I do not know why the Lord needs me in Hawaii but I can tell you this much - I know God has a plan for each of us; the unfortunate part is he doesnt give the plan to our parents when we are born. We have to discover it and grow into it. Psalms 121:1-2 reads, “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord.” Quoting President Uchtdorf’s talk “Your Happily Ever After”, “ We all search for happiness, and we all try to find our own “happily ever after.” The truth is, God knows how to get there! And He has created a map for you; He knows the way. He is your beloved Heavenly Father, who seeks your good, your happiness. He desires with all the love of a perfect and pure Father that you reach your supernal destination. The map is available to all. It gives explicit directions of what to do and where to go to everyone who is striving to come unto Christ and “stand as [a witness] of God at all times and in all things, and in all places.” All you have to do is trust your Heavenly Father. Trust Him enough to follow His plan.” The Lord has given us the tools to discover His will; through scriptures, patriarchal blessings, prophet’s words, and personal revelation that we receive through prayer. It is this that I want to focus my talk on. We know the Lord’s general plan from reading Moses 1:39 “For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” Then when you look up the Plan of Redemption in the Topical Guide it says the Lord’s work includes the Creation, Fall, and Atonement, along with all God-given laws, ordinances, and doctrines, This plan makes it possible for all people to be exalted and live forever with God.” Eternal life is what the Lord wants for each of us but everyone’s path on how to get there is different.
Praying for guidance is needed in discovering the Lord’s will. Prayers are answered after we do the footwork - then the Lord will grant us our desire for truth and knowledge. This is a list that I made of what I know, which isn’t much, of how prayers are answered:
Study it our minds D&C 9:8, “But, behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right.”
I look back on the start of this past semester and remember talking to my mom and to my cousin Rachel, and telling them something this semester was just off. I had great friends, classes were good, I was loving my calling, but I just felt melancholy. I didn’t know what was amiss. Was Exercise and Wellness the right major, or was I supposed to go into Public Relations because I had been to Jerusalem or maybe go into teaching. I was attending the temple, and starting to do service and they both were helping yet I still felt so unsure about what I was doing with my life. I felt like I should be done with school, doing more, working part time... there was something more for me than textbooks and studying but I couldn’t figure out what.
We have to ask Matthew 7:7-8 “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.”
For years I have heard that we should go into General Conference with a question or a purpose. The past few years I have started doing this and have not been disappointed, but they were usually general things like, asking the Lord to help me forgive, be less judgmental, or to simply have another confirmation that He knows I am here and knows my struggles. Each time I would leave conference with my heart a little bit softer and knowing the Lord was mindful of me. So when October General Conference rolled around I knew I had a question - What am I supposed to be doing with my life? Should I switch majors. I told my mom and she said that conference was not going to tell me what major I should be in - and to not be disappointed. It may not be answered directly.
3. Believe that the Lord can and will answer our prayer. Mark 11:24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.,”
I knew the Lord could answer me, and I was hoping that Conference would give me the answer and at least point me in the right direction. If my answer did not come in Conference then I would just have to be patient and study it out a little bit more, ask more questions and try more things; but, I never doubted that I would be answered. I am glad to say though that my prayer was answered in Conference. I remember praying before the Saturday morning Session and asking the Lord to help me be receptive to the Spirit and to help me know when I had received my answer. Well as you can guess within 8 minutes I had my answer when the prophet announced, “As we have prayerfully pondered the age at which young men may begin their missionary service, we have also given consideration to the age at which a young woman might serve. Today I am pleased to announce that able, worthy young women who have the desire to serve may be recommended for missionary service beginning at age 19, instead of age 21.” There it was, my answer, never in my life had my prayers been answered so directly. I was going on a mission at the age of 20. Tears were flooding my eyes and turning to my roommate I said, “I can go now, I don’t have to wait.” A few minutest later, my mom was calling me as I was trying to compose myself, “Are you watching conference?” “Ya Mama and I want to go.” (me) “I know and I want you to go too.” (mom) It wasn’t a question to either of us and my composure was gone. I did listen to rest of conference but I can tell you that my ability to focus was out the window.
