Farewell Talks and Garret Receives the Melchizedek Priesthood

 Kirt, Garret, and I all spoke in church today before leaving on our missions.  Garret was also ordained an Elder in the Melchizedek Priesthood. 

Kirt's Talk:There was a young woman who had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and had been given three months to live. So, as she was getting her business affairs in order, she contacted her Bishop and had him come to her house to discuss certain aspects of her final wishes. She told him which songs she wanted sung at the funeral service, and what scriptures she would like to be read.

Everything was in order and the Bishop was preparing to leave when the young woman suddenly remembered something very important to her.

“There’s one more thing,” she said excitedly.

“What’s that?” replied the Bishop.

“This is very important,” the young woman continued. “I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand.”

The Bishop stood looking at the young woman, not knowing quite what to say.

“That surprises you, doesn’t it?” the young woman asked.

“Well, to be honest, I am a little bit puzzled by the request,” said the Bishop.

The young woman explained. “My grandmother once told me this story, and from that time on, I have always tried to pass along its message to those I love and those who are in need of encouragement. ‘In all my years of attending ward dinners and Elders Quorum and Relief Society social events, I always remember that when the dishes were being cleared from the table, someone would inevitably lean over and say, “Keep your fork.” It was my favorite part of the dinner because I knew that something better was coming…like velvety chocolate cake or deep-dish apple pie. Something delicious and wonderful was about to happen with a lot of substance!’

“So, I just want people to see me there in that casket with a fork in my hand and I want them to wonder, What’s with the fork? Then I want you to tell them: ‘Keep your fork. The best is yet to come!’ ”

She KNEW that something better was coming.

At the funeral, people were walking by the young woman’s casket and they saw the fork placed in her right hand. Over and over, the Bishop heard people say, “What’s with the fork?” and over and over he smiled.

Now, that's my version of an old story, with an unknown author, slightly modified for our audience today.

President Russel M. Nelson, whom we honor and revere in the Church of Jesus Christ as both President of the Church, and also God's Prophet, said this recently: "The best is yet to come, my dear brothers and sisters, because the Savior is coming again! The best is yet to come because the Lord is hastening His work. The best is yet to come as we fully turn our hearts and our lives to Jesus Christ.

I'd like to touch briefly on each of these 3 key points:

1. Because of the Second Coming, the Best is Yet to Come
2. Because the Lord is Hastening His Work, the Best is Yet to Come
3. Because We Are Fully Turning our Hearts and Our Lives to Jesus Christ, the Best is Yet to Come!

FIRST In Isaiah 9:6 it declares: "...and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." When he left from among his original 12 Apostles in Jerusalem, can you place yourself in the scene among those dedicated followers? If you need some inspiration to see it in your head, take a look at the painting in the south hallway of this chapel, and you can see this moment represented...  Yes, they later received the Holy Ghost in fullness through the Day of Pentecost, yes, they worked many, many miracles, and travelled broadly preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but no, he didn't tell them, "That it'! You've finished your work here on Earth, I'm going to now restore the Kingdom of Israel and rule as the Milleniall Messiah"??

I've read this particular chapter of Acts a dozen times, at least, and as I've said before, I LOVE the book of Acts... Think of it, an entire book about a small group of trained disciples who possessed the proper authority of God, they were at times confused, often apt to mistakes, restarts and having to ask for foregiveness from God and other Saints?

That's us as well... 2000 odd years later! Upon this reading of Acts I realized what the very last question was that the 12 asked... And it brought tears to my eyes, and I felt empathy and love for those valiant Saints... And in that question we see the timelessness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and Hope for Second Coming and the Reign of Jesus Christ on the Earth... They asked: "Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?"? The answer back was: "It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judæa, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth."

That is same answer the Lord gives us all today, in the midst of our trouble, travail and trials...  As a disciple you will receive POWER, and you will be WITNESSES until the uttermost part of the earth...

Jesus Christ, Savior of the World, was then taken up in to heaven...

The scriptures say: "And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven."

In 2018, on that very spot, the Mount of Olives, over looking Jerusalem, a prophet returned, the first time a prophet had been to the Holy Land in 20 years due to political unrest.  The visit was short, due to rising security risks, but Russell M. Nelson, just months after he became the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, stood on that hill and said, simply and reverently, "Someday, He will stand here again".

