Week 4: Farewell talk

Ciao and aloha mia famiglia! Thank you guys so much for coming today and supporting me! Honestly, I was pretty sad when I found out I wouldn’t be able to have a farewell talk, but we decided that this is the next best thing! And let’s face it, we all hate sitting through that final speaker anyway! Also, I’m so glad none of you showed up in masks so I can actually see your smiling familiar faces! Like you all probably know, I have been called to serve in the Italia, Milano mission. This week I got temporarily reassigned to the Fort Collins, Colorado mission and will leave on July 21! I have been participating in the Online MTC for the past month and it has been amazing. Even with the weird circumstances that I am currently in, I truly love being a missionary.

Ever since I was a little girl I have always wanted to go on a mission. In fact, I didn’t even know that girls had the choice of not going! My mom never missed an opportunity to talk about missions. Looking back now, I’m pretty sure I was just scared of being disowned if I didn’t go on a mission! But as I grew up and started to plan for my future, I realized that I needed to decide for myself if I should serve. I will be sharing many personal experiences and stories throughout my talk that ultimately led me to becoming a missionary today. 

I started working on my mission papers almost a year ago, while going to BYU Hawaii. I often fantasized about where I would serve my mission. Maybe I would go to Taiwan and learn Mandarin like Preston, maybe I would go to Africa and shower with a bucket, maybe I would return to my Grandparent’s mission in West Virginia, maybe I would get called back to Hawaii! I had high hopes but I didn’t really understand the concept of being “called to the work and assigned to the place.”          

I had my Stake President interview and submitted my papers on March 1. I had planned to wait until the end of the month to open my call because my family was coming to Hawaii for Spring Break and I wanted them to be there for the opening! I had it all planned out, but as the days followed, things started getting pretty crazy. The Coronavirus began spreading to the US and affecting everything in its way. During this time, I was so stressed about my call. I was worried that the virus was going to affect the decision of where I would be assigned. I kid you not, I had convinced myself that I was going be called to Orem, Utah! I think I fasted like every other day for the next week, asking God to help me to trust in Him and be able to receive a confirmation that I would be assigned to the exact place He wanted me to go. I came to peace with the fact that I might not be assigned to some exotic place like I’ve always dreamed, and I decided that I was going to be happy to serve my Savior and spread the gospel wherever that may be. Well, exactly 9 days after submitting my papers, my call arrived. That was on a Tuesday. On Wednesday, I woke up to the world turning upside down. I heard the news of the MTC closing down, missionaries potentially coming home from their missions and BYU Hawaii switching to online learning. I was confused and worried and pretty heartbroken. All of my friends started getting flights home and I realized that within the next week we would all be off the island. I decided to open my call that Sunday because I knew my family wouldn’t be able to come for Spring Break afterall. So, on that rainy Sunday afternoon, I walked over to the Laie temple and literally climbed over the fence, because it was closed. I was all by myself on the temple grounds when I facetimed my family and opened my call. It’s hard to describe the feelings I had when I read the words “Italy Milan Mission.” The spirit flooded my body and I felt an immediate confirmation that this assignment was meant for me. Here I was, worried sick that the Coronavirus would affect my call, when I’m sure God was up in Heaven laughing because He knew he was calling me to the very heart of Corona! Besides China, Italy had the most cases of Corona in the world on that very day. It was such a testament of God’s love for me and gave me so much hope that the world would soon get better. About 30 minutes later, I read my call again, this time with all of my best friends in front of the temple. That was the very last time we were all together on our beloved island. It meant the world to me. Having now received my temporary reassignment to Fort Collins Colorado, I have faith that it is where I need to be at this time and I am continuing to trust in God’s plan for me.

I shortly returned home from Hawaii and spent my time in quarantine checking Italy’s cases every day and desperately hoping the MTC would reopen. As my date got closer, I realized that I would be doing Online MTC at home. Initially, I was a little bummed about it, but I was determined to make it a good experience. And let me say, that it has been such an amazing experience! I get to be a missionary in my own home! I get to learn so much about the gospel and grow closer to my Savior every day. I get to learn the prettiest language in the world and work tirelessly trying to understand it. And best of all, I don’t have to eat at the MTC cafeteria! 

