My farewell talk

So seriously nothing ever comes easy! So the Sunday i was suppose to give my farewell talk, church is canceled ! and this week is Fast sunday and then i enter the mtc ! crazy right? Alot of people still wanted to read my talk so here we go ! My bishop had assigned me to talk on a missionary in the scriptures and why i wanted to serve. so enjoy :) 

Preparing this talk was a little nerve recking. I’ve been thinking about this moment for as long as I can remember There are so many things that came to mind and so many things that I wanted to say but hopefully the spirit can help edify and be with us.

When I think of missionary work the first thing that comes to mind , besides the guys with the name tags, is the story of the Sons of mosiah. This is probably my favorite story in the Book of Mormon.  I’d like to think of the Sons of Mosiah as “ the All-star Missionaries” Now to give some background, In the Book of Mormon, King Mosiah had 4 sons. Ammon, Aaron, Omner, and Himni. Now these sons weren’t the greatest kids growing up. Actually they rebelled a lot. (and if I was told correctly to liken the scriptures unto ourselves my parents would probably say that that I was a brat growing up as well ) any ways so These 4 guys were confronted by by an angel along with alma the younger, and to put it in a nice way, they were called unto repentance. Now there conversion was so great that they basically begged their father to let them serve missions Mosiah 28:5

 5 And it came to pass that they did plead with their father many days that they might go up to the land of Nephi.

6 And king Mosiah went and inquired of the Lord if he should let his sons go up among the Lamanites to preach the word.

 7 And the Lord said unto Mosiah: Let them go up, for many shall believe on their words, and they shall have eternal life; and I will deliver thy sons out of the hands of the Lamanites.

So Ammon, Aaron, Omner, and Himni—and their friend Alma went on a mission that lasted 14 years. Each of the sons of Mosiah could have been the king of their own country, but instead they followed their hearts. they wanted to share the gospel with the Lamanites, their enemies.

Now id like to think of these 4 sons and Alma around missionary age. But I can only image this group of men, fully converted to the Gospel, and taking on a whole nation of people who probably hate their guts. What I think is so amazing about is that  these young men knew they could not accomplish their mission without power from God. Alma 17:2–3 tells how they got this power and courage to face this obstical or we can substitute ( trial of their faith) : “They had searched the scriptures diligently, that they might know the word of God. … They had given themselves to much prayer, and fasting; therefore they had the spirit of prophecy, and the spirit of revelation, and when they taught, they taught with power and authority of God.”

These were men that had prepared themselves to do the work. And they were extremely successful. They taught in such a way that many were not only converted but also committed. Elder Bednar put it is better words. He says Note that the Lamanites were not converted to the missionaries who taught them or to the excellent programs of the Church. They were not converted to the personalities of their leaders or to preserving a cultural heritage or the traditions of their fathers. They were converted unto the Lord—to Him as the Savior and to His divinity and doctrine—and they never did fall away.

I currently am striving to follow the examples that these powerful missionaries have impressed on my heart. They taught and were lead by spirit. I hope that I can follow in their footsteps as to the way they taught.

So these past months I’ve been preparing. The best advice I can give to upcoming missionaries, study, study, study. Make preach my Gospel your best friend. I just finished reading it this past week and I can tell you I probably should’ve picked it up a lot sooner. Pray daily, both day& night and when ever you can. Power in prayer never fails. Attend and support church meetings. That means seminary. I probably should’ve stayed awake when we were going over scripture mastery cause now my mom gets on my case about it probably at least once a day. 

To tell you why I am going on a mission, its probably easier to explain how I came to my decision and answer. Ever since I can remember the idea of a mission has always been there. My mom served one, as well as my father, my uncles and most of my aunts have, some of my cousins and most of my brothers are either on mission or have also served. But it left me to wonder where I fit in. I know that I’ve always had the desire to go a serve but in recent years I began to figure out the, why I want to serve. Around the age of 12 I remember casually making the decision to go. I bore testimonies about it and frequently talked about going on a mission. I remember distinctly remember a pair of elders laughing and telling me I’d most likely change my mind and get married. By the time college rolled around the mission was still firmly set in my plans. Going to college away from home I learned that I mom & dad weren’t gonna be there every step of the way telling me what to do. Long story short, I was backed up against a wall. Did I really wanna go on a mission or not? The first thing that came to mind was to pray & fast about it. so that’s what I did. And I kept feeling like I didn’t get an answer. I repeated prayer and fasting adding some scripture study and I still felt like I wasn’t getting a definite answer. I began to get frustrated and kinda give up on the whole idea of the mission. From there life kinda began to seem overwhelming, as it usually does during school. But this time was different. it wasn’t until I was humbled enough to realize that the Lord was answering my prayers. Its just I was too stubborn to see it. What blinded me were a number of things. The Fear of not know what the future had in store, the desire to get married, the pressure of being the next girl in line to go, the fear of what people would think, loosing my job, putting a hold at school, ect.

I got my answer at the temple, I was sitting at chapel area and I was saying a prayer in my head and saying please just tell me straight forward be blunt with me did I miss something I don’t care what the answer is anymore just tell me what I need to do and I’ll do it. and I had been reading in D&C and the next scripture was Chapter 31: * read *

I am going with the decision that I've prayed for years about. and had the same multiple answer to. I am not going because I'm trying to prove something to anyone. I am going because I want to serve to the Lord. I love the gospel and I want to share it with anyone that I can. I want to bring people unto Christ. I want others to experience the joy and peace the gospel brings to my life. I want to be the best mother and Wife that i can be. I want my children to be proud and follow the example both my husband and I make. I am studying and trying to prepare as the best I can. I know who I am and i know that this is the right thing for me to do. It has never been easy, but putting the Lord first and accepting whatever he has in store for my life is what I'm going to do. This work has changed my life and I am grateful for the guidance and truth I receive from it. 

Brothers and sisters  I’d love to leave you with my testimony both English and Spanish.

I know without a shadow of a doubt, this church to be true. I know that Jesus is the Christ, my Savior and redeemer. I know that our Heavenly Father's plan is the great plan of eternal happiness. I know that he knows us each personally. I know that the Book of Mormon is true and is another testament of  Jesus Christ. I know that Joseph Smith is a prophet and restored the truth to these latter days. I also know that Thomas S. Monson is a prophet and the Lords mouth piece.  I know that I have a long  road ahead of me but I am confident that with my trust in the Lord I can do all things. I want you to know that I love you, the Lord loves you , and I do testify these things in the name of Jesus Christ Amen.

Yo se, sin duda, que este inglesia es verdadera. Yo se Jesus es el Cristo, mi Salvador y redentor. Yo se que el plan de nuestra padre celestial es el gran plan de felicidad. Yo se nos conocen cada uno de nosotros personalmente. Yo se que el libro de mormon es verdad y es otro testimento de Jesus Cristo. Tambien se que el presidente Thomas S. Monson es un profeta vividente y el boca del Senor. Tengo un camino largo enfronte de mi, pero tengo confianza en el Senor que puedo seguir adelante en todas las cosas. Quiero que tu sepas que te ama y Nuestra Padre Celestial te ama tambien. Yo testifica estas cosas en el nombre de Jesus Cristo Amen