Some of my wonderful, supportive friends!
Well friends, this is it! The next post will be made from someone in my family. I enter the Missionary Training Center (MTC) in less than 2 days!!! I will be there for about 2 weeks, and then off to Denver for the first time! On Sunday, Mother's Day, I was able to give a talk in church before I head out for a year and a half. Below is the talk I gave, more or less.
Good Morning!
My name is Kelly Smith
and I moved into this ward about a month before I left for my freshman year at
BYU. I still don’t know all of you, and would love to get to know you, but that
might just have to wait till I get back home from my mission.
I got to speak in
Rocklin 3rd Ward two weeks ago and my topic was “Missionary Work and
the Atonement” based off of Elder Jeffrey R. Holland’s talk given in 2000 at
the Provo Missionary Training Center. I emailed Brother Tanner, and this
bishopric let me use the same topic! That was a relief, but I also was asked to
speak on mothers. How appropriate that I am about to leave for a mission and get
to speak on missionary work, and one of my favorite people in this world?!
I think Heavenly Father
really wanted me to understand this topic of missionary work and how the
Atonement plays into missionary work. While I was at school my friend, Chloe
Shaw, sent me a video on missionary work and the atonement, and one of my
favorite quotes from my mission prep manual happened to be from this talk,
which I didn’t realize until I started preparing this talk!
I have been called to
teach the gospel, to be a missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints. The Lord has assigned me to an unknown land, a place I have never
been before. To the wonderful state of Colorado! In the talk given by Elder
Jeffrey R. Holland, he says that the central message that missionaries are
supposed to teach is that of the Atonement. It is only through the Atonement
that we, God’s children, are able to return to Him once more. This is the
central doctrine that we need to teach. The main focus of the gospel of Jesus
Christ is the Atonement. Because through it so many things occurred and
blessings have been given to us. The message of the Atonement is the central
focus of the gospel; all other points are only appendages to that doctrine as
summarized by Elder Holland.
The word gospel means
“good news.” Elder Holland says, quote, “The ‘good news’ was that death and
hell could be escaped, that mistakes and sins could be overcome, that there was
hope, that there was help, that the insoluble was solved, that the enemy had
been conquered. The good news was the everyone’s
tomb could be one day be empty, that everyone’s
soul could again be pure, that every
child of God could again return to the Father who gave them life” end quote.
I love this! I love how
Elder Holland puts so much emphasis on each and every one of us. This gospel is
a very personal gospel. Jesus Christ atoned for each and every one of us,
individually! He atoned for me, Kelly Smith, and He atoned for you. He has felt
your pains, sorrows, and afflictions. I can sympathize with you, and try to
relate to what you are going through, but Jesus Christ is the only one who has ever
lived on this earth that can truly sympathize with you, because He knows
exactly what you are going through and how it feels. Rely on Him!
Later in the talk Elder
Holland says, quote, “A convert’s new life should be built on faith in the Lord
Jesus Christ and His redeeming sacrifice” end quote. This can be applied to all
of our lives though, not just new converts! Everyone’s life should be built on
faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His atoning sacrifice for us. The first
principle of the gospel is not just faith, but faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. He
did not perform the Atonement for Himself! We need to have a firm belief and
knowledge that Jesus Christ is our Savior. As Elder Holland said He is the one
who holds the keys to our exaltation and salvation.
There are several ways
to keep the Atonement, and the Savior, in the forefront of our minds. I
definitely believe that Heavenly Father has provided us with these tools to
help us gain a relationship with our personal Savior.
1.
Have more spiritual sacrament meetings.
Ponder on the sacrament, and what it symbolizes and means to you.
2.
Try to have more spiritual baptismal
services. Include appropriate songs and talks that should focus on the
significance of the baptismal ordinance and the Atonement that Jesus Christ
performed for us.
3.
Missionaries should regularly testify
while teaching. I LOVE this point.
