Hello everyone! I know I haven't left yet, but I wanted to post my farewell talk. Here it is:
(A recording can be found in the "Other" tab)
Good morning brothers and sisters. About a year ago I was in the process of arguing with my parents, and just about anyone, why didn’t want to go to BYU. I’m not really sure why I was so resistant to the idea of attending school there, I just didn’t want to. I think it was the idea of being surrounded by church all the time that turned me off. Some of you know that I am a descendant of Brigham Young, but even that didn’t matter to me. I would have gone anywhere else but BYU. Never the less, I drudged on with registering for classes and housing for fall of 2014. As I realized that I would be going to school with a lot of friends from here, I slowly got… more accepting to the idea of attending college there. Once I got there, and after a few days of getting used to life in Provo, I realized how much of an amazing place it is.
Those of you that attended BYU or visited the Provo area might be able to relate to a few of the things I noticed. There is a church on every block (insert joke here), most professors start class off with a prayer, just about everything is closed on Sunday, people dress nice and are generally really friendly, our YSA ward gets almost 100% attendance every Sunday, and the list goes on. As I started to get used to the lifestyle there, I noticed some good changes in myself. I stopped doing homework on Sunday and noticed the benefits from that, I actually fulfilled my home teaching assignments for the month, and I was reading the Book of Mormon regularly, attending church regularly, and so on. Perhaps the biggest change of all occurred with my decision to serve a mission, which is why I am here today.
Saturday, February 14, 2015, at approximately 7:00 P.M. I read this: “Dear Elder Ammermon. You are hereby called to serve as a missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You are assigned to labor in the England London Mission. It is anticipated that you will serve for a period of 24 months”. So what will I be doing with my time over in England? I will be spending the first two weeks of my mission at the Missionary Training Center in Preston, England. After my training I get on a bus and head to the England London mission, where I start my service. There I will be knocking on doors looking for investigators, being rejected 95% of the time, I will be teaching lessons, meeting and working with members there, but one task, the most important of all, sticks out to me. I will be looking for the 5% who are ready to hear the message of the restored Gospel, and what blessings it will bring them, just as it has brought me.
So, why have I decided to serve a mission? Some might choose to serve in hope of an eternal reward, they think serving a mission is a rite of passage, or maybe a young elder might think his hopes of finding a girl after his mission might exponentially increase after he returns with the “RM” label. All of these could be viewed as valid reasons, but they all focus on one’s self. I have chosen to serve because I know there are people in England who are waiting for me to find them, they just don’t know it yet.
What are some of the blessings the restored Gospel brings? The Gospel brings us the gift of the Holy Ghost. What is this? In a simple definition, the Holy Ghost is a spirit man that teaches us, cleans us, comforts us, testifies of the truth, warns us and directs us. We receive the gift of the Holy Ghost after we are baptized as members of the Church. It is comparable to the sun in that the sun is one body, but we all feel its light and warmth. When the Nephites were visited by Christ, the thing they desired most was to be blessed by the Holy Ghost. (Read 3 Nephi 19:8-9). So why might it have been that the most desired thing of the Nephites was the gift of the Holy Ghost? Like I said before, the Holy Ghost teaches us, cleans us, comforts us, testifies of the truth, and warns and directs us .I have felt the power of the Holy Ghost stronger than I ever have my last semester of school before going on my mission. Once I got my mission call, I was very excited about it. The months that have followed have been the most challenging time in my life up to this point. Whenever we are about to do something great, Satan tries his hardest to stop us. Whether that be choosing to serve a mission, choosing to be baptized, or anything else. I was constantly challenged with school work, stress, tough situations with friends, and even loss. While my family was in Utah with me to open my call, our dog Ollie was being watched by one of our friends. While going down Ortega highway with Ollie in the car, his caretaker was hit head on by a guy going way too fast around a corner. We lost Ollie in this accident. Those of you with pets know how much of a family member they are. I didn’t find out until three weeks later when my mom came to visit to tell me in person. With the gift of the Holy Ghost, I was able to have understanding in the situation. Of course I still was sad, but the pain was eased by the Holy Ghost and having an eternal perspective on the family.
Another great blessing that the restored Gospel brings is the family. The family is the best place to learn, grow, teach, and apply gospel principles. I have found that being raised in the church has been such a great blessing in my life, not only with my direct family, but with the ward families I have been in. I have had so many great leaders and teachers, both members and non-members, which have helped me stay on the right path. I look forward to paying it forward to the people of England, helping them find the joy that I have found with a family blessed by the restored Gospel. The principle that families can be sealed together for time and all eternity brings comfort to me, that I will be able to be with my own family forever. It has been through family that I have received the most preparation to serve a mission.
How else have I prepared? My mission preparation has started well before attending BYU in the fall. It has been through scout masters lovingly pushing me a little further out of my comfort zone. Former Bishop Carruth of the Monarch Beach ward is an example of this. He lovingly pushed us scouts a little out of our comfort zone, and this has been such an unforeseen blessing to my life. Most of you may know that I am an amateur radio operator, and even that has played a part in my preparation to serve. The ham radio community is all about service. I have had so many mentors, mostly non-members, which have taught me the value of service without expecting anything in return. When I was first getting started as a 13 year old, I had so many people come to my aid, helping me figure out what my radio does, getting antennas set up, getting to know the proper etiquette on the radio, and the list goes on and on. As I have helped others without expecting anything in return, I always am surprised by the joy I feel. This joy cannot be recreated by any earthly object. I hope to bring this feeling of joy to the people of England, as Alma describes in his time in Alma 36:24.