Farewell Friends

For those of you who weren't able to make it to my farewell Sunday, I thought I'd start by posting my talk I shared in sacrament meeting...

(Cambodian Hi) everyone! I think I just said Hi, hopefully. I am grateful for this opportunity to talk to everyone before I go. Thank you all who are here to show your support. I have been called to serve as a missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in the humble land of Cambodia.  Every time I say that I can’t help but smile. I am going to the best mission in the world! I am excited to serve these people who I already love so much. I know that there are people there who are waiting for me to act as the Lord’s tool and bring them unto Christ. As many of you know, I went on a trip to Cambodia and today is special because it marks one year from when I came home. Out of all of the places in the world we could have gone to visit, we chose Cambodia. I knew nothing about the country. People would ask me where it was on a map and I couldn’t even tell you what continent it was on, but I fell in love with the country, the culture, and the people during the few weeks I was there. I remember leaving the orphanage that we worked at having just promised the kids, and myself, I would come back one day. On the ride to the airport I started going through my plans for the future trying to map out when I could possible earn enough money and have the time to return to this country. With a mission in mind and college to finish and pay for, I was afraid I wasn’t going to have the chance to go back for quite a while.  This realization made me sick.  But, the Lord is having me return a lot faster than I thought was possible! It has been amazing to see God’s hand in my life and how he has prepared me for this next chapter. 

 I have been given the topic of how hope can overcome fear. When I got this topic I kinda laughed out loud and thought "This topic is perfect to go along with my mission!" I have a fear of of spiders, tarantula in particular, and in Cambodia they actually eat them. I have a fear of getting hit by a car and the driving there is insane! I have a fear of eating things that shouldn’t be eaten and as all of you know that follows Sam Smith’s Blog who is currently serving there, I will be offered some gross things. I have a fear of getting a disease from mosquitos, like Zika. I have a fear of not being able to teach someone this wonderful gospel due to the language. But I do have faith and hope that if I keep the commandments and stay obedient to the mission rules, the Lord will protect me as I am serving as a mouth piece for him. Like the scriptures say, “With God, All things are possible.” I LOVE this topic of Hope because it applies to everyone whether you are young or old, religious or not, we all go through times where we need to overcome trials, troubles, and fears by having faith and hope.  So today I would like to speak to you about the infinite power of hope.

The word hope is sometimes misunderstood. In our everyday language, the word often has a hint of uncertainty. For example, we may say that we hope for a change in the weather or hope for a call from a friend. In the language of the gospel, however, the word hope is sure, unwavering, and active.

Hope and fear are opposites. One can not exists the same time as the other. There will be times in everyone’s lives where you will feel darkness encroaching upon you. You may feel burdened by worry, fear, or doubt. And when life goes unplanned you have two options–you can face this trial with fear and despair while shutting down and not pushing forward or the other option is you can push through the hard times with faith and hope that everything will work out in the end. Obviously, one choice of action seems more desirable than the other, but for whatever reason, I would guess we have all found ourselves choosing the less desirable action at times even though we know what the best choice is. 

In the scriptures it clearly states the importance of Hope in our life.  The Apostle Paul taught us the scriptures were written to the end that we “might have hope.” With Hope, there is a power to fill our lives with happiness but when it is absent, our lives become dark. It is the Hope that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the power of His resurrection, we will have eternal life because of our faith in the Savior. But this does not come easy. We have to choose everyday to have Hope in our Heavenly Father's plan of happiness. This is one thing I love about this gospel– the hope it brings to my life. I am happier knowing that if something were to happen to me today, like a trial, that it is only a small glimpse of my eternity. If something were to happen to me or my family, I know I will see them again due to the plan of Salvation.  Living my life with this knowledge has blessed me and made everyday more enjoyable. 

As I’ve been preparing for my mission, I’ve also been studying the scriptures as well as the history of the country of Cambodia. During Moroni’s time, he witnessed the destruction of his people-and yet he still had hope. This reminded me of the people of Cambodia. From 1975 to 1979 the communist Party of Kampuchea in Cambodia orchestrated a Cambodian Genocide known as the Khmer Rouge. They wanted to transform Cambodia into a rural, classless society in which there were no rich people, no poor people, and no exploitation. They deprived everyone of their human rights. The Khmer Rouge believed that only pure people were qualified to build the revolution. Soon after seizing power, they arrested and killed thousands of soldiers, military officers and civil servants from the Khmer Republic whom they did not regard as “pure.” Over the next three years, they executed hundreds of thousands of intellectuals (anyone who knew English, who taught, who had a business, or simply wore glasses; city residents; minority people such as the Cham, Vietnamese and Chinese; and many of their own soldiers and party members, who were accused of being traitors). Many were held in prisons, where they were detained, interrogated, tortured and executed. The most important prison in Cambodia, known as S-21, held approximately 14,000 prisoners while in operation. Only 12 survived. If you weren’t in a prison, you were helping with what the Khmer Rouge called a “Four-Year Plan”. Cambodians were expected to produce three tons of rice throughout the country. This meant that people had to grow and harvest rice all 12 months of the year. In most regions, the Khmer Rouge forced people to work more than 12 hours a day without rest or adequate food. The Khmer Rouge was one of worst human tragedies of the 20th century. Nearly two million Cambodians died from disease due to a lack of medicines and medical services, starvation, execution, or exhaustion from overwork. Tens of thousands were made widows and orphans, and those who lived through the regime were severely traumatized by their experiences. Several hundred thousand Cambodians fled their country and became refugees. Millions of mines were laid by the Khmer Rouge and government forces, which have led to thousands of deaths and disabilities since the 1980s. A large proportion of the Cambodian people have mental problems because their family members were lost and their spirits damaged. These factors are one of the major causes of the poverty that plagues Cambodia today. Yet, they are happy people. Anyone who has been there would agree with me. I recently received a letter from my mission president and I’d like to share a part of the letter with you. He said, “ The most important doctrine you will teach is the atonement of Jesus Christ. You are coming to a country that has known too much of war and despair in recent years. Many of the people you will serve have lived through experiences difficult to describe and they desperately need the healing love and hope they can find as they allow the spirit of Jesus Christ into their lives. Do all you can to study and feel that same love in your own life so you are ready to share it with others. “ I am so excited to share the atonement with these people to let them know they are never alone. That there was a God who loved us all so much that he send his only begotten son to atone for us. 

