Farewell Numero dois

The gospel, said President Gordon B. Hinckley, “is a plan of freedom that gives discipline to appetite and direction to behavior.”

Good afternoon brothers and sisters. Today, I would like to talk to you about a few things. First I would like to share some insights from the Ensign article titled, You are Free; second, I would like to touch on the atonement and the reason for the Easter season; and lastly I would like to tie it all together with a nice little bow by talking about how these first two points are what missionary work is all about.

On Facebook, I often check 3 different pages. The first is called “Many are Called, Few are Sisters” and has 5615 sisters who either have their mission calls, are waiting for their mission calls, or are returned sister missionaries who are willing to give advice. The second page is called “Army of Helaman” and is a page where all future missionaries post mission calls and advice. And the third is called something about Mormon Youth of Awesomeness. This facebook page has more than 16,000 young LDS members who are able to connect with each other from all around the world. It was on this third facebook page that a boy asked about how this religion offered freedom, even though it had so many rules.

There were many different comments under this one post, but there was one in particular that has stuck with me. A boy named Christopher said, “Two men want to fly. One jumps off a cliff, waves his arms and says, "I AM FREE." The second goes to flight school, learns the laws of flight, files a flight plan, straps himself into a restrictive g-suit, harness, and cockpit which limits his movement to less than two feet, than takes off, turns on the afterburner and flies at 40,000 feet above the speed of sound. Who is free?”

Our religion is like this first man. We have many commandments that we are to follow, as well as more recent revelations from latter day prophets, such as the Word of Wisdom and the Law of Chastity. Because we have so many restrictions, friends of mine have asked how I manage to have any fun. I can’t go out and party like they do, I can’t relax with some wine or smoke at work. I don’t use swear words to express my feelings and I don’t go out casually with boys like my friends do. But I don’t feel like I’m being locked in a cage with no way to advance. In fact I feel the opposite about all of the rules that I choose to follow. I feel free.

In the March 2013 Ensign, Elder D. Todd Christopherson wrote an article titled “You are Free”. In it, he shares a story that his aunt told to him about her father that I would like to share with you:

“My daughter and I were visiting in my parents’ home. Along about sundown my mother asked if we would like to step out on the back porch and watch Father call his [five] sheep to come into the shelter for the night. Father … is a stake patriarch, and … the personification of all that is good and gentle and true in a man of God.

“… Father walked to the edge of the field and called, ‘Come on.’ Immediately, without even stopping to bite off the mouthful of food they were reaching for, all five heads turned in his direction, and then [the sheep] broke into a run until they had reached his side and received his pat on each head.

“My little daughter said, ‘Oh, Grandmother, how did Grandfather get them to do that?’

“My mother answered, ‘The sheep know his voice, and they love him.’ Now I must confess that there were five sheep in the field, and five heads went up when he called, but only four ran to Father. Farthest away, clear over on the edge of the field, looking straight toward Father, stood [a] large [ewe]. Father called to her, ‘Come on.’ She made a motion as if to start but didn’t come. Then Father started across the field, calling to her, ‘Come on. You’re untied.’ The other four sheep trailed behind him at his heels.

“Then Mother explained to us that some few weeks before this, an acquaintance of theirs had brought the [ewe] and had given it to Father with the explanation that he no longer wanted it in his own herd. The man had said it was wild and wayward and was always leading his other sheep through the fences and causing so much trouble that he wanted to get rid of it. Father gladly accepted the sheep, and for the next few days he staked it in the field so it wouldn’t go away. Then he patiently taught it to love him and the other sheep. Then, as it felt more secure in its new home, Father left a short rope around its neck but didn’t stake it down.

“As Mother explained this to us, Father and his sheep had almost reached the [straggler] at the edge of the field, and through the stillness we heard him call again, ‘Come on. You aren’t tied down any more. You are free.’

“I felt the tears sting my eyes as I saw [the sheep] give a lurch and reach Father’s side. Then, with his loving hand on her head, he and all the members of his little flock turned and walked back toward us again.

“I thought how some of us, who are all God’s sheep, are bound and unfree because of our sins in the world. Standing there on the back porch, I silently thanked my Heavenly Father that there are true under-shepherds and teachers who are patient and kind and willingly teach us of love and obedience and offer us security and freedom within the flock so that, though we may be far from the shelter, we’ll recognize the Master’s voice when He calls, ‘Come on. Now you’re free.’”²

I know that I’ve been staked down by some of my sins and lesser deeds in this world. I’ve been too involved in myself to notice the elderly woman struggling at the checkout counter. I’ve been too invested in getting that last cookie or piece of cake to notice the little boy who hasn’t had any yet, but isn’t yet brave enough to approach the table. I’ve fought with my family over silly things and I’ve said some things that I shouldn’t have. I haven’t read my scriptures every day and getting down on my knees to pray is probably the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. But I have noticed that when I do these things, when I do read my scriptures and I do pray and I pay attention to helping those around me, that I feel much better. Physically, mentally, and spiritually.

Which brings me to my next point: When we follow those commandments and rules that we are given, then we are free. But none of us are perfect; therefore no one can follow all the rules all the time and be free. When we do not follow God’s commandments, we are under the influence of Satan, and we have sinned.

