Missionary Farwell

Madi had a combined farewell today with Skyler Woodward. Both of them are leaving this week for the MTC.  Our ward is sending out 11 missionaries this summer, which has resulted in double and triple farewells every week.  It is so cool to think our our little neighborhood will be affecting the lives of so many around the world at the same time. (missionaries from the Midas Creek 4th Ward: Sister Nicholls, Sister Dansie, Sister Winterton, Brother C. Anderson, Brother A. Anderson, Sister Davis, Sister Galli, Brother Woodward, Brother Boswell, Brother Fowlks, Brother Snedaker)   Madi gave an amazing talk on the Holy Ghost which is posted below.  We also had a special musical number called "Here Am I".  After church we welcomed family and friends over to our home for a luncheon.  Our house has never been so full and I loved every minute of it!  It was wonderful to see so many people come out and support Madi and wish her well.

Following the Promptings of the Holy Spirit - "Let the Holy Spirit Guide" Elder Rasband

Good morning brothers and sisters! I've been called to serve in the California Santa Rosa mission speaking Spanish and I report to the Mexico MTC on Tuesday and I could not be more excited! As I was preparing this talk I was thinking about why I would be asked to speak on following the promptings of the Holy Spirit and I came to the conclusion that it was probably because I have followed every single prompting I have ever received, so who better to give you all some trade secrets?

Really though, all of us could use some work when it comes to recognizing and acting on the promptings we feel. Even President Monson has made some mistakes  with ignoring the Spirit. When President Monson was a bishop, he was attending a stake priesthood leadership meeting  when he had the distinct feeling that he needed to leave and drive to veteran's hospital  in North Salt Lake. Earlier in the evening, he had received a phone call letting him know that an elderly member of his ward had been admitted to the hospital for urgent care and had requested that Bishop Monson come to bestow a blessing upon him. Bishop Monson informed them that he would head straight to the hospital after his meeting, but during the meeting he felt the need to leave. He pushed off the feeling and when it came again he realized the urgency, but the Stake President was speaking and he did not want to be disrespectful, so he anxiously awaited the conclusion of his remarks. As soon as the Stake President finished, Bishop Monson hurried out  the door and rushed to the hospital. He fled down the fourth floor corridor and saw a lot of commotion outside the designated room. He was stopped by a nurse who asked, "Are you bishop Monson?" After he responded, "yes." The nurse continued saying, "I'm sorry. The patient was calling your name just before he died." As Bishop Monson left the hospital that night, he vowed  to never hesitate on a prompting again. One day I hope to be able to have the same commitment to the spirit as President Monson. As I work on my relationship with Christ, I work on my readiness and willingness to abide with the Spirit as well.

Back in the Spring after me and my roommate, Jessica, had both turned in our mission papers, at night we would do things in our room like read random scriptures and try to relate them to our current lives, sing primary songs, try to remember old scripture mastery' s, and re-memorize all the articles of faith. The articles of faith were always my favorite thing to work on because I feel like they just such simple answers and could be such a helpful missionary tool when somebody asks what we believe. If only I knew I would be called Spanish speaking and I was memorizing in the wrong language.

I'11 try to recite this without singing, but the fourth article of faith states: We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the gospel are: first, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, repentance; third, baptism by immersion for the remission of sin; and fourth, laying on of hands by the gift of the Holy Ghost.

I, like most of you, had the opportunity to be baptized and receive the Holy Ghost when I was 8 years old. I don't remember a lot from that day and a lot of what I do is insignificant, like the fact that I had to loan Miki Davis my towel because they forgot hers. But I do remember my excitement to make these covenants and receive blessings in return. When we are confirmed, we are blessed to have the Holy Spirit as our constant companion. The words of this hymn remind us what that companionship is for. They read " Let the holy Spirit guide, let him teach us what is true, he will testify of Christ, light our minds with heaven' s view." We have been given the gift of the Holy Ghost to give us strength and guidance through all of life's trials and tribulations; however, we must do our part to keep our covenants. When we take the sacrament each week, we renew the promises we made to our Heavenly Father at baptism, so in a way we are re-inviting that Spirit to be our constant companion.

I love that he is promised  to be our constant companion  because sometimes it isn't always easy. Sometimes we feel the need to turn off a movie or leave a party and we get this idea in our heads that if we are just courageous enough to say something, there will be someone else that steps up too because  they are more comfortable  now that they are not alone. But the reality is that sometimes we are alone. But the Holy Ghost is our companion. And isn't it so much better to have the Holy Ghost as our constant companion than a bunch of friends who aren't going to uplift us on our spiritual journey?

