Farewell Address- The Plan of Happiness

Hello brothers and sisters!

Wow! I am so completely blessed to speak after cute Makenna. I’m also so blessed to speak after my second mom, Amber. I love them. I am all smiles today because giving this talk is like the last step before I get to go on the adventure of a lifetime. I’ve waited six EXTREMELY long months for this and I’m so incredibly excited. For those who don’t know, I’m going to the Adriatic South Mission which is right along the Adriatic Sea and contains the countries of Albania, Macedonia, Kosovo, and Greece. I’ll be speaking in the Albanian language. I’ve had the opportunity to learn the language by the Missionary Training Center too so that’s definitely added to my excitement. However, if you’re wondering how excited I really am to serve these amazing people you can ask the bishopric because I’ve been driving them crazy these past few months.  I’ve wanted to serve a mission for quite some time now, and it is just my hope that I’ve prepared myself enough to not only speak to your hearts today, but to speak to the hearts of the people of southeastern Europe.

It was not asked of me and it wasn’t required that I serve a mission, but I can’t stop this desire I have to share my knowledge of something that has blessed my life in countless ways. I feel impressed to share briefly how I knew I wanted to serve a mission. As a child I wanted to serve a mission but as I got into middle school I became extremely busy and I pushed that idea far from my mind. As I started high school I became even more busy. I became confused and lost because I heard so many miraculous stories about people feeling the spirit and having these crazy conversion stories, yet I never had that specific WOW moment. I tried to do the things I was supposed to (so to speak) but I simply did them because everyone else did not because I wanted to. One day, I decided I needed to change and find out if this Gospel was meant for me. Slowly, things started changing and fitting into place. I noticed that as I put myself in situations to try and feel the spirit I developed a relationship with my Heavenly Father and began feeling the spirit whenever I made good decisions. I started having that WOW moment everytime the spirit was near. Because I had developed a relationship with my Father in Heaven he was able to direct me to the path that I would take for these next 18 months. At times it didn’t feel like he was there, but as I kept trying, hoping, and praying I found answers. I can now say without a shadow of a doubt, that God is real and Christ lives. For about 2 years now I have prepared for my mission and I have never been happier.

So today I’ve been blessed to be able to speak on one of my favorite topics which is The Plan. The plan that was made for you and for me and for our loved ones. This plan is known as many things such as The Plan of Redemption, the Plan of Salvation, or my personal favorite; The Plan of Happiness. The reason this name is my favorite is because this plan has brought nothing but pure happiness into my life. It is a perfect plan designed by our glorious Father in Heaven to bring us comfort and peace.

As members of this church we know that we come from a real God whom has a body of flesh and bones, just like ours. He understands us. He knows us by name. He is all loving and forgiving. Together, in Heaven, we knew that we would come to Earth able to make our own choices. We also knew that our brother, Jesus Christ, would sacrifice for us and that if we followed his perfect example we could live again. Alma 34: 32 teaches, “This life is the time for men to prepare to meet God.”

But how do we prepare to meet God? It seems as if our time here on Earth is such a long time… but in the long scheme of things it is a very short period of our existence. Now is the time to prepare and through faith, hope, and enduring to the end we can qualify ourselves to be reunited with our Father in Heaven.

So we start with faith. Everyday we make decisions that show our faith in God. We show our faith by doing big things such as getting baptized, going to the temple, going to church, and listening to the prophets. We also show our faith by doing simple things such as reading our scriptures, doing service, praying, being kind, and acting with the light of Christ. Each time we do these things we grow our faith. One of the best analogies is comparing our faith to a seed. Our faith begins as small as a mustard seed, and through our actions, it is able to grow until it can literally move mountains. We need our faith and our testimonies to get through this life.

Last year, I decided that I wanted to go to every single temple in Utah before I left on my mission. I thought if I could do this it would definitely increase my faith. With both friends and family every week we were able to have the most rewarding experiences in so many of the Lord’s houses and my faith and testimony have grown so much by doing so. However, I realized one thing. It didn’t matter how many different temples I went to for my faith didn’t grow by location. My faith grew by the amount of time I spent in the temples surrounded by the spirit. For the Lord’s house is a place of peace no matter where it’s located. Sadly, I did miss 3 of the 17 temples, but it’s a good thing I learned this lesson quick because at the rate President Nelson is moving there is no possible way I’d be able to ever hit all of them. We are so blessed to live by so many temples and I encourage you to listen to the prophets words to attend the temple more and I can testify that your faith will increase every time.

