Farewell Sunday

 

Good Morning brothers and sisters For those of you who do not know me, my name is Miles Miller, and our family is new to the ward.

 I have been called as a missionary for the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and have been assigned to the Trinidad, Port of Spain Mission, spanish speaking and I am so excited to get to work.

 I’d like to start by reading a story from Elder Shayne M. Bowen’s talk in the fall of 2018, “Many years ago the old country fair in parts of England was, besides being the place of exhibition for farm products, was where employer and employee met. . . . Farmer Smith wanted a boy to work on his farm. He was doing some interviewing of candidates. A thoughtful looking lad of about sixteen attracted him. The boy was confronted with a rather abrupt question from the gruff old farmer. “What can you do?” The boy swung back at him in the same style, “I can sleep when the wind blows.” . . . Notwithstanding he didn’t particularly like the answer to a civil question he got from the teenager, there was something about the gray eyes of that fellow that got under his skin. He approached the lad again with the same question, “What did you say you could do?” Again the same answer bounced back at him, “I can sleep when the wind blows.” Mr. Smith was still disgusted with such an answer and went to other parts of the fair to look into the faces of other youngsters who might want a job on a farm, but there was something about that answer he got that stuck to him like glue. First thing he knew his feet were carrying him back to meet the steady gaze of those deliberate eyes of the boy with such strange language. “What did you say you could do?” for the third time he thundered at the farm help. For the third time, too, the farmer got the same answer. . . . “I can sleep when the wind blows.” “Get into the wagon—we’ll try you out.” . . . One night Farmer Smith was waked about 2 a.m. with what might be a cyclone. It seemed that gusts from the north in only a few minutes developed with intensity to threaten the roof over his head. The trees cracked and noises outside turned the nervous system of our friend upside down. The speed he used to jump into his trousers was only outdone by the lightning as it broke up the darkness outside. With shoes half-laced he rushed out into the farmyard to see if anything on the premises was still intact, but he would need the services on a wicked night like this of that new boy. He called up the stairs of the attic where the boy slept, but there was no response from the snoring boy. He went half way up the stairs and thundered again, but only a snore echoed back. In excitement he went to the boy’s bed and did everything but tear the blankets from the youth, but the lad slept on. With a mixture of desperation and disgust he faced the gale, and out into the farmyard he plunged. He first approached the cow barn. Lo and behold, the milk producers were peacefully chewing their cuds, and the inside of their abode was as snug as a mouse under a haystack. It didn’t take him long to discover how the boy had chinked up the cracks of the cow abode and reestablished the locks and hinges. In the pigpen he found the same tranquility, notwithstanding the forces at work that night. He turned to the haystack. As he felt about in the darkness, it didn’t take him very long to determine again the preparation of the lad with the gray, steady eyes. Every few feet on that feed stack wires had been thrown and weighted on each side. With this construction the alfalfa was peacefully under control and laughing at the elements. Our farmer friend was stunned with what revelations he had in a few minutes of that cyclone night. He dropped his head. His mental maneuvers shot like lightning to the boy snoring in the attic. Again, the answer from a few weeks ago slapped him in the face: “I can sleep when the wind blows.”

 How can we sleep soundly when the wind blows in our lives? I know when I go on my mission it will be hard and the wind will definitely blow both spiritually and literally. As I have researched Aruba, one of the islands I’ll likely serve on, the wind on average blows a steady 35 mph. Our loving heavenly father has given us many tools that we can use to prepare and combat these storms. Today I’d like to talk to you about 4 ways that have helped me weather the storms as I’ve prepared for my mission. -temple covenants (being endowed D&C 38:32) I have recently gone through the temple to receive my own endowment and for a few short weeks had the opportunity to be a temple ordinance worker. I'm just beginning to understand what it means to be endowed with God's power as I keep my temple covenants but I've known since I was little that the temple is his holy house and he wants me to be there to receive strength and be close to him. Not long after the church was first organized the lord called the saints to gather in ohio… . then summarize. 

-Being prepared (eagle scout/quote from prophet)\ The second way is by being prepared. Since I was young I’ve been blessed to be a part of the Boy Scouts program. At every ceremony and jamboree, the scout motto: Be prepared, was exclaimed in unison by every boy in uniform. Through years of campouts and service projects I began to realize what that meant and how to truly be prepared for any storm both spiritually and literally. Through preparedness and many other life skills, I am now an eagle scout…well, me and my mom are now eagle scouts. President Thomas S. Monson once said: Preparation for life’s opportunities and responsibilities has never been more vital. We live in a changing society. Intense competition is a part of life. The role of husband, father, grandfather, provider, and protector is vastly different from what it was a generation ago. Preparation is not a matter of perhaps or maybe. It is a mandate. The old phrase ‘Ignorance is bliss’ is forever gone. Preparation precedes performance.

 -Exact obedience (sister mission) Third is through exact obedience. I have had two amazing examples of great missionaries through my sisters and their missions. They both showed precision in following the mission guidelines and became great missionaries even facing reassignments along the way. One of my sisters was called to the Milan Italy Mission and reassigned to the Honolulu Hawaii mission. While many saw her calls as a vacation more than a mission, I was able to see how hard it was to pick up and leave a country she was starting to get comfortable with and go across the world to an entirely different culture. Even struggling with the language didn’t stop her from being exactly obedient to all the mission rules and relying on god for the rest. They are both a blessing to me. It makes me think of the 2000 stripling warriors who faithfully stood with bravery in the Book of Alma. .

 -Knowing who you are and being true to it. (JS experience) Fourth; knowing who you are and being true to it is a big part of overcoming and preparing for any trial. When I was a young deacon I got the oppurtunity to go to the aaronic priesthood high adventure camp for my very first time. While attending one of the several activities was something they called a Joseph Smith experience. Our leaders told us to go and find a place alone where we could ponder, pray, and read the scriptures just like the prophet had done in the sacred grove many years ago. Some boys went into their cabins while others found spots around the campsite in the brush. I along with others decided I wanted to make a hike of it, and started a steep climb up a slope nearby. As we followed a small trail up the mountain boys started peeling off into the forest to find a secluded spot. Near the top I too decided to venture off the path and found a very peaceful spot next to a great oak and various wildflowers. As I was told to do, I opened my scripture quad and began to think where to read. Suddenly I knew just what to do. There was a calm breeze through the air since I was near the peak so I decided to let the wind take the pages of my scriptures…I was just a deacon. Thinking the wind would bring me revelation that would change my life, I looked down at the pages in front of me. After what felt like an eternity of sitting and staring at this section in the topical guide wondering what I was missing, I finally decided to close my scriptures and just sit still. In that moment I felt a way I had never felt in all my life. No, angels didn’t come down from the heavens, and no, I wasn't given new commandments, but the peace and reassurance that I felt on that hill side that day was so strong and present. I felt loved, but I also felt trusted by god, that I was where I needed to be, and I was a son of god. I’d like to close with one of my all-time favorite book of mormon scriptures in the book of Helaman. 

. I want to thank my friends and extended family for all the support you have given me, I love you guys. I want to thank my siblings for always putting up with me, but most importantly I want to thank my parents for everything they do for me. I wouldn’t be here without them. I love you. I have a testimony of this restored gospel. I know Joseph Smith is a prophet of god, and restored the church on the earth today. I know the Book of Mormon is true, I have no doubt in my mind. The power in those words are too strong for me to deny it. I have a testimony in the need for temples and how special they are. Brothers and sisters there is a great work to do. And I am beyond excited to go do it with the people of Trinidad. In the name of Jesus Christ amen.