Homecoming

I realized that I haven't written anything since I got home from my mission. I'll try to get more up some other time, but for now here's the talk I gave in Sacrament Meeting Today. :)

Sunday 24 August 2014

The very first and most basic doctrine that we teach in the missionary lessons is that God is our Heavenly Father. He knows us and loves us and wants us to be happy. Because He is our father He knows the things that will help us to achieve happiness. That is why He gave us the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Nephi explained it this way:

“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. And now, behold, this is the doctrine of Christ, and the only and true doctrine of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, which is one God, without end. Amen.” – 2 Nephi 31:21

This concept is so straightforward that it seems like it should be easy. There’s only one path. The way has been explained to us. Help has been provided along the way. So it should be easy to follow the steps and principles of the gospel and be happy, right?

TheFamily: A Proclamation to the World states, “Happiness in family life (and I would add personal life) is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ.” This is a promise given to us by our Heavenly Father. However, I’m sure that you all know that life always comes with its own challenges and struggles. Following the Gospel of Jesus Christ is not a guarantee that our life will be easy or that we will always be perfectly happy.

I started my mission in a town called Sylmar. Our area was pretty big and packed with people so we often struggled knowing where to go to find people to teach. 

One day, my companion and I pulled over to look at the map for a moment, and we prayed that the Lord would guide us to find someone who was prepared to accept the message of the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For some reason I felt very strongly that we needed to go to one specific street at the very edge of our area. My companion didn’t really want to, and it seemed like it would probably be a waste of time, but I felt strongly enough that we went anyway. When we turned down the street we discovered that it was a completely industrial area. As I drove from one end of the street to the other and took every possible side road we realized that there wasn’t a single apartment complex or house. I was confused as to why I would have felt so strongly about that street when there weren’t even people walking around outside. It seemed completely deserted. Then as we turned for one last look I saw a stand on the corner where a man was selling fruit. I turned sharply, parked the car, and jumped out to talk to him. My Spanish still wasn’t great, but I tried to explain to him that I knew that we needed to be on that street to find someone specific and he was the only person there, so God must have sent us to find him. That was how we met Marco.

I only got to teach M a few times before I got transferred, but I kept track of him through the missionaries that taught him. When we first started teaching M he wouldn’t give us his address and didn’t have a phone number so we could only contact him by going to his fruit stand. We found out that he was having problems with his wife and that in general his life just seemed to be going badly at the moment. He was skeptical of our message at first, but as he began to read the pamphlets and the Book of Mormon his heart began to change. M's family situation didn’t change as he accepted the gospel and began to come to church, or even when he got baptized. He didn’t suddenly become a different person, and he still struggled with the same temptations and weaknesses. However, the Gospel of Jesus Christ changed M's life. Despite his ongoing challenges he is active in the church. He holds a calling, and is currently preparing to enter the temple in September. Life continues to be a struggle, but when we make the Gospel of Jesus Christ the center of our lives it becomes possible to find true happiness through it all.

Our Heavenly Father knew that life would not be easy, in fact, He designed it to be a test for us. To help us succeed He sent Jesus Christ to be our example and to atone for our sins, weaknesses, and sufferings. We have the record of Christ’s life and teachings in the New Testament. While he was on the earth Christ also organized a church. He called twelve apostles and gave them priesthood authority to act in His name. The purpose of the church organization was to help the people learn and live the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

In His final act to help us, His brothers and sisters, Christ performed the Atonement. He suffered in Gethsemane and on the cross, He died, and three days later He rose from the dead as a resurrected being. Because of this sacrifice each of us can be uplifted, supported, and forgiven through the Grace of Jesus Christ; each of us will someday be resurrected.

After the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ the apostles continued guiding the church through revelation. However, after not very long, the people also rejected the apostles. When the people stopped following the guidance of the apostles, the world slowly began to fall into a state of confusion and darkness. Without this guidance to help them as they strove to follow the Gospel of Jesus Christ they lost the way. Many different churches were formed each professing to teach the truth, but the gift of revelation was lost from the world, and with it the priesthood authority necessary to guide the church of Christ on the earth.

I witnessed this process and its results many times on my mission. I always felt sad when we met members who didn’t attend church for one reason or another. As we listened to their stories it became clear that they had simply stopped doing those things that allowed them to be guided personally as they tried to live the gospel of Jesus Christ. They had stopped attending church, reading their scriptures, praying, and/or following the commandments. They had separated themselves from the very things that allowed them to receive revelation and the blessings of priesthood authority.

However, we know that living in darkness and confusion is not God’s plan for his children. In a beautiful display of His love for us he appeared to a boy named Joseph Smith to bring him a message. Joseph described his experience:

“I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me. … When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other – This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!”

With this appearance of the Father and the Son the channels of revelation were once again opened to the earth. Christ once again spoke through a living prophet. Later, Joseph Smith received from heavenly messengers the original priesthood authority given to the apostles of old. The time of darkness and confusion had come to an end. Once again people could learn and follow the Gospel of Jesus Christ aided by revelation and the authority of the priesthood.