One problem we often face is that it is hard to recognize when the Spirit is talking to us. A still, small voice is often hard to hear and because of this we wind up asking ourselves if it is really the Spirit or if we are making things up in our head. Let me remind you of Moroni 7: 12- 13: "Wherefore, all things which are good cometh of God; and that which is evil cometh of the devil; for the devil is an enemy unto God, and fighteth against him continually, and inviteth and enticeth to sin, and to do that which is evil continually.

But behold, that which is of God inviteth and enticeth to do good continually; wherefore, every thing which inviteth and enticeth to do good, and to love God, and to serve him, is inspired of God."

Sometimes we forget just how simple it is. Good things come from God. Any feeling that will bring light to either your life or the life of those around you is a prompting from God. So we mustn't second  guess these feelings.  Wouldn't  it be better to act upon a thought, even if you think it might just be your own thoughts, and potentially brighten someone's day or avoid a situation we didn't want to be in, than brush it off and end up regretting it? Joseph Smith taught that if we act on our initial promptings, we will get it right 9 times out of 10. The more we act on these promptings, the more they will come and we will have that Spirit with us to guide and direct us in all our doings.

In Elder Rasband' s talk from this past conference titled, " Let the Holy Spirit Guide" he gives us some guidelines as for how we can have the spirit to always be with us. He states, " We must strive to live worthy of the Spirit. We must be willing to receive the Spirit. We must recognize the Spirit when it comes. We must act on the FIRST prompting."

In a talk I recently  listened to by Hank Smith he emphasizes 3 steps: "We  listen, we learn, we walk."  I love this comparison  because the emphasis of the last step is on our actions. Yes the Spirit can guide and direct us, but it is up to us to use that help in our life. I love the story Hank Smith tells of a boy named Jordan. Hank was close to Jordan's family, especially his mom, and was a seminary teacher at Jordan's high school. Hank ended up getting transferred to a different school and one day got a call from his mom letting him know that it would probably be  a good idea to give Jordan a call. Jordan's mom had just been diagnosed with cancer and was given 6 months to live. The real challenge was that Jordan had his mission papers filled out and ready to send in. Not surprisingly, he didn't know what to do. The point I love that Hank brought up was that Jordan had to get that answer from the Lord and because he had been living the gospel the best way he knew how up to that point, he was going to be able to recognize that   voice when it came. If we are not living our lives diligently,  when life throws us major  curve balls (because it will) and we need help and guidance, it is going to be significantly more difficult to recognize the Spirit and God' s hand because  we do not know it already. We can' t say " well I guess I better get in touch with the Lord now."  We need to be like Jordan and be steadily and consistently living the gospel. As Hank says we need to be very deliberately living the gospel so that when these times come, we will recognize the Spirit.

A few months later, Jordan had his mission call to Tokyo, Japan. And it was a countdown of sorts because he had two and a half months left with his mom. Wouldn't that be a weird situation? To be counting down the time with your mom. The last time you will sit next to your mom in church. The last time you have family home evening with your mom. The last car ride with your mom on the way to the MTC. A completely surreal experience. Now this was at the time where families still went into the MTC with the missionaries and everyone watches a video. Then they get up and say "missionaries go this way, parents go this way" and it is a really quick goodbye. But because the MTC knew of the situation, they tapped Jordan on the shoulder and led him and his family into a private room where they could say their goodbyes. They could hear everyone in the other room laughing and loving each other and saying goodbye to their moms for two years, which is a long time. But Jordan turned to his mom and looked at her and he felt like he was standing at her funeral, but she was standing there. So in a way it felt lucky. Jordan and  his mom hugged and hugged and hugged for like 10 minutes while everybody in the room was just crying. Jordan realized he couldn't avoid it any longer. So he grabbed his mom by the shoulders, says "I love you." And then grabs his suitcase, walks up the stairs, gets to the top and turns and looks at his mom. He said the next step was the hardest step of his life. But he remembered "learn of me, listen to my words and walk. Everything is Jordan's body was screaming "don't, don't, don't. There's 60,000  missionaries  out there, they don't  need this one. There is only one of your mom." but he took a step and another step and another and walked away. Hank then tells of a brief quote given by Thomas S. Monson that states "The greatest decision I ever made was to give up something I love for the God I loved even more. And he has never forgotten me for it." Can you imagine the Savior looking down on Jordan that day, this young 19 year old boy, and saying "Jordan, I am never going to forget this."

Jordan ended up extending his mission because that is what the Lord wanted. When Jordan finally came home, Jordan's mom was wheeled over in a wheelchair and this under-80lb woman stands up even though she wasn't supposed to and they hugged again. As ifhe had never left. For two weeks Jordan laid next to his mom in bed and they just talked about everthing that needed to be discussed and her body started to fail. One night she was really having a hard time breathing and so Jordan  leaned over and said "it's okay.  You can go." And a few minutes later she drew her last breath. The funeral arrangements were made and it was Jordan's tum to say goodbye and then they shut the coffin and then Jordan told Hank "I  was okay."

