Farewell Talk

Good Morning everyone and thank you all so much for coming. My friend Aidan Garry is also giving his farewell talk right now so it’s nice to see who my real friends are… I’m just kidding… mostly kidding. Anyways, I have been called to serve in the New Zealand Wellington Mission and I report to the New Zealand Missionary Training Center on October 11. I honestly thought this day would never happen. Not because the days have been dragging on, but because I honestly thought I would never serve a mission and therefore never give a farewell talk. Anyone who knows me knows that I am a planner and I don’t like it when things deviate from my plan. I had never planned on serving a mission. When I was younger and the minimum age for girls to serve was 21, I didn’t want to serve because that was too old to go on a mission. Then when I was in 8^th grade, the age change happened and it was announced that girls could now serve beginning at 19. I remember exactly where I was when I heard the news. I was standing in the door way of a Hampton Inn hotel room in Arizona and my Uncle said, “you guys! girls can go on missions at 19 now!”. My Mom replied with “I know Jaclyn just texted me and said she’s going to go on a mission!” I immediately looked at her and said “I’m still not going, that is just not for me.” The next six months after the announcement was made, I found myself being asked if I was going to serve all the time, and I made it very clear that I wasn’t going and there was no way anyone could convince me otherwise. You see I had a plan. My plan included graduating from High School and then attending BYU and then going to U of C Med School, becoming a doctor, getting married at some point, having children, and developing my career. As a girl who has ambitious educational goals as well as a desire to be a mother I felt that if I wanted to achieve all of my goals I could not pause my progression towards achieving them for a year and a half to serve a mission. I had no desire to serve one and I felt good about my decision. I felt like Heavenly Father was okay with it because it was not my duty as a girl to serve a mission. Then on November 22^nd 2015 God threw a wrench in my plan. On November 22^nd I received my patriarchal blessing and the first thing that was said was “you will be called to serve a mission”. When I heard those words my jaw dropped and in that moment the spirit testified to me that the Lord needed me to sacrifice 18 months and serve a mission.  It was 2 years 5 months and 22 days later that I finally read the words “Dear Sister Olson, you are hereby called to serve as a missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. You are assigned to labour in the New Zealand Wellington Mission.” Once again, my jaw dropped. I am so excited to serve the people of New Zealand and I am so grateful that God told me I was going to serve a mission, but like I said, this was not my plan and it has taken an incredible amount of faith to get me to this point. 

Though it may seem like a simple principle, faith is much more complex and difficult to achieve than many think. There is the basic level of faith that is mentioned in Alma 32:21 which reads, “faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true.” Growing up I really held onto this scripture and thought that as long as I hoped that these things are true then I have faith and I’m good. And while that was a perfectly acceptable level of understanding of faith while I was growing up, I have come to learn that faith is so much more than that, and that faith is not just hoping for something but acting on it. While the dictionary classifies faith as a noun, I believe it is actually more of a verb. Faith is an action word. If you do not act upon your beliefs you do not have faith. During this last year at BYU I learned four main lessons about faith being more of a verb than a noun. 

The first lesson that I learned, is that with faith anything is possible. For those of you who do not know I hated BYU for the first six and a half months that I was there. For those of you doing the math, yes that means it wasn’t until the end of February that I really started to enjoy being at school. And it was my own fault. I went into my freshman year expecting it to be amazing right from the beginning. My older sister and older brother both went there and were not homesick in the least bit and made the best friends ever right at the beginning of the year. They both walked into their freshman housing with all the confidence in the world. I on the other hand walked in absolutely terrified. As Sheri Dew put it “when I arrived at BYU, I felt like I was the most ill-prepared, socially awkward freshman who had ever set foot on this campus.” I didn’t feel like I belonged and I had no faith that it would turn out all right. Because of that I did not even try to make it a good experience, I simply let things happen to me, there was no action. I would pray every night that tomorrow would be a good day and that I would start liking BYU and stop wanting to go home so bad, and every night I would get the answer “have faith that you are supposed to be here”.  And every night I would say “Heavenly Father I am having faith I am hoping that tomorrow will be better even though I do not see any evidence that it will be, that is what faith is, hoping for things that are not seen that are true.”  I knew that I was supposed to be at BYU and living in David John’s 3200 dorm hall, but I was miserable for the first 6 months because I did not act on my faith and try to enjoy it or make it fun. What changed in February then to make me start loving BYU? It was not my roommate, it was not the people in my ward, or in my hall, or in my classes, my circumstances didn’t change at all. What changed is that I began to act. I began to participate in ward events, I began to spend time with the people in my hall with an attitude of “I am going to make this fun” instead of “prove it to me that this is fun”. Once I began to act on my faith that I was supposed to be there, I fell in love with BYU. I made the best friends I could have ever asked for and I gained a closer relationship to my Heavenly Father. Looking back, it makes me so mad that I had such a passive approach to faith instead of an active one, because if I had actively had faith, my own pride wouldn’t have gotten in the way of me gaining and loving my friends for such a long time. I honestly didn’t think that enjoying BYU was possible. I thought it was not for me, but through faith, that is active faith, anything is possible. 

