Farewell Talk

Six months ago I could not have envisioned myself up here giving a farewell talk. A mission had always been in the back of my mind but 21 had always seemed so far away. And yet, here it is! I remember when the announcement came out a lot people asked if I was going to go but it took we quite a while and lots of prayer, to decide that a mission was right for me. One day I happened to be studying in matthew 10 and I read vs 39 “He that findeth his life shall lose it and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.” This was my answer I had been waiting for.

Lately I have been thinking a lot about the phrase “taking christs name upon us” and what that actually means to me not only as a soon to be missionary, but also as a member of this church.


It was in our premortal life that jesus offered up himself as our savior, he said “Here am I, send me.” Then in 3 Nephi, Nephi hears a voice which says “Lift up your head and be of good cheer; for behold … on the morrow come I into the world” The next day in Bethlehem a tiny baby lay in a manger, soon to be the savior of all mankind. “And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him” Luke 2:40 says “”Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man” At the age of thirty, He began His ministry, teaching the great plan of happiness—faith, repentance, baptism by immersion, the laying on of hands to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end. Later twelve men were called and ordained as His Apostles. Some of them were humble fishermen. He invited them to come “follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” Matt 4:19. Word of his glory and power spread throughout the land and he wrought many miracles. To a father who had lost his daughter He said, “She is not dead, but sleepeth” Luke 8:52, and He took her by the hand and she rose from the dead. To a cripple He spoke, “Take up thy bed, and walk” John 5:8. And the cripple rose and walked.Later he knelt humbly before each Apostle and washed their feet. He instituted the sacrament. Blessing bread and wine, commanded his apostles to eat and drink in remembrance of His body and His blood.  Our savior then said “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you,.". Then Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane where he plead “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt”. But he knew that someone must atone for the sins and he alone could qualify. Later he was betrayed and then beaten and spit on, forced to wear a crown of thorns and carry upon his back a cross to which he was nailed first in his hands and then again on his writst- all for us, his brothers and sisters. Even in that very moment he said “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

And then I try to ask myself again. How can I take upon the name of Christ? How can I live up to this perfect being when I am very much flawed.

Christ ate with sinners, when others looked upon them with scorn. He counseled and defended the adulterer when others looked upon to stone her. He healed the lepers when others were quick to shun them. he loved everyone and saw them for who they were- children of god. Jesus said “If a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? “And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray.

I think “to take upon the name of christ” means to be his hands, to feed his sheep and share his light. President Uchtdorf shares a story of WWII in a city where a statue of Christ had been demolished. He says, “When the townspeople found the statue among the rubble, they mourned because it had been a beloved symbol of their faith and of God’s presence in their lives.Experts were able to repair most of the statue, but its hands had been damaged so severely that they could not be restored. Some suggested that they hire a sculptor to make new hands, but others wanted to leave it as it was—a permanent reminder of the tragedy of war. Ultimately, the statue remained without hands. However, the people of the city added on the base of the statue of Jesus Christ a sign with these words: “You are my hands.” As we emulate His perfect example, our hands can become His hands; our eyes, His eyes; our heart, His heart.”

Shel silverstein is one of my very favorite poets and he wrote...

“She had blue skin,

And so did he.

He kept it hid


And so did she.


They searched for blue


Their whole life through,


Then passed right by –
And never knew.”

Although none of has blue skin, we each have a story to tell and testimony to share. Just like the two in this poem hid their blue skin, we need to not hide our lights. Without speaking up, how will others hear us. Without speaking up how will others know how we love Jesus Christ, how we cherish this gospel. Every time we remain silent we have missed an opportunity to act as the Saviors hands. 

My sister recently shared this story in her talk but I like so much that I am going to share it again...

"Charles Plumb was a US Navy jet pilot in Vietnam. After 75 combat missions, his plane as destroyed by a surface-to-air missile. Plumb ejected and parachuted into enemy hands. He was captured and spent 6 years in a communist Vietnamese prison. He survived the ordeal and now lectures on lessons learned from that experience.

One day, when Plumb and his wife were sitting in a restaurant, a man at another table came up and said, “You’re Plumb! You flew jet fighters in Vietnam from the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. You were shot down!”

“How in the world did you know that?” asked Plumb.

“I packed your parachute,” the man replied. Plumb gasped in surprise and gratitude. The man pumped his hand and said, “I guess it worked!” Plumb assured him, “It sure did. If your chute hadn’t worked, I wouldn’t be here today.”

Plumb couldn’t sleep that night, thinking about that man. Plumb says, “I kept wondering what he might have looked like in a Navy uniform: a white hat, a bib in the back, and bell-bottom trousers. I wonder how many times I might have seen him and not even said Good morning, how are you?’ or anything because, you see, I was a fighter pilot and he was just a sailor.”

Plumb thought of the man hours the sailor had spent on a long wooden table in the bowels of the ship, carefully weaving the shrouds and folding the silks of each chute, holding in his hands each time the fate of someone he didn’t know.

Now, Plumb asks his audience, “Who’s packing your parachute?” 

