When I was 7, I was
able to witness my oldest brother choose to serve a mission for the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Then, when I was 11, I witnessed my second
oldest brother follow in his footsteps. At both of their farewells, my twin sister,
Kim, and I sang a song written by my mother called, “Your Turn to Serve.” As I
am now following in both of their footsteps, I thought it appropriate to share
that song with you. It is simple, yet it still means a lot to me as I’ve come
to realize that serving a mission is the path that Heavenly Father desires I
take. (SING)
As I’ve prepare to go
on a mission, these lyrics mean so much. When I found out I was going to labor
in the Italy, Milan mission, I realized that there is at least one person
there, maybe more, that need the light that I can bring. I feel so blessed that
it is my turn to serve.
The Book of Mormon,
Bible, Doctrine & Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price contain countless
stories that pertain to any situation. My testimony is a product of diligent
reading and attempts to understand the scriptures. A year and a half ago, I
gave a talk on a scripture that I had chosen as my “theme” for 2010. The
scripture is D&C 36:103. It reads, “All victory and glory is brought to
pass unto you through your diligence, faithfulness, and prayers of faith.” This
scripture was put up on my dorm room door and I read it often. While this may
have been my theme of 2010, I can say today that that scripture still sticks
with me. When I read the Book of Mormon, I circle the words, Faith and
Diligence when I come across them…and they almost always come together. I will
admit that at the time I gave that talk, I had no idea what events were about
to happen within the next year and a half. All I knew was that through consistent
scripture study and prayers of faith, I would be led to the experiences and
people that would most change my life for the better. In other words, I was
sure that by being diligent and faithful, I would not be led astray.
At the age of 19, the
thought of serving a mission hadn’t really crossed my mind. I had completely
different plans, and had a very narrow vision of what I was going to do with my
life. I remember one night while reading the scriptures, it hit me that a major
part of coming down to earth is sharing the gospel and helping others come unto
Christ. This was the FIRST time I thought about going on a mission. I began to
reexamine my future plans and tried to picture myself on a mission. It felt SO
good and SO right…but that was just the first night. Later, I expressed
to my parents that I thought it would be amazing to serve a mission, and I felt
that it was a perfect way to show Heavenly Father that I was grateful for his
hand in my life and for guiding me to where I was at that point. My parents
nodded their heads and agreed, but we all knew that sometimes things don’t work
out like we planned…as we had learned from past experiences. They told me to
keep praying about it until my half birthday (November 22nd) and I
could decide then if it was the right thing to do. In the meantime, I was in
need of a summer distraction. After a lot of prayer and tender mercies, I heard
about a non-government organization called HELP International. I applied for
their summer internship program to Peru and spent the summer in South America,
serving in the best way I could.
About two weeks into
my Peru experience, I realized I hadn’t even read an entire chapter of the Book
of Mormon. I was struggling with the language, cold showers, the dirt, and I
KNEW I needed to change my attitude. I prayed that very day and asked Heavenly
Father to direct me to a scripture that would encourage me to not give up. I
opened up to Helaman 3:27, which reads, “Thus we may see that the Lord is merciful
unto all who will, in the sincerity of their hearts, call upon his holy name.
Yea, thus we see that the gate of heaven is open unto all, even to those who
will believe on the name of Jesus Christ, who is the Son of God.” Now this
became my “Peru Theme.” I felt so strongly that I wasn’t alone and I could
sense that Heavenly Father was saying He’s there for me, He had ALWAYS been
there for me…all I had to do was call upon Him. This scripture is where I
decided I would start the Book of Mormon and set a goal to finish the entire
book before our group would travel to Macchu Picchu 2 months later. The
scriptures and stories I read in those two months impacted my life and greatly
influenced my decision to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day
Saints. When I returned to school at Southern Virginia University, I began
praying for the people whom I would serve. I diligently prayed that I would be
prepared for them, and they too would be preparing for me for when arrived. I
had no idea where I would be called, but KNEW that a mission was the thing for
me. On November 22nd (the deadline I had set with my parents), I was
in the bishop’s office, starting the process of filling out my mission papers.
