Farewell

Good morning brothers and sisters. I am excited and feeling ready to get out the door and get started with my training for the mission. Last week I had to get my lengthy hair removed. Fred you don’t need to bring the scissors anymore. When I was at the barber I sat down and the lady asked why I was getting my long unmissionary standard like hair cut off. I told her I was serving a religious mission for my church and she thought it was cool and there was a little more conversation on the topic but nothing really seemed to come of it. We chatted about Ecuador a little (where I'm going), Texas, the railroads somehow, and then the fire alarm went off. Being at college and my dorm room being directly next to the sound of the fire alarm whenever it went off, this was really no biggie or stresser for me especially once we knew there was no fire. The manager came into the room and told everyone that their haircuts were free because of the alarm. Right away my barber leans down and says “wow, the lord's blessing you already.” It got me thinking, this mission thing might not be so bad afterall. 

As we are part of an always changing and fast moving world, the gospel of Jesus Christ gives us the strength and protection we need to thrive. There have been many times in my life I have seen my savior’s hand help me get through times I couldn’t see a clear way out. 

One of the main principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ is Faith. There are times that I have felt alone and I almost just put myself in that position of feeling that way on my own. I’ll bring up my first time going to college. You know I thought I’d see more people from around here but I learned BYU is a very big college very quick. I had a couple friends but I didn’t think I had a group of people I could rely on or anything like that. So at first it wasn’t all that fun at all. I figured it was best to go to the experts on this, at the time that was Senior Christopher Sheppert. I was expecting a big secret but it was an answer that I should’ve guessed. Well you know you can choose to do this on your own or you can do this with God. So I prayed more specifically and started being more aware of how I would go about my social life. I was able to make more friends and be much more satisfied and happy with where I was at. Ether 12 is packed with great verses on faith. One of my favorites is 12” For if there be no faith among the children of men, God can do no miracle among them; wherefore, he showed not himself until after their faith.” I discovered this verse after that, but I think it holds very true. Through faith, God can help us through any kind of struggles we may be having. 

Another major principle of the gospel that we need in our lives is repentance. One of my favorite stories of repentance is about Paul. In the New Testament in Acts, he was a pretty feared guy and was high in status because of all the bad things he had done to christians. When he hears the Lord's voice and sees the bright light from heaven, he is called to repentance from Jesus. He was still given the agency to choose to repent or not. Angels appeared to Laman and Lemuel and they somehow still didn’t. He goes on to become one of the best apostles of his time and brings joy to many through his works. I think his turn around from being such an evil person to becoming such a great apostle shows the power that repentance can have on someone who is wanting to change for the better. I’m a guy who's gotta repent every day. There is so much joy I receive in repentance through forgiveness. I love the peace I feel through repenting and I love and know that God never gives up on me like he never gave up Paul even though everyone else might have seen him as one of the worst people in the mediterranean.

I love the ordinance of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost we receive through the ordinance of confirmation. As I renew my covenants that I made when I was baptized through taking the sacrament, I always feel like I can repent and start fresh having learned from my mistakes. The blessings of baptism are incredible. One of those blessings is the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost, which never has let me down. Which brings to a story not about aviation but running. I love to run at night, alone. Its a terrible combo but when I get the music pumping and put on that very stylish neon vest my mom jogs with in the mornings I feel unstoppable and can go for miles at what I like to imagine is fast. I have many routes that I'll take that I know very well and always enjoy. One night about 2 weeks ago I was going down a path that I had taken many times before. When I got to one of my normal turns that seemed routine, a very bad feeling came to me and told me that it was time to turn around and go back home. I thought to myself oh come on its just the normal path so I went down just a little before I got the bad feeling again. That time I was a lot more cautious and I realized that it was definitely the Holy Ghost telling me something. I jogged back to the beginning of that section and looked down to where I was going to go. Two dogs or coyotes walked into my sight pretty far away where I would've been. So I said a quick prayer of thanks and decided to sprint the other way for a while. I’m not sure what would’ve happened if I had gone down the path but I am thankful for that prompting so that I didn’t have to find out. 

I am so grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ and the joy, strength, and protection that it brings to me everyday. I want to share the joy that it brings me with the world. I know that my Savior loves me and I love him very much too. I know that Joseph Smith restored the true church with the help of God. I have read the book of mormon and know of its truth and power. I know my savior lives.