I’d like to share the first paragraph from a pamphlet the missionaries use. “God is your father in Heaven. He knows you personally and loves you more than you can comprehend. He wants you to be happy in this life and in eternity. To accomplish this purpose, Heavenly Father provided a plan called the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the Son of God; His life and teachings are the guide to peace in this life and joy in eternity.” I am so excited to share that with the people of Cambodia. Since Christianity is uncommon there, I will be introducing many to God, whom we call Heavenly Father and teaching them how much he loves his children. God also sent his Son, Jesus Christ, so that we can return back to him. It amazing and such a humbling thought for me.  The prophet Moroni taught, “Whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God” (Ether 12:4). What an amazing promise the scriptures give us! That no matter what our lives look like, if we have hope and faith we can have hope for a better world. I cannot wait to share that. We all hear that the atonement is for us to repent so we can become clean but it is much more than that. Jesus Christ went through every heartache, despair, fear, and sadness. He knows exactly what we’ve gone through. We are never alone. I will probably never, hopefully, be able to relate to what the Cambodians have gone through. But I can promise them that there is someone who understands. That through the Gospel they can have Hope in their lives because the Savior of mankind promised us, “ I am the light of the worlds: he that followed me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” This also applies to all of our lives but I would like to single out the youth here today. You’ve all heard this same advice from an adult or two but maybe it will mean more coming from someone who is close to your same age. Living in our world today is tough. We fear that we aren’t good enough, pretty enough, strong enough, cool enough, or whatever.  No one wants to be left out, called a Molly Mormon, or be different. At times we will feel like we are alone because you feel as if no one can fully relate to you. I can promise that you are never alone throughout this life. God never intended for us to go through this journey alone. Christ understands and will always be there for you if you let him.  There will be times when darkness may seem unbearable. It is in these times that the divine principles of the restored gospel we hope for can uphold us and carry us until, once again, we walk in the light. As some of you know, I had a blast in college-but not a lot of people realized how often I struggled. There was multiple times I had a hard time finding friends I connected to the way I did with my friends from high school. I didn’t have a family to fall back on when I didn’t have plans. There was one time in particular where I called my mom and explained that I am doing all these fun things, surrounded by people, but I don’t feel like anyone really cares that I am there. It was the first time in my life that I truly felt alone. What helped me through this time was when I figured out how to use the atonement and realized that Christ knows and understands what I am feeling and that I will never be alone. Once I utilized and took full advantage of this gift I started becoming closer to my Heavenly Father and my confidence grew. The blessing started unfolding. After this, I met amazing people and had a great experience at BYU. 

We have all heard of the story of when Christ walks on water. I came across this different approach of the story and thought I would share it with you all. While at sea, the ship full of disciples comes into fierce winds and begin getting tossed to and fro around the sea. Jesus defies convention and walks out on water to where they are struggling. When the disciples see a man walking towards them on water they assume He was a ghost and panic.  When Jesus realized they didn’t recognize him he responded in a gentle way.  I will read now from Mathew 14:27-31

27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.

28 And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.

29 And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.

30 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.

31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?

Peter was one of those fishermen who immediately dropped everything and followed Christ with the bid of only a single sentence. “Come follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” He gave up everything he had in the service of the Master. He knew He was the Son of God. Peter had exceeding faith. If there was any mortal who could be bidden to walk on water, it would be Peter. But yet, even after his initial faith to join the Savior on the water, after a few confident steps he began to sink as his faith quavered. The Savior then asks him, “Why, among the waves and winds would you ever doubt or fear or panic that the Lord would not save you?” Life hands us plenty of reasons to panic or fear. Even Peter, one of Christ’s most faithful servants had his moment of fear. It is normal. It is a mortal test to see through the trials but be able to feel the peace anyway. Through the troubling times, the Savior’s beckon remains the same as long ago. “Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.”

Panic and fear do not need to accompany our lives as we get close to the Savior. The waves will be boisterous, the experiences uncharted and unfamiliar, but the Lord is here to save and to teach, not to let us drown. His repeated message throughout the scriptures is “Believe in Me, believe in you.”

The message the Lord has sent through his angels before is, “Fear Not.” He can say that because he knows more than we do. He sees what we cannot see. He knows what is coming, and in the eternal scheme of things, it is not as bad as we may think. He knows we can handle it with his help because he knows how to strengthen us. Most of all, he tells us not to fear because he knows that fear will paralyze us. It will keep us from knowing and doing his will; accepting his blessings, his love, and his light and fulfilling his purpose.  

The Lord has a reassuring message of hope. To all those who are suffering and feeling discouraged, sad, or lonely, I ask you to never give up. I can promise you there are brighter days ahead of you with the knowledge and hope of the Gospel.