Good morning everyone. This is actually kind of crazy that it is
finally my Farewell. I just wanted to
start off by thanking all of my family, friends, and ward family for being here
today and for supporting me and helping me throughout my life to get to this
point. I actually have always thought
about serving a mission but probably the first time it really hit me was during
my 3rd year at EFY. For one
of the activities we each chose a companion and were assigned to study a lesson
from the Preach my Gospel Manuel. We
then got together with another companionship and had the opportunity to be
missionaries as well as investigators.
The spirit was so strong and I thought to myself, “ Maybe I can do
this.” As time passed, my cousins and
friends began serving missions. I loved
reading their letters and writing to them.
I could see what a blessing serving a mission would be. As most of you know throughout High School, I
was involved in a performing group that took a goodwill tour every summer. My senior year our tour was to Hawaii. One of our days on the island was spent at
Camp Taylor, which is a camp for families that have children who suffer from
heart defects. When we first arrived, the children were a little shy but as we
started eating dinner with them, they really opened up. We were able to perform for them, which they
loved and after our performance we had a dance and were able to visit with the
families. I grew particularly close to
one family that had 6 children and spent most of my evening with them. Before tour we had learned the song I Know
That My Heavenly Father Loves Me and on tour we were able to sing it many
times. Every time we sang this song I
felt the spirit. When it was time to
leave Camp Taylor I was so sad because I had loved being with this family but after
we said goodbye, the spirit truly testified to me that the words to this song
were true and I knew that Heavenly Father loved this family and me. During our testimony meeting that night I had
thought about what my Patriarchal Blessing had said about the Lord giving me
the opportunity to serve a mission and I knew that was what I wanted and needed
to do.
So here I am! The bishopric asked me to refer to
the Conference talk, To the Rescue: We Can Do It, given by Elder Arnold as I
prepared my talk. Elder Arnold reminds
us that, “The Lord has provided all the tools necessary for us to go to the
rescue of our less-active and non-member friends.” President Monson has often expressed that we
are, “surrounded by those in need of our attention, our encouragement, our
support, our comfort, our kindness – be they family members, friends,
acquaintances, or strangers.” He said,
“We are the Lords hands here upon the earth, with the mandate to serve and to
lift His children. He is dependent upon
each of us.” When we reach out in love
and service even in the smallest ways, hearts are changed and softened as
others feel the love of the Lord. Elder
Arnold shared four Principles that can help each of us in our rescue efforts. The first one is that we must not delay going
to the rescue. For some of us missionary
work is not easy and can even feel uncomfortable, but President Hinckley taught
that every member of the Church has the capacity to teach the gospel to
nonmembers if we are aware of the great power that we have to do this thing,
second, a desire, and third, the faith to try.
During my time in Provo, I had two roommates that are converts to the
church. I loved listening to their
conversion stories and always tried to be a good example to them. They were so grateful to their friends who
talked to them about the gospel and that had the faith to try. I was able to go through the Las Vegas Temple
with one of them for the first time and she is actually giving her farewell
talk today too! It makes me realize how
much she loves the gospel and wants to share it with others and hopefully one
day her family will accept it as well.
The world today needs the power of pure testimony. It needs the gospel of Jesus Christ, and if
the world is to hear that gospel, there must be messengers to teach it. Elder Arnold explains that, “while we must be
organized in our councils, quorums, auxiliaries, and even as individuals, we
must not delay going to the rescue.
Sometimes many weeks pass as we talk about how to help families or
individuals who are in special need. We
deliberate about who will visit them and the approach to take. Meanwhile, our
lost brothers and sisters continue needing and sometimes even calling and
pleading for help. We must not delay.
