Megan gave her farewell talk today in church. We are grateful for those that were able to attend and offer their support to Megan. There have been a few requests for copies of her talk from family and friends unable to attend so I have included her talk here...
I have been
asked to speak to you today about the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus
Christ. As I have pondered and prayed on
this topic, there are certain aspects of it that I would like to focus on today:
First – God is
our loving Heavenly Father
Second – Christ
established a Church when he was on the earth, and that church was restored
through a Prophet of God in our dispensation
Lastly – I would
like to share how the gospel of Jesus Christ, and His Church has blessed my
life
One of the vital
messages of the Restoration and of this gospel is that God is our loving
Heavenly Father. He is not a distant figure who has no sympathy for the
troubles of the world. He loves each and every one of us so much because we are
his children. He watches us grow and learn and make mistakes and try to fix
them. He waits patiently for us to take our troubles and fears to him so that
he can comfort us. My favorite poem addresses this desire our Father in Heaven
has to comfort and care for us ::
Can I
see another's woe,
And
not be in sorrow too?
Can I
see another's grief,
And
not seek for kind relief?
Can I
see a falling tear,
And
not feel my sorrow's share?
Can a
father see his child
Weep,
nor be with sorrow filled?
Can a
mother sit and hear
An
infant groan, an infant fear?
No,
no! never can it be!
Never,
never can it be!
And
can He who smiles on all
Hear
the wren with sorrows small,
Hear
the small bird's grief and care,
Hear
the woes that infants bear -
And
not sit beside the nest,
Pouring
pity in their breast,
And
not sit the cradle near,
Weeping
tear on infant's tear?
And
not sit both night and day,
Wiping
all our tears away?
O no!
never can it be!
Never,
never can it be!
He
doth give His joy to all:
He
becomes an infant small,
He
becomes a man of woe,
He
doth feel the sorrow too.
Think
not thou canst sigh a sigh,
And
thy Maker is not by:
Think
not thou canst weep a tear,
And
thy Maker is not near.
O He
gives to us His joy,
That
our grief He may destroy:
Till
our grief is fled and gone
He
doth sit by us and moan.
When I was up at
BYU there were days when I felt so discouraged about classes or friends or the
fact that I didn’t have any more mac’n’cheese in the pantry. On these days I
could turn to the support of wonderful friends, and I did. But when I was upset
I wanted nothing more than to call my parents. I knew that my amazing mom and
dad would listen to my rambling and tears and frustrations with so much
patience and love. They would let me talk about everything as much as I needed
to, they would give me calm guidance and comfort. I know that they will always
be there for me to help me and to listen to me. I imagine that powerful love
and trust and friendship that I have with my parents, and then extend it
infinitely and I am overwhelmed by the love of my Heavenly Father. I know that
when I turn to Him in sincere prayer, he hears me and guides me and loves me
unconditionally.
Our Father in
Heaven is not only a parent, but he is also the ruler of the earth. This gives
us an amazing divine role as children of a King. Anyone who knows me will tell
you that I have a minor obsession with the British monarchy. I’ve seen more
documentaries on the royal family than is normal for a 20 year-old girl, or
really anyone for that matter. So you can imagine how powerfully this image of
my divine right as a daughter of a King resonates with me. But being royalty is
not all about sitting in towers brushing your hair and riding horses through
meadows, there are duties that come with this role. Recently, Kate Middleton
married into the royal family. The
world has watched as she has had to embrace her role and duties as a member of
the royal family. In her transition from a civilian to royalty she had to think
about the way her actions would appear to the world and reflect on her new
family. Often we lose sight of our divine role and live without concern for how
our choices affect those around us and how they reflect on our Heavenly Father.
As we strive to be more aware of our roles as children of God we must remember
that our King and Father needs us to be his representatives. He needs us to
share His love for His children, especially those who have lost their way. So
many people are completely unaware of the love of their Father in Heaven, and I
am thrilled that Heavenly Father has trusted me to share the amazing message of
this gospel with the people of Brazil as his daughter and ambassador.
God loves us and
wants us to be loved on this earth. He wants us to feel joy and the many
blessings that he can provide us with. The best way for him to do this is to
have a prophet on the earth who receives direct revelation for the world and
can teach us the way that Heavenly Father desires us to live. When Christ
ministered on the earth, Heavenly Father had a connection with so many people
through the Savior. Christ administered teaching, healing, and love under
direction from the Father. In addition, Christ established His church on the
earth. We learn about this in the New
Testament in Ephesians chapter 4, verses 11 and 12, which reads:
11 And
he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and
some,evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
12 For the perfecting of
the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the
body of Christ
That perfect
gospel was lost when Christ’s chosen apostles died or were martyred, but was
restored to the earth through Heavenly Father’s trusting and relying on
prophets as we are promised he will always do in the Old Testament, in Amos
chapter 3, verse 7.
