Good morning brothers and sisters!
So for the people sitting here wondering why there are so many new faces here, I figured I'd start off saying that I'm leaving on my mission to Tahiti, French polynesia in a couple of days and I may have invited a few people.
I’d like to thank everyone for coming today. All the usuals and then of course everyone else who came out more for me. I appreciate you being here despite it adding a lot of pressure for the talk and really adding to my nerves. That sounds like a joke, but it’s not.
When I was younger, one of my main mission hesitations was for some reason having to give this talk. I’m not a huge fan of public speaking so knowing there was a guaranteed talk on the horizon made me very nervous. It being my biggest worry probably wasn’t that logical though, I'll be honest.
Throughout the year and the summer, I have been asked a ridiculous amount of times what I'll be doing next year by all sorts of people. I never really know what to answer. Them asking often leads to me trying to not really get into the details and just saying i’m going to Tahiti. My good friend Ian on the other hand always wants me to have to awkwardly explain to random people more details so he often asks “for how long zach” or “what are you doing there zach” forcing me to roughly explain what I’m gonna be doing. I’ve seen from those many conversations and understand that missions aren't something many people know much about or have even really heard of so I figured today I would first dive into what serving a mission is and what being a missionary is to me.
The daily routine for a missionary is waking up at 6:30 am, exercising, studying alone, studying with your companion, both language and spiritually, preparing for the day and then going out, serving, teaching, or proselating. I’m not even too sure to be honest but it's similar to that.
As a missionary you do lots but it’s primarily learning, serving others, and teaching.
The main activity of missionaries isn’t just simply knocking on doors as many believe. In fact in Tahiti it's not that at all. I hear you bang on a fence instead ;)
So that’s a very general idea of what the daily life is, now for the purpose.
Missionary work for me is about giving people the opportunity to learn. To learn about the Gospel and our church and everything found within. Many people see missionaries as people out there to force religion on others and shove Book of Mormons down their throats.
Simply put, being a missionary for me is just allowing people to make an informed choice with what they want to do. Being there gives locals the opportunity to be taught, but also the option to turn it down. I’m there for the people of Tahiti in a religious sense if that's what they desire.
I’m ready to be rejected time and time again, but am also ready to teach the one person who says they want to be taught.
Another huge aspect of the mission for me is service. Serving and helping people there with whatever they need in any way I can. Whether that be humanitarian efforts or teaching english.
My purpose there is to love the people there. It’s to love everyone there, regardless of their situation or past. To help whoever needs help and in whatever way I can.
To bring hope to people's life. To help people find purpose. I want to teach them about God and Jesus Christ and his Atonement because that's what gives me hope and purpose in life.
All in all, the purpose of my mission is to bring happiness to people. That may come from religion, it may not. I’m there either way to try to share that happiness and joy.
I decided I wanted to serve a mission a couple years ago after I did a humanitarian trip in Ecuador. I had never truly served or helped anyone before that, not in a big way, and after doing that I felt so good. We taught religious discussions and did other missionary activities and home visits and I fell in love with it. I had always thought it would be boring and slow, but I was so wrong. I saw the positive impact of what I was doing on others and myself and wanted more. From then on, I had in my head what I wanted to do and clearly didn't change my mind.
I want to serve a mission for many reasons.
Religion and this church has shaped me so much and turned me into who I am today. I have become so happy with a big factor being the religion in my life. I want other people to see if they can find the same happiness in the same way.
There are many aspects of the church that have touched my life that I want to share.
Firstly, there's Jesus Christ and his Atonement. I have found comfort in my life knowing that I can always be forgiven and improve from mistakes I’ve made because of the Atonement and Christ taking on all our sins. Repentance helps me self assess and see my weaknesses and then motivates me to improve. I want to show people the same hope I have, in showing them that they can be happy and have a good life, regardless of their past. That they are forgiven for any mistakes if they simply have a true desire to improve and move on from the mistake. And that they can and should forgive themselves too. I know progression from faults can come through Christ, so I want people to have that opportunity.
