My Farewell

Winston Churchill once said, “The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you will see”

The church today is a great, massive organization – it is spread upon all the earth and continues to grow. But when you look back to the restoration, you can see it started with something small. Just a simple prayer coupled with a boy’s determined faith. Over the centuries, the world was prepared for the restoration to take place. The Bible was translated and published. A new land was discovered. The spirit of reformation swept through the Christian world, and a nation was founded on the principles of freedom.

Joseph Smith was born in that nation, and he came into a family that prayed and studied the Bible. In his youth, he became interested in religion and discovered a “great confusion” over the doctrines of Christ, with “priest contending against priest, and convert against convert.” This confusion was not unique to his community.

Elder Robert D. Hales said that “like Joseph, many of us find ourselves seeking the light of truth. Just as the world was prepared for the Restoration, each of us is prepared to receive the light of the gospel in our own lives”

During times of transition, we seek answers to the important questions of life: Who are we? Where did we come from? Why are we here on earth? And where are we going after we die? Joseph was not born with this knowledge, and neither were we. We must find it.”

Like Joseph, we must search the scriptures and pray. Gaining a testimony and becoming converted begins with study and prayer, then living the gospel with patience and persistence and inviting & waiting upon the Spirit. The life of Joseph Smith and the pattern of the Restoration are great examples of this process. Every major event of the Restoration was preceded by prayer and study

I don’t see too much about Joseph Smith’s origins that would make him extraordinary. He seems to me as kind of average for his time. “But the Lord, for certain reasons of his own, I suppose, selected him to be his mouthpiece to the nations in this age of the world. Perhaps Joseph, as well as many others, was set apart to a certain office before the world was. Christ was the Lamb slain from before the foundation of the world. Abraham was set apart to his office, and a great many others in the same way; and Joseph Smith came to do his work.” – John Taylor

Don’t judge yourself by what you understand of your potential – Richard G. Scott. Sometimes the Lord asks us to do hard things. But you can do hard things. Everything happens for a reason; the hard part is just trying to figure out what that reason is. Some things go wrong so you can appreciate them when they’re right, and some things fall apart so that better things can fall together. Lots of terrible wars and deeds happened back in the days of scripture and the prophets of old recorded them as was their duty.

Elder Richard G. Scott said they “are the sons and daughters of our Father in Heaven who have served, suffered, and given greatly to form the foundation upon which we are building the Church today. In fulfilling prophecy, they would say to you today that they are ending hundreds of years of preparation. This is the opening of a new era, the beginning of a tremendously important phase of the work of the Lord. They have done their part. They have prepared a people. You represent that people.”

I fully believe the scriptures were written for us, in this time. We learned from the restoration and scripture that we can make a difference even today, and that what we do matters. Elder Scott continued to testify that, by studying, “you will learn the messages that have been divinely placed there for you and your families, and for those you supervise. There are problems and challenges but they were all seen beforehand by the Lord. It is not sufficient that we simply appreciate it nor that we testify of the truth within. We must know its truths and make them a part of our lives”

Eleanor Roosevelt advised that we learn from the mistakes of others because we can’t live long enough to make them all ourselves. I would add that there is much that we can learn through study of the Bible and Book of Mormon. All we have to do is decide what to do with the time that is given to us. I seldom end up where I wanted to go, but almost always end up where I need to be – Douglas Adams.

It’s not our abilities that show what we truly are. It is our choices. We have a destiny but we have to choose it. You have to have a motivation to improve yourself by your own means. Elder Neal A. Maxwell said, God does not begin by asking us about our ability, but only about our availability. And if we then prove our dependability, he will increase our capability. What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us – Ralph Waldo Emerson.

The Book of Mormon is another witness for the truths taught in the Bible. It talks of Christ; it speaks of those who rejoice in Christ; it is full of preachings of Christ; it prophesies of Christ and testifies to us as to the source of our remission of sins. The Bible and the Book of Mormon "shall grow together, unto the confounding of false doctrines and laying down of contentions, and establishing peace.” There are many examples in the scriptures of people overcoming problems through faith in the Lord. They testify that they could not do such things without the Lord’s help. They realized that it was not their power; it was the power inside of them. Gordon B. Hinckley said “God expects us to do something with our lives, and he will give us help when help is sought.”

