Farewell Talk

“Hard Work, Blessings come after we first do the work.”

May, 23, 2010

Good afternoon Brothers and Sisters, I’m sorry if I cry during my talk I thought I got it all out last week but I guess we’ll see. I’ve been asked to speak on hard work, blessings come after we first do the work. I am going to start off by reading what H. David Burton has to say on Hard Work. “Today, many have forgotten the value of work. Some falsely believe that the highest goal in life is to achieve a condition in which one no longer needs to work. President David O. McKay (1873–1970) was fond of saying, “Let us realize that the privilege to work is a gift, that power to work is a blessing, that love of work is success. Work is not a matter of economic need alone; it is a spiritual necessity. Our Father in Heaven works to bring about our salvation and exaltation (see Moses 1:39). And, beginning with Adam, He has commanded us to work. Even in the Garden of Eden, Adam was instructed to “dress [till] it and keep it” (Genesis 2:15). After the Fall, Adam was told, “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread” (Genesis 3:19). As with any other commandment, there is joy in its keeping. To work—honestly and productively—brings contentment and a sense of self-worth. Having done all we can to be self-reliant, to provide for our own needs and those of our family, we can turn to the Lord in confidence to ask for what we might yet lack.” Now I would like to move on to some things Jonathan S. Burton has to say on hard work.

Over the last 19 years of my life I’ve had the opportunities to have many experiences where I’ve been taught to work hard. When I was 13 years old I really wanted an Xbox so I could play Halo with my friends and be as good as they were. So my Mom and I made fliers for me to mow lawns. We went around to big businesses and around of neighborhood. I had 3 people contact me. My Mom and Dad would come around with me to the houses, see how big the yard was and determine what a good price was for each lawn. I did all the lawns for 10 dollars a lawn. I worked Hard all summer long mowing each lawn every week getting my 30 dollars and then putting it in the bank and keeping track on the computer for a merit badge. At the end of summer I had about 400 dollars and wanted to buy an Xbox. My parents went with me and bought my Xbox with the Halo game. At the time I thought that was the “blessing” I had received from all my hard work. I now realize that was only part of it.

In our ward we are notorious for having crazy, physical, tough, mental, and spiritual experiences. Most of the people in my ward know about these and many have participated in them but I am going to go over a few of them today as I talk. About the same time as my Lawn mowing, 14 or so, I had another experience. I had to go on my first Trek I did not want to go on this but my amazing parents had a different idea. So here I am one of the youngest kids on the trek in the middle of no where (Wyoming). I had no desire to push this wood cart in the sand up, and down hills with our luggage and people in the back to simulate the pioneer experience. I then was challenged by Brother Richards (my grandpa) to see if I could push longer then the older boys in the group a head of me. Now I am a very competitive kid and that sounded like a challenge. So the rest of the trip I don’t believe I took my hands off that Cart. We got to the end at Rock Creek Hollow, and I was exhausted. We then have a fireside with our stake, and Brothers and Sisters this experience changed my life forever. I don’t know who bore testimony or what they said but the spirit quietly whispered to me the truthfulness of what they were saying.
I get home from that Trek and about a year later we go on a “Tri-Athalon” Where we bike 120 miles, white water raft 20 miles, and Hike in the biggest slot canyon. Everything was great Biking, awesome. White water rafting was as fun as you can think. Then came the Hike, with about 50-80 pounds on our back we hike through this slot canyon for 16 miles. We Hiked/ Swam through neck deep water, knee deep mud and propelled down a 80 foot drop in the first day. We get to our camping place and there is a trickle of water moving very slow down the canyon and we have zero water. Seeing the fear on my leader’s faces I am getting a little nervous. My dad and I decide to hike down further to see if we can find a bigger source of water. We do but it’s about 5 more miles down the canyon and its dark now. We Hike the 5 miles back and Bishop Lucas and others have put rock in the trickle to filter what they can out of the water so we can drink it. We ended up getting out of the canyon okay a couple kids threw up because of the water but the lord definitely blessed us to get out of that canyon okay.
A year later from that we decided as a young men group to do the Famous Lake Powell Bike trip. 300 + miles of none stop biking 4 days from this stake center to Bull Frog marina at Lake Powell. I had decided to go about a week before the trip due to Baseball. Again with the help of my Father (who was also going) and my Mother (who feared for my dad’s life on this trip) convinced me to go. I had not been on one Training ride and was afraid I could not keep up with the other boys who had been biking for about 5 months now. I was one of the first two people to the top of fish lake hill. This was one of the toughest things I have ever done in my life to this day. Biking for hours on end not knowing if your legs can keep you going another pump of the peddles but they did and I am proud to say I made it the 300 miles to that marina. Everyone who hears about this trip thinks its crazy and when I say I would do it again in a heart beat no one understands why. I will tell you all why because it’s not about biking to Lake Powell, it’s about pushing yourself to the limit to where you are about to give up and hearing that still small voice inside of you and your brethren beside you telling you and you can make it. And that, ya its hard right now but the blessings of doing hard things, the blessings of relying on the lord, the blessing of putting your faith in him will out weigh your pain, and your fatigue of that short little time in life by ten fold.
This last July I had the opportunity to go on a second Trek. My past experiences my parents had a lot of say in whether I went or not. But this time I was 18 and I knew for a fact I was going, not a doubt in my mind. This Trek was a little bit different from my last Trek. I was a Pa on this trip which meant more responsibility for me. We got there and got the cart and everything. This Trek we went 15 miles extra from the last Trek so I was pretty excited. I love challenging things so I was stoked. We started pushing and a difference from this Trek from the last is last time I was all about out pushing the boys ahead of me. This time I paid more attention to the people of the handcart companies and how we were pushing over the same exact stuff they were. My parents were on this trip with me so I had an extra worry about them but I also had an extra excitement about it. Because I wanted them to have an experience like I had 4 years prior. Being one of the oldest boys on the trip I pushed a lot and enjoyed it. But again it came to the point where I didn’t think I could