Well, That Flew!

I'm trying to find the words for this one, folks, but a year and a half doesn't come easy.

Let me try and sum it up for you. I have been lonely most of my life, and I went from that to being with someone 24/7, learning every word to Amazing Grace, rewiring electric fences, laughing at Christmas videos, smiling so hard I thought my dimples would be permanent. I went from not really knowing anything to knowing I don't really know anything, but also knowing what I came here for, and who I am, which are probably two of the most important things you could know.

They'll tell you a mission is indescribable, and they aren't wrong. They'll tell you it's the hardest thing you'll ever do and they aren't wrong.

They'll tell you it's the best thing you'll ever do, and they'll be three for three. Whoever "they" are, you'll pray their accuracy rubs off on the BYU football team (but it probably won't).

On my mission, we laughed a lot. Probably more than I've laughed my whole life. We were awkward missionaries and we had a lot to be happy about and a lot to laugh at. On my mission the accents were sweeter than their tea, but you wouldn't know about the tea. My mission was fun - we played soccer with kids, had thanksgiving with families as loving as home, worked on farms, in soup kitchens, and thrift stores. On my mission we made friends with other missionaries and got to know them and their areas. We made lifelong friends.

But it was more than that.

On my mission, and I think on missions in general, is where I learned truth. Especially truth about myself, my identity. And truth about you & yours. That's what the gospel does, that's the brilliance of it - it teaches you truths that change your life and your heart permanently. My eyes were truly opened, and my heart as well, and I learned that I am not Em Pew, who loves singing, who writes about love, who talks about boys, who smiles about puns, who cries about stress, who worries about everything. I am not a theater kid, I am not a tomboy, I am not a student or a budding businesswoman. I am a daughter of God. He loves me. He thinks I am worth saving, and that is why He gave me Jesus Christ, as a gift, so that my salvation could be possible. That's what I really learned, and once I knew it about me, I knew it about everyone. That changes you, it really does, to know those things.

On my mission you got called baby and sugar and honey all the time, and you were amazed at the love of Christ you found in all the Saints of the South, be they Latter-day or Baptist or Pentecostal or just plain saints with no religion attached or required. On my mission it was common to see plain simple human decency - everyone helping the elderly or disabled, being respectful to others. On my mission the goodness of humankind was so much more apparent. On my mission it was crystal clear that in every single person there was a trace of divinity, something in them that made them special, that made them loved. Maybe my eyes were just opened a little wider, but I get the feeling I started seeing better out of my heart than my eyes.

The priesthood is not a gender. The priesthood is power given by God to all mankind, exercised by worthy males. It is given to serve, to bless and ultimately to perfect us. All of us. The purpose of the priesthood is to connect us to heaven, both here on earth and forever with our families. I know deeper than my bones that families are forever, and God intended that. That is His plan for us. He wants us to be happy and so He gives us families, covenants, commandments, and the priesthood to bind it all together.

You can look all over the world for things to give you value. You can go live in Italy for 10 weeks, you can pass all your classes in college, you can win awards and races and competitions, but none of that adds to your value. Your value does not vary. It is in no way attached to the things you do. It came with you when you arrived here. Get me? It doesn't change a single bit, no matter what you do, and I think we forget that. I think we interpret consequences as an indication of our own worth, but that's simply not how it works. You are worth the full cost Christ paid for you. That is true of everyone. So if you don't agree with me, if you make choices I'd never make, if you're mean to me, if you bother me - it doesn't matter. God made you, just like He made me. And that means that you deserve love, and friendship, and happiness. We all do.

It takes work to be the best person you can be. It takes a lot of work. But it's worth it. You are worth it. Take responsibility for the eternal person inside you, and bring that person out so that everyone can see. You are worth putting the time in to feel good. Read the scriptures, and act on what you learn. Take care of your body. Wear clothes that make you feel the most like yourself. Actively spread love. God made you to be a blessing, and that is a beautiful thing.

I'd like to thank South Carolina and Jesus Christ. Without these 2 pillars of my life, I would be right where I started. But I've changed and it's thanks to Him.

I know He lives. And if you don't know that yet, I know how you can find out. I invite you to pray. It's the best step forward you'll ever take. I love this church, where I have learned truth and continue to learn truth the more I study and the more I let myself grow. God loves you. He always will.