This past semester I
got to venture in to high security facility known as the Missionary Training
Center. The MTC in Provo is not too far away from where I lived while at BYU and
I tried to go once a week for most of the semester. While at the MTC I got to
role play with the missionaries. I pretended to be an investigator or a less
active member. After signing in and getting assigned to a room and would sit
and wait. While waiting for the missionaries to “knock on my door” I would try
to think of my “background” that I would use for the next 40 minutes or so, and
pray to my Heavenly Father. During some lessons I was being given I knew that
the missionaries were being guided by the Holy Ghost. The missionaries said
things that were so pertinent to my life at that time, and the Spirit testified
to me that what they were saying was true. There were some times where I would
ask the missionaries, “So how do you know this is true?” Or some other question
to guide them into bearing testimony that they had found out of the
truthfulness of the gospel, or knows that a specific aspect of the gospel is
true. During one lesson, I can’t recall one of the missionaries ever bearing
testimony of a certain aspect of what they were trying to teach me. Now I don’t
know if the missionary had a testimony or not yet. I hope he did, and I think
he did but he didn’t let me know! As a pretend investigator I was getting kind
of frustrated, because if the missionary can’t even tell me it’s true, and how
he know it’s true, how could I know it’s true?! It is hard to open up and share
something you hold so dear to your heart. Although I can be loud and love
talking to people, sometimes it is hard for me to open up to people. I can feel
for this Elder. But the difference testifying has in a lesson is HUGE! I went
to other lessons and great experiences. Some missionaries are so willing and
open to sharing how they know the gospel is true. The Holy Ghost can penetrate
your heart when they do so. It is truly incredible! I really hope that I can
remember this for myself when I go out and teach. I don’t ever want to leave a
lesson without testifying at least in some point of the lesson that I know that
what I am talking about is true.
When you testify, you
can help bring the Holy Ghost in. You aren’t just spitting out doctrine, but
you are letting people know that it is true.
The power that
testifying has, has been apparent in my life. About two years ago I was a
senior in high school sitting in Physics class with one of my friends. He is a
very strong Christian, and one day we started talking about religion. He
started shooting me down, and I started to fight back. I realized that this
would go nowhere and that the Holy Ghost won’t reside when there is contention.
I had to just stop and tell him that I know that Joseph Smith truly was a
prophet of God and bore my testimony to him. He couldn’t really say anything
back after that. You can’t fight with someone who just shares what they
believe. I have had countless times that the Spirit has testified to me that
different aspects of the gospel are true. People can’t break my testimony, and
they can’t fight with it either.
Elder
Holland continued, quote, “…investigators are not only hearing our testimony of
Christ, but they are hearing echoes of other, earlier testimonies, including
their own testimony of Him, for they were on the side of the faithful who kept
their first estate and earned the privilege of a second estate…. Every man,
woman, and child, were among the valiant who once overcame Satan by the power
of their testimony of Christ! So when they hear others bear that witness of
Christ’s saving mission, it has a familiar feeling; it brings an echo of truth
they themselves already know” end quote.
In that quote I just
read, Elder Holland mentioned that we have overcome Satan once before. In the
pre-mortal life Satan was probably pointing his finger and trying to put every
doubt into our mind that we should not choose to follow our Savior, Jesus
Christ. Satan has not changed from the pre-mortal life! He is still pointing
his finger at us, and accusing us for choosing the right path. He will still
try to put doubts in our mind of Heavenly Father’s Plan. Don’t let him get the
better of you! He will try to let you know of your weaknesses and to remind you
of the mistakes you have made in your past. If you have repented, let Christ
help you take the accuser off you back! If you have been forgiven, hang onto that
and forgive yourself as well. When Satan points his finger at you and reminds
you of your past, stand up and firmly remind him of his future. His future is
not a pretty one, and one I do not want at all! We can overcome Satan’s power
through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. He truly atoned for us, and can help us
out. We need to drop our burdens at His feet so He can help us lift them. Satan
only has a short time span to get people into his grasp. We shouldn’t fear
Satan and hell, but we need to be aware of his influence in our lives and stop
it! We will generally go in the direction we are faced. When you are looking
down with fear, you are probably headed that way, towards Satan. Why not look
up with faith, headed toward our Heavenly Father and Savior, Jesus Christ? We
have fought this battle once before, we can do it again! We can have the
continual help of our Savior, let Him help you! In Revelations 12:10-12 it
mentions that through our testimony and the Atonement we can overcome Satan and
his followers again. I truly believe that is the case! Let’s stand and fight
Satan. Let’s help in bringing others to our loving Heavenly Father, and Jesus
Christ, our Savior, Redeemer, and Brother.
Elder Holland mentioned
that investigators are hearing echoes of earlier testimonies. This doesn’t just
apply to investigators, but anyone who is becoming converted to the Lord. My
mother has been a huge influence on my life. I started tearing up when I went
to write about this. She has become my best friend on earth, and I couldn’t
have asked for a better, loving mother. Through her example, and testimony,
mine has been strengthened. I would not be standing here, or be going on a
mission if it wasn’t for my mother, and her strong desire to serve the Lord.