Alma the younger was a flattering man who was wicked and idolatrous and he sought to destroy the church and purposefully led people away to do iniquity and forget the Lord’s commandments. He did many bad things in his youth and one day an angel stopped him and his followers. The Lord had heard the prayers of the righteous and Alma became helpless and dumb for the space of 3 days during which he felt tormented by the things he had done in his life. At one point he wished that he could be banished both soul and body so he would not be brought to be judged before the Lord by his deeds.

Well, you don’t throw away a whole life just cause its banged up a little. He finally remembered the prophecies of the coming of Jesus Christ, and cried for mercy from the Lord. After that he remembered his sins no more and his soul was filled with joy. Alma’s revealing explanation of the growth of his own testimony communicated volumes of meaning when he declared:

“Do ye not suppose that I know of these things myself? Behold, I testify unto you that I do know that these things whereof I have spoken are true. And how do ye suppose that I know of their surety? “Behold, I say unto you they are made known unto me by the Holy Spirit of God. Behold, I have fasted and prayed many days that I might know these things of myself. And now I do know of myself that they are true; for the Lord God hath made them manifest unto me by his Holy Spirit.”

I can’t tell you the loads of things I have learned from Alma alone. Sometimes we make mistakes; no one here is perfect. If you have made mistakes, even serious ones, there is always another chance for you. What we call failure is not falling down, but staying down. If you don’t want to make any mistakes – tough cookies. You’re in the wrong species. Be a duck. The road to success is always under construction and sometimes we take a little unexpected detour. Richard G. Scott said that inspiration comes in packets so that you will develop and grow and not remain as a child, given everything; also so that you will appreciate it, give thanks for it, treasure it, and apply it. The road to the restoration took quite a long time. And that road wasn’t smooth, either.

Nothing worth having comes easy, and success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do. Run on the road when you can… walk when you have to, crawl if you must; just never give up. You’ll get there. It’s worth the fight. While we may not be able to control all that happens to us, we can control what happens inside us – Ben Franklin. As my dad would say, sometimes you’re the windshield and sometimes you are the bug. You never know what is coming for you or what the Lord has planned. Marjorie Pay Hinckley said, “Be kind. Everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.”

When I read, think about and actually apply the principles contained in the scriptures, not only am I strengthened with an appreciation for the powerful servants of the Lord, but a conduit of communication is opened to me personally that crystallizes truth in my own heart and mind.

I know without a doubt of the divinity of Jesus Christ as the Son of God. This resurrected, perfected being stands at the head of this Church. It is He upon whom we must build. It is He who is the chief cornerstone of our foundation. He is the rock of our salvation, the rock upon which not only the Church will be built, but our personal testimonies as well. No other name under heaven will suffice for our foundation. The prophet Helaman expressed it powerfully when he said:

“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” (Hel. 5:12).

Often times the greatest parts of scripture reading are the impressions that come having to do with areas in my own life that need strengthening. The Lord gave us weaknesses that we may be humble. And His grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before Him; for if we humble ourselves before Him, and have faith in Him, then He will make our weaknesses become strengths. “He knows us. He loves us. He wants us to be eternally happy. But according to our God-given agency, the choice is ours. Each one of us has to decide for ourselves if we are going to ignore the past and suffer the painful mistakes and tragic pitfalls that have befallen previous generations, experiencing for yourself the devastating consequences of bad choices,” – M. Russell Ballard or we can choose to walk by faith, repent of our sins, and call upon the Lord in daily prayer.

Each of us faces many difficult times here in mortality. All sorts of voices are screaming at us from the stadiums of public opinion. Our course will never be the popular way of the world. There are obstacles thrown in our path like pebbles on which we may sprain an ankle or stub a toe. But we must keep going. We move on in the strength of the Lord, each accountable for our own performance at the end of our mortal race. And when we pass all the pebbles, we’ll see that we’ve overcome a mountain.

We must be able to declare with Paul:
“I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:
“Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing” (2 Tim. 4:7–8).

