This is the talk which I gave in sacrament meeting for my farewell. Hope you enjoy it.
A long time ago I baby-sat for the Greg Scoresby family. As the children got ready for bed, I asked them if they had said their prayers that night. They had not, but luckily Bennet Scoresby volunteered to lead us in prayer. His prayer went something like this:
“Dear Heavenly Father…I love my mom and dad…I love my brothers and sister…I love the baby-sitter…I love our neighbors…I love my friends…I love everyone in the whole world…name of Jesus Christ. Amen.”
Needless to say, I was amazed at the expanse of this young child’s love. Pretty incredible.
But there is someone else who also fosters an endless and amazing love similar to Bennet’s Scoresby’s. It is, of course, the Savior.
It is easy for us to understand that the Lord does love us. It is something we are reminded of often. We can sometimes see it through the lives of others or simply sense it in our own. But usually it is harder to understand why and how the Lord loves us. I found Moses chapter 7 to be very helpful in understanding.
In this chapter Enoch has a great vision of many dispensations. He sees the city of Zion, the coming of Christ, and even our day. Enoch sees the both the righteous and the unrighteous on the earth. Yet there is one scene which haunts him. In verse 26 he describes:
“And he beheld Satan; and he had a great chain in his hand and it veiled the whole face of the earth with darkness; and he [Satan] looked up and laughed, and his angels rejoiced.” Enoch is saddened to see Satan’s power over the Earth and the wickedness and suffering on the Earth which follow. And he asks God “How is it that the heavens canst weep?” In my mind, Enoch is almost asking “How can a God who allows so much sin and sadness and pain possibly have a heart?” Enoch continues to ask “How is it thou canst weep seeing that thou art holy and from all eternity to eternity?” Again, he is asking “How can you sit comfortably in the heaven’s and witness this suffering and wrong-doing? How can you possibly have a heart?”
We all know the answer. The Savior came to live with us on the Earth. The Lord came to this world as an infant. He lived just as we do. He learned in the same manner, had the same temptations. Certainly he also had weaknesses and vices which he had to overcome. Did he have trials? Of course. We can read about his betrayal, beatings, inquisition, trial, mockings, and ultimately his death on the cross. He had many pains and obstacles that were unique to his life.
Do you think the Lord understands mortality?
Temptations?
I think he has every right to watch our world and weep.
However, Enoch is not satisfied here, for his vision reveals another scene which greatly disturbs him. Enoch, having seen so many people and creations asks, “And were it possible that man could number the particles of the earth, yea, millions of earths like this, it would not be a beginning to the number of thy creations…how is it thou canst weep?”
We should also ask, “with all the worlds and people the Lord has made, how can He sympathize with the ONE. How can He understand each of us?”
As Enoch comes to find out, the answer is the atonement.
Christ’s personal mission was to atone for our sins. That meant feeling every sin, pain, and trial. He knows exactly how we feel. He understands us. President Holland states this beautifully in his last talk from General Conference. He states:
“…one of the great consolations of this Easter season is that because Jesus walked such a long, lonely path utterly alone, we do not have to do so. His solitary journey [the atonement] brought great company for our little version of that path—the merciful care of our Father in Heaven, the unfailing companionship of this Beloved Son, [and] the consummate gift of the Holy Ghost…. Trumpeted from the summit of Calvary is the truth that we will never be left alone nor unaided, even if sometimes we may feel that we are. Truly the Redeemer of us all said, “I will not leave you comfortless. I will come to you [and abide with you].”
So we can see that the Savior has been with us through each trial and throughout our entire lives. Although the Savior has created many worlds and people, through the atonement he knows and loves each of us personally.
There has been one instance in particular that has showed me that the Lord knows me and—even more miraculous—He always seems to know exactly what I need.
When I was in second grade, my family moved to South America. It was definitely a struggle for me to learn a new culture at such a young age. With my blonde hair and blue eyes, it seemed that I would never fit in at my new school. I was struggling particularly with the language. At the time, I didn’t know a single word of Spanish. So as you can imagine, it was pretty impossible for me to communicate any of my own ideas. Until one day, I had a major break-through.