In times of struggle it is easy just to tell someone to “just pray about it” or “have faith and it will work out” When it comes down to actually doing all those things it doesn’t mean it comes easy. That’s where hope fits into this puzzle. Life is freaking hard I’m not gonna lie. We are not perfect, we sin, and no one is exempt from the struggles and hardships that come from life. So how are we supposed to get through this hard life to be able to return home? Well, this wouldn’t be me if I didn’t throw in a Harry Potter quote. Albus Dumbledore gives us some great advice. He said, “But you know, happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if only one remembers to turn on the light.” Being the Harry Potter fan I am I can’t help but relate this quote to gospel. Where Christ and his gospel are the exact light we need to save us from the darkest of times and to lead us to happiness. For when we are in the darkest of times having hope and pure love for Christ, no matter how difficult it may seem to be, will get us through.

Last October, Dallin H. Oaks declared, “ Latter day Saints, who understand God’s Plan of Salvation have a unique worldview that helps them see the reason for God’s commandments, the unchangeable nature of His required ordinances, and the fundamental role of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Our Savior’s Atonement reclaims us from death and, subject to our repentance, saves us from sin. With that worldview, Latter-day Saints have distinctive priorities and practices and are blessed with the strength to endure the frustrations and pains of mortal life.”

Not too long ago I heard this cute story. Forgive me, I don’t know the author. But this parable is about a farmer who owned an old mule. One day the mule fell into the farmer’s well. After carefully assessing the situation, the farmer sympathized with the mule, but decided that neither the mule nor the well was worth the trouble of saving. Instead, he called his neighbors together, told them what had happened, and enlisted them to help haul dirt to bury the old mule in the well and put him out of his misery. As the farmer and his neighbors continued shoveling and the dirt hit his back, a thought struck him. It suddenly dawned on him that every time a shovel load of dirt landed on the mule’s back, HE WOULD SHAKE IT OFF AND STEP UP! This he did, blow after blow. “Shake it off and step up… shake it off and step up… shake it off and step up!” No matter how painful the blows, or how distressing the situation seemed, the old mule fought panic and just kept right on SHAKING IT OFF AND STEPPING UP! It wasn’t long before the old mule, battered and exhausted, stepped triumphantly over the wall of that well! What seemed like it would bury him actually helped him … all because of the manner in which he handled his adversity. AND THAT’S LIFE!

Each and every one of us go through trials and hardships daily. Sometimes they’re small and we feel the adversity poking and attacking us over and over again. Other times, they’re large and we feel buried and trapped as if we simply completely cannot go on for the pain is far too great. However, God created a plan so that we are able to shake it off, and step up and continue pressing forward with hopeful hearts. I, like you, have somewhat experienced both these types of pain in one way or another and I can testify to you that there is no wound Christ cannot heal, no person He cannot love, and no heart He cannot comfort. That is the beauty of the Plan. Our Brother, Savior, and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, suffered for our sins so that we might live with our Father in Heaven again. He trembled because of pain, and bled at every pore, and suffered both body and spirit so that we could have peace. To think that he has experienced every tear we’ve shed and every pain we’ve felt, is a remarkable gift.  He is the key to mending hearts. He is the key to happiness.

Elder Stanley G. Ellis said, “Hard is the constant! We all have challenges. The variable is our reaction to the hard… Regardless of the issue, hard can be good for those who will move forward with faith and trust the Lord and His plan.” We will find happiness when we go forward with faith. The best part is, it doesn’t have to be a forest of faith. Just with one tiny, simple, mustard seed of faith we are able to shake it off, and step up.

With faith and hope we can prepare to meet God. But, there is also one last step in this beautiful Plan of Happiness, which is enduring to the end.