Excellence doesn’t imply perfection. It just means being as good as you can be at what you’re trying to achieve. Mother Teresa said, “I know God doesn’t give me problems I can’t handle. I just wish he didn’t trust me so much sometimes.” Going with that, attitude honestly is everything, because whether or not you think you can, you are right.

When faced with a challenge in a seemingly impossible situation, Nephi said, “I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.” Through that unwavering faith in the Lord, they succeeded in the end.

I believe that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God because he lived and died like a prophet. I believe he was a prophet of God because he gave to this world some of the greatest of all revelations. I believe he was a prophet of God because he organized the church under the direction of the Lord. The Church has grown steadily since that day in 1830. It continues to change the lives of more and more people every year and to spread across the earth as our missionary force seeks out those who are searching for the truth.

The building of temples is an indication of such growth. Since the building of the first temple, which was dedicated in 1836, 131 temples have been dedicated… and there are 21 more that have been announced or are under construction. Each temple is dedicated as a house of the Lord Jesus Christ, a place of holiness and peace, set apart from the world. There, truths are taught and ordinances are performed that bring knowledge of things eternal and motivate the participants to live with an understanding of our divine inheritance as children of God and an awareness of our potential in the eternities.

It was largely because of the temple that I gained a testimony in the truthfulness of the gospel and experienced my own personal conversion to the church. I thought it was great and thought it would be awesome for everyone to have the opportunity to experience such a feeling. I never thought I’d serve a mission and I never desired to serve a mission, even at that point. A little over a year after that time I made a commitment to go to the temple at least once a week.

On January 25th, 2009 I went to the temple, fasting as I was taught. It was just a regular day, just as exciting as any other January 25th had ever been. Now I won’t go into the boring details of how it all happened here but basically I was trying to focus on other things which I thought were more important…but the message I needed to hear was blaring so loud that I couldn’t hear anything else I was thinking. It was so clear that I could not deny it. It was so bad I wanted to tell everyone, all the strangers in the room, exactly what was going on. Due to the combination of prayer and personal study at that time, I knew I was going to serve a mission for the Lord. In the words of Joseph Smith, I knew it, I knew that God knew it, and I could not deny it. A year after that, I got a letter from the prophet.

M. Russell Ballard emphasized: The Lord is in control. He knows the end from the beginning. He has given us adequate instruction that, if followed, will see us safely through any crisis. His purposes will be fulfilled, and someday we will understand the eternal reasons for all of these events.

“Wherefore,” the prophet Nephi says, “ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life. “And now, behold, my beloved brethren, this is the way; and there is none other way nor name given under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of God”

“Now is the time for each of us to work toward our personal conversion, toward becoming what our Heavenly Father desires us to become.” - Dallin H. Oaks

Wherever you presently find yourself on life’s road, high or low, stopped or not, it is just one part of the journey. There is more to come. For what it’s worth: it’s never too late to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit. Stop whenever you want. You can change or you stay the same. It is your choice. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that amaze you. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you live a life you’re proud of. I hope you gain a real sense of the great love that our Father in heaven and the Savior have for us. We are truly known by them on a very personal level. May God grant us the wisdom to discover right, the will to choose it and the strength to make it endure.

The organization of the Church of Jesus Christ in 1830 was one of the great miracles of the latter days. With missionary work, temple work, humanitarian service and so forth, the restoration has affected countless people, including myself, in so many ways that no one person could even begin to understand.

I really don’t know much but I do know that the church is true and that Joseph Smith was a prophet. I know that the Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ and that it is the word of God. I know that we have living prophets today and that there is a great work going forward in the world. I know that little by little, one travels far. I know that my next adventure is going to be a great one and it is where I need to be. I know that by small things great things come to pass and that we all matter and we all make a difference. I know that we all make mistakes and that its okay, so long as we learn from them. I know that we must be the change we want to see in the world and that we were called to the earth in this day for a reason. I know that Jesus Christ is my savior and friend and that he knows and loves each of us individually.

Even though that small meeting in Fayette, New York, went unnoticed by most people, the events of that day have changed the world. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.