What Got Me On A Mission

Missionaries

It was April of 2011 during General Conference, an entire Church wide meeting broadcast from Salt Lake City.  It's held on the first weekend of April and October each year and has a total of four general session and a priesthood session on Saturday evening.  I was home from school that weekend and with my dad at the meeting house watching the broadcast of the priesthood session.  Lots of things were on in my life and my mind was in many different places.  College was one of my main concerns but another thought was lurking in the back of my head.  My 19th birthday was coming up in July and the opportunity was before me to apply and submit my application to become a missionary.  The plan to serve a mission was always there ever since I was a kid.  But now that the time actually was coming I was a bit concerned.  I was very anxious and nervous about the whole prospect of becoming a missionary.  It would require a great deal of sacrifice including two years away from home, family, school, and possible career opportunities.  I wasn't sure I was ready or strong enough to handle those sacrifices and even handle the stresses of missionary life.

General Conference at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City, UT

So all these things are going through my head as the priesthood session starts.  The first speaker was Elder Neil L. Anderson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his talk w

as entitled "Preparing the World for the Second Coming".  It was as if he was speaking to me throughout that whole time.  He talked of our priesthood duty to serve missions and the sacrifices we have to make.  But he also talked about the reward of serving a mission.  Not in terms of worldly rewards, but eternal rewards.

He talked about the example of Sid Going, a young man who gave up a lifetime opportunity to serve a mission.  He wouldn't trade that experience for anything.  The blessing of bringing others into the gospel outweighed anything he or anybody could imagine.  It took me a while to really soak that in when I heard his story.  However from that talk I knew that God wanted me to serve a mission.  So here I am now, serving my Father in Heaven by serving His children and my brothers and sisters.  It's taken me some time to really understand why I want to serve a mission, but I've learned this much.  That the blessings of the gospel are real and the ultimate outcome of living the restored gospel is happiness.  That's always the end result, pure joy and happiness that only God and Jesus Christ can give us.  I don't want to keep all that joy to myself, it's just to much.  I want to share it with others.  It's taken me some time to learn this lesson but now I feel my Savior's love and want others too as well.  I know this Church is true, that our Savior lives, that Joseph Smith was His prophet in these last days, that the Book of Mormon testifies of Him and helps us understand even more about Him.  As I said before, this gospel and church bring nothing but joy into my life.  This is why I serve, because I love others and love my Heavenly Father and my Savior Jesus Christ.

Preparing the World for the Second Coming

Why Read the Book of Mormon?

So picture this.  You're at home, sitting down watching TV listening about the latest weather pattern that is about to come in.  You hear the doorbell ring and outside your front door are two young men dressed in white shirts and ties.  They proceed to tell you (as quickly as they can before you shut the door) about some new book of scripture.  It's called The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ.  They say it's a book about the people in the America's and that Jesus Christ came and visited them.  You're a little bit curious but also skeptical, and you want to see how much these guy's really know.  So you ask a simple question, "Why should I read The Book of Mormon?"

It's a good question, and one that deserves some thought.  I mean, people usually only due things either to gain a reward or avoid a punishment, it's simple psychology.  Fortunately we have the words of modern day prophets to help us out.  President Ezra Taft Benson, former president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, gave an amazing talk in the October 1986 General Conference titled The Book of Mormon - Keystone of Our Religion.  In it he outlined 3 reasons why members of the Church should strive to study the Book of Mormon throughout their life's.  I think that the same three reasons apply to everyone and I think they are worth some thought.  So here they are -

1. The Book of Mormon is the keystone of our religion:

The Prophet Joseph Smith said that "the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book."  Simply stated a keystone holds an arch together, without it the structure crumbles.  If the Book of Mormon was false, then Joseph Smith wasn't a prophet.  If he wasn't a prophet than the things he said and did weren't true, and the whole Church falls and isn't true.  But with the Book of Mormon we are absolute and unshaken in our faith.  This is one reason why you should read the Book of Mormon, because by gaining a witness that the book is true, you come to know that "Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world, that Joseph Smith is his revelator and prophet in these last days, and that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the Lord's kingdom once again established on the earth, preparatory to the second coming of the Messiah." (Introduction to the Book of Mormon)

2. The Book of Mormon was written for our day:


Many prophets in the Book of Mormon testified that the words they were writing were for us.  Many of these prophets even saw in vision and in prophesy our day and what we would need to steer us in the right direction towards God.  From the Book of Mormon we learn of the promises and covenants God has made with His children and those in the America's that are still in effect today.  We learn what happens when a civilization centers itself in God and what happens when they choose to disobey God.  We even learn where most of the ancestors of the American Indians came from for crying out loud!  I mean if each of us had a manual for our individual lives, wouldn't we at least glance at it?  The Book of Mormon is just that.  Specific direction and counsel for each and every one of us in this day and age.

3. The Book of Mormon helps us draw nearer to God:

This is something you have to experience more than anything else.  Almost half of the verses contained in the Book of Mormon include Christ in some way or another.  It contains the record of a people who were blessed with the opportunity to feel the prints in His hands and feet and the wound in His side.  It contains His gospel as given to His prophets.  It's overall purpose is to bring everyone closer to God and His Son Jesus Christ.  I can tell anybody enough about how powerful this book is.  You feel the Holy Ghost so strongly through the simple words on it's pages.  This Book is From God!!  The good feelings you get from reading the book are indescribable.  If you want to come closer to God and our Savior, this book will do just that more than anything else.

I want everyone to know that I know the Book of Mormon is true.  For me, my witness didn't come in one night at one particular moment of my life.  For me it came in bits and pieces, like a puzzle.  As I came to read and study its words truth was revealed to me at the rate that was perfect for me.  This continued for years until the thought came to my head "You know it's true, you have always known it is true."  I urge everyone from the bottom of my heart to simply read the book.  It's so simple, pick it up and read it.  Read it to come closer to God, read it for understanding, read it humbly so that the Holy Ghost can tell you if it is true.  I testify the truthfulness of Moroni's promise, God will answer you!!  Just give it a try, see what it can do in your life.

"And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.  And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things." Moroni 10:3-5

Only Two Short Years

I had this thought come to my while me and my companion Elder Tiechert were driving from a dinner appointment. I looked down at my shirt and saw my name tag there and this thought came to me. I only get to where this for two years then I won't be allowed to put it back on. Only two short years will I be able to wear this tag and say that it is my full-time job to be the Lord's represenative here in New York. That gave thought gave me a whole different perspective of how I look at my mission ahead of me. Two years seems long but it won't seem that way after it's over. So a renewed sense of vigor and determination swept over me as I pondered on this thought. I said to myself that I will do all that I can to be worthy of this honor of being the Lord's missionary here in this area. I will put forth all that I can do help those that I serve and give all that I have to this effort so that when I return, I can say I have no regrets. I know that my Savior lives and He suffered for me in the Garden. I know the Book of Mormon is true and that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. I know that Thomas S. Monson is our prophet today and he holds all the keys to the kingdom here on earth from an unbroken line of authority down to Jesus Christ. I love this gosepl and know this church is true.