Homecoming Talk

Sign placed at the intersection of 400E and 1600N Orem, UT

This the talk I gave at my homecoming address on March 20, 2011. I got home from my mission to Montana on March 17, and my brother Jesse got married two days later. There wasn't much time to think or compose. I just prayed that I would be able to say what I needed to.

My brother-in-law recorded me from his iPhone as he sat in the audience. I've transcribed my talk based on that recording, which began a few minutes in, and which was interrupted by a phone call; the recording is incomplete, but you should be able to get the gist of it. Small edits have been made to make this article a little more formal. Below is the mp3 version of the talk, which was taken in three sections. The sections overlap a bit, so don't worry when I repeat myself for a few seconds...I'm not smart enough to make them all run together smoothly. Turn up your speakers. It's a little soft.

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I began in a usual manner, greetings, good to be back, wonderful to see you all again, etc. Then I began talking about the online proselyting program I was a part of as a missionary, this blog being a result of that effort.

Describing our focus as online missionaries, the recording begins:

Arriving Home

It's been awhile since I posted, and for good reason.

Last Thursday morning, I woke up in Billings, Montana at 5:00 am and showered. The anticipation was killing me. The other Elders and Sisters could feel it too. Despite the early hour, we were wide awake, nervous, and excited.

I dressed in my usual missionary suit, and donned a cowboy hat for the special occasion ahead. After some cereal for breakfast, the elders and sisters and I piled into a 12-passenger van and headed to the top of the rims, to the airport.

It's the day that every missionary dreams of. I was so excited, but dreading it so much at the same time. Dying to see family, but so sad that this phase of life is over forever.

The flight from Billings to Salt Lake City is incredibly short. I think we reached cruising altitude for a few minutes and then descended (no, I'm sure it was longer than that...), and the total flight was less than an hour. An hour is not a lot of time to contemplate the end of two years of amazing experiences, or to prepare to return to an unknown world back home.

But the plane landed, and I got off.

It was a short walk to baggage claim, and I knew my whole family would be there. I hope they'll forgive me, but I dodged into the bathroom and just sat there contemplating and composing myself for a bit before I felt like I could go down that escalator.

As I stood at the top, a lady looked at me knowingly, and said, "You'd better put that hat on and get on down those stairs. They've been waiting for two years for you to come."

So I put the hat on, turned on my camera, and began to video my descent. Here it is:

Going Home

There are a million thoughts racing through my mind as I prepare to return home after 24 months.
Full-time missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints leave home and remain focused on their work for two years. During our missions, we call home four times, on Mother's Day and Christmas. We email once per week, and we write letters. That is the extent of our contact home.
We do everything we can to keep the Spirit of God with us. We avoid all forms of worldly entertainment.
Going out on a mission is a difficult transition for many, because of the personal limitations it places on an individual. But as we become used to the culture of missionary work, and see the incredible benefits that those "personal limitations" have provided, it can become a difficult thing to want to leave. The influence of God's Spirit in our lives has probably never been stronger. We devote every minute of every day, in some way, to serving those around us. We forge memories that give our lives new meaning, as we witness others changing their lives.
Now, this is not a herald to the amazingness of missionaries. I want to express the feelings I'm having now that I've been called to return home, to normal life.
Now that I will see my family again.
Now that I have to leave this incredible mission.

This poem was shared with me by a recently returned missionary two years ago. He shared it with great emotion. I had no idea what he was so intent about. Now I understand exactly--

He Will Give You Help

These remarks are taken from "Days Not to be Forgotten" by Elder Hancock. Elder Hancock is taking my place as a missionary in Billings, as I prepare to return home to Orem, Utah. There is some amazing work going on in Billings right now, and I know that he will be perfect for the job ahead.

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I would like to share a personal story. Something that has changed my life and has help me understand the importance of life. About three years ago, October of 2007 I came home one night a little latter than usual from high school. When I got home no one was there. For some reason I had a strong feeling that something was incredibly wrong. About five minutes later I got a call from a close family friend telling me that my older brother had gotten in a car accident, and was at the hospital with the rest of my family. In the crash my brother took trauma to his head, in which when the doctors tested him he had no brain activity. We had no choice but to keep him on life support until all our family was able to come, and then let him go. Words can't express what I exactly felt at that time. Today I can still remember all that happened the couple of weeks that transpired after my brothers death. I asked myself, and I asked God some prominent questions. What was the purpose of coming to existence? To live and die, and be no more? I reflected on the things that I learned when I was younger. The Plan of Salvation God's Plan for all of us. From much searching, and prayer I have come to know that God has a Plan for us. The center of that plan is our Savior Jesus Christ.

