind them of my mother. She’s the most caring, loving person in the world. She loves me unconditionally, even when I don’t think I deserve it. She’s my support and my strength and my inspiration. She’s really my very best friend. All I want for my life is to someday become just half the woman, wife and mother that she is.
I thank Heavenly Father every day for blessing me with such a wonderful family, the most amazing friends, and such incredible church leaders.
It’s been really hard for me, knowing that I only get six weeks with Kaden after two years apart. But I know he’ll always be there for me, and he’ll be able to offer the best support and advice while I’m on my mission. I’m so thankful for the friendship we have and for his awesome example.
Then there’s my younger siblings, Josh and Tia and Kolby. I absolutely adore them and would do anything for them, and I hope they know that!
I’m probably going to miss Abby’s hugs more than most anything else. She always lights up my day and she brings my whole family closer together. I’m so thankful for the love and joy that she brings into our home.
The fact that I was blessed with the parents that I have is the surest testimony to me of how much God really does love me.
I’m so thankful for my father, and so thankful for his powerful testimony and for the priesthood that he holds. I’ve always thought that I can feel Heaven in his hands when he gives me a priesthood blessing. My dad has more faith in me than anybody else does, even more than I have in myself. Nothing in the world is better than to hear him tell me that I’ve made him proud. I’m so proud to be his daughter.
When I count my blessings, I count my mom twice. Actually like 27 times. She’s amazing. The best compliment I have EVER received is being told by someone that I remind them of my mother. She’s the most caring, loving person in the world. She loves me unconditionally, even when I don’t think I deserve it. She’s my support and my strength and my inspiration. She’s really my very best friend. All I want for my life is to someday become just half the woman, wife and mother that she is.
I thank Heavenly Father every day for blessing me with such a wonderful family, the most amazing friends, and such incredible church leaders.
It’s going to be hard leaving my family, and hard
leaving my friends and everything that I love here. And I know my mission will
be hard. There will be a lot of snow storms and a lot of icy roads! (Literally.
Like it’s going to be freezing cold.)
But I don’t see it as a sacrifice.
I see this as the most amazing opportunity to show
my Heavenly Father just how much I truly love Him, by sharing His love and His
great plan of happiness with His other children.
I see it as the best chance I have to show my Savior
how deeply thankful I am for His atoning sacrifice, by sharing the blessings of
the atonement and the plan of salvation with His other brothers and sisters.
I see it as a wonderful opportunity to grow closer
to my Heavenly Father as I dedicate my life to His gospel, and an incredible
chance to become a little more like Jesus as I follow His example by teaching
and serving everyone I cross paths with.
I have a testimony of this gospel. I KNOW that it’s true.
I
know that Joseph Smith was a true prophet and that
he restored the church to the earth today. I look at the trials he faced
and the sacrifices he made and everything that he went through so that
we could have the gospel in our lives, and if he can do all that,
serving a mission is the least I can do. I know that the Book of Mormon
is
true, I’ve read it, I’ve studied it and I’ve searched it. And it has
provided
me with so much guidance and so many answers. It’s the most incredible
book and
I’m so excited to go and share it. I know that Christ lives; He is my
Savior
and Redeemer, my Comforter, my older brother and my friend. I have a
testimony
of His atonement, I’ve felt its power in my own life, and I’m so
thankful that
the Savior provided a way for us to return to His presence. I know that
if we
build on the foundation of Jesus Christ, if we have faith in Him, and if
we
pray always, then we will find true happiness and will be so blessed.
The
gospel has blessed my life so much and has
brought me so much happiness, and I am absolutely thrilled to serve a
mission
so that I can share the blessings of the gospel and the happiness that
it
brings with the people in Denmark. It’s an exciting time to be a
missionary! I
know the Lord is hastening the work to prepare the world for Christ’s
coming,
and I’m so happy that I get to be a part of that.Serving a mission has
already blessed my life so much, and I haven't even left yet! I've
honestly never been happier, and I'm so excited I can't even contain it.
I'm so thankful that I have this opportunity.