SECOND

In preparation for that, the Lord is Hastening His Work... There are currently 382 temples in the world, dedicated, under construction, or announced... 121 of that number will be built, and dedicated in the next few years... The Quorum of the 12 Apostles and the First Presdiency will have a full plate just doing Temple Dedications world-wide!

The amount of youth serving missionaries is staggering, nearly 70,000 right now. The Church's Missionary Department created 36 new mission world-wide last year, but even that under-estimated our Youth... The Missionary Department is now advising Mission Leaders that their missions could have up to 20% more missionaries this year than previously planned, until even more new missions are created next summer.

Amazing problems to have!

THIRD

President Nelson has said:

"If you will make and keep covenants to follow Jesus Christ, you will find that the painful moments of your life are temporary. Your afflictions will be “swallowed up in the joy of Christ.”"

This is something I've held onto and repeated to myself over and over again through a few difficult past years. I can testify that God's Refining Fire is real, and that we are challenged and pushed and tested and tried... And that's OK, it's part of the package.  Nobody is unscathed and granted a free pass from trials... No matter what their Instagram looks like.

When we suffer downturns, disappointments and loss, know that that is truly the plan, to struggle through hard things WITH GOD AND CHRIST ON OUR SIDE.

I often think of this quote by President Eyring:

"You will find that when you meet someone, you should assume they are having a hard time. You will be right more than half the time."

Let us all resolve to be kinder to our fellow Saints, more supportive, more empathetic, and more loving. In our moments of deepest despair, let's reach out and serve a brother or sister in the Ward, or a relative or friend, and miraculous, our own burdens will be easier to bear.

...And in an Opportunity Ward "Sign of the Times" and preview of the upcoming chaos and craziness of the Second Coming, my amazing Wife Emily and I have been interviewed, interviewed again, and interviewed again and extended the call by Elder Bednar to serve as mission leaders of some of the most resourceful and productive missionaries this world has ever seen....

Now, many of us that have served missions have had a similar dream, where we are asked to return to our field of labor, on a second mission.  If I did a poll, I think it's pretty common dream, up there with showing up at the Testing Center, and forgetting that you had registered for a class and now needed to take the final, but you never ever went to class. In my missionary dream, it was always the same. Some significant time has passed since my first mission, we're married, kids were gone, and Emily and I are asked to serve a mission out of the blue. The dream is always the same, it's a hot, humid sunny day in the 90s, and my wife and I taking a little break from the heat in a Town Square, and we're under some shade trees, with a few concrete benches.  I'm wearing a short sleeve white shirt, outdoor pants, and hiking boots, and a polyester tie so beautiful and wide that I know that Cary Fry would 100% approve of it. Emily is looking fabulous as always, some sort of floral print dress and her trademark sunglasses.  I don't know in my dream, even where we were called, but it's somewhere in Latin America, since everyone is speaking Spanish, but it's not Costa Rica.  I know this because the accent is different, and they use some of the same slang words, but with different meanings, which is really annoying... My wife and I talk for a few minutes in the dream, and then from all 4 directions, we are surrounded by a small group of missionaries, like maybe 8-10. Some are North Americans, some are Latins, all with missionary clothes on and a black tag. They are all very excited, and want to show us or tell us something. It's as if we just did a group exercise and went out into the park to talk to strangers to find people to teach in that area. As we we go around and get their recap, they all have different answers, but each answer is unique and correct, and we help them firm them up a little, change a few words, or add an additional thought to them.... Then my wife and I look at each other and she says, "Well, not bad at all, they've got serious potential, let's work with them and spend time helping them, wherever we are, this mission has tremendous missionaries!"

Brothers and Sisters, I had that dream, over a dozen times over the past 10 years.  I stopped having that dream last Fall when we were called to Honduras. I hope sometime during our 3 years to see that Town Square and to see that scenario, and hundreds like it, unfold.

We've been assigned to labor in Honduras San Pedro Sula East, one of the 4 missions in Honduras, and the mission that covers the East half of San Pedro Sula, second largest city in Honduras, nearly the entire Caribbean Coast stretching hundreds of miles to Nicaragua, and the Bay Islands, which includes Roatan.

"The best is yet to come, my dear brothers and sisters, because the Savior is coming again! The best is yet to come because the Lord is hastening His work. The best is yet to come as we fully turn our hearts and our lives to Jesus Christ.