Riverton and Miles City

Elder Fry and I, just before leaving Riverton Wyoming

Again, very scattered thoughts about the areas of my mission. To those who live there or have served there, this may be of interest. To others...who knows. I served in Riverton and Miles City between August and October of 2009.
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Ah, Riverton. I loved my time there. I can think of little that I did not enjoy about Riverton.
It is closer to my home in Orem, Utah, than it is to the mission home in Billings, Montana. That was a strange feeling; If I just had a horrible day and decided to forgo all and abandon my cause, I could stick out my thumb on the highway and be home in no time. Of course, I was nowhere close to wanting to do that.
Elder Fry was my companion, and we got along so well. He was one of the few companions I had who wanted to run in the mornings with me.
We had a baptism of a young girl, and we helped to prepare several others on their way to accepting the gospel. We really taught well together, and got along great.
I think what I remember most about Riverton was living in the basement of Sister Larsen's home. Sister Larsen is well known throughout the mission as one of the chiefest mission mommas. She really loves the Elders, and all of us who have lived there love her. I remember her making cookies and cakes and breakfast and everything else for us, on a whim. And recently she published a cookbook of all the recipes given to her from missionaries who had stayed in her home. Sister Larsen and I definitely forged a bond.
Ironically, I was transferred after only four weeks. There were some unexpected changes in other areas of the mission which necessitated some movement. The mission president called me one night and asked if I could be ready to leave the next day.

Voice of the Spirit

 This is a video with the voice of James E. Faust as he spoke in June 2006. You can find the full text here.

My thoughts about this video:
I love the way this was put together. It really hits home for me. The longer I live, the more I see how much junk there is out in the world to get caught up in. Part of life is learning to sift and sort through the different distractions that come our way, and to find out what is truly meaningful.
I know that there is a voice that will guide us to every good thing. It will lead us to the things that really matter. It will lead us to find true joy in this life, and forever.
A quote from Lawrence Corbridge came to mind as I watched this video.
"Nothing in this life is of greater worth than the supernal gift of the Holy Ghost. It is the source of joy, peace, knowledge, strength, love, and every other good thing. With the Atonement, it is the power by which we may be changed and made strong where we are weak. With the priesthood, it is the power by which marriages and families are sealed together eternally. It is the power by which the Lord makes Himself manifest unto those who believe in Him. Every good thing depends on getting and keeping the power of the Holy Ghost in our lives. Everything depends on that.
To that end, Jesus Christ entered a garden called Gethsemane, where He overcame sin for us. He took upon Himself our sins. He suffered the penalty of our wrongs. He paid the price of our education. I don’t know how He did what He did. I only know that He did and that because He did, you and I may be forgiven of our sins that we may be endowed with His power. Everything depends on that. What then shall we do? We will “take upon [us] the name of [the] Son, and always remember him and keep his commandments which he has given [us]; that [we] may always have his Spirit to be with [us].”  Everything depends on that."

How has the Spirit influenced your life?

Livingston

The view from the hill overlooking Livingston, Montana

See "My Mission"
Here is a collection of memories from Livingston, Montana, where I began my mission. I'm going to hash different experiences together here, so read on.

I learned to look outside myself as I started my mission in the "windy city". I was very homesick and depressed much of the time. I tried not to show it to people. I knew that I was doing a great work. But it was hard, and I was not comfortable at all. I discovered that if I wanted to be happy, I simply had to give more of myself to the Lord by giving myself to other people. I just couldn't keep worrying about whether or not I was happy. It seems almost contradictory, but I know it's true.

"Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it." Matt. 16: 24-25

Elder Heath West trained me, and taught me so much. I didn't realize at the time how much he really did for me, and how patient he was with me.

ManyNames Winterhawk, Elder West and I at his baptism.

Together, we taught a man named Benito Leyvas, or ManyNames Winterhawk as he liked to be called. He helped me to see how far-reaching the Atonement of Jesus Christ is. He came from a very tough background. There's not much in this world that's bad that he didn't do in his past. But I watched as he let those things out of his life, and repented. His baptism was amazing.

Heather, Elder Hinton, and I at her baptism.

At the end of my time with Elder West, we invited two families in the Livingston Ward to pray and ask Heavenly Father to help them identify someone they knew who was ready to receive the gospel. Two weeks later, both families approached us at church, independently of each other, and said that they remembered working with a young woman named Heather Burrill. They didn't know why she had stopped investigating the church, but they said that she had seemed very promising. It's amazing that both came up with the same name.