I couldn’t have been happier.
So now is the time I
get to share the scriptures and stories with you that influenced my desire to
serve a mission. The story of King Benjamin and his address has always been a
favorite of mine. But, reading it again gave me the chance to understand its
significance a little more thoroughly. In Mosiah 3:7, we learn that the
Atonement is not only for the redemption of sins. It reads, “And lo, He
(speaking of Jesus Christ) shall suffer temptations, and pain of body, hunger,
thirst, and fatigue even more than man can suffer, except it be unto death.”
This is one of the scriptures that I feel should be shared with everyone.
Recent study of Preach My Gospel has taught me that the purpose of the gospel
is to cleanse people of their sins so they can receive the Savior’s mercy at
the Day of Judgment. The Atonement is available for every single person if they
choose to “accept” it. Then, in Mosiah 4, verse 3, we read that those who took
to heart what King Benjamin said were filled with JOY because of their
exceeding faith which they had in the coming of Jesus Christ. They had received
a remission of their sins and were clean. I feel that missionaries do just that
for those who are searching for happiness and joy. Verse 6 reads, “if ye have
come to a knowledge of the goodness of God and his matchless power, and his
wisdom, and his patience, and his long-suffering towards the children of men;
and also, the atonement which has been prepared from the foundation of the
world, that hereby salvation might come to him that should put his trust in the
Lord, and should be DILIGENT in keeping his commandments, and continue in the
FAITH even unto the end of his life.” I love the simplicity and plainness in
these scriptures. Through King Benjamin, Heavenly Father was able to express
how simple and how possible salvation is.
The next story I want
to share with you is the story of Ammon. Ammon arrived in the land of Ishmael
and began “winning the heart” of King Lamoni. He leads by example! Ammon is an
incredible missionary. We learn through him, that missionary work can be as
simple as being a good person. King Lamoni is able to see in Ammon, that there
is something different and Ammon uses King Lamoni’s curiosity to teach him
about the gospel. It’s kind of like a ripple effect once King Lamoni is converted.
The gospel is spread to all his people and even to his father and his Kingdom.
Ammon was a tool in the Lord’s hands to spread the gospel to not only one
individual, but to many following that one individual. I want to mention one more person who is
important to this story. Her name is Abish. She had secretly been converted to
the Lord. I am amazed with her courage and closeness with the spirit. She was
so in tune with the Spirit that when Ammon and King Lamoni were lying on the
ground, she KNEW it was the power of God and was brave enough to let everyone
know. These two stories from Alma 17-19 have changed my opinion on missions in
that they are not all about how many people you baptize or contact. I know that
the Lord prepared Ammon specifically for the people of King Lamoni and for
Abish. If missionaries are praying for the people they are serving and praying
to be prepared for them, we will be able to be successful…even if it is only
one individual whose life we change. You never know what may come of the
conversion of one person.
I am so
lucky to have been raised in the church due to one special person who converted
my ancestors in 1800’s. My
ancestors were Waldensians. The Waldensians are protestants who reside in the Cottian
Alps, in the Piedmont region of Italy. They chose to practice their beliefs as
they had been taught by Christ’s apostles, many centuries before. As the Catholic
Church was reformed, the Waldensians were persecuted as they continued to
resist any reformation. In 1848, and after countless hardships, they were
granted the freedom to practice their religion as they pleased. At General
Conference in October 1849, which is only one year after they were granted freedom,
thirty-five-year-old Lorenzo Snow, a newly ordained member of the Twelve
Apostles, was called to establish an L.D.S. Mission in Italy "and wherever
else the spirit should direct." It took Elder Snow and Joseph Toronto, a
native Italian who accompanied him, over nine months to reach their assigned
area. During their journey, Elder Snow read about the Waldensians, who had inhabited the Piedmont region of
the Cottian Alps for centuries. He was moved
by their long struggle for religious freedom and saw many similarities between
their simple doctrines and the restored gospel which he had been commissioned
to preach. He felt empathy when he read that the Waldensians, like the Mormons,
had suffered severe religious persecution and had been forced to seek sanctuary
in a mountain retreat. Snow felt impressed enough to begin his missionary efforts
in Italy among this simple mountain folk.