D&C 19:35 says "Learn ofme, listen to my words; walk in the meekness of my spirit, and you shall have peace in me." Jordan says of this experience, "it never crossed my mind to stay when I knew the Lord wanted me to go." We listen to the spirit, the same spirit that everybody on this earth listens to. The same spirit we have always listened to. and then, even when it seems impossible, we walk. We act. On our first impressions. On what we know is the Lord's path. And he notices and he blesses us with his love and with  peace.

Elder Rasband has counseled  us that "First promptings are pure inspiration from Heaven." That clearly shows us the importance of being able to recognize them, which is often a difficult  task because there isn't one answer.  The spirit speaks to each of us differently. Sometimes, as we see in the Old Testament, we expect our answers to ring out from the Heavens to let us know what is right. When Elijah contended with the priests of Baal, the priests expected the "voice" of Baal to come down as thunder and light their sacrifice with fire. But there was no voice and there was no fire. We are told that later, Elijah prayed. " And, behold the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the  Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice." Elder Rasband asks, "Do we know that voice?" Our answers are not going to seemingly blast from speaks nor are our promptings going to feel like we are being shoved in the right direction. We must be paying attention in order to hear and feel that small voice or nudge.

I'm reminded of a quote by Glenn Rawson. It's a little Christmassy,  but honestly, if any of you know me, you should've been expecting this. He says "The wise men from the east followed a comparatively small light from a star, and they found Him. Now today, ifwe will follow that small gentle light from within, the light of the Holy Ghost, we will fmd Him, who is the light and the life of the world, even the Son of God." I hope as a missionary to be able to recognize to that small light within. To recognize the Holy Ghost guiding and direction me to people ready to receive this glorious gospel.

President Monson encourages us to "learn the language of Spirit." We must actively put forth an effort to do so. Just because we t- e given the gift of the Holy Ghost at baptism does not mean our work is done. Elder Rasband warns "If we are casual or complacent in our worship, drawn off or desensitized  by wordly pursuits, we find ourselves diminished in our ability to feel." We must always live in such a way that we have the ability to recognize the feelings of the Spirit. Nephi said to Laman and Lemuel in 1 Nephi 17 "Ye have heard his voice from time to time; and he hath spoken unto you in a still small voice, but ye were past feeling, that ye could not feel [the] words." Brothers and sisters we do not want to find ourselves in this position because we never know what could happen if we miss a prompting. 

My Grandpa was once on a business trip in New York. One evening he went out to dinner with some of the other men there and afterwards, one of the men wanted to go down to Grenich Village but my grandpa had a distinct feeling that that was not a good idea. The man originally brushed it off and claimed he was just being paranoid, but the third man in their group spoke up and said he had the same feeling. So they went back to their hotel for the evening instead. The next morning they heard on the news that a man had shown up to that exact location and was open firing on the street. With my grandma at home worrying and praying for bis safety all night, my grandpa was able to call home and let her know that he was all right. Had my grandpa and the other man in the group not been in tune with the Spirit, that night could have very easily ended much differently for them. Now most of our promptings are likely not going to be such life or death situations, but that does not make them less important. James E Faust said "Latter-day Saints, having received the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands, are entitled to personal inspiration in the small events of life as well as when they are confronted with the giant Goliaths of life." We never know what the outcome of a prompting could be doing for us, so we must learn the language of the spirit so that we can recognize its voice and become what Elder Rasband calls "spiritual first responders" on the Lord's errand.

In closing, I'd like to share a quick poem with you:

The Holy Ghost speaks softly. He never shouts, you'll find.

Instead, He whispers gently An idea in your mind.

When you' re deciding something, And aren't sure what to do, 

Just listen hard within your heart -  His voice will come to you.

 It may be He'll remind you Of something Mother said. 

Perhaps a verse of scripture Will pop into your head.

Sometimes  you'll get the feeling that tells you its OK-

Or one that lets you know its wrong, That you should turn away. 

And if you want this gift to use, Each morning when you pray,

 Ask Heavenly  Father to help you To listen through the day-  

To listen to the promptings That softly come to you

To bless and help and guide you In everything  you do

I testify that if we have faith and ask the Lord for help, he will help us to be ready to  listen for the Spirit. He will open our hearts to feel the prompitngs of the Spirit so that we may become spiritual  first responders.  I know that heeding the promptings of the spirit will bless all of our lives and the lives around us and I am so excited to continue to learn the language of the spirit as I prepare to share my testimony and invite the Spirit into the lives of the people of California. I know that this gospel is true and I am so excited to share it. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.