Joseph Smith was
a young boy living in Palmyra, New York during the Reformation. During this time
people were infused with religious fervor, trying to reform or change established religions to be more correct and to
bring them closer to God. What these people did not know was that more than
just a reformation was needed. The Church of Jesus Christ as established by Him
had been lost and needed to be restored
in its entirety to the earth. Young Joseph Smith was seeking God and answers as
he tried to decide which church was the most correct. As he sought answers in the Bible he read a
scripture in James 1:5 that told him to ask God. He decided to do just that, and went to a
grove of trees to pray and seek the answer on which church to join. As an answer to humble boy’s prayer, Joseph
witnessed a miracle….Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ appeared to him and he
was told not to join any of the churches.
Rather he was taught that Christ’s church needed to be restored so that
all aspects of the gospel could be made available to Heavenly Father’s
children.
In seeking, he
turned to the scriptures to find an answer in God’s words. Joseph Smith’s
example of actively seeking out answers through God’s words has changed my
life. Earlier this year as I struggled with the decision whether or not to
serve a mission, I had prayed more times than I could count about what I should
do. I felt as if I wasn’t getting an answer, like I wasn’t going to get an
answer. I was alone in my apartment one day and feeling so frustrated that I
didn’t know what to do. I went in my room and prayed, just as I had been doing,
but instead of just saying amen and walking away, I pulled out my scriptures. I
knew that I desperately needed some sort of answer and I opened to a page at
random hoping that I could find some solace or guidance. I found myself in 3
Nephi chapter 16.
“ And verily,
verily, I say unto you that I have other sheep, which are not of this land . .
. For they of whom I speak are they who have not as yet heard my voice . . . But I have received a commandment of the
Father that I shall go unto them,
and that they shall hear my voice, and shall be numbered among my sheep, that
there may be one fold and one shepherd. ”
As I read these
words I knew that Heavenly Father had heard my prayers, but that he had been
waiting for me to seek an answer. And here it was. I needed to go and help
those who were lost to hear Christ’s voice so that they could come into the
fold of His church. As I continued with the practical side of preparing to
start my mission papers like discussing the idea with my parents and bishop, I
constantly went back to this experience and the overwhelming feeling of
heavenly guidance that accompanied those verses. I know that if we, like Joseph
Smith, turn to the scriptures with faith and with questions they will bless our
lives more than we can possibly imagine.
The Restoration
of the gospel has changed my life. Because of the principles of this church I
have felt so much joy and been able to find solace in times of need. I know
that we have a prophet on the earth to guide us. I know that I will live with my family for
eternity. I know that I have the word of God at my disposal with the Book of
Mormon. I know that Jesus Christ atoned for my sins and that he understands any
heartache that I feel. I know that God lives and that he is my Heavenly Father
and that he loves me.
All of this
knowledge is amazing, but having the knowledge is not enough. I need to do something with that knowledge.
Elder Charles Didier, one of the leaders of our church, spoke in a General
Conference of the church about the Restoration and our duty concerning it. He
addressed how we often ask “why.”
“ Why do I need
to go to church or serve a mission? Why are we commanded to share the gospel
with others? This last question is challenging! Missionary work is also the
responsibility of every member—to sound the warning voice to their neighbors,
in mildness and in meekness. Why? So
that others may receive the saving ordinances in the Church of Jesus Christ by
inviting them to come unto Christ. The message of the Restoration is this
invitation to know why the gospel of Jesus Christ and His true Church have been
restored by a prophet in modern times. ”
His message
reminds us that once we come to know Christ and His church we have a
responsibility to help others and lead them to Him and His church. As I have prepared to serve my mission I have
realized that finding happiness and a stronger testimony does not come through
turning away from others to focus on yourself. It comes through service to
others. Recently I heard a story that illustrates this concept ::
“ Once a group of 50 people was
attending a seminar. Suddenly
the speaker stopped and started giving each one a balloon. Each one was asked
to write his/her name on it using a marker pen. Then all the balloons were
collected and put in another room. Now
these delegates were left in that room and asked to find the balloon which had
their name written on it, within 5 minutes. Everyone was frantically searching
for their name, colliding with each other, pushing around others and there was
utter chaos. At the end of 5 minutes no one
could find their own balloon. Next each one was asked to randomly collect a balloon and give it to the person
whose name was written on it. Within minutes everyone had their own balloon.
”
I have a feeling that
there are some people in Brazil who won’t be able to find their balloon and
come to know who they truly are unless I accept the call from my Heavenly
Father to go and find them and share the gospel of Jesus Christ that is so
precious to me. I am so excited to let them know that they are children of a
loving Heavenly Father, that Christ’s church has been restored to the earth
through Prophetic revelation, and that their lives can be eternally blessed by
becoming members of His Church. I know this
knowledge will bless their lives as it has blessed mine. I know that it will bless the lives of anyone
who seeks for answers from God through the scriptures and prayer, just as
Joseph Smith did….just as I have done.
family and friends...thank you for being a part of this day
megan's sweet friends from high school...just missing elise and claire
a few of meg's friends from byu that she just adores
and these byu boys
some cousin loving
shannon's (meg's roommate) mom and sister...shannon currently serving a mission in fort lauderdale florida was greatly missed (especially by these three)