Good morning brothers and sisters, my name is Tiffany Larsen and this Wednesday I report to the Provo MTC to serve a mission in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After what seems like an eternity of waiting, I can't believe that it's already time for me to go. I am so excited to get out the east coast to serve, teach and love the people there.
The topic I was asked to speak on, you may have guessed it, is missionary work, but more specifically, “As We Become Disciples of Jesus Christ, we desire to share the joy of his gospel with others.” I’ve decided to break this topic down into three connecting themes: 1. “Become a disciple” 2. “Have a desire” and 3. “Share the joy.”
We know that when Christ was on the earth he called disciples. These were 12 men whom he called followers and friends. They were fishermen and ordinary people. They walked with Christ, they learned from Christ, they taught of Christ. We too, as disciples of Christ, are asked to do similar things.
Now we aren't asked to walk along the sea of Galilee, but to walk with Christ we do those things to keep him by our side always. This includes those "Primary answers" which help us focus our lives on Jesus Christ—things like daily scripture study, daily prayers, regular temple attendance, participating in church meetings and partaking of the sacrament.
As a child I attended primary where I learned basic gospel principles and scripture stories through word and song. Throughout junior high and high school I had the opportunity to really expound upon what I had learned from a young age and develop my own testimony of Jesus Christ and his restored church. I attended Young Women’s classes each Sunday, completed my Personal Progress and Honor Bee, went to seminary for an hour each day during my school week, traveled to summer camps like EFY and Girls Camp and attended weekly Wednesday night mutual activities with other girls and boys my age. In college I continued attending church meetings and mission prep classes, had a calling to serve the other single adults within my ward and had the blessing of attending a church- owned school where the gospel is incorporated into every lesson, no matter the subject, and each class is started with prayer. By doing seemingly little things to keep Jesus Christ on our minds continually, it is as if he with walking beside us, and he is. In D&C 88:84 it reads, “I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up.”
Disciples of Christ learn of Christ. The very first definition of disciple I came up with was a “follower of Jesus Christ.” But what I found very interesting, and maybe it’s just me or maybe I’d never really thought about it, but according to the Bible dictionary a disciple is not only a follower of Jesus Christ, but a “pupil or learner.” President Dieter F. Utchdorf said, “The first step on the path of discipleship begins, luckily enough, in the exact place where we stand! We do not have to prequalify to take that first step… You and I can walk in the path of discipleship today,”. Christ isn’t asking for perfect people, he is asking for people willing to learn. This, especially as a future missionary, is such a relief to know that we don’t have to be perfect because
it’s okay to still be learning! Ultimately this means that disciples of Christ are humble, and willing to change their lives in order to be more like the Savior.
For the past two years I’ve had the opportunity to attend mission prep classes offered by my stakes both here and in Idaho. The first thing you would think is, “Well, that must be a great place to learn how to be a missionary,” which it absolutely is, but these classes taught me lessons much deeper than that. When you suddenly put on the spot to teach someone about a gospel principle, you have to be able to say that you know what you’re teaching is true. And if you aren’t sure, you need to put in the effort to get there. It takes work and time, but through prayerfully study and doing as directed in James 1:5 to, “Ask, seek and knock,”
I know that you can find answers. Disciples of Christ study out what they know, search for truth and test what they believe to be true. And while I'm at it, I'll put in a little plug for mission prep to any of you high school seniors or college students... If you're planning on serving a mission, go to mission prep. If you're considering a mission, go to mission prep. If you're just wanting to gain more understanding and a personal testimony of the gospel, go to mission prep. I can promise you that that class will greatly strengthen your testimony and knowledge that this church is true, just as it has mine.
Disciples of Christ teach of Christ. As a missionary, I will have the privilege to do this all day, everyday, but that doesn’t mean that missionaries are the only ones who can teach of Him. We are all called to teach whether that be within our families, church callings, or even something as simple as sharing a thought, quote, or picture over social media-- There are so many different ways we can teach family and friends about Christ.
In Alma chapter 29:9 it reads, “I know that which the Lord hath commanded me, and I glory in it. I do not glory of myself, but I glory in that which the Lord hath commanded me; yea, and this is my glory, that perhaps I may be an instrument in the hands of God to bring some soul to repentance; and this is my joy.”
Each one of us is called to be an instrument in the Lord’s hands. And because I play the violin I’m going to relate this saying to a musical instrument. As a violinist I know that a violin can't just make sound on its own. There has to be a musician--the one who uses the instrument, who fine tunes it, who cleans and cares for it-- a person who turns what would ordinarily be a
piece of wood into something
magnificent. The musician wants the music of the violin not to be keep in a room for his ears only, but to be heard by many others. Similarly, we should strive to be instruments in the Lord's hand so he, the great musician, can use us to help others tune their hearts to him and reach their full potential. Without Christ, missionary work is impossible. An ordinary person can't change the hearts of others, cause miracles to come about or bring others to believe in the Savior, but as we turn to him, we will guide and help us in our efforts.