One of the reasons I am going on my mission is because of her. My mom is a
convert to the church, and I am SO INCREDIBLY grateful that she chose to join
this gospel and follow our Savior, Jesus Christ. I love her immensely and I’m
excited to share experiences from my mission with her. I am going to miss her
so much. I will miss the little things she does for me, and the rest of my
family. There have been many women in my life that have helped shape and mold
me into who I am today. Through their testimonies mine has increased. Thank the
women who have made a difference in your life today, ok not just today, every
day, but especially today since this is the day that we get to honor our
mothers. The testimonies of others truly can have an impact on yours!
Strengthening and sharing your testimony can help someone else’s testimony
grow.
Bearing
testimony has an enormous effect. It can bring the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of
God, into the heart of someone you are talking to. The Holy Ghost is the real
teacher and motivator. We can say anything and everything to help someone
believe that the gospel is true, but if they don’t feel the Spirit they aren’t
going to change or know it’s true for themselves. The Spirit is the real
teacher, we just need to talk and be open with people so that the Holy Ghost
can enter the hearts of others and let them feel of God’s love for them.
I
will now share an excerpt from the talk given by Elder Holland. Part of the
quote I really liked from mission prep manual is found in this passage. Elder
Holland states with passion, quote, “Anyone who does any kind of missionary
work will have occasion to ask, Why is this so hard? Why doesn’t it go better?
Why can’t our success be more rapid? Why aren’t there more people joining the
Church? It is the truth. We believe in angels. We trust in miracles. Why don’t
people just flock to the font? Why isn’t the only risk in missionary work that of
pneumonia from being soaking wet all day and all night in the baptismal font?
“You will have occasion to ask those questions. I
have thought about this a great deal. I offer this as my personal feeling. I am
convinced that missionary work is not easy because salvation is not a cheap experience. Salvation never was easy. We are The Church of Jesus Christ, this is the
truth, and He is our Great Eternal Head. How could we believe it would be easy
for us when it was never, ever easy for Him? It seems to me that missionaries
and mission leaders have to spend at least a few moments in Gethsemane.
Missionaries and mission leader have to take at least a step or two toward the
summit of Calvary.
“Now
please don’t misunderstand. I’m not talking about anything anywhere near what
Christ experienced. That would be presumptuous and sacrilegious. But I believe
that missionaries and investigators,
to come to the truth, to come to salvation, to know something of this price
that has been paid, will have to pay a token of that same price.
“For
that reason I don’t believe missionary work has ever been easy, nor that
conversion is, nor that retention is, nor that continued faithfulness is. I
believe it is supposed to require some effort, something from the depths of our
soul.
“If
He could come forward in the night, kneel down, fall on His face, bleed from
every pore, and cry, ‘Abba, Father (Papa), if this cup can pass, let it pass,’
then little wonder that salvation is not a whimsical or easy thing for us. If
you wonder if there isn’t an easier way, you should remember you are not the
first one to ask that. Someone a lot greater and a lot grander asked a long
time ago is there wasn’t an easier way.
“…When
you struggle, when you are rejected, when you are spit upon and cast out and
made a hiss and a byword, you are standing with the best life this world has
ever known, the only pure and perfect life ever lived. You have reason to stand
tall and be grateful that the Living Son of the Living God knows all about your
sorrows and afflictions. The only way to salvation is through Gethsemane and on
to Calvary. The only way to eternity is through Him – the Way, the Truth, and
the Life” end quote.
I KNOW that this gospel
is true. I am so excited to share this with the people in Colorado! Even though
I am nervous to leave my family for 18 months, it will be worth it. I KNOW that
my Heavenly Father knows me, Kelly Smith. There is no way that someone can ever
shake that knowledge from me. An experience I had truly testified to me that
Heavenly Father cares about me and knows me. He knows you too! He loves us
individually. Jesus Christ atoned for my sins, has felt my sorrows and loves
me! The Holy Ghost loves me too! The Godhead wants us to be happy! President
Monson is truly a prophet of God and I am so grateful for modern day
revelation. I am thankful and honored to be going on a mission. It has been
something that I have wanted to do for years, and I’m so grateful that it is
what Heavenly Father wants me to do as well. I get to be a 20 year old sister
missionary and I am so excited! Joseph Smith was a prophet, and through him the
Lord was able to restore this wonderful gospel of Jesus Christ. I am so
grateful for him. I’m grateful for the knowledge I have of eternal families,
and of the blessings of the temple. This gospel is so true. I love it with all
my heart. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
