Elder Bishop mission farewell

January 2011—Elder Brandon Bishop farewell

Good morning brothers and sisters, I would like to begin today by saying that I now have a testimony of God’s great sense of humor…because I have been called to serve in the Provo, Utah Spanish speaking mission. Now admittedly, I was rather shocked when I opened the call in my BYU dorm room to learn that I was staying in Utah for an unexpected extra two years. Nevertheless, I am very grateful to be serving in an area where the church is already well established and where I will be quite well fed by eager, missionary-loving members of the church.

            Today I have been asked to speak about how following Christ strengthens missionaries. To begin I’d like to discuss what it means to be a missionary, and why the church places such a strong emphasis on missionary work. M. Russell Ballard wrote, “ We know the purpose of life. The rest of the world doesn’t. It rests on the shoulders of every young man to prepare himself to declare that message to the world. It is exciting work”. This is precisely the reason that young men in the church should want to serve a full time mission, to fulfill the commandment given in Doctrine and Covenants section 88: verses 81 through 82, which reads, “Behold I sent you out to testify and warn the people, and it becometh every man who hath been warned to warn his neighbor. Therefore they are left without excuse, and their sins are upon their own heads.” We as members of the church have been given a great blessing by already receiving this warning, and because we have been given much, we must honor Christ by following Him. It is for this reason that I have made the same choice that my peers before me have made to serve an honorable full time mission. I want to testify to the world about the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon, and cry unto repentance as the great prophets of old did.

            If the Book of Mormon is the keystone of our religion, then Christ is the foundation upon which the arch is built. His time on this earth provides an example of what it is to live a perfect life, and it is for our eternal benefit to follow his example and be the best we can be by striving for the perfection that only Christ achieved. As missionaries work harder to gain Christ-like attributes as outlined in the Doctrine and Covenants section 4, they will become more in tune with the spirit, and therefore better able to bring souls unto Christ. Doctrine and Covenants section 18 verse 10 says, “Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God”. Christ loves each and every individual, regardless of sin. Missionaries must develop this Christ-like love, known as charity, in order to effectively serve the people. A good missionary is one who not only serves the people, but also loves the people with the pure love of Christ as outlined in Moroni chapter 7. Preach My Gospel, a guide to missionary service, says that “charity is a gift from God….your love for all people will increase, especially those among whom you labor. You will come to feel a sincere concern for the eternal welfare and happiness of other people. You will see them as children of God with the potential of becoming like our Heavenly Father, and you will labor in their behalf….You will develop charity as you look for opportunities to serve others and give of yourself.” Christ was the perfect demonstrator of charity, as His mortal ministry was centered on love. He provided the ultimate example of love, when He sacrificed himself so that all mankind may be saved.

            By following Christ and His example, missionaries can truly become strengthened and be better qualified to teach His word. But in order to follow Christ, we must first have faith in Him. Faith, as defined in Alma chapter 32 verse 21, “is not to have a perfect knowledge of things, therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen which are true”. Jesus Christ lived many years ago, and there is no tangible evidence other than the scriptures that support the claim that He is truly the Son of God. We simply must believe that He is. But faith in Christ is more than a mere belief: growing up I believed that the Star Wars movies were real, and that someday I might become a Jedi Knight; but of course those beliefs were unfounded. We must believe in things that are true, and this is how we come to have faith. Faith is like a cycle; in order to come to know for ourselves what things are true, we must first have faith in those things, and the Holy Spirit will then manifest to us of the truthfulness thereof. Missionaries who have faith in Christ will have their faith increased, just like the old Primary song. “Faith is like a little seed; if planted it will grow”. Missionaries must have faith that the Lord will provide a way for them to overcome obstacles. Oftentimes I find myself relying more on my own abilities too much. Proverbs 3 verses 5 and 6 advises to “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths”. If we rely more on the Lord than ourselves, often we find ourselves blessed. I found this to be particularly true in the BYU Testing Center: sometimes I would forget to pray before a test, and would therefore go into a test with only my own knowledge to help me. But when I would pray for help and guidance, I found myself better able to recall information, and as a result did much better on those tests. But we must remember not to rely on the Lord for too much; it is of no consequence to our eternal salvation whether or not you wear a blue or red tie to church, or what groceries to buy, or whether those shoes would match that dress. The Lord shouldn’t be bothered with trivial things, as set forth in Doctrine and Covenants section 58 verses 26 and 27: “For Behold it is not meet that I should command in al things, for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant, wherefore he receiveth no reward. Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness.” The Lord lets us decide for ourselves what actions we should pursue, and how much we should rely on Him. If missionaries will trust on the Lord and rely on His divine intellect to guide them by following Christ’s perfect example, then they will be blessed with the power to discern for themselves what specific actions to take while serving Him. 