Of the
21,000 Waldensians living in the Protestant valleys in 1850, only 187 of them joined
the LDS Church. There were twelve families making up about 72 of the first
members. One of those twelve families was the family of Michael and Marianne Beus.
Michael and Marianne established their home in Ogden, Utah, and now have
thousands of descendents, including me. I am grateful for the faith and
diligence of one person who had prepared himself for the Waldensians. The families
who were converted, too, were prepared for the arrival of Lorenzo Snow. Before
Lorenzo Snow came, Michael and Marianne were staying as true to the true gospel
of Jesus Christ as they could. I feel that they were prepared by having the
faith and diligence to suffer hardships and persecution for the sake of holding
on to what they knew to be right. I feel so blessed, as a daughter of a Michael
Beus, to be going to the very place in Italy from which my ancestors came from.
One of the most
influential stories in my decision to serve a mission is the conversion story
of Alma the Younger as he expresses it in Alma 36. We learn from Alma that
whosoever shall put their trust in God shall be supported in their trials, and
their troubles, and their afflictions, and shall be lifted up at the last day.
If anyone knows the Atonement, it is definitely Alma. Alma writes his
conversion story better than I can summarize it, so here it is: “Now, as my
mind caught hold upon this thought, I cried within my heart: O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me, who am in the gall of bitterness and am encircled
about by the everlasting chains of death. And now, behold, when I THOUGHT this,
I could remember my pains no more; yea, I was harrowed up by the memory of my
sins no more. And oh, What JOY and what marvelous light I did behold; yea my
soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain!” He then says,” I have
labored without ceasing, that I might bring souls unto repentance; that I might
bring them to taste the exceeding joy of which I did taste.” After I read these
scriptures, I KNEW I wanted to serve a mission. I can still recall the
overwhelming love that overcame me for people I haven’t even met yet. The Atonement works for absolutely every one. No
matter your sins, no matter your trials, no matter your circumstances, the Lord
LOVES you and wants so badly for you to come unto him and partake of the
happiness he has in store for you. EVERYONE deserves to at least have the
knowledge of this joy and I am grateful to have the opportunity to spread the
gospel where the Lord needs me to.
Now, I want to share
with you a paragraph from the talk I gave last January. It means more to me now
than it did then. I wrote,
President Henry B Eyring says, “By faithful service and
through His atonement, we can come to want what He wants and be what we must be
to bless those we serve for Him. As we serve Him long enough and with
diligence, we will be changed. We can become ever more like Him.” After reading
this, I thought, well how long is “long enough?” The answer came to me, that we
should never stop serving him with diligence. There will always be someone to
serve. President Henry B. Eyring
closes his talk with this: “Ponder deeply and diligently in the scriptures and
in the words of living prophets. Persist in Prayer for the Holy Ghost to reveal
to you the nature of God the Father and His Beloved Son. Plead that the Spirit
will show you what the Lord wants you to do. Plan to do it. Promise Him to
obey. Act with determination until you have done what He asked. And then pray
to give thanks for the opportunity to serve and to know what you might do next."
The Lord has a hand in every decision we make. He knows our
needs and he always directs us down the right path if we choose to follow Him.
It’s funny how when you are in the moment, it seems like that’s all that
matters, but looking back, Heavenly Father has been with me this whole year and
led me to the point I am at now. He knew the best path for me to take…and
through faith and diligence, I was able to finally recognize it.
One of my key
supporters of serving mission is my father. My father, from day one, has always
wanted me to do the best possible thing for my life that I could. He encouraged
me to serve a mission, but never forced me to. His love and support has helped
become the woman I am today. I
would not be on this stand without his countless hours of encouragement and
belief in me.
Testimony
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