Recently, I was driving home from a long day when I decided to stop at McDonalds to grab an ice cream cone. If you know me, you know that I have a special place in my heart for ice cream. So anyways, I had run through the drive -through to order my special cone when I had the thought that I should do something super nice for the guy behind me and buy his meal. I got up to the window with the biggest, most proud smile on my face and said, “I would like to buy the meal for the guy behind me, how much is it?” The lady at the window turned to me with a little smirk on her face and said, “$52.75”. I was like, “HOLY MACARONI can we just talk about how many nuggets that is?? That is too much. Maybe another day.” I said. But as I started driving away I felt so bad and embarrassed. I wrestled with my thoughts wondering if I should have just paid the total of $53 or if it really was too much of a sacrifice for me. Now, to a poor recently graduated student $52.75 was too much for me. However, I could’ve easily contributed some of the money I did have to the guy behind me or I could’ve given him my ice cream, but the later seems improbable.  I’m not perfect, and that was not one of my proudest moments, however, I learned a good lesson that day. I started thinking, how much is too much? Is $52.75 too much for the Savior? Is 5 minutes of scripture study too much for our God? Is sacrificing 4 minutes of sleep too much to offer a prayer?

I’m not here to determine what is not enough or what is too much I just wanted to get you all thinking of what you can do to be a little better. We were sent here to become better and grow closer to our Father in Heaven. It is about working to perfect our imperfections before we return to God. For some of us we might do that by being nice to our siblings, or cleaning the house for mom and dad, or maybe it’s serving a mission, or following through with the prophet’s challenges he gives us. Whatever it may be, small or large, the sacrifices we make today will affect our eternity tomorrow.

Knowing our purpose for life gives us the ability to practice obedience, understand the Father’s will, move forward in faith, and prepare for eternity. Knowing our purpose helps us to shake it off and step up. It helps us endure to the very end. Elder Taylor G. Godoy of the Seventy said, “Regardless of the time the Lord, in His wisdom, determines to grant each of us, of one thing we can be sure: we all have a “today” to live, and the key to making our day successful is to be willing to sacrifice.” Although $52.75 was too much for me to sacrifice that day at Mcdonalds I promised myself to make sacrifices in other ways. We are preparing to return to our Father in Heaven who loves us. So let’s try sacrificing a little bit each day for the Savior and for each other, being the sunshine in someone else’s life. When we do these things we will be blessed and happy.

Gordon B. Hinckley noted, “If we will cling to our values, if we will build on our inheritance, if we will walk in obedience before the Lord, if we will simply live the gospel, we will be blessed in a magnificent and wonderful way. We will be looked upon as a peculiar people who have found the key to a peculiar happiness.”

Sadly, we know that death is an inevitable fact of life. This is definitely one of the hardest parts of The Plan. However, for me, this part of the plan is the happiest because we know where we are headed. Despite the hard struggles of life we know in the end it will all be worth it. 2 Nephi 31:20 says, “Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the words of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life..”

Not only can we have eternal life just for ourselves but we can live with our families together forever. What an amazing and happy thought this is. This topic hits home for me because I’ve lost many people who mean a great deal to me. But to have this knowledge that I will see them again keeps me going. I absolutely cannot wait for the day to be reunited with my sweet family and baby cousins that I so dearly love. I also can’t wait to see one of my best friends, Caden Cavin, who I know because of this plan, is hard at work up there. What an amazing reunion it will be to see our Father in Heaven and Jesus Christ whom have helped us every step of the way. “When you… see our Father,” Brigham Young described, “ You will see a being with whom you have long been acquainted, and he will receive you into his arms, and you will be ready to fall into his embrace and kiss him.”

I am thankful for this gospel. I am thankful for my Savior and Father in Heaven. I am thankful for great friends and neighbors who prove to be great examples to me each and every day. Who have the light of Christ and inspire me to be better. I’m thankful for a loving family of goofballs who has shaped me into who I am. I’m thankful for their constant love, laughs, sacrifices, and examples. I’m also thankful for The amazing Plan of Salvation which I know if we follow by having faith, hope, and enduring to the end, will bring us nothing but Happiness. I can’t wait to share this eternal truth with my Albanian friends. To end, I’d like to share my testimony in Albanian to share what I’ve learned. E di se Ungjilli i Jezu Krishtit është i vërtetë dhe që Jezu Krishti është Shëlbuesi ynë. E di se Libri i Mormonit përmban plotësinë e Ungjillit.  I jam mirënjohës Atit Qiellor për planin e shpëtimit. E dua Jezu Krishtin dhe Atin Tim Qiellor. Në emrin e Jezu Krishtit, Amen.