As a class we had been assigned to make cards for our friends. Everyone around me was busily cutting, gluing, and coloring. I sat and watched, not understanding what to do. And then suddenly I got a brilliant idea. I turned to my neighbor and just did this [cutting motion with hands]. To my utter amazement she understood me! It was as if for the first time, we were speaking the same language. “Scissors” [cutting motion] was my first word! I was so excited. As time passed by, things got easier I quickly learned two more new words: Estick-fix (which literally translated means stick-fix glue) and Escotch (which literally translated means Scotch tape). I just thought that I was brilliant and quickly mastering a command of the Spanish language—but to anyone else it was obvious that I needed help.
That is when the Savior showed me that He knew me and loved me. In my little second-grade class He sent me and angel. Her name was Marisol and she quickly became my little helper and my best friend. She taught me so much about the Spanish language and the Chilean culture. She was with me all the years I lived in South America, and I think she is the reason I survived.
It may not seem so very important to anyone else. But this was a strong testimony to me that the Savior knows us each individually and very personally.
I think we can all find moments in our lives that have shown us that the Savior loves us. But it is also important to ask: How does the Savior know we love him?
Shopping for my mission has been difficult at times. Initially, finding cute skirts that reach your mid-calf is just a funny idea, then you realize it much closer to an impossibility. I don’t know who wrote the sister-missionary clothing guidelines, but every sentence is an oxy-moron. My particular struggle has been the shoes. Really what are closed-toe sandals?
In my current wardrobe, I have the most adorable pair of hot-pink, snake-skin, three-inch heels. As much as I would love to take them on the mission, they will be staying home. So be sure to tell Markie that they look great on her while I am gone. You might say that the Savior knows I love him because I am trading in my heels for closed-toe sandals.
But really, there is more to my going on a mission than just the shoes. It has been important for me to remember why I am really choosing to serve a mission— and how the Lord can really know that I love him.
Do you remember that little angel that was in my second grade class, Marisol? Well life was not so simple for her either. She didn’t have much of a family. Her father was not a stable figure in her life and her brothers were certainly not good influences or role models in her either. Her mother, although very kind and loving, was struggling with addictions and habits of her own and as a result she was not always reliable. In short, Marisol was not blessed with the circumstances in life that so many of us enjoy. She had nothing. But despite all of this, Marisol was one of the sweetest girls I know. She has never let the outside world penetrate the tenderness of her heart.
We became best friends in elementary school, but through time as I moved to the States and she also moved her own separate way, we lost contact with one another. But I always remembered her and the many sweet and innocent memories we share.
Not too long ago, she actually contacted me again. As I looked at pictures and heard what she had been through in her life, I was devastated. She has not had an easy life. Time has tossed her down a weary path of uncertainty and solitude. I am so saddened to see the pain she has suffered because she does not have the gospel in her life. She does not know or understand how the Savior loves her. I have shared my testimony and the gospel with her many times. But at this time she is not ready.
It is largely because of Marisol that I choose to serve a mission. As I prepare to focus on a mission I often pray that I can find someone else’s Marisol and bring them to the gospel. I know the relief and joy it will bring to me when Marisol finds the gospel and I hope that I can bring that same joy to others who are also patiently waiting. I look forward to the day that she will accept the gospel and feel the Savior’s love for her.
This is how that Savior can know that I love him. I am choosing to serve his children who are around me. I invite all of you to look around, see whom you can serve, and show the Savior that you love Him back.
Fortunately, he said it was a gift for Jesus. He opened it up and there was a candle, a figure of a dove, and incense with a picture of the virgin Mary on it. There were coins scattered throughout and a sign that said "Para Jesus. De Jose. Espero que te guste, mi Senor." (To Jesus. From Jose. I hope you like it, Lord) I think his intentions were quite sweet but we had no idea what to do. We were just very positive and arranged a time where we could come over and teach him a little bit. We plan on bringing and a tithing envelope so he can fill out the form for his change and we can talk a little bit more in depth about tithing. We probably could have handled things better and taught sooner. He was very sincere, but in retrospect it was a very funny situation.
I am finally getting used to way that the people here switch so fluently between English and Spanish. The part that is hard it that their accent does not change, so there is no signal of when they switch. When slurred together rapidly it is so hard to tell whether they are using English words or Spanish. But some words that are strictly English: sun-tan, voice-mail, "break"isito (a short break). There are several more which I am starting to notice.
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