Sacrament Talk Given on October 18, 2020

Hello! I am Elder Petersen, and I was asked to speak on missionary work...go figure. I didn't really give this topic much thought throughout the week. I assumed I could stand up here and through the spirit express the desires of my heart and why I wanted and have came out on a mission. But that's not how the spirit works. Faith without works is dead.

So I searched my soul over the weekend and developed why I have come out on a mission.

Relationships in this life are the keystone of this earthy existence. Our mortal connections with those we love, spread kindness too, and share valuable time with, decide how the story of our life is written. These relationships in my life and in your lives, have determined the path I am, and you are on today. There are 2 key relationships that I would like to share that have influenced not only my life, but many others as well.

The first, is our relationships with our family and friends.

My family is small, containing just me, my father, my mother, and my older sister Jacey and I love them all very very much.

My dad has always been someone I can talk to if I needed it. I grew up practicing, playing, and watching every sport imaginable with him. Baseball, soccer, basketball, you name it we've experienced it. As my parents raised me, and taught me what I should value through their example, he would say, "Be aware of what your doing." If I swung a bat a little too close to the kid next to me, or walked into the kitchen with my cleats on after a muddy soccer game, I would always hear, "Be aware of what your doing." I have kept those words in my soul as I have gone through life. My decisions are clear as I have been aware of what I am doing.

My mom has always had a special place in my heart. Ever since as a still small voice I whispered into her heart, "Mom I'm here," she has loved me with all that she is. That's what moms do. They raised me to be humble, to think of others before myself, to not put my needs over others.

They raised me with a love that can only be described and Christlike. They raised me with a knowledge of reality. Reality is hard. We did real at my house. They wouldn't sugar coat a mistake I made, and they allowed me to choose for my self what I wanted to become. They raised me in the gospel. I am eternally grateful for them.

My sister is my best friend. My companion through thick and thin. I have only truly cried a handful of times in my life. One of those came when I said goodbye when she left for an 18 month mission to Peru.

I was raised in the church, with primary hymns of I hope they call me on a mission, and Called to Serve acting as lullabies to a young child. When I was preparing to receive the priesthood as a turning 12 year old child, I made the decision to serve a mission, and that I would not be moved from that. My dad served a hard, challenging mission in Wisconsin. He served faithfully. He did not express a false statement on the work required for this task required of him, and now his children within missionary work. He more than once mentioned of the difficulty he faced.

On an August morning in 2018 my family shed tears as Jacey boarded an airplane to the Mexican CCM, or missionary training center. That was the hardest thing I had done up to that point. I loved her. She struggled on her mission, learning a language, facing new challenges in a new part of the world. These are daunting tasks for a 19 year old girl who months previous had no intentions of going on a mission.

My sister served a hard, challenging mission in Peru. She served faithfully. She did not express a false statement on the work required for this task required of her. She more than once mentioned of the difficulty she faced.

But both my father and my sister also expressed the love and the testimonies they gained. The sacrifice, the challenges they faced, and the tears they shed, gave birth to new light inside them and the people they shared it with. The sacrifice they made by giving up everything they loved, to the God who loved them even more, was nothing compared to the blessings of exaltation they were able to share with the people they taught. They would not trade this greatest experience of their lives for anything.

Which brings me to the last and most critical relationship any of us have. That is with God our Eternal Father, and in his son Jesus Christ.

The culmination of all our faith is built upon our relationship with these infinite beings. Their love and grace, surpasses the compression of any human mind. The connection we develop with them allows us to improve in every positive aspect. A fraction of Christ's light in our lives makes all of the difference. They have given everything for us. Shouldn't we begin to return the favor?

This relationship above all others decided for me, that I was going to serve a mission. The opportunity I have to shine the light of Christ to all those who are prepared to receive it surpasses any other choice without a shadow of a doubt. I was taught to love my life, and it was very difficult leaving it all behind. But the fire of faith I can ignite within the hearts of others as they come closer to Christ makes it all worth it. The gospel really does create a sense of charity in the people who lets it touch them, and it is truly a miracle to behold.

There were many struggles and hardships that Satan threw at me, as I prepared to serve my mission. I was brought low repeatedly, but for the sake of time I won't go into them. My previous decision was not shaken.

Each relationship with another person is missionary work, in and of itself. Don't take anyone or any relationship you have lightly especially the one you have with your your Heavenly Father. Even if you are not called right now as an official missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, you still are an example and stand as a representative of him and His Church at all times, in all things, and in all places. That is your mission call. Do not take it lightly. I invite all those youth who are questioning your future. Satan is real, and he is good at what he does. He does not want you to serve and touch the lives of others. Make a decision, pray about it, and be not shaken.

I have given up everything I love, to the God who loves me even more. I am very aware of what I am doing. You should be as well. I am serving as a representative of Jesus Christ and my only regret is that I did not begin sooner. The love and grace Christ offers each and every one of us individually overcomes any doubt, any fear, and any sin we may have. He knows us, he loves us, and he is with us every step of the way.

He renunciado a todo lo que amo, al dios que me ama aún más. Soy muy consciente de lo que estoy haciendo. Deberías estar bien. Estoy sirviendo como representante de Jesucristo y mi único pesar es que no comencemos antes. El amor y la gracia que Cristo ofrece a todos y cada uno de nosotros individualmente supera cualquier duda, cualquier temor y cualquier pecado que podamos tener. Nos conoce, nos ama y está con nosotros en cada paso del camino.

I say these things, in the sacred name of his son, Jesus Christ, amen.