On my first day of the MTC, I learned “The Missionary Purpose.” It says: “ Our purpose as missionaries is to invite 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.“ I recite this purpose with the other missionaries in my district every morning. It encompasses the doctrine of Christ and the importance of inviting others to receive His gospel. Today I want to focus my comments on each of the points included in this purpose.

The first part of the missionary purpose is to invite others to come unto Christ. I believe this begins with loving and serving everyone around you. A few summers ago, I had the opportunity to go on a humanitarian trip to Ghana Africa. This experience was the first time my eyes were really opened to the world outside of good old Centerville Utah. I witnessed firsthand how hard those people’s lives are and how little they have, but also how incredibly happy they are! We would walk down the dirt streets passing little kids running around, wearing rags as clothes and playing with pieces of garbage pretending that they were toys. I remember one specific night when a group of us visited a member’s home for family home evening. The home was small, hot and dirty but the members were so excited to have us. We had a lesson with them and each of us got to bear our testimonies. While sitting on their old couch and singing the closing hymn, which happened to be “Love at Home,” I envisioned myself on a mission in just a few years, sitting in someone’s home teaching them the gospel. This experience increased my love for the all of God’s children and also strengthened my desire to serve a mission.

            This past year I was able to attend my freshman year of college at BYU Hawaii and it was truly the greatest time of my life. BYU Hawaii is so awesome because since the student body is so diverse, I met people from all over the world. My first semester I took a Pacific Island Studies class and it was one of my favorites. I was one of the five white students in the class and everyone else was a Pacific Islander. I was enlightened by the history of the students sitting around me. I had no idea that 60 years ago, America dropped atomic bombs in the middle of the ocean, leaving hundreds of islanders to suffer from radiation poisoning. I had no idea that all of the islands were discovered by master way-finders who crafted their boats by hand and were guided by the stars. Turns out the movie Moana is legit! This class was just one of the many aspects of Hawaii that helped me gain a greater respect and a love for each one of my schoolmates. Along with their culture, I loved hearing about their conversion stories and how they found the gospel. One of these stories specifically touched my heart.

My first semester of school I worked at a restaurant in the Polynesian Culture Center called “Pounders.” One of my favorite co-workers was a guy names Shaun. Shaun was a 5 foot, 26-year-old Indian guy who had a big fat crush on me. He called me “Baby Girl” or “White Chick.” I know this sounds a little creepy, but I promise he was the funniest and nicest guy ever! One day while we were setting up tables outside for work, I began talking to him about his life back in India. He told me that his family was at the bottom on the caste system, they were very poor, and he had to fend for himself while growing up. By the age of 14, he spent most of his time living on the streets, doing drugs and drinking alcohol. He felt hopeless and was at the point where he didn’t want to live anymore. But God was looking out for him, because Shaun soon met the missionaries. He fell in love with the gospel and was baptized three months later. In his own words, he said “The church literally saved me life.” And he was right. His life completely turned around, he served a mission a year later and now attends BYUH. Shaun’s story really impacted me and made me realize the importance of inviting each of God’s children to partake of the gospel. In Alma 26:3 it says: “Behold…[ye] were in darkness, yea, even in the darkest abyss, but behold, how many of them are brought to behold the marvelous light of God! And this is the blessing which hath been bestowed upon us, that we have been made instruments in the hands of God to bring about this great work.”

The second part of the missionary purpose is to help people receive the restored gospel. Since starting the MTC, I have gained such a greater appreciation for and testimony of the restoration of the fullness of the gospel. Also, my eyes have been opened to beauty of the Book of Mormon. It is literally the most amazing book in the world. Why would it take me going on a mission to figure this out?? As I have studied the scriptures from a missionary perspective, I have been shocked to discover the amount of revelation given about the restoration, even thousands of years before Christ came to earth. Amos prophesies of the Great Apostacy, saying there will be a “famine in the land…of hearing the words of the Lord.” And Nephi foresees a great restoration where we “shall be restored to the true church and fold of God.” Reading as a missionary I can’t help but think, how can anyone deny that this is the true church! The evidence is right there! I have come to realize that people on the earth are still living in apostacy. They either don’t believe the truth, are scared to accept the truth or don’t know where to find the truth! How incredibly lucky am I to have the opportunity to bring it to them! To testify of the Book of Mormon and help each of them read it with a desire to understand its importance in their lives in order to gain a testimony of the Restoration! 