Emily's Talk: As you heard from Garret, we were asked to talk about President Nelson’s talk, the Lord Jesus Christ Will Come Again. I’m not sure that I am the best person to talk about the second coming.  

In 2019, we went on a family trip to the church history sites.  We started in New York and worked our way west.  By the time we got to Missouri, we had been traveling together for about 2 weeks.  I was tired of the car, tired of people, and just plain tired.  Plus it was incredibly HOT in Missouri.  The weatherman said it felt like 108 degrees with the humidity index.  We stopped at Adam-Ondi-Ahman, and I was just done.  I flat out refused to get out of the car and told my family that if we had to gather in Missouri at the second coming that I was NOT coming.  But the Lord definitely has a sense of humor, because Honduras is Missouri-hot all year round. 

In his talk in October of 2024 President Nelson said, “Brothers and sisters, now is the time for you and for me to prepare for the Second Coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ. Now is the time for us to make our discipleship our highest priority. In a world filled with dizzying distractions, how can we do this?”

I would like to suggest five ways that we can prepare to be ready to meet our Savior again, whether it be when he comes again or when we meet him on the other side of the veil. 

The first thing that we can do is serve in the kingdom. I loved Elder Shumway's talk in this last conference.  It really spoke to me. In his talk he said, “Have you ever wondered why we are asked to do things in God’s kingdom that feel beyond our reach?” Can you see why it spoke to me?

He continues, “I got an answer in general conference when President Russell M. Nelson said, “Now is the time for you and for me to prepare for the Second Coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ.” When President Nelson said this, the Spirit taught me that as we participate in God’s work, we prepare ourselves and others for Christ’s return. The Lord’s promise is compelling that callings, ministering, temple worship, following promptings, and other ways we embark in God’s work uniquely prepare us to meet the Savior.

When we say yes to serving, we are saying yes to Jesus Christ. And when we say yes to Christ, we are saying yes to the most abundant life possible.

We engage in God’s work not because God needs us but because we need God and His mighty blessings.”

What a powerful statement, “We engage in God’s work not because God needs us but because we need God and His mighty blessings.”

I don’t know about you, but I definitely need God and His mighty blessings and am very grateful that I am getting this opportunity to serve this mission so that I can have God’s power and blessings more fully in my life.

Another thing that we can do to prepare is to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ. Elder Renlund in his talk this April said, “When President Nelson speaks about the Second Coming, it is always with joyful optimism. However, a girl in Primary recently told me that she becomes anxious whenever the Second Coming is mentioned. She said, “I’m scared because bad things are going to happen before Jesus comes again.”

It is not just children who may feel this way. The best advice for her, for you, and for me is to follow the Savior’s teachings. His instructions are neither mysterious nor complex. When we follow them, we do not need to fear or be anxious.

My invitation to the anxious Primary child I mentioned earlier, and to each of you, is to follow Jesus Christ and to trust the Holy Ghost as you would a cherished friend. In doing so, you help the world prepare for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, and you will be blessed with sufficient hope to enter the rest and joy of the Lord, now and in the future.”

One of the most important things that we can do to prepare is to increase our ability to receive revelation. President Nelson in his April 2018 talk said, “Our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, will perform some of His mightiest works between now and when He comes again. We will see miraculous indications that God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, preside over this Church in majesty and glory. But in coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost. My beloved brothers and sisters, I plead with you to increase your spiritual capacity to receive revelation. Let this be a defining moment in your life. Choose to do the spiritual work required to enjoy the gift of the Holy Ghost and hear the voice of the Spirit more frequently and more clearly.

And in his talk in April 2020 President Nelson April promises,  “What will happen as you more intentionally hear, hearken, and heed what the Savior has said and what He is saying now through His prophets? I promise that you will be blessed with additional power to deal with temptation, struggles, and weakness. I promise miracles in your marriage, family relationships, and daily work. And I promise that your capacity to feel joy will increase even if turbulence increases in your life.”

Since President Nelson issued the challenge to increase our ability to receive revelation, I’ve been working hard to develop that spiritual gift—because I deeply want those blessings in my life. As we began preparing for our mission, I’ve felt especially grateful for the guidance that personal revelation has brought. Honestly, I don’t think I could have made it through this without it.

During the October 2023 General Conference, I was casually working on a puzzle, half-listening to the Saturday afternoon session, when Elder Rasband began speaking. He talked about the process of assigning missionaries to their missions. He mentioned that the younger missionaries had all been assigned, and now it was time to turn to the senior couples. He shared that there were only ten senior couples ready to be assigned—but over 300 requests for them.

