It was requested that I posted my Farewell talk on my blog, it came out a little differently while talking, but you get the idea.
My mission is different to most being in Temple Square but our purpose is still the same
Our purpose is to invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ an his atonement. Repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end.
This is not strictly limited to people who are not members of the church, it means everyone, whether it be a young woman, young man, non member, a bishop, a relief society president, to invite others to come unto Christ.
Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God. (D&C 18:10)
We need to remember that every child of god is of great worth and that includes ourselves! If anyone knows me well, you'll know that I love my books, I love reading and that I become easily attached to fictional characters. While on one of the many fandom blogs I follow I found this quote...
"Treat yourself the way you treat your favourite characters, look into your back story to understand your current plot. Sympathize with yourself. Recognize your flaws, and appreciate your strengths. Defend yourself, cheer yourself on when you go into battle. Appreciate every relationship you make and always look for hidden potential. You are the protagonist in your story. You're the main character. You're the hero. Treat yourself like one"
While preparing for my mission I had ups and downs involving my own personal worth. I had put my papers in it took a long time for me to get my call, amongst all this I was told I had perfectionism which includes being down on myself, making unattainable goals, always having everything, well perfect and that needed to be fixed up before I go otherwise it could create serious problems for me while on the field. So in order to progress past this, I needed to understand my personal worth, "Don't worry about being perfect, worry about being you" which is too see myself as what I am, a daughter of the most glorious being in the universe, a daughter of a king. To see my self the way Heavenly Father sees me. He loves me as he loves every single one of us, because we are his children.
Gerald J. Causse in his talk "We Are The Architects of Our Own Happiness" said "My brothers and sisters, imagine what it would mean to you if you could see yourself as God sees you. What if you looked at yourself with the same benevolence, love, and confidence that God does? Imagine the impact it would have on your life to understand your eternal potential as God understands it. If you could view yourself through His eyes, what influence would that have on your life?"
As a missionary I believe it is important to not only understand and see others as children of god but ourselves and what that means for us! We all have our insecurities and self doubts, it's a natural thing! I've talked to countless RMs that have told me about their personal struggles with not feeling good enough or not doing good enough as a missionary, when in fact they are doing all that they can.
So many people, sisters, elders, everyone, worry about being the perfect missionary.
God didn't call you to go out and be another Robot missionary.
He called you to go out and be you.
So you can connect with people that we otherwise wouldn't be able to. - (Sister Stucki)
Dieter F Uchtdorf said:
“Wherever you are, whatever your circumstances may be, you are not forgotten. No matter how dark your days may seem, no matter how insignificant you may feel, no matter how overshadowed you think you may be, your Heavenly Father has not forgotten you. In fact, He loves you with an infinite love.
“… You are known and remembered by the most majestic, powerful, and glorious Being in the universe! You are loved by the King of infinite space and everlasting time!”
How comforting is that?! To know we are remembered by the most "majestic, powerful, and glorious Being in the universe"
A quote from Thomas S. Monson, that appeared to me right when I needed it most, when I was feeling the pre-mission stresses of "I can't do this! What was a I thinking! I'm not good enough for this. I'm no way near prepared enough, what am I going to do, I'm leaving everyone, I'm going somewhere I've never been before! I'll be on the field only a matter of days before general conference and I'm not going to know anything for the busiest day on temple square! Etc etc" and it said...
"Whatever our calling, regardless of our fears and anxieties, let us pray and then go and do" this is something I will hold close to me as I serve The Lord with all my heart, might mind and strength and I'm so excited to be serving The Lord in the work he needs me to do.
"The love of God is perfect, complete, and selfless. Whoever I am, whether I have friends or not, whether I’m popular or not, and even if I feel rejected or persecuted by others, I have an absolute assurance that my Heavenly Father loves me. He knows my needs; He understands my concerns; He is anxious to bless me. And the greatest expression of His love for me is that He “so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son” (John 3:16). He did not remove the Savior’s bitter cup and surely was in agony Himself as He watched His Son suffer in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the cross. Christ atoned for the sins of all men, and a part of that great Atonement was destined for me and is reserved for me today. This infinite gift, shared by the Father and His Son, confirms in my soul the personal worth I have to Them" - Gerald J. Causse
Just like anything, we need a testimony ourselves of something before we teach it, if it be Joseph smith the Book of Mormon, tithing, prayer, everything, I think it's important to recognize who we really are in order to be able to share with others their worth, that they are a child of God and how incredible and important they are to Heavenly Father and to Jesus Christ.
To understand and recognize our individual worth we,just remember that we are children of god and that he loves us, and he loves us so much that he provided a savior for us that we may have eternal life with him, this gospel has blessed my life so much and the reason I've always wanted to serve a mission is very similar to our purpose, I wanted to help them feel the love of the savior and the blessings of the gospel, to help them find comfort in the truth of the words of god. To help them understand who they really are to invite them to come unto Christ.
Don’t you stop. Don’t you dare give up. Not even for a moment. Even through the worst of times you can feel Him. Do not stop yourself. Help is always there. Comfort is always there. Christ is always there. Not ever will He leave. Not once. Not even for a second. Turn to Him. Trust. Listen. Keep going always. And receive the best ever created for you. You can do this. And it will be greater than you ever could have imagined for yourself. And you will look back and be blown away and left speechless with the direction your life has gone in. - Al Caraway
It's been a long time coming and I'm so excited it's right around the corner, that come tomorrow I'll be on my way to the Provo MTC and that April 2nd I'll be on the mission field in Temple Square where The Lord needs me.
*Testimony*
I'm grateful to know that my mission call was truly inspired, and it has been testified to me multiple times between putting my papers in, getting my call and even now when I'm about to leave something I read that really touched my heart about temple square sisters calls is... "When our picture comes up, if the Apostle see the Atonement in our eyes, we get put aside for visitor center sisters. Then, they weed through us again, and look for the Sisters that they can see Jesus Christ in our eyes, and those are the ones chosen for Temple Square." When I read this, I was so overcome with the spirit, it brought so many happy tears to my eyes, to know that when my photo came up, and Apostle of the Lord, not only saw the atonement, but Jesus Christ in my eyes, I don't feel like that expresses enough how truly wonderful that is. It is not only something I will carry with me throughout my mission, but throughout my entire life.
How grateful I am to be called to serve the Utah Salt Lake City, Temple Square mission. It is an honor and a privilege and i feel the blessings and excitement of it all as each day passes! I know that my call is inspired from my loving Heavenly Father, because that is where he needs me.
In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
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