We see the true power of faith and its ability to accomplish anything in Ether 12: 7-22.  In these verses Moroni is looking back over Nephite history and highlighting what faith has done for them. It says in verse 7 -  “for it was BY FAITH that Christ showed himself unto our fathers after he had risen from the dead.”  Verse 8 – “Because of the FATIH of men he has shown himself unto the world” , 10 – “it was By FAITH that they of old were called after the holy order of God”, - 11 “BY FAITH was the law of Moses given; and it is BY FAITH that is hath been fulfilled”, - 13 “Behold it was THE FAITH of Alma and Amulek that caused the prison to tumble to the earth”, – 14 “it was the FAITH  of Nephi and Lehi that wrought the change upon the Lamanites that they were baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost”, - 15 “it was the FAITH of Ammon and his brethren which wrought so great a miracle among the Lamanites”, - 16 “all they who wrought miracles wrought them BY FAITH”, -  17 “It was BY FAITH that the three disciples obtained a promise that they should not taste of death”, - 20 “ The brother of Jared; for so great was HIS FAITH in God , That when God put forth his finger he could not hide it from the sight of the brother of Jared” – 22 “And it is BY FAITH that my fathers have obtained the promise that these things should come into their brethren through the gentiles.” 

This list is not a comprehensive list of what faith allowed the Nephites to accomplish. It is important to recognize however that each of these miracles were brought about by a faith of action and not a passive faith. 

The second lesson that I learned at BYU is that faith is a continual choice, not an inevitability. Because true faith must be treated as a verb and therefore we have to act in order to say that we have faith we have to choose faith, we won’t just stumble upon it. Elder Neil L. Andersen once observed, “Faith is not only a feeling; it is a decision.”²⁸ “Faith is a choice.” A great thing about moving away from home to go to school is the amount of freedom you gain. You can go out with whoever you want, however late you want, to do whatever you want. You can also sleep in however late you want, and eat whatever you want. This freedom, however, comes with some major choices and consequences, such as gaining a few pounds because you chose to maximize the BYU vending machine - meal plan potential. One choice that I distinctly remember being faced with on multiple occasions was the choice of going to church. Growing up, I never really thought about church attendance. As a kid my parents woke me up, dressed me, and took me to church. Then as a youth, my parents still woke me up, I dressed myself, and then I went to church with them without question. I remember a few months into school, it had just snowed and I was lying in bed trying to force myself to get up to get ready to go to church and I thought to myself “I could just not go, it would be so easy to not go and to just sleep, and what’s the harm of missing one Sunday?” Then I thought “if you miss today, then you will likely miss next Sunday. It would be easy to go inactive.” Then the words came to my head saying, “activity in this church is a choice, not an inevitability.” I had gone to church every Sunday growing up, even when I was out of town, because my parents are super faithful and they have church out of town too, but that doesn’t mean anything, because I have to choose today, right now, whether I am going to stay active. This principle applies to all things in the church, including faith. Because faith is not simply saying something, but doing it, you must choose every day to act and be faithful, otherwise the scripture, James 2:26 “faith without works is dead” becomes a reality and you will find you don’t have any faith because you have not acted on anything. Faith is a choice.

The third thing that I learned about faith is that Fear is not faith. Every Tuesday at 11am at BYU there is a devotional given in the Marriott center. There is a musical number and usually one or two speakers. The speakers range from Professors to researchers to general authority. Usually, a member of the seventy will come and speak and at least once a semester a member of the 12 apostles will come. You can watch them online or in person, they are always so inspired and my favorite part of the week. The first devotional of the year is always given by the president of the University, and last year he gave a speech entitled “Fear Not”. He said, “one of the most oft-repeated and yet most oft-overlooked and ignored and maybe violated commandments is a simple two-word injunction: ‘fear not.’” While fear not may not be one of the listed 10 commandments it is “repeated seventy-six times in the scriptures.¹ It was the first thing spoken by the angels who announced Christ’s birth to the shepherds outside Bethlehem.² It was also the first thing spoken by the angels who announced Christ’s Resurrection to the women at the empty tomb.³ The commandment was conveyed by the angels who informed Mary and Joseph about their roles in the Savior’s mortal ministry,⁴ and it was part of the message of the angel who appeared to Zacharias to reveal the upcoming birth of John the Baptist.⁵ It is also repeated in at least two of our LDS hymns.” President Hinckley taught, “Fear is the antithesis [the complete opposite] of faith. And President Nelson has taught, “Faith is the antidote for fear”. If “Fear Not” is a commandment, I did not adhere to its counsel during my time at BYU and I let it kill my faith. I was so worried that I was going to make a wrong choice or not be good enough before the Lord that I distanced myself from God because I felt that if I was further away then maybe He couldn’t see how I’m not able to live up to His plan for me. In his speech, Kevin Worthen, shared an acronym for Fear – “False Evidence Appearing Real – Fear.” 

