"As I pondered this topic that I chose I
realized that I had not yet received sufficient experience in my life to test
my faith as serving a mission now affords me. I have not served the Lord as
much in my life as I now will for the next two years. This whole experience is
an accumulation of mixed feelings. As I read and prepare for full time
missionary service, I receive a greater witness, strength and desire to serve
the Lord and do all I can to help His work progress forward. However as I say
my goodbyes, pack up my room and fill my remaining time with those I love, my heart
aches for the experiences I will miss, and the time I wish to spend with many
of the wonderful people I’ve been blessed to have associated with in my life. And
then doubt arises to rationalize my reasons not to leave, and trust me there
are many good reasons. But I know the blessings from serving the Lord are far
greater than those experiences I will miss, and my faith will be strengthened
to endure life’s future trials and experiences that lie ahead. There are far
greater reasons to serve no matter the doubt that will arise. I may not know
very much, but I know enough. I know enough to leave so as to invite others to
turn to Christ, our Saviour and Redeemer; to help others feel of His infinite
love that He has for all of us, individually and collectively. I have seen and
felt the blessings of living the gospel in my life, which in turn wants me to
share that with every person I come in contact with.
The Lord has eternally blessed me, and with
such great blessings in my life I feel the responsibility, and duty to serve
and sacrifice at least two years of my life. And in fact a living prophet,
Thomas S. Monson, has, through revelation from that God I love, called me to
serve. A former prophet, Joseph Fielding Smith, once said, “You are called upon
to declare the words of eternal life with vigour, humility, and faith- bringing
out of darkness those that sit in darkness.” I have sat in darkness before, I
have felt helpless in my trials and sins, I have fallen short of the grace of
God at times, but I testify the blessings of repentance can change all of that.
No matter how deep or how long we’ve sat in the darkness, we can all see the
light again, which is the light of the world; Jesus Christ, who atoned for our
sins so we can return to the light and to His presence once again.
Now concerning faith, which is as Alma
puts, “…faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye
have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true.” And we often
hear that faith is an action word, and that faith without works is dead. To
have faith in something or someone is not simply a statement. To have such hope
and knowledge to receive faith must require our diligent action behind our
belief. To truly know our Saviour, we must serve with charity, the pure love of
Christ. In Matthew chapter 25:40 we read, “…Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as
ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it
unto me.” Service can bring us closer to the Lord, for as we serve those around
us, we also serve God.
I as a missionary will be teaching and
inviting others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel
through faith in Jesus Christ and His atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving
the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. This is truly the restored
gospel on the earth today; the same priesthood power and teachings that were
here when Jesus Christ walked the earth that were lost through the death of
Christ and the death of the apostles has been restored to its fullest capacity
through the first prophet of this dispensation, Joseph Smith. I have received a
witness of the truth of the Book Of Mormon and its legitimacy, and the fact
that Joseph Smith was indeed a true and living prophet, who saw and heard all of
the heavenly messengers that he did, including our Heavenly Father and His Son,
Jesus Christ.
Not too long ago my parents took me on a
trip to New York and Ohio to visit some of the amazing church historical sites
from the early saints. We actually had stayed in a hotel that had a walking
path around the back of the building that led to the sacred grove and the Smith
family home. What an awesome spiritual experience, to wake up early as Joseph
Smith once did and enter that beautiful grove of trees and reside in the same peaceful
place where our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ appeared. I felt I should
kneel down, which I did, and said a small humble prayer. I immediately felt the
love that He had for me, and my testimony of the truthfulness of the first
vision, Joseph Smith, and the Book Of Mormon were exponentially strengthened.
We visited the Newell K. Whitney store and
surrounding houses of the saints, many of which sacrificed everything they had
for the growth of the church. We walked past the river where the first 127
saints of The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints were baptized. We saw
the sawmill where the lumber was bought for the building of the temple; as well
we walked to the rock quarry where the stone was cut to build the temple. We
were guided through these houses and sites by missionaries set apart to do so.
The spirit their testimonies brought, coupled with the experience of witnessing
by sight these places was amazing. In fact as we took a tour of the Kirtland
Temple, I felt such reverence. And as I walked up the stairs to the very stand
where the Saviour appeared to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery to accept the
Kirtland Temple as His house, my eyes welled up with tears for I knew at that
moment that this is the Lords work, and that all that I have been taught my
entire life has been true. I have been blessed to have been raised in the
gospel, and I thank my parents for their strength in providing a Christ-centred
home where I was taught from the Bible and the Book Of Mormon.
Gordon B. Hinckley in an October
2006 General conference stated regarding Joseph Smith, “I am grateful for the faith that took
him into the grove to pray. I am grateful for his faith to translate and
publish the Book of Mormon. I am grateful that he went to the Lord in prayer
that was answered with the bestowal of the Aaronic and Melchizedek Priesthoods.
I am grateful that in faith he organized the Church and set it on its course. I
thank him for the gift of his life as a testimony to the truth of this work.” I
too can add my thankfulness of Joseph’s faith. He went through so many
incredible trials in the short life he was able to live, but he wrought a great
and marvelous work because of his faith.
I have really been studying and pondering
faith, what it means and why we need it for as I stated earlier I have not
needed faith as I now do while facing this mission I am going to serve and the
future that lies ahead of me. Having faith in Jesus Christ means relying
completely on Him- trusting on His infinite power, intelligence, and love. I
have personally struggled with this for I like to do things myself, and on my
own time. I’m not one to ask for help even if I need it. But I definitely need
it now. Having faith in Christ also includes believing His teachings. It means
even though we do not understand all things, He does. We can remember that
because He has experienced all of our pains, afflictions, and infirmities, He
knows how to help us rise above our daily difficulties. He has overcome the
world and prepared a way for us to receive eternal life. He is always ready to
help us as we remember His plea: “Look unto me in every thought; doubt not,
fear not.” When times of trial come, faith can give you strength to press
forward and face our hardships with courage. Even when the future seems
uncertain, your faith in the Saviour can give you peace. I can truly attest to
that.
Do you think we only get one test of our
faith then all is well and that life will be a breeze for the future? No. Faith
is a gift from God, but you must nurture your faith to keep it strong. Faith is
like the muscle of your arm. If you exercise it, it grows strong. If you put it
in a sling and leave it there, it becomes weak. You can nurture the gift of
faith by praying to Heavenly Father in the name of Jesus Christ. As you express
your gratitude to your Father and as you plead with Him for blessings that you
and others need, you will draw near to Him. You will draw near to the Saviour,
whose Atonement makes it possible for you to plead for mercy. You will also be
receptive to the quiet guidance of the Holy Ghost. How else can we strengthen
our faith? We can strengthen our faith by keeping the commandments. Like all
blessings from God, faith is obtained and increased through individual
obedience and righteous action. If you desire to enrich your faith to the
highest possible degree, you must keep the covenants you have made.
You can also develop your faith by studying
the scriptures and the words of latter-day prophets. The prophet Alma taught
that the word of God helps strengthen faith. Comparing the word to a seed, he
said that the “desire to believe” can lead you to “give place” for the word to
be “planted in your heart.” Then you will feel that the word is good, for it
will begin to enlarge your soul and enlighten your understanding. This will
strengthen your faith. As you continually nurture the word in your heart, “with
great diligence, and with patience, looking forward to the fruit thereof, it
shall take root; and behold it shall be a tree springing up unto everlasting
life.”
We are so grateful for all those who where able to come! Remember to write Rob.
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