4. Be willing to do as we are commanded
Along with the 10 Commandments, the Word of Wisdom and other laws I choose to live by, I now had a new command - to serve a mission. Though I must say that I was not always this excited about my assignment. When I had put in my papers there were 2 things that I wanted - 1. to speak Spanish. and 2. foreign. I remember opening my call and reading, “You are herby called to serve as a missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You are assigned to labor in the Hawaii Honolulu Mission... You will prepare to preach the gospel in the English language.” What? I knew it was right, but I was not flying off the wall with excitement. It wasn’t spanish speaking, and it was state side. I remembered how as a girl going on family vacations to Hawaii and saying that Hawaii would be the worst place to serve because I loved the water and it would be torture to be so close but not able to touch the water. I had cursed myself to a blessing. Then, I also remembered a lesson that had been given a few weeks prior in Mission Prep. We had talked about how every mission call is the same. We are called to people not to places. The Lord asked Peter 3 times, “Lovest thou me.” And he said, “Yea, Lord thou knowest I love Thee” and Jesus commands him to “Feed my sheep.” I am commanded to feed His sheep. I am called to serve His sheep and He loves the ones that speak Spanish the same amount as those who live on the Hawaii Islands. I am called to bring His children the truth and to bring them home. It does not matter where they are from or what language they speak, they are children of God none the less
5. Stand in Holy places. D&C101:22 Behold, it is my will, that all they who call on my name, and worship me according to mine everlasting gospel, should gather together, and stand in holy places; D&C 45:32 “But my disciples shall stand in holy places, and shall not be moved;”
If we surround ourselves with noisy sins Heavenly Father cannot be overheard for He will try and tell us the correct path but He speaks softly and does not demand our attention. We must stand in holy places. We make places holy by the way we live our lives. We can make our own holy place by standing and living as the Savior would.
6. Walk by faith taking each step trusting in the Lord’s plan.
With my prayer answered, I started my mission papers. And in following days doubts entered my mind - was I ready? I am only 20 years old and do not know everything about the gospel. What if I couldn’t help someone because I was ill prepared? Was I ready to be the instrument that God needed me to be. But I pressed forward not knowing what to do. That day I had I made banana bread and was going to give some to my FHE brothers. They were in the middle of scripture study and invited me to join. We ended up reading 1 Nephi 17 about Nephi building the ship and verse 50 came as a reconfirmation to me. It reads, “And I said unto them: If God had commanded me to do all things I could do them.”
When we walk along the God’s path it will be right. He will let us know that we are on the correct path. It will bring peace into our lives even if when we are facing troubles.
The Lord gives us a promise found in 1 Nephi 15:11 - “Do ye not remember the things which the Lord hath said?—If ye will not harden your hearts, and ask me in faith, believing that ye shall receive, with diligence in keeping my commandments, surely these things shall be made known unto you.” When we follow these steps the Lord will answer our prayers, He will reveal truth and light to us and we shall know the things that we should do. When we follow these steps of studying it out in our minds, asking, believing the Lord will answer, being willing to do as the Lord commands, standing in holy places, and walking by faith we will come to know the Lord’s path for us.
My journey of deciding to serve a mission was just that a journey. It was not overnight, I wasn’t one of those girls that knew I was going to serve since I was a girl. It has always in the back of my mind and I knew it would be a great experience but I always said we will see when I get to be 21. Who knows I will probably be married by then or in my career. Everything was up in the air. The first time that I knew I wanted to serve came to me when I was in Jerusalem actually. Being surrounded by so many good people and I not allowed to share with them the truth. They could see the light in our eyes and asked about it. They wanted this light too, but it truly hurt when I couldn’t share it with them. I was not allowed to tell them about the most important thing in the world to me. It was then I realized just how much the gospel meant to me. I wanted to share it with everyone. Another thing that has influenced my decision to serve a mission is I look back on my life and as my dad says, “I have lived a charmed life.” I do not argue that fact, I have grown up with financial blessings, surrounded by people who love me, who teach me and guide me in the path of righteousness. I have had amazing experiences from attending BYU to going to Jerusalem and meeting so many of God’s children. I don’t have mental or physical challenges. I live a charmed life and what kind of daughter would I be if I didn’t give back? Who am I, who has been given so much over my life to not be able to give a simple and short year and a half of my life to serving others? I would feel so ungrateful if I did not give what little I have to offer to my Savior and Heavenly Father when They have given me everything. I decided to serve a mission because the Lord told me it was apart of the plan for me and I am wiling to do what the Lord’s will is for me because He sees the greater picture. I have such a limited perspective and He knows and wants me to follow the path that will lead me to the greatest happiness, eternal life. In closing, I want to share one last scripture in Alma 17:13 when the sons of Mosiah are departing from one another and going to share the gospel to the Lamanites, “And it came to pass when they had arrived in the borders of the land, that they separated themselves and departed one from another, trusting in the Lord that they should meet again at the close of their harvest; for they supposed that great was the work which they had undertaken.” As I leave for my mission and follow the path set for me I hope we all find and follow the path that has been designed for us.
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