Farewell Talk

Many years ago, when Howard W. Hunter, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles,

visited with Missionaries at the Provo MTC preparing to serve all throughout the world, he was

asked for one piece of advice that would apply to all the Missionaries present. After short

consideration, he replied, "I want you to remember that you only have a limited time to serve the

Lord full-time, but the rest of your lives to think about it." Now here I stand before you, as someone

who has been a member of this Church for a shorter period of time than the intended length of this

"limited" full-time service. What a pleasure it is to speak to you today.

As I prayerfully decided on a topic for this talk, much came to mind. This Gospel has certainly been

put into place to enrich and bless the lives of all of us! However, we are withholding ourselves from

many of those blessings and joys of life if we lack hope.

In the scriptures, we learn that hope is a certain belief. Unlike factual knowledge, however, it is a

certain belief in things to come. It is a strong manifestation of trust and faith in the plan that the

Lord has for each one of us. It means that we give ourselves to Him, trusting and knowing that good

things are to come, regardless of how dreary our current circumstances may be.

The old words of wisdom hold true: A man may survive three minutes without air to breathe, three

days without water, three weeks without food, but no three seconds without hope.

As Moroni, an ancient prophet in the Americas, worked on compiling the records now known as the

Book of Mormon, he commented in the Book of Ether: "Whoso believeth in God might with surety

hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith,

maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always

abounding in good works, being led to glorify God."

In this statement, we learn two basic truths about hope: First, it is present in those who believe in a

loving, caring and merciful God. Think about it: The most perfect, powerful and great being in the

universe has promised you to receive all the blessings He has in store for you, if you stay faithful

and live righteously. And, as the perfect and loving being God is, He does not break promises. I can

ensure you that He will hold true to the things He revealed to you, by Himself and through the

words of the prophets since the beginning of times. And, certainly, His blessings are far greater than

you can imagine and with the help of our Savior Jesus Christ, we can certainly attain them. Now,

may I ask, is that not reason to hope?

Second, the world is a better place if hope is a widespread fire rather than a rare glim. There is, of

course, much to be fearful about these days. Think about terrorism, wars, government crisises

around the world, financial woes, national debt, unemployment, the loss of importance of the family

throughout our society, and much, much more. At first sight, there seem to be enough compelling

reasons to justify your personal lack of hope.

However, it is not so. While the commotion around us sometimes seems overwhelming, we live in

what most likely is the most choice time in world history. The fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ

is restored, along with all Priesthood keys, and most importantly, we may peacefully go to sleep at

night with a certain knowledge that none of these things will ever be taken from the Earth again.

Never before in history has this Gospel been known to and accepted by more children of our Father

in Heaven. Never before have there been more worthy Priesthood holders throughout the world,

seeking to serve all those in need. Never before have there been more full-time Missionaries

seeking out and teaching those who have been prepared individually by our Heavenly Father to

receive this Gospel. And, finally, we know that families can be together for eternity and that death is

nothing but a temporal barrier between us and those we love. On a more worldly, but no less

important note: Never has a larger percentage of the world population had access to clean water,

enough food, medical care, hygene and education. And with combined efforts of people of all faiths,

we continue to work on improving further. Do not be deceived by those who make their living off

bad news. There is much to be optimistic and hopeful about.

When pondering about hope, I cannot help thinking about one of the most influential men in my

own life. For most of my childhood, I was raised by a single mother. Through dedication and hard

work, she managed to always ensure a fairly comfortable income for our little family of two.

However, since her job required her to often work long shifts with limited time to take care of me,

my grandparents also played a major role in raising me. Thus, without a real father to relate to

through most of my childhood, my grandpa became my first and most important male influence. We

spent much quality time together: In the summer, we would often go on bike rides or go swimming.

In the winter, we would often solve puzzles or watch winter sports on television for hours.

My grandfather grew up in humble circumstances. Born in western Poland to a family of

glassmakers, his occupational fate was predetermined. After the end of World War II, him and his

parents were expelled from Polish territory, like thousands of other Germans living in the same

area. He grew up to be an excellent soccer player in East Germany, began working at the worldfamous

Zeiss glass-producing company in Jena, but often felt discouraged about his future in the

communist country he lived in. Despite being employed at the most acknowledged glass factory in

the world, he often encountered weeks and even months at a time without work. He knew, though

not necessarily being a young man of Christian faith, that there must have been more for him in

store to hope for.

One day, as his soccer team played an away game near the border between East and West Germany,

he decided to take a leap of faith and escape from the country that held him captive. He hid

underneath an abandoned bridge that crossed a small stream that, at the time, marked the border,

and waited for the change of the border guards. As the exchange came, he ran for his life, and

finally made it into the freedom of a West German refugee camp. While he was fully aware of the

hundreds of others who had been imprisoned or shot to death for similar escape attempts prior to

his, he later expressed to our family that his hope for a better life for his family and for a better

world as a whole led him to making his decision.

I am eternally grateful for the hope, courage, faith and vision that my grandfather had as a young

man. After the joyful life he wished and hoped for, he lost his second battle with cancer six years

ago, actually exactly six years before the day I will report to the MTC. I miss him dearly, and I

know I will one day see him again and thank him for everything.

My dear friends, this Christmas season comes as an annual reminder to us that without hope, there

would be not much for us to be. As I accept my calling from the Lord to serve as a full-time

Missionary in the Alpine German-Speaking Mission for the upcoming two years, I testify to you

that Jesus is the Christ. Through Him, all things are possible and should be hoped for by us. He is

truly the Savior and Redeemer of the world. And He calls you home ceaselessly, with open arms, to

your Father in Heaven. I know that when I give my all to Him, He will give His all to me. Never

 

forget that the Lord has been merciful with you, and that He will continue to be so. This is His divine

 

and unchangaible promise to you. Remain faithful, hopeful and trust in the Lord. This is my prayer

 

for you, in the sacred name of the Savior of the world, even Jesus Christ, Amen.