Everyone has someone who provides what they need to make it through the day. Plumb also points out that he needed many kinds of parachutes when his plane was shot down over enemy territory-he needed his physical parachute, his mental parachute, his emotional parachute, and his spiritual parachute. He called
on all these supports before reaching safety. 

People in our lives pack our parachutes every single day . They may provide us with physical, emotional, mental or spiritual aid. We know that we have Christ who has not only paid the price for all of our sins but can also provide for our every need. He sends his angels, his spirit and his people in our lives to act as his hands. The next question we must ask ourselves, though, is whose parachutes do we pack? This is what I know christ would have us do. During his life he taught many sermons but he also administered to the sick, the needy and taught those who were poor in spirit. .

Christ says, “If ye love me, keep my commandments” He says, “If ye love me feed my sheep.” The prophet Moroni tells us, “Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail—but charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever”. We know that without charity we cannot inherit the kingdom of god.^aHe that findeth his life shall ^blose it: and he that ^closeth his ^dlife for my sake shall find it.

One family tradition we have my dad has deemed “hamburgers for homeless”. As a family we package up a bunch of meals and take them around to homeless people. The first time I did it, I admit, it was pretty scary. But then you realize, these are sons and daughters of god. They are our brothers and sisters. And while we are cozy in our homes, they are cold and starving praying, that their may be a god. One may be shedding tears that they dont have food. And another is wheeping, curled up without a a place to go. And yet, we have the same God, so why must some suffer more than others. Why must we forget that our gospel is our saving grace. That we are forever indebted to christ, to our savior and that our ability to give back to christ and be his hands is such a blessing.

Jesus said love everyone and this is what he spent his life doing. Love can come in the form of gifts but more importantly it comes in the form of service. In giving of your time. Christ loves us all and through him we love we can love all, as well.

Matthew 16 Let your ^alight so shine before men, that they may see your good ^bworks, and ^cglorify your Father which is in heaven.

There is no better time than now, this easter season for all of us to rededicate ourselves to the principles taught by Jesus our savior. It is the time to love the Lord, our God, with all our heart—and our neighbors as ourselves. President Uchtdorg said “It is well to remember that he who gives money gives much; he who gives time gives more; but he who gives of himself gives all.”

I used to volunteer a lot at the child crisis center. The kids there were so sad. Not only did they have no material possessions but they also had no one to love them. I know we look at the world and see poverty stricken countries. But the truth is, there is so much need in our own community.

Our Savior was the perfect example to us of righteous living. He was a missionary throughout his life. He taught us how important it is to serve and to love one another. His whole ministry was dedicated to make serving those around him. Similarly, Christ asks that of us.

’Twas battered and scarred, and the auctioneer

Thought it scarcely worth his while

To waste much time on the old violin,

But held it up with a smile:

“What am I bidden, good folks,” he cried,

“Who’ll start the bidding for me?”

“A dollar, a dollar”; then, “Two!” “Only two?

Two dollars, and who’ll make it three?

Three dollars, once; three dollars, twice;

Going for three—” But no,

From the room, far back, a gray-haired man

Came forward and picked up the bow;

Then, wiping the dust from the old violin,

And tightening the loose strings,

He played a melody pure and sweet

As a caroling angel sings.

The music ceased, and the auctioneer,

With a voice that was quiet and low,

Said, “What am I bid for the old violin?”

And he held it up with the bow.

“A thousand dollars, and who’ll make it two?

Two thousand! And who’ll make it three?

Three thousand, once, three thousand, twice,

And going, and gone!” said he.

The people cheered, but some of them cried,

“We do not quite understand

What changed its worth.” Swift came the reply:

“The touch of a master’s hand.”

And many a man with life out of tune,

And battered and scarred with sin,

Is auctioned cheap to the thoughtless crowd,

Much like the old violin.

A “mess of pottage,” a glass of wine,

A game—and he travels on.

He’s “going” once, and “going” twice,

He’s “going” and almost “gone.”

But the Master comes, and the foolish crowd

Never can quite understand

The worth of a soul and the change that’s wrought

By the touch of the Master’s hand. 

- Myra Brooks Welch

As we go throughout each day there are many who may need Christ in their lives but just may not know where to find it. We can be the saviors hands in bringing others unto him. Christ values each one of his sheep and knows each one of us by name. I hope that we are not like the blue people and live our lives in silence. I hope we can share the light of christ we have inside of us with those around us.

CS lewis said “ I believe in christ like I believe in the sun, not because I can see it but by it I can see everything else.” Although I have not seen Christ with own two eyes, I have felt him with my heart and seen his grace my life. Every day I am in awe at the beauty of our earth and the passion of the people who fill it and I know there must be a God. Through prayer I have come to know for myself that God is real and that God is good. Christ is my Savior and I know that he paid the price for me so that someday I may have eternal life. Living this gospel may not be easy but it is worth it and it makes me so very happy. This gospel makes my life so beautiful and I am so excited to share it with the people of the dominican republic. I hope as I serve in the Dominican Republic that I may be able to touch their hearts and help them to know the love of their savior.