The third part of the missionary purpose and first principle of the gospel is faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement: This is truly the foundation of everything we believe. In Matthew 17:20 it says: “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.” Growing up and hearing this scripture I always thought it was so cool. If I had enough faith, God would give me the power to literally move a mountain. Well, last week my MTC teacher invited us to look at this scripture in a different way. He explained to us that faith is an action word and as Elder Utchdorf said, “faith moves us to do things that we otherwise might not do.” Instead of just thinking “if I have enough faith this mountain will magically move right now,” we must act in faith knowing that Christ will enable our efforts.  If God asked you to move this mountain, would you have enough faith to put in the work? Even if that meant moving the mountain spoonful by spoonful, trusting that through Christ’s atonement you would be given the strength to do it? This concept has changed my perspective as I enter the mission field in the midst of a global pandemic. I realize that this mountain called “Covid” is not going to just magically move. But I have faith in Christ and his Atonement and know that if I put in the work I will, spoonful by spoonful, move the mountain and see his hand manifested in my life. I love D&C 123:17 which says: “Let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the uttermost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed.” 

The second principle of the gospel is repentance. Personally, I believe that repentance and the merciful grace of the atonement is one of the greatest gifts from God. Sometimes we tend to think of repentance as a bad thing which focuses on our sins and causes us to feel shame. But in reality, repentance is a wonderful and hopeful thing! It is a way for us to continually change and become more like our Savoir. He is always there, but we must first have the desire to turn to him.

My senior year of high school I went through a pretty hard time. I was struggling with typical teenage problems—friends, boys, confidence--which caused me to shut out many of the people who love me and really distance myself from my Savior. I felt mad at God for not helping me through my trials so I stopped doing all the little things that kept me connected to him. I stopped reading my scriptures and saying my prayers. I stopped trying to exercise my faith and deepen my testimony. Ultimately, I felt unhappy and didn’t recognize the spirit in my life. I knew that I had to turn back to my Savior but I didn’t know where to start. How could I possibly rebuild my relationship with Him when I felt like I had abandoned it? Then one day I received a text from a friend with this scripture: “I shall lengthen out mine arm unto them from day to day [and] they will deny me; nevertheless, I will be merciful unto them…if they will repent and come unto me; for mine arm is lengthened out all the day long.” This scripture struck me and I knew that Christ had never left me. Through his atonement and the amazing gift of repentance I was able to change. I was able to grab hold of Christ’s hand of mercy and begin growing closer to Him each day. 

The third principle of the gospel is baptism. Living in the BYUH dorms with the temple being right next door, I had the chance to go with my friends to do baptisms for the dead every week. We always went on the same day, at the same time and the same temple worker, “Uncle Sam” was always there. He would greet us with a big hug and call us “angels.” It really was so amazing to receive the peace and promised blessings each week, especially during times when I was struggling with school, work or missing family. I learned to absolutely love the temple and gained a greater appreciation of the covenants we get to make with God when we get baptized, receive our endowment and are sealed with our families. I know that the way to return back to God is by making and keeping covenants. At baptism, we covenant to always remember our Savior Jesus Christ and to take his name upon us. Now that I am a missionary, I get to literally wear his name over my heart each day.

The fourth principle of the gospel is receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost. Receiving the Holy Ghost is essential to complete the remission of sins. Also, when we are confirmed, we are promised His constant companionship. Throughout my life, I have felt the holy ghost many times. I have been able to discern and recognize how the holy ghost speaks to me. When I feel the spirit strongly, I feel a warmness in my heart, that often spreads through my whole body. It is a sort of peace or reassurance. I also usually get chocked up inside and emotional. I remember certain experiences I had leading up to my mission when I felt this kind of confirmation from the Holy Ghost. 