Elder Christophersen said, “Our choice in this life is not whether we will or will not be subject to any power. Our choice is to which authority we will yield obedience: God’s or Satan’s. As Lehi stated, it is a choice between liberty and captivity (see2 Nephi 2:27). If it is not one, it is necessarily the other.”

Life is black and white when it comes to the gospel. It is the world that takes every opportunity to blur the lines and create a grey area. Darkness cannot exist where light is just as Satan cannot exist where God is.

In Alma 40:26, it says, “…no unclean thing can inherit the kingdom of God; but they are cast out and consigned to partake of the fruits of their labors or their works, which have been evil.”

If we do not follow the commandments, we cannot return to live in the presence of our God. That leaves us with a dilemma, because the reason that we were sent to this earth was to be tested and then ultimately return to live with our Heavenly Father. That dilemma is solved with one word: atonement.

In the Plan of Salvation pamphlet that the missionaries use, there is a section explaining the atonement of Jesus Christ. One part of it says, “Because your Heavenly Father loves you, He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to pay for your sins. This payment is part of the Atonement of Jesus Christ…In paying for your sins, Jesus did not eliminate your agency or personal responsibility—He will not make you clean against your will. To receive His help and strength, you need to exercise faith in Him, repent, be baptized, receive the Holy Ghost, and choose to follow His teachings for the rest of your life. As you rely on the Atonement, you will feel the love of God and He will help you endure your trials. You will experience joy, peace, and consolation. All that seems unfair in life can be made right through the Atonem    ent of Jesus Christ and the mercy of and love of our Heavenly Father. The Atonement is the central point in the plan of salvation.”

The first facebook page that I mentioned, Many are Called, Few are Sisters, is a page where past, present, and future missionaries are able to post their thoughts, doubts, and experiences. One girl, named Aly, posted a question on here. The question was: Fill in the blank: The Atonement ….. me. And then she said: The Atonement changes me. 24 girls commented on this post, and here are some of their answers:

The most common one was: Top of Form

The Atonement saves me. Every day.

 Sanctifies and molds me

The Atonement strengthens me.

 The Atonement blesses me

The Atonement betters me.

 The Atonement makes me whole.

The atonement Carries me, Cleanses me, fulfills me, rescues me, is for me, Defines me, heals me , Supports me , is for you and me, enables me, and protects me.

In General Conference in October 1996, Elder Russell M. Nelson, gave a talk titled, “The Atonement”. In it he said, “To be redeemed is to be atoned—received in the close embrace of God with an expression not only of His forgiveness, but of our oneness of heart and mind. What a privilege!”Bottom of Form

The atonement goes much deeper than what I have just touched on. I just felt the importance of relating to you that there is hope for a better tomorrow and that it is never too late to turn to God. Because we are already saved. He loves us and wants us to return to Him. And He has provided a way.

As I’m sure you already know, in just 10 days I will be in the MTC beginning my mission. I have been called to serve in the Brazil Vitoria Mission. Along the way, I’ve had some bumps in the road. I would like to relate to you some of how I got to this point.

When I was just 13 I had my first ultra-spiritual experience during education week at BYU-I. It was at this point that all of those primary lessons and young women’s lessons became clear to me and I became converted to this gospel. Later that year, I was able to receive my patriarchial blessing. It referenced a certain scripture about missionary work and learning multiple languages. That year was a good year, spiritually.

When I graduated high school, I was 17. Two days after I graduated I was in Provo, Utah attending orientation for BYU. I had always wanted to attend BYU. It was a church school, and a prestigious university. I attended BYU for about a year before it became clear to me that even though I was attending all of the required religious classes and achieving decent grades in those classes that I just wasn’t learning. I realized that I wasn’t reading my scriptures or praying. I also realized that I wasn’t sure if I wanted to believe in this church anymore. I knew that God existed, but I wasn’t so sure that this was the only church that had the whole truth. I just wasn’t sure.

I went through most of my time at BYU not sure that the church was true. But in January of 2012, that all changed.

My best friend and cousin decided that she wanted to serve a mission. She began to fill out her paperwork and got really excited about going. It was at that point that I began to reevaluate my religious views.

That time in my life, I felt the effects of the atonement. It began with my cousin’s desire to serve a mission and it ended with me being sure that this gospel was true. Because of my eldest brothers’ sacrifice and willingness to atone for my sins, I was able to come back from being totally inactive on the inside.

Missionary work and the atonement go hand in hand, naturally. Especially in my life. When my father joined the church, he was 21, and had had a lifetime of partying behind him, and because of a member missionary (my mom) and the missionaries that taught him, my family has been sealed in the temple. When I became re-converted to the gospel last year, it was because of a future missionary.

When a missionary goes out and finds a family who is interested in the gospel, there is going to be something that that investigator needs to change in order to fully convert to the gospel. Whether it be they need to stop drinking coffee, stop smoking, get married, or something else, without the atonement there wouldn’t be any hope. We would be in a dead end here in this life. But with the atonement, these people are saved! And that is a glorious message.

That is why missionaries do what they do.

These few years have been a rollercoaster for me, especially these last 6 months. I went to college, lost my faith, found my faith, sent my cousin off on a mission, moved home, got a mission call, waited 4 months for my report date, and had many more ups and downs.

But with the help of my Heavenly Father I have gotten here, to this point. In 10 days I will officially be a missionary. And thanks to the atonement and God’s commandments, I am worthy to represent my Heavenly Father as a missionary.