A major part in becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ is the desire to share. This past summer I have been able to teach Primary, which I’ve absolutely loved doing. In Sunday school this year the primary has been focusing on the New Testament. My class has learned a lot about parables that Jesus Christ taught, and how a parable is a story that uses everyday objects familiar to the audience to teach a deeper meaning. So I will tell you about a little story, a little parable, and hope that as I tell my story you can try to think of the deeper meaning. I’d like to call it “The parable of the cookie.” That’s right, I said cookie. So once upon a time, about 7 months ago, I was teaching my relief society class at BYU-Idaho. Now, whenever you’re working with a university single adult ward, even the slightest mention of refreshments instantly catches everyone’s attention, it’s really quite amazing how it works. So with this in mind I walked to the front of our classroom and lifted a huge bag onto the
table and asked, “Who likes cookies?” Not surprisingly, every girl in the room suddenly perked up and became interested in what I had to say, so I asked a second question, “What do you need to make cookies?” The girls began rattling off ingredients and I began pulling out pans, bowls, a mixer, eggs, flour, sugar, chocolate chips, butter etc., practically everything but the kitchen sink. I then asked the best baker in the room willing to make cookies for our class to come up to the front to help me. Once I had my volunteer, I told she had everything in front of her and an oven down the hallway, and we wanted cookies. I told her this was the recipe for the very best chocolate chip cookies she would ever eat, and asked her and my class how badly they wanted some fresh, warm cookies. With it being a cold and very windy day, nothing sounded better than a straight-out-of-the-oven, ooey gooey chocolate chip cookie. She and the class wanted one so badly, so I told her go ahead. But just as she reached for the recipe card and her first ingredient I stopped her and said she couldn't
do anything, but we
wanted cookies. Confused my baker said, “How am I supposed to make cookies for the people who want them, if I can’t do anything?” I then thanked her and disappointedly she sat back down, with no cookies for herself or classmates. I then explained to my class that we have been given all that we need: the scriptures, prayer, repentance, teachers and prophets, the atonement, etc. everything we could ever need; All these amazing tools that our Heavenly Father has given us to learn and grow, as disciples of Christ. But, nothing will come about from these aids if we don’t put action behind our desire, just like you can’t desire cookies to make themselves and enjoy the end result. We can’t desire others to feel the joy of the gospel if we never open our mouths or invite others to come unto Christ. Desire to share the joy of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ
is not enough to stand alone, but that
desire
is enough to fuel our actions.
President Utchdorf said, “It is not enough merely to speak of Jesus Christ or proclaim that we are His disciples. Discipleship is not a spectator sport. We cannot expect to experience the blessings of faith by standing inactive on the sidelines any more than we can experience the benefits of health by sitting on a sofa watching sporting events on television and giving advice to the athletes. We cannot receive the blessings of the gospel merely by observing the good that others do. We need to get off the sidelines and practice what we preach,”.
And this brings me to talk about not only desiring, but “
Sharing the joy”-- the reason why 85,000+ missionaries have chosen to leave their homes, their families, jobs, school, you name it--because we love to share the joy that comes from the message of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ!
Rewind to 3 and a half years ago and had you asked me if I wanted to serve a mission, I would have told you no. It had never really crossed my mind… until I went to EFY at BYU-Idaho in 2012. Our theme for the weeklong summer camp was centered around missionary work and I absolutely loved it. I had been trying harder to be more like Christ, to become one of his disciples, by putting more effort into personal scripture study, participating in seminary and other various things. I had the desire to do more and help others feel what I did, and it was while I was at efy that I found the way for me to do that was through missionary work. One of the things I did when I got home and school began just a few weeks later was set a goal for myself to talk to one person per week about some church-related topic whether it was seminary, mutual, the temple, my personal scripture reading, church meetings etc. It didn't matter whether this gospel discussion turned into 30 minutes of talking or was acknowledged and brushed off by the person I was talking to, I loved the feeling I got when I shared my beliefs. Soon this goal grew into talking to 2 people per week, to 3, to 4, even someone every day. It was not always easy or comfortable to share my testimony and beliefs with friends, strangers, neighbors, and teachers, but the more I did it, the more I wanted to do it because I did not want such joy kept only to myself. In the October 2014 general conference, elder David A. Bednar said, quote, “Our desire to share the restored gospel of Jesus Christ with you is a reflection of how important these truths are to us,” end quote. I had grown to realize just how much I wanted others to experience all of the blessings and joy I had received through the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, and learning, growing and changing through him.
Elder Bednar also said this, in regards to those who are not members of our church, “When we invite you to attend church with us or to learn with the full-time missionaries, we are not trying to sell you a product. As members of the Church, we do not receive prizes or bonus points in a heavenly contest. We are not seeking simply to increase the numerical size of the Church. And most importantly, we are not attempting to coerce you to believe as we do. We are inviting you to hear the restored truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ so you can study, ponder, pray, and come to know for yourself if the things we are sharing with you are true.”
You may say, "You're only 19, what could you possibly know?" But I can tell you that I know that this church is true. It is through this the restored Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that I can find true and lasting joy. I know that the Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ, translated by the prophet Joseph Smith. I know that God listens and answers our prayers because so often reading our scriptures his way of answering us and prayer is our way of communicating with him. I know that as we are willing to follow the Savior and become more like him, our desire to share his word will increase, and I am grateful for the opportunity I have to dedicate the next 18 months of my life completely to the Lord.
And I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