Faith is a difficult thing to have because there is no solid evidence for it. The only thing you have is a hope and the quiet feeling of peace that the spirit brings to you. There is nothing tangible that you can hold onto, only the small periodic feelings of peace and hope and strength, and these things are easy to doubt. It is easy to doubt that you felt peace when you are feeling anxious. It is easy to doubt that there is hope when you are feeling discouraged. It is so much easier to doubt than it is to have faith because there is often more evidence to support your doubts than your faith. It is easy to find evidence that things won’t work out and that we are making a wrong choice, wasting our time, or going down the wrong path. Doubt is rooted in fear – “False Evidence Appearing Real” and it is easy to be afraid. But you need to “doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith” because if you don’t, then Satan will take hold of you and have greater influence, and you will prevent the Lord from blessing your life because your fear will not allow Him to.

We are able to dispel fear from our lives by actively being faithful. If you are afraid that you have ruined Gods plan for you, you need to have faith that you are not that powerful, and then actively do everything in your power to get back on track. “When fear threatens to overwhelm us we need to focus on increasing our faith.” 

The last thing that I learned about faith this year is that faith does not mean not having fears or doubts or wanting other plans or another path. It means following the Lords path for you and doing His will despite your doubts or fears or wishes for other plans. In the topical guide when you look up faith, it says “see also obedience”. We came to this earth to be tested, and sometimes we will simply be tested to see if we will be obedient to God and His plan. While this may not seem very hard, I believe that there is no more difficult of a test than when God decides to test our obedience, because it often means sacrificing something of your own for Him. In Either 12:6 it says “Wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trail of your faith.” As I have been preparing to serve my mission there have been countless trials of my faith. There were points where I would be so scared about what a mission would mean for my future that I would question if I should even serve one. But as I acted in faith and pushed through those trials I would receive peace that I was making the right decision, but it wasn’t until after I acted and was obedient to what Heavenly Father had asked me to do that I received that peace. Last year on a Sunday at the end of October I remember sitting in my friend’s car and saying to them “I know that serving a mission is what I’m supposed to do and what Heavenly Father wants me to do, but it’s not what I want to do, it’s not my plan.” That moment was a serious trial of faith. All my fears and doubts and insecurities were at the front of my mind. The next Sunday I had an appointment set with my Bishop to open my mission papers. As I walked into that interview I was still feeling all the emotions I had felt a week earlier. During my interview, as I was obedient and faithful and acted upon my faith, I could literally feel my apprehension fading away and being replaced with peace. When the interview was over, my papers open, I walked out of my Bishops office having received a witness that this is what I am supposed to do, and this is what will bring me the greatest amount of joy and growth, and that even though a mission wasn’t my plan, it is part of a plan far superior to anything I could have come up with. It is important to recognize that it wasn’t until after the trail of my faith, and my choice to be obedient despite that trial, that I received any peace and any witness at all. 

Elder Jeffrey R Holland said, “When life is hard, remember – you are not the first to ask, “Is there no other way?” Our Savior asked Heavenly Father this question while He was suffering for our sins in the Garden of Gethsemane. Christ proceeded in faith in the garden because He proceeded with the Lords plan, even though He wanted the bitter cup to pass. There was no other for Him to perform the SO needed atonement. The atonement is the only way for us to repent and return back to our Heavenly Parents and Jesus Christ. 

To those who ask Is There No Other Way? – no there is no other way to gain eternal life, eternal happiness, eternal families, and eternal exaltation – the gospel of Jesus Christ is the only way. Elder Corbridge said “There is only one way to happiness and fulfillment. Jesus Christ is the Way. Every other way, any other way, whatever other way is foolishness.” I know that, I have been extremely blessed to have grown up with a knowledge of that, and it would be incredibly selfish of me to keep it to myself and not share it with those around me and the people of New Zealand. That is why I am going on a mission, because there is no other way. 

TESTIMONY:

I want to share my testimony with you, that I know that Jesus Christ is our savior and redeemer. He suffered for us so that we don’t have to and so that we can return to live with Him again. I am so grateful for His sacrifice. I have a testimony of the Book of Mormon, that it is another testament of Jesus Christ. If you feel like you don’t have a testimony of it, or you’re not sure if it is the word of God, READ IT, and once you do, pray and ask Heavenly Father if it is true. I have a testimony of the power of Temples, the amount of peace that I feel every time I go, is indescribable. I am so thankful that through temples I can be sealed to my family forever, I have the best family. I have a testimony that President Russel M. Nelson is the living Prophet on the earth, and that he leads this Church by direct revelation from God. General conference is in two weeks and I am so excited to get to hear the words and direction that the Prophet and the apostles have to share with us. I am so excited to get to go to New Zealand and share this amazing gospel with the people there. President Eyring said that “if you are on the right path, it will always be uphill.” I know that my mission is going to be one of the most difficult 18 months of my life, but I also know that it will be the most rewarding 18 months. I have had eternity to prepare for my mission and I will have eternity to reflect on it, but I only have 18 months to live it, and I pray that I will be sensitive to the sprit so that I am able to live it in a way that is pleasing to God, so that when I am done, I will be able to see what only He can see right now. I know that by following His plan, I will be blessed with more joy and growth than I could ever imagine. 

I am so grateful for all of you, I love you, Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ know you and love each of you individually. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ Amen.