Then came his invitation: he urged senior couples to get on their knees and ask the Lord if now was the right time to serve. He reminded us that, above all other qualifications, the most important one was simply a desire to serve.

In that moment, an overwhelming feeling came over me—I did have that desire. And more than that, I felt deep assurance that I could do what the Lord was asking of me: to serve as a mission leader alongside my husband.

I’m so profoundly grateful for the gift of revelation. It is helping me to prepare for my mission, and to be able to one day be with my Savior again.

Attending  the temple is another great way to prepare. President Nelson in his October 2024 talk said “regular worship in the temple will help us. In the house of the Lord, we focus on Jesus Christ. We learn of Him. We make covenants to follow Him. We come to know Him. As we keep our temple covenants, we gain greater access to the Lord’s strengthening power. In the temple, we receive protection from the buffetings of the world. We experience the pure love of Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father in great abundance! We feel peace and spiritual reassurance, in contrast to the turbulence of the world.

Here is my promise to you: Every sincere seeker of Jesus Christ will find Him in the temple. You will feel His mercy. You will find answers to your most vexing questions. You will better comprehend the joy of His gospel.”

In the beginning of 2019, I got an impression that I needed to attend the temple once a week. For years I had had a goal to attend the temple once a month, and I had never quite accomplished it.  Some months I made it more than once, but some months I didn’t make it at all, so I really didn’t know how I was going to make it once a week since I couldn’t even make it once a month.  But I had felt very strongly about this, so I set that goal. I am so grateful that I did.  It set me on a path of weekly temple attendance since this time and I have been so blessed for it.  I love being in the house of the Lord and it has helped to receive comfort and peace in my life.  

Recently I received one of these moments of comfort when I was attending the temple.  I was sitting there worrying about everything that was going on in my life.  How was I going to leave my family for 3 years, especially my soon to be born grandbaby?  How could I abandon my brother and his family so soon after Michelle died? How was I going to sell everything I own and go to Honduras? How was I going to learn Spanish? How am I going to take care of 175 missionaries? Where am I going to live when I come home? The list went on and on.  But as I was sitting in the session, the thought entered my heart (I know that’s a weird expression, but it's the only words I can think of to describe it) that everything was going to be OK.  No explanation of how all the problems would be solved, just that it would all work out.  I have clung to this feeling ever since that and I really do feel that everything will just work out.  This doesn’t mean I haven’t had several melt downs since and won’t have a few more before I leave, but I think without this comfort I would be in the fetal position on the floor of my living room.  

 

A final thing that we can do to prepare is to increase our understanding of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. In his October 2024 talk, President Nelson said “My heart aches for those who are mired in sin and don’t know how to get out. I weep for those who struggle spiritually or who carry heavy burdens alone because they do not understand what Jesus Christ did for them.

Jesus Christ took upon Himself your sins, your pains, your heartaches, and your infirmities. You do not have to bear them alone! He will forgive you as you repent. He will bless you with what you need. He will heal your wounded soul. As you yoke yourself to Him, your burdens will feel lighter. If you will make and keep covenants to follow Jesus Christ, you will find that the painful moments of your life are temporary.”

I am going to put my brother Jon on the spot here.  As many of you know, he lost his amazing wife Michelle this year.  Through this loss, I have seen my brother use the Atonement to get through this very hard thing.  Instead of turning bitter or resentful, he has turned to the Savior and relied on Him to help him and his family.  I have seen him be so patient and loving with his kids when it would be so easy to be grouchy because of everything he has gone through. He has reached out and served others.  To get through their first mother’s day without Michelle, he and the kids wrote notes to many of the mother’s that had helped them throughout the years and delivered the notes to them along with a flower on mother’s day.  He has been such a great example to me that turning to the Savior and relying on Him does work and can truly heal our wounded hearts.  

I am so grateful for latter-day prophets who give us counsel on how to prepare to meet our Savior again.  I know that as we do these things, that we will be strengthened today and more ready for what is coming tomorrow.  

Garret's Talk: The Lord Jesus Christ Will Come Again 

Good morning Brothers and Sisters, my name is Garret Christensen. Soon to be Elder Christensen. I have been called to serve in the Chile Concepcion mission. I start home MTC June 30th, and leave for the Mexico MTC 2 weeks later in July. Chile is long and skinny and my dad says that the people are “weird”- so I'll fit in perfectly there. 

