Farewell Talk

Sacrifice Brings Forth the Blessing of Heaven

Good afternoon brothers and sisters. As I look out over the audience I am amazed to see so many family members and friends. I feel truly blessed by your attendance and your sacrifice to be here with me today. As you know, I have been called to serve in the Belgium Brussels/Netherlands mission. I am excited to go and serve the people there and pray that I will find those people to teach that Heavenly Father has prepared.

I wish that I did not have to get up and give a talk today. I was hoping that the Bishop would just let me announce my mission and tell you all goodbye and then sit down. But – I have not been so lucky. The Bishop has asked me to speak to you today on “Sacrifice Brings Forth the Blessing of Heaven”. I have felt overwhelmed by this topic as I have looked back on my life and thought about all the sacrifices my family and friends have made on my behalf in order for me to be here today giving my farewell talk.

The word sacrifice means literally “to make sacred” or “to render sacred.” Sacrifice is defined as “the act of giving up something valued for the sake of something else more important or worthy.”

I hope you have had a moment to read the quote on the front of the program today. It is by Gordon B. Hinckley and I would like to read it to you again. “Sacrifice is the very essence of religion: it is the keystone of a happy home life, the basis of true friendship, the foundation of peaceful community living, of sound relations among people and nations…Without sacrifice there is no true worship of God. I become increasingly convinced of that every day. “The Father gave his Son, and the Son gave his life, and we do not worship unless we give—give of our substance, give of our time, give of our strength, give of our talent, give of our faith, give of our testimonies.”

As I thought of this statement I felt very grateful and blessed to know these truths. As I have learned about the Atonement and the greatest sacrifice of all time I can hardly believe that he did this for each of us. He gave his life for each and every one of us so we could be able to live with him again. Elder Robert K. Dellenbach stated in a 2002 Ensign article “There can be no sacrifice greater than the atoning sacrifice of the Savior Jesus Christ. His Atonement, though incomprehensible and without equal, was this world’s crowning event. Gratefully, because of His supreme offer of charity, there is no sting of death, and the grave has no victory.” What greater blessing of Heaven could we ask for than to have the opportunity to live with our Father in Heaven and Jesus Christ again? If we do not offer the sacrifice of a broken heart and a contrite spirit, we cannot fully receive the blessings that come though the Atonement.

Another great example of sacrifice is the life of our Prophet Joseph Smith. In William W. Phelps inspiring hymn “Praise to the Man” the words pay a magnificent tribute to the Prophet. This beautiful hymn not only incorporates the elements of rejoicing and prophecy but also contains the phrase “Sacrifice brings forth the blessing of heaven” which Joseph’s life exemplifies. Through all the trials that Joseph faced in bringing forth the Book of Mormon and restoring this gospel to the earth, he stood firm and resolute in his beliefs. Each of us today is reaping the blessings of this great work and of his many sacrifices.

As I have been blessed to attend the temple this past month, I have come to a greater understanding about the law of sacrifice and the blessing promised. In D&C 103:27 the Savior said, ‘Let no man be afraid to lay down his life for my sake.” He never asked anyone to do something he was unwilling to do himself. He made the supreme sacrifice as did Joseph Smith. You and I may never be asked to lay down our lives for the gospel’s sake, but in many ways we can be obedient to the law of sacrifice and indicate our willingness to build the kingdom. In the temple we are taught to give everything we have to the building up of the kingdom of heaven. We are to give of our time, our talents, our means and anything else we may have to offer.

In a talk given by Elder Octaviano Tenorio of the Seventy he told a story about a young man named Alejandro Gallegos. In 1995 when he was 21 he attended an institute of religion class in northern Mexico. When his father found out that his son was studying with the Mormons, he was not happy. Nevertheless, Alejandro says, “Within my heart, a testimony of the gospel had begun to blossom.” When the missionaries invited him to be baptized he adds, “I accepted wholeheartedly.” As his testimony grew so did his desire to serve a full time mission. He did not have any support from his family and he did not have the means to support himself. He worked with his Bishop and developed a plan to prepare spiritually and financially to serve. He stopped his university studies so he could work and save the money needed. When he was 25 he was called to serve a mission and did so honorably until his release in 2001. After returning home, he was not able to resume his studies. The university would not accept him back into the program. He began to attend a private university which would only accept one year of his three years of credits. He basically had to start over. He finished his degree, married in the Mexico City Mexico Temple and is doing well today. As he speaks about his sacrifices and trials in his life to serve a mission he states “The sacrifice was worth it because he had realized his goal of serving the Lord as a full-time missionary which is a blessing that he will always be grateful for.”

Both sets of my grandparents have served honorable missions. In helping them prepare to leave and hearing their stories of their service it has helped me gain a greater appreciation for missionary work. As they left me and my cousins and aunts and uncles it was hard for them as well as for us. We missed them greatly but knew that they were doing a great work. They made great sacrifices in order to go and serve. They missed major family events and gave up time they could have spent with their children and grand children. Their missions brought great joy not only to them but to our family. We received blessings in our lives because of their willingness to serve.

Each of us makes sacrifices everyday. We give of ourselves to help and bless others. In so doing, we receive blessing that we need in our lives. As we voluntarily give our contributions, this sacrifice blesses us individually and it also blesses our family. These contributions also provide the resources necessary to build up the kingdom and they help to perform miracles everyday. As we attend the temple and do family history work we are making a sacrifice of love and time. We are providing a means for those that have gone on before us to receive the gospel and all the blessing associated with the temple ordinances.

As I have grown up in this ward I have had so many great examples to follow. All of my Young Men Leaders have given unselfishly to serve me and the other young men in this ward. They have given of their time and talents to bless my life. They have given me opportunities to serve others and taught me that serving others is a great gift. I have been blessed to be able to serve people in this ward and outside of this ward. We have donated food, clothing, and other items for the needy, we have helped clean up yards, filled sandbags, made and taken food to members, shoveled snow, cleaned the church building, and done so many other projects. By participating in these activities, I have grown to love the people of this ward. I have learned that helping others makes me forget about my problems and trials. I have been richly blessed to be able to serve and give of myself to make others happy. I am truly thankful for the Bishopric and all my leaders for teaching me this principle and giving me opportunities to bless the lives of others.

President Spencer W. Kimball said, “As we give, we find that sacrifice brings forth the blessing of heaven! And in the end, we learn it was no sacrifice at all.”

I would just like to bear my testimony of this great principle. BEAR TESTIMONY.

Thanks everyone again for coming and tell them how much you appreciate their support and love as you enter the mission field. Thank the ward members for their examples and support. Thank your family for their love and support.

In the name of Jesus Christ Amen.