            During his life, Jesus Christ provided great service to mankind. He performed many miracles in order to benefit the life of man while he was on the Earth, and he taught that service itself was ordained of God. Matthew 25, verses 35 through 40 explain this doctrine, and I quote: “For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in. Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? Or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me”. Christ taught that when we perform service for our fellow man, we are providing service for God himself. Mosiah 2 verse 17 further explains the principle, saying “And behold I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings, ye are only in the service of your God.” Missionaries espouse the idea of service greatly. Missionary work itself is the act of performing a great service: providing a means by which all mankind may be saved. Missionaries serve the people they work with by allowing themselves to become instruments in the Lord’s hands and bring souls unto conversion and baptism. Not only do they do this, but also missionaries literally provide service for people, and by so doing allow for the hearts of those people to be touched by the Spirit. Bishop Heaston, my bishop at BYU, related an experience of service he had while he was on his mission. There was a great blizzard in his area, and an elderly woman was digging in the snow. Bishop Heaston and his companion came upon the woman, and asked her why she was digging during the blizzard: why not wait until the storm had passed? The woman explained that her pipes were having trouble and that her house was not being heated properly. So the two young missionaries instantly laid down their coats and helped the elderly lady dig down to the pipe, replace a section that had become damaged, and refill the hole, all during a snowstorm.  By the time they were finished, their pants and nice white shirts had become caked with mud and snow, and they were exhausted. The woman was so impressed by the service of these two young strangers, that she invited the missionaries in and a few weeks later was ready to be baptized, along with many other families in the neighborhood who had heard about the efforts of the elders. Missionaries like Bishop Heaston and his companion truly follow the Savior when they perform selfless service for the people they teach, and in doing so are blessed with softened hearts and open minds on the part of their investigators.

            I would like to close by bearing my testimony about the truthfulness of this gospel. I know this church is true, and I am willing to stake my very life on that declaration. I can’t wait to enter the mission field just like my good friends Elder Naylor, Elder Manning, both Elder Fackrells, and soon Elder Hansen, Elder Chu, and Elder Lewis. They have provided such an excellent example to me of what it means to truly serve God and forget oneself, and I hope to be able to achieve the same level of righteousness that they have while I serve the Lord. I know that Jesus is the Christ: that He died not only for the sins of all mankind, but for our pains and afflictions. Every time I am going through a rough patch, when I feel depressed or downtrodden, it brings me great comfort to know that Christ felt that exact same way for me. Though I may feel that no one can possibly understand or imagine my pain, I know that Christ will always be able to comprehend; because he has been there and done that already. I know that the prophet Mormon compiled the Book of Mormon, and that it was translated through divine authority given to the prophet Joseph Smith. It is this message that I am to deliver to the people of Provo, Utah (well, those people who haven’t already heard it). I know that missionary work is that great and marvelous work spoken of in Isaiah 29 verse 14, and I have been given a great responsibility to help bear that work. I know that by following the example that Jesus Christ set in His earthly life, I will be able to be lifted up and empowered with the Spirit of God as I go forth and serve. It has been an honor to grow up in this ward, and I have been truly blessed to have such great friends as those who I have met here. I thank god every day for the opportunity that has been given me to grow up as a member of the church in a kind, loving family. I am deeply blessed to be a member of the Bishop family. I would like to take this opportunity and thank my wonderful parents for always being there for me, and providing me with food and shelter for all these years even though I wasn’t always the greatest kid. I appreciate all that you do for me and I wish you and the rest of the family happiness and safety for the next two years until we meet again. I love you all, and I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.