Ever since I was a young boy I wanted to be a missionary, growing up the missionaries were heros to me. I sometimes sing the lyrics to I hope they call on a mission in front of my mom, and my mom is like, “they already have!” 

This life is the time to prepare to meet God. We came to this earth to be tried and tested and grow. We will all stand before God one day, we need to be prepared and confident to stand before him. The way back to God, is being a disciple of Jesus Christ. In the Prophets talk The Lord Jesus Christ will come again by Russell M Nelson, he says, “now is the time for you and for me to prepare for the Second Coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ.” This is a great quote because it shows that WE need to prepare for ourselves, no one can gain a testimony for you, only you. Another thing I liked about this quote is that the prophet said that HE needed to prepare for the second coming, if the prophet needs to prepare, then we ALL need to prepare.

What do we need to do to prepare for the second coming? 

I have 5 invitations and tips for this, the first 4 are on how to prepare yourself, the 5th one is how to prepare the world. 

Invitation #1: Grow your own testimony, how can you grow your testimony? In 2 Nephi 32:3 it states, “feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do.”  Growing your testimony requires doing the things we learn about since primary, reading our scriptures, going to church and praying to God. In the last year my testimony of Jesus Christ has grown a lot. I did this by paying better attention in seminary, taking notes and leaving my distracting phone in the car. I also did this by reading my scriptures as soon as I got home from school everyday. Growing your testimony is a lifelong process, not as a one time event. Did steph curry become the best 3 pointer shooter of all time after one day of practice! NO! He worked for it, for years, he was consistent and worked on it daily, and still works on it to this day. 

Invitation 2nd on how to prepare for the second coming: Go to the temple. In the prophet Russell M Nelson talk he says, “Here is my promise to you: Every sincere seeker of Jesus Christ will find Him in the temple. You will feel His mercy. You will find answers to your most vexing questions. You will better comprehend the joy of His gospel..” Going to the temple will strengthen your faith and your discipleship to Jesus Christ. It will help you to better understand God’s love for you. The temple truly is the house of the lord. I love the temple, when I was 11 turning 12 I went every week with my sister, what a good big sister. She set a good example for me, I am grateful for the temple so close and for the chance to get to go so often.

My 3rd invitation is: One of my biggest takeaways from Brother Kellers and Llyod seminary class is to “pray always.” I like this because it reminds us to always have a relationship with God. God knows us, he knows us better than we know ourselves, he knows our names, our strengths and our weaknesses. Turn to God and rely on Him for strength. In the Prophet's talk he says, “There is no limit to the Savior’s capacity to help you..” I love this, I often pray when I need help focusing on school or when I need more patience with my family— I'm still working on that one. 

My 4th invitation is something that the Bishop has taught me a lot is:, the most important thing is love for your neighbor. Especially in missionary work, if you don't have love for the people you are teaching then you missed the mark. You can be the smartest person in the gospel and have the whole book of Mormon memorized, but if you don't treat people kindly then that doesn’t really matter. I liked President Mallonees' talk last week at a stake conference, striving to have Christ in our countenance. As a missionary, I will be a representative of Jesus Christ, I need to strive to have Christ in my countenance . In DC 4: 6 it says, “Remember faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, brotherly kindness, godliness, charity, humility, diligence...” I love that word remember, because we all know that those are important, but we as humans are very forgetful so we need to ALWAYs REMEMBER to be Christlike. One thing we talk about in seminary is, it’s not enough to believe in Christ, we strive to become like Christ. I love the primary song, I’m trying to be like Jesus. “it says Im trying to be like Jesus im following in his ways. I'm trying to love as he did, in all that I do and say.” If you want to prepare yourself for the second coming, be more christlike and try to follow Him better.

The last tip is how to help prepare the world for the Second coming. In the young men's theme it says, “ I will help prepare the world for the Savior’s return by inviting all to come unto Christ and receive the blessings of His Atonement.” Missionary work is vital to preparing for the savior's return.  All of God's children need to hear the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I love this scripture in DC 133:37 “And this gospel shall be preached unto every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people.”This is why I am going to the beautiful far away country of Chile, to invite all to come unto Christ. God loves all his children and wants them to have joy in this life and in the next life. God is sending me to Chile to help to prepare the world for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. 

I know that Jesus christ will come again.

.