Farewell talk

Here is for all those that weren't able to be at my farewell talk:



Wow! You mention on Facebook that you’re giving a talk and everyone in the world shows up!
Good afternoon,
In chapter 38 if the book of Alma, Alma teaches and shares with his sons about what he knows to be true and experiences from his life,and in particular, his testimony. In verse 9 he tells his son Shiblon:“And now, my son, I have told you this that ye may learn wisdom, that ye may learn of me that there is no other way or means whereby man can be saved, only in and through Christ. Behold,he is the life and the light of the world. Behold, he is the word of truth and righteousness.” (Alma 38:9.)This scripture has two main points that strike me: First of all, that fathers need to teach their children and lead by example,and secondly, that we can only be saved through Christ.
Growing up, I have learned from many people. Here at church, I have been able to have good teachers from nursery all the way up to Elders Quorum, where now even I give some lessons. As I have grown older, I have continued to learn from each of my teachers. While, it is great that I have been able to learn so much from so many people,some of the greatest lessons I have learned have been from my dad.My siblings and I have spent many hours sitting and listening to my dad’s stories and all the things he has done in his life. Whether it was when he and his family were captured by Cubans, or when he almost died scuba diving, these are in fact some of my favorite memories. I have learned so much from my dad including the most important things in life. I have heard his testimony and learned of this great gospel and the happiness it can bring to us.It is true that children learn a lot of what they do from example, but they also learn from experiences and lessons their parents share with them. Just as my dad has shared his experiences with me, the scriptures are full of examples of fathers passing on their experiences to their sons to try and help guide them in life. This is in fact one way we use the scriptures. In a way, the scriptures are our Heavenly Father’s stories. As we read we learn from the prophets lives and apply what they teach to our own, we are blessed.
In a 1977 New Era, Marion D. Hanks spoke on this subject.He said, concerning Alma 38:9, “That was this father’s first great witness to his sons:that he knew, in the only way men can know—that is, through the Spirit—that God lives, that Jesus is the Christ, and that through him the penitent can be born again.”Alma knew for himself that Christ was his savior and through Him he could be saved just as every one of us need to learn for ourselves.Through Alma others had been taught. But this was not enough; he wanted his son to know too.Just like each of us must discover for ourselves.
And there is something more that you must know. Alma understood in a special, personal way the marvelous blessing of the forgiveness of God.In the scriptures it says that in his youth there was in the land a climate of unbelief, of spiritual darkness: “Many of the rising generation … did not believe the tradition of their fathers.“They did not believe what had been said concerning the resurrection of the dead, neither did they believe concerning the coming of Christ.“And now because of their unbelief they could not understand the word of God; and their hearts were hardened.“… they would not be baptized; neither would they join the church … [nor would they] call upon the Lord their God.” (Mosiah 26:1–4.)Alma, son of a prophet, and his friends, sons of a righteous king, were part of this darkness and used their special gifts and talents to destroy faith. “He [and they] became a great hinderment to the prosperity of the church of God; stealing away the hearts of the people; causing much dissension … giving a chance for the enemy of God to exercise his power over them.” (Mosiah 27:9.)As the story goes they experienced pain and sorrow for their deeds. Through the prayers and fasting of their fathers, Heavenly Father was able to show them that they were on the wrong path.They learned their lesson and then became “strong in the knowledge of the truth; for they were men of a sound understanding and they had searched the scriptures diligently, that they might know the word of God.“But this is not all; they had given themselves to much prayer, and fasting; therefore they had the spirit of prophecy, and the spirit of revelation, and when they taught, they taught with power and authority of God.” (Alma 17:2–3.)Alma’s father had a witness, but that was not sufficient for Alma.Enos’s father knew and taught him, but not until Enos’s “soul hungered” and he cried to his Maker in mighty prayer and supplication did he gain the witness.The second thing I learn from Alma in Alma 38:9 is that we must be saved through Christ our savior. Again, Alma said, “there is no other way or means whereby man can be saved, only in and through Christ. Behold, he is the life and the light of the world. Behold, he is the word of truth and righteousness.”No other being can or could do what He did, thus substantiating the claim that he is the only means to achieve our salvation.Jesus is the only means that we can be saved:
Christ is the life of the world. He created our world in the beginning and He is our brother. In the beginning a plan was proposed and Christ was chosen to die for us. He died for us to pay for all the sins that our Father in Heaven knew we would do,that would keep us from returning to Him. Christ provided us with a way to return to our Heavenly Father. His atonement and resurrection bought us and paid for both our physical and spiritual deaths.We are saved from physical death by His resurrection. As the Apostle Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:22: “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ, all shall be made alive.” Everyone who has been born and will be born will be saved from physical death. We have all been guaranteed this for choosing to come to Earth. We can also be saved from spiritual death through our obedience and repentance. As we pray to our Father in Heaven and repent of all our wrong doings He can forgive us through Christ’s atonement.Christ is the light of the world. We are each born with the Light of Christ. This light helps us to know right from wrong. When someone hears the gospel the Light of Christ is in part what helps them understand and respond to the truth of it. Christ will continue to guide us as long as we continue to follow His commandments. He is our light out of the darkness of sin and spiritual death; otherwise “we see through a glass darkly.” Without Christ, we would all die in darkness, at the mercy of Satan. We sing:The Lord is my light; then why should I fear? By day and by night his presence is near.He is my salvation from sorrow and sin;This blessed assurance the Spirit doth bring.His light answers the ultimate questions of life: Where did we come from? Why are we here? Where are going after this life? The answers to those questions banish fear and darkness.Christ is the word of truth. Many people and churches argue over how to interpret his teachings and even if he was our Savior. Many live in confusion and cannot seem to determine right from wrong and are as Paul noted to the Ephesians,” tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive.” However, His teachings and example cannot be refuted. There is no gray area or relativity or rationalizing his precepts. What He taught was true and He lived a perfect example. His gospel applies to all people of all ages, in all places, and compliments the good in all people and in all cultures. His gospel can and will fit into everyone and anyone’s lives. As we can now see, the gospel has spread around the world and continues growing at a rapid pace even now. New missionaries are constantly going out into the field just as I will be doing in a few short weeks. They are bringing people to the truth.Christ is the word of righteousness. If we follow His teachings and example we will be led only to righteousness. There are many paths that wind toward fame and fortune, indolence and greed, loneliness and despair. Those roads often wander through or run parallel to our Saviors path, but they do not lead to the correct destination. His atonement allows us to cleanse ourselves through repentance, and teaches the patience necessary to live with and love others regardless of their sins. As we have always been taught, love one another as Jesus loves us. Though unrighteous people may pollute His teachings or question his divinity, there are those who strive to live by His principles and lead good lives. We know and understand our purpose in life. We can answer the question posed by philosophers: “How does one justify one’s existence?” If each of us strive to live our lives in accordance with Christ’s teachings, what further justification would we need?Now it is my turn to go out into the world and teach other people about Christ and his atonement and bring them to His wisdom and knowledge. I cannot wait to get to Argentina and teach the people what I know. I know the Lord will prepare a way for me and I will be able to touch the hearts of many bringing them back to the right path.
I have learned and I know that Christ is my savior…

Farewell Talk and Get Together

Sunday December 20th I will have my farewell talk at 1pm at the Peoria stake center on 83rd and Sweetwater. At 6:30 pm there will be a get together at my house. Come and say goodbye! Comment if you need my address and I will get it to you.