Hola! Comment estas? Mui Bien- et-tu? Quele hora est? Dondé estas ma pantalonais? Muchos cossos grandes Pour favour. Uno dose triece. Des colores!
That’s all the Spanish I know. I guess the folks at the MTC (Missionary Training Center) have their work cut out for them.
As you know I will be leaving to go serve a mission for the church in a couple days. I’m going out to California to knock on doors and help people find Christ. And when I leave there will be a little plaque with my face on it in the hallways for everyone to look at while I’m gone. The plaque has a picture of me, a picture of the area that I will be serving in, and a scripture that I have chosen to be a sort of theme for my mission. This is the scripture that I chose:
“Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever.” That’s found in the book of Alma, 26th chapter and 12th verse to be precise.
Can’t you just feel the joy that Ammon relates though this verse? --I mean he starts the verse out with “Yea!” How much happier can you get?-- But besides that obvious sign of joviality, he really is happy when he says this. A few verses before this Ammon is talking to his brethren and discussing how happy they all should be that their brethren the bloodthirsty Lamanites had found the gospel. And then his brother “Aaron rebuked him” in verse 10, “saying: Ammon, I fear that thy joy doth carry thee away unto boasting.” To which Ammon responds that he’s not boasting about himself, because he knows that he can’t do anything great by himself, God is the one that he’s boasting about.
This past year at BYU-Idaho we had the privilege of having President Eyring of the first presidency talk to us in one of our Tuesday devotionals. He talked about the miracle of having the university and the Rexburg temple so close together. In a devotional it is common for a verse or passage of scripture to be read before the speaker gets up and talks. The scriptures help to set the mood. They also helped me to switch my mind into a spiritual mindset and prepare for those promptings and feelings that the spirit brings to my heart when I am primed or rather when I am willing to hear the still small voice. The scripture that was read was Alma 26:11 and 12. At this time during the year I was searching for a scripture to go on my missionary plaque, “I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things” When I heard that I wrote “Holy cow!” in the journal I was taking notes in. It just worked. President Eyering’s talk was good, but I knew that I had found my missionary scripture.
“I will not boast of myself” That is a very powerful statement. And when I read it, it strikes me as something that I personally should strive for. I am currently majoring in theater and speech education in college. The arena of the stage lends itself to boasting about one’s self. And being humble enough to recognize that it’s not just me. I have worked hard, but God has helped me on my path. “I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things.” It’s very powerful to me.
As I was preparing this talk I was bouncing ideas off of my Mom and she asked, “Have you come up with any experiences that relate to your scripture?” I answered, “Um… not really. I can’t think of any.” She then pointed out the section that talks about the mighty miracles that have been wrought and then commented on how the spirit of God can change people. I said, “Ok. But I don’t think I have any experiences to relate about that.” And then she reminded me of a few.
All of my life I have always had to do things my own way. When I learned how to play a song in my piano lessons I would change it because I wanted the song to sound this way or that way. When I studied algebra and other areas of mathematics I would find the answer in different ways than were asked of me. I could only do things my way and when I was younger I was not very willing to follow the way of the Lord. When I was almost eight years old I didn’t want to get baptized. When I was old enough to become a deacon and a holder of the Aaronic priesthood I didn’t want to receive the priesthood. I didn’t want the responsibility that came with having that authority. I told my Mom that I never wanted to serve a mission. My mother shed many bitter tears because of my unwillingness to listen to the voice of the lord. But as you can see my stiff neckedness has been softened, and stubborn inclination has changed. Thanks to the example of cousins, my parents and my own prayers and study I have changed my attitude. And it wasn’t because I was brainwashed or anything like that. It wasn’t because of peer pressure or any sort of flock mentality. It was because I found out the truth for myself, and in my own way. It was because I let the master craftsman mold me into what I need to be. It was because I became meek and submissive, it was because the Lord can work mighty miracles.
Let me share with you the first real time that I gained a testimony for myself that the Heavenly Father is real and that he loves me. During my years of rebellion and stubbornness I seldom bore my testimony to people. I just didn’t do it. I felt that I didn’t know, so how could I tell someone that, “I knew that the church was true and that the book of Mormon contains the word of God. Or that Jesus Christ suffered for my sins in the garden of Gethsemane, or that I know that There are living prophets on the earth today.” I didn’t know of a surety that these things are true.
The experience that I am about to relate is very sacred to me and I hesitate to share it with you because I’m not sure if I can relate the simple workings of the spirit without making it sound like just a cute story. But I pray that I can express to you how I came to know that my heavenly father loves me, and knows me personally and I pray that the spirit can touch your hearts while I tell you how he touched mine.
It happened at scout camp. It was my first year that I was able to attend scout camp and during the week the LDS troops got together to have a devotional on Wednesday. And as the meeting turned to the portion where we could bear our testimonies I knew that I wasn’t going to say anything, because I never say anything. However as the meeting wore on, I had a strong prompting to get up and bear my testimony. The Holy Ghost whispered to my heart that I should get up and say something. I sat there for a few minutes and really wrestled with the spirit. I said, “I have nothing to say.”
“Yes you do.” Was the reply.
“No I don’t. I don’t know what to say. I don’t do this. I have nothing to say.”
“Yes you do.”
“What? What do I know? I don’t really know anything. I’m not even sure if the church it true.”
The spirit replied “But I love you.”
“What?”
“I love you. You can do this. Just tell them that I love you.”
I got up and told the other scouts assembled that I knew that my heavenly father loves me, and then I sat down. The next day a boy came up to me and explained that he was a not of my faith but that he attended the testimony meeting last night and he was moved my by simple testimony. It was an amazing experience that has changed my life. I have had other similar experiences that are too numerous to go into right now. But I felt that it was important to talk about the first time that I really “Knew”.
As I have been preparing to serve the lord for the next two years I have had many co-workers and friends ask me why? Why would I volunteer for something that would take me away from my family, and not pay me, and not give me vacation time for two years? To which I have wanted to ask them, “Why do you think I’m doing this?” It doesn’t make sense. -- But it does. I know that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ both appeared to the boy Joseph in answer to his simple prayer. I know that Christ himself restored his church upon the earth. I know that there are living prophets on the earth. I know that the book of Mormon is a true record. I know that my heavenly father knows me and loves me. And because I know with a surety that these things are true, I want others to know as well.
Plato in his allegory about the cave discusses the feelings that I have about bringing the light of the gospel to those who are willing to accept it. Plato tells about a group of people who are trapped in a cave and all their lives have only ever seen the shadows of things in the outside world and have only seen the reflections of light off of the rock walls. One of the men in the group finds a way out and after adjusting his eyes to the light and after forcing his muscles to work in different ways he sees the sun, he sees the birds, he sees the flowers and trees. He then turns back to the others in the cave to show them what he has seen and to bring them to experience for themselves what he has found. And some don’t listen. And I’m positive that some people on during my mission will turn me away, but I have to try. I have to see if there are any people who I can touch and show my love for them as well as the love that heavenly father has for them. But I know that I can’t do it alone. Because I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever.
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