Final Testimony

As missionaries we are often asked to share our "final testimony" with people as we are departing to go home. Well this is my last day as a full-time missionary serving the Lord Jesus Christ, so I want to share my final testimony with all of you.

When I grew up as a teen I went through all the motions and did everything a good Mormon girl was supposed to do. I attended every Sunday and did all my assignments. But then in college I started to realize I didn't know what I believed. I didn't know if everything I have been told all my life was actually true or if I would get to the other side and God would say "well, you were definitely working hard, but you didn't have to work that hard." It scared me.

My junior year I knew there was a change coming, I could feel some big change coming on the horizon, I just wasn't sure what it would be. I changed majors, and that didn't fulfill it. I dated a few guys, and that didn't fulfill it. But then I started to realize that I did know I believed in God, and that I had never really consulted Him on my life decisions. So I decided to. And boy was I surprised. He told me to serve a Mormon mission. And at the same time, a dear family member was diagnosed with heart failure and given 6 months to live. I realized it was time to decide to know what I did and didn't believe in when it came to religion. So I started praying even harder and begging for answers. And the answer kept coming as Mormon mission. So I went forward on a path I didn't understand. 

And boy has that mission taught me a few things.

Jesus Christ lives. 

God is our Father. He loves us.

The Church of Jesus Christ is the Kingdom of God on the earth.

The Book of Mormon is the most true book on the earth I have ever read and I love it. 

Baptism is the greatest gift God has given all of us to be forgiven of our sins.

There is no place I'd rather be on a Sunday than at the Church.

Jesus Christ lives.

Jesus Christ loves us. 

Jesus Christ suffered and died not just to pay for sin, but to understand our pain when we suffer. 

And this the point I want to leave burned into your hearts like it is in mine. Christ loves you and I more than either of us can ever imagine. He has helped me through the the hardest and darkest hours of my life. I cannot say that my mission has not been a struggle. I have depression and sometimes it's not the easiest. But He has rescued me from every dark moment and showed so much love to me. I know that without a doubt that He will rescue any soul who reaches out to Him. And I know that I am a member of His restored gospel. I want this blessing for all of you. If you are a member, take it a little more serious today. If you aren't, ask the missionaries. I want you to have the joy that this gospel has brought me the past two years as I have served the Lord. I have come to know Him better than I ever thought possible. I have come to understand His love for us more than I ever have and want to spend the rest of eternity in the arms of that love. And I want that for you too. So will you get a Book of Mormon today and read it? Pray about it? Please? I know it will bring you a peace you've never felt and you will be filled with His love for you.

I know it.

He Atoned

I've been thinking a lot recently about something dear to my heart. In the beginning of my mission there was a phrase that drove me crazy. Whenever I had a hard day, felt guilty about something I said or did, felt sick other missionaries would tell me "Study the Atonement." This always made me crazy! I couldn't see how Christ's sacrifice applied to me being sick. It frustrated me that others would think that it applied. I felt that it only applied when we were repenting of sin.

I continued on in my mission with great frustration trying to understand how the Atonement applied to the situation I was in. But I tried their advice and studied the Atonement. And at first it did not work. I still couldn't see how the Atonement would help me feel better when people reject the message that we share. Then last April I studied the atonement in a new way. I read a talk by David A. Bednar, an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, speaking on the enabling power of the Atonement. It completely changed my understanding. I then read in the book Jesus the Christ and studied the last week of Christ's life to prepare to give a talk in church on Easter Sunday. And my understanding of my Savior and my relationship with Him was revolutionized.

Over the following months as I continued to study the Atonement I came closer and closer to my Savior. In the Fall I had some experiences that brought me closer to Him than I ever thought possible. So I have decided that I need to share my testimony and understanding of the Atonement. I plan to do a series of posts over the coming weeks sharing and teaching on the many different aspects of the Atonement and how it applies to every moment of every day of our lives.

I know that as we come to truly understand the purpose of Christ's love for us and His sacrifice because of that love that we can be blessed immeasurably. I pray that this understanding can help you as it has helped me.