The Atonement also constantly gives me comfort in knowing that there was someone else who has experienced everything I have. We are not alone in anything we go through, and that's helped me in some tougher times. If I’ve found comfort through that and relied on it in the small trials I’ve faced, I can only imagine how amazing that comfort would be to someone who experienced something so bad that they truly feel alone in.
There are many aspects of the Atonement which can help people and bring hope. I want to introduce these things in people's lives and allow them to use it if they'd like. To allow them to continue in their learning and learn more and more about it.
I also want to share the power of prayer. Prayer is something I use constantly for comfort and help. Whenever I go into something challenging my nerves are always calmed after a prayer. I'm a pretty anxious person, so prayer has helped me a lot in calming those nerves. I feel more confident after having said a prayer.
In alma 37 he says to "Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he (the lord) will direct thee for good;
Prayer is an outlet I want to be able to teach. I want to show people that they can talk to God personally whenever and wherever they like and God will be with them, aid them and bless them. I want people to be able to use this gift which has brought me so much comfort, whenever they want. God wants to hear from us, and I just want to show people that they can use the tool I’ve appreciated for so many years.
I can't teach everyone everything, but I want to give everyone the opportunity to learn what I’ve learned. You can’t know if you like something until you try it. My goal is to offer people the chance to try it.
I also want to serve a mission to grow in my own understanding and learn about myself.
Simply just in life, no relation to church at all, I wanted the opportunity to mature, and live on my own. To be in the real world. I wanted this time to learn about myself and go to a new place with new people. I know I'm going to come back more mature, with more wisdom, and knowing how to do laundry and cook!
Spiritual wise, I want the opportunity to study each day and have the time to learn more about this gospel. In everyday life, church often gets pushed to the side and placed behind school, and work, and friends, and family. I am so excited to have the opportunity to finally be able to focus on learning and discovering new things.
I also can't wait for the opportunity to help others. I don't care how I help. I can help by teaching or not. At home, most things I do are for me. Every single day. I study so that I can have the knowledge, get good grades and get into the school or program I want. I work so that I can have money. I go out because that's what I like to do. I want to do something to help others. It may be a long time and put off the things for me, like schooling and work, but it's not about me. I want to help others. To potentially bring people happiness with what has brought me happiness, Jesus Christ and the gospel, but to just serve and love and be selfless. I want some time in life where I can forget myself, and simply serve others.This is that time for me and that opportunity.
Ecclesiastes 3
A atime to be born, and a time to bdie; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
I know without a doubt in my mind that this is my time to serve - whether it be planting seeds, or harvesting the garden. This is what I want to do. I know without a doubt in my mind that I will help people and improve. I know without a doubt that I will have the hardest experiences of my life, but some of the happiest.
It’s not to say this isn’t challenging . I find leaving home so so hard. I also feel completely unprepared. Like i'm going into a final fourth year university exam only knowing high school material. But I know with effort, and faith and the right intentions I’ll be fine. I’ll miss so many of the little things in life, but also learn to appreciate them.
I know that this church contains so many truths and I know it has brought me so much happiness. I’ve seen the impact it has on people's lives and if I can come back from Tahiti in two years, having made one person happier, having impacted someone's life for the better, I know I will have gone for a reason.
This isn't everyone's path in life, but I know this is what I'm supposed to be doing and where I'm supposed to be going. I love this gospel, I love the values it teaches and the impact it has had on my life. I know that the missionary programme has helped so many people in their lives, and their search for happiness and purpose.
Lastly, I just want to thank all the people who have influenced me in my life - my good friends, my leaders and teachers who put up with me but taught me a lot! I’d like to also thank my grandparents who love and support me. And lastly, I want to thank my family. my
Siblings who I’ve grown wiser with and appreciate so much. And my parents in particular for all the help and support you’ve provided throughout the years and leading up to my mission. You’ve done and do so much for me
It’s insane. I know that you are all with me as I set out on this adventure and be sure to email ;)
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