As I mentioned earlier, I really wanted to find out for myself if going on a mission was the right decision for me. I was constantly seeking for direction in my prayers and I talked to a lot of my friends and family to get their advice as well. The person I talked to the most about serving was my brother Preston. Preston and I have always been really close but we have grown even closer since he’s been on the mission. We would text and call on every one of his P-days. I remember one night I had told him that I really didn’t know if I should go. I wanted to know for myself if this was the best decision for me and not just go because other people wanted me to. He replied to me by saying, “Maddy you need to go. There are too many people out there that need to hear the gospel that haven't. It's more than the best decision in your life because it's the best way to help others.” The spirit flooded my body and tears welled up in my eyes. My sweet brother had reminded me that my decision to go on a mission had nothing to do with what was best for me but everything to do with what was best for others. That night I was able to read through my patriarchal blessing and noticed how much it talked about my ability to teach other people and share the gospel with the world. The spirit yet again confirmed to me that I needed to go on a mission. The Holy Ghost has guided me, comforted me, testified to me, enlightened me, reassured me, and blessed me. 

The final principle of the gospel and the last part of the missionary purpose is enduring to the end. It is scary and somewhat daunting living in the world today. How do we endure? Life has become so uncertain that often we feel like we are living in fear of what tomorrow will bring. We wake up each day to the news of another earthquake hitting, wildfires spreading, protests continuing, Covid cases rising, the economy plummeting, or Trump tweeting! Let me just tell you how amazing it has been to forget about the noise and chaos of the world and fully commit myself to this missionary purpose. My purpose has nothing to do with worrying about the troubles and afflictions of the world. Rather, it has everything to do with loving God, having faith in Jesus Christ, inviting others to accept the restored gospel, accepting the joy of repentance, understanding the importance of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost. This is what enduring to the end means—to continually live the doctrine of Christ.  By doing so, our focus will shift from the uncertainty of the world to the one thing that will always be certain: God’s eternal plan for us.  

Elder Holland said, “If we give our heart to God, if we love the Lord Jesus Christ, if we do the best we can to live the gospel, then tomorrow--and every other day—is ultimately going to be magnificent, even if we don’t always recognize it as such. Why? Because our Heavenly Father wants it to be! He wants to bless us. A rewarding, abundant and eternal life is the very object of His merciful plan for His children! It is a plan predicated on the truth that ‘all things work together for good to them that love God.’ So keep loving. Keep trying. Keep trusting, Keep believing. Keep growing. Heaven is cheering you on today, tomorrow and forever.”

So, since I am a missionary, it wouldn’t be right of me to end this talk without extending an invitation. I invite each one of you to live everyday fulfilling your purpose. Continue to exercise your faith in Jesus Christ and His atonement by putting in the work and trusting in his plan for you. Continue to repent every day, having a desire to constantly change and become more like Christ. Continue to keep your baptismal covenants by taking the Lord’s name upon you and following his commandments. Continue to listen to the promptings of the Holy Ghost and understand how the spirit speaks to you. Last of all, endure to the end and remember that Christ “doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world; for he loveth the world, even that he layeth down his own life that he may draw all men unto him” (2 Nephi 26:24).  I know that as we live the gospel of Jesus Christ and always remember our purpose, we will live happier lives and also change the lives of those around us.

I would like to finish by bearing my testimony in Italiano. And I hope none of you speak it because this is about to be 90% grammatically incorrect:

Io so che siamo tutti figli di una amorevole Padre Celeste che ci conosce individualmente. Io so che Gesu’ Cristo e’ nostro fratello che morto per tu e me. Mediante suoi l’Espiazione, possiamo diventare buono tutti giorni. Sono grato per il vangelo di Gesu’ Chirst e’ guida in nostre vite. Se abbiamo fede in Gesu’ Cristo, pentirsi, battezarsi, riciverde lo Spirito Santo e perseverande sino alle fine, quando possiamo felicita’. Amoro mia Padre Celeste e mia Salvatore Gesu’ Cristo. Sono molto grato per l’opportunita ho essere una missionaria per la uno chiesa di vero nella terra oggi. Nel nome di Gesu’ Cristo Amen. 

I know that we are all children of a loving Heavenly Father who knows us individually. I know that Jesus Christ is our brother who died for you and me. Through his Atonement, we can become better every day. I am grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ and its guidance in our lives. If we have faith in Jesus Christ, repent, get baptized, receive the holy ghost and endure to the end, we can be happy. I love my Father in Heaven and my Savior Jesus Christ. I am very grateful for the opportunity I have to be a missionary for the one true church on the earth today. In the name of Jesus Christ Amen.