Principle two is that we must never give
up. My grandma grew up in a part member
family where her dad was a member and her mother wasn’t. They always went to church and my
great-grandma was supportive but she didn’t feel the need to be baptized. Her caretaker Moana who is here today, and
also made me this beautiful lei, couldn’t believe that she still wasn’t a
member of the church and so she began having the missionaries over for dinner
weekly and they began to teach her the discussion. Eventually my great-grandma at age 89 was
baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Our family is eternally grateful to Moana for
not giving up and understanding the concept that it is never too late. President Hinckley wants us to remember that,
“This is a gospel of good news. This is a message of joy. It is a work of eternal salvation; this is
something to be happy and excited about.”
The third principle given by Elder Arnold is How
great shall be your joy if you bring save it be one soul unto Christ. Love is
of the essence of this missionary work.
Selflessness is of its very nature.
We are to go forward with faith and without fear. We have so much to do in this world to spread
the influence of this gospel. President
Hinckley was convinced that there are many many thousands who, with warmth and
welcome, can be led to the eternal truths of the restored gospel of Jesus
Christ. They are looking for something
better than they have. In the Doctrine
and Covenants section 15 verse 6 it reads, And now, behold, I say unto you,
that the thing which will be of the most worth unto you will be to declare
repentance unto this people, that you may bring souls unto me, that you may
rest with them in the kingdom of my father.
I am so excited to have been called to serve the people in Paraguay and
to have the opportunity to teach them about this gospel and the joy that it can
bring to them for eternity.
The fourth and final principle that Elder Arnold
shares is that no matter our age, we are called to go to the rescue. President Henry B. Eyring declared, “Whatever
our age, capacity, church, calling, or location, we are as one called to the
work to help [the Savior] in His harvest of souls until He comes again.” Each day more and more of our children, our
youth, our young single adults, and our adult members of all ages are heeding
the Saviors clarion call to go to the rescue.
This work is nothing of which we need be ashamed. It is something in which we can take great
pride. Missionary work is a work of love
and trust. We can never hold within
ourselves the great blessings of light and truth which have come to us from the
Almighty. Ours is an obligation, a
serious responsibility to carry to the world the great good news of the gospel
of Jesus Christ. Ours is truly a message
of hope and reconciliation. It is a word
of hope for all mankind, a beacon of eternal truth to which men may look as
they lift their eyes and souls to their creator and in the process come to
recognize their common brotherhood.
I know this church is true and I love this
gospel with all of my heart. I know that
we have a Heavenly Father who loves us and a Savior who was willing to die for
us so that we can return to live with them someday. I know that the Book of Mormon is the Word of
God and I am so excited to share it with those that I am able to teach in
Paraguay. I love the Temple and am so
grateful that our families can be together forever. I am going to miss my family a lot but I
loved this quote from President Hinckley that says, “You will shed more tears
when you leave to go home than you shed when you left home to come
here...” And I say these things in the
name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Abby felt so happy on the day of her farewell! Her family and friends love her and she could feel that from everyone that was there!
We are so grateful for the great example that Abby has always been to her family..especially to her brothers!
Abby has been so blessed to live by her grandparents! They have always been there for her!
Living by both sets of grandparents is such a blessing! They have a special relationship and Abby knows how much they love her!
Abby was so excited to be reunited with Moana! She was also ecstatic that Moana made her a homemade lei!
Abby loves her Aunt Kristin and cousin Lauren!
So happy that Aunt Jodee and Uncle Mike could share this special day with Abby! We are so happy that Jodee moved back home!
Blessed with more family! Uncle Gordon & Aunt Linda
One of Abby's favorites! She calls her Aunt Jen!
Abby has grown up with Emily & Jacob! Cousins make the best friends!
Just a few of the older cousins! We have the best family!
Returned Missionary Emily...Future Missionary Abby!
Bestie since birth!
Upstage is awesome!
Abby with the three stooges haha!
Such fun friends from Upstage!
The Kellers! Abby will never forget Camp Taylor!
Beautiful girls..inside and out!
This was taken for Caroline! Abby loves the Hilton family!
Missionary photo bomb lol