In my last area I taught a woman named Z. Z had basically nothing in this world. Everything seemed to go wrong at the same time. It seemed like she was in the dark with no light to show her the way. As we began to teach her about the Gospel of Jesus Christ her life didn’t change, but her countenance did. As she began to live the commandments, attend church, read the Book of Mormon, and pray on a regular basis her life began to fill with light. Z was baptized four weeks after I met her, and every time I saw her I could see that light radiating from her face. I know that this is what the Gospel of Jesus Christ can do for people. It doesn’t fix all of our problems, but it brings light into our lives to show us the way and carry us through.

TheBook of Mormon is one of the most important parts of the Restoration. It was translated by Joseph Smith by the power of God. According to the introductionof the book,

“The Book of Mormon is a volume of Holy Scripture comparable to the Bible. It is a record of God’s dealings with ancient inhabitants of the Americas and contains the fullness of the everlasting gospel.”

The Book of Mormon is more evidence of God’s love for His children. It is convincing evidence that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God and that the Church of Jesus Christ is once again on the earth. As we read its pages and follow its counsels we are brought closer to our Father in Heaven.

On my mission I saw many miracles come through reading the Book of Mormon. One woman that we taught in my second area was named R. R could barely read, but we gave her a copy of the Book of Mormon the first time we taught her. We testified, that despite how difficult it was, reading it would help her and bring peace to her life. That night R couldn’t sleep, and as she lay in her bed she remembered the book we had given her and what we had told her about it. She got up out of bed and went and read a few verses in the Book of Mormon. When she went back to bed she fell asleep right away. From that night on R had a testimony of the Book of Mormon. She read on her own, we read with her, and one of the recent converts in our ward would go over a couple of times a week to read with her. As she read more and more, her ability to read improved. She was able to read faster, and understand more of what she read. She felt the difference that reading the Book of Mormon made in her life and she wanted more of that. When I got transferred a few weeks later Rosario was reading in 2^nd Nephi and attending church every week. R still hasn’t gotten baptized, but the Book of Mormon changed her life.

T is another woman that we taught in that same area. We found her because we were teaching her son. One day she agreed to sit in on the lesson. As we talked, T seemed to accept the things that we taught with a very open heart. She agreed to read the Book of Mormon and pray, but she told us right up front that she would never ever attend church with us. We didn’t push her about church, but left her with the commitment to read and pray about the Book of Mormon. When we came back the next time she had read and prayed. She told us that she knew the Book of Mormon was true and that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. She agreed to be baptized and we set a date for her baptism. T committed to come to church every week from that point on, and she did. That very Sunday as we rode our bikes to church we saw her walking and stopped to walk with her. Because of the firm foundation that T found in reading the Book of Mormon she was able to make the drastic changes in her life necessary to follow the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She was baptized six weeks after we taught her for the first time.

It is incredibly important for each individual to know for themselves that these things are true. We can pray and talk with Heavenly Father and ask Him, and I know that he will answer. Moroni 10:5 gives us a promise from our Heavenly Father. It says, “And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.” The Holy Ghost speaks differently to each of us, but I know that if we are looking for the answer we will recognize it. The Holy Ghost always speaks through good feelings such as peace, love, joy, and faith.

On my mission, I grew to know that these things are true. Missions are different for each person, and everyone has different experiences and learns different things. My mission was a very special and wonderful experience for me. I loved it and am so grateful that I was able to serve. However, the biggest lesson that I learned on my mission also came from my biggest trial. When I spoke before I left for my mission I said that I wanted to serve so that I could tell people how much God loves them. At that point in my life I never thought that I might question that love myself. When I entered the MTC I was excited and ready to learn how to be a missionary. Despite this excitement, after a few days I was hit by a wave of anxiety and depression that left me feeling like I was drowning. These feelings stayed with me in varying degrees throughout my entire mission. Often it left me feeling abandoned by everyone, even God. Intellectually I knew that God must still love me, but because of the anxiety it was difficult for me to feel that love. As I worked through this struggle I learned that my Heavenly Father will always love me. I learned to find comfort in the Book of Mormon. I learned that even though He allows us to struggle and even suffer, everything God does is for our eternal benefit. I learned that living the Gospel of Jesus Christ can bring peace and happiness that goes beyond the surface. Even when my body and mind were attacked by feelings of inadequacy, fear, and sadness, in my soul I was happy, safe, and protected. Because of the protection brought by living the gospel of Jesus Christ I was able to pass through wave after wave and always return to the surface safe and sound. One of my favorite scriptures is Ether 6:5-7.

5 And it came to pass that the Lord God caused that there should be a furious wind blow upon the face of the waters, towards the promised land; and thus they were tossed upon the waves of the sea before the wind.

6 And it came to pass that they were many times buried in the depths of the sea, because of the mountain waves which broke upon them, and also the great and terrible tempests which were caused by the fierceness of the wind.

7 And it came to pass that when they were buried in the deep there was no water that could hurt them, their vessels being tight, like unto a dish, and also they were tight like unto the ark of Noah; therefore when they were encompassed about by many waters they did cry unto the Lord, and he did bring them forth again upon the top of the waters.

I know that God is my Heavenly Father. I know that He loves me and will always love me no matter what. I know that the Gospel of Jesus Christ brings happiness, peace, and protection through all the storms of life. I know that this gospel, in all its clarity, has been restored through the prophet Joseph Smith. I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God. I know that if we ask, He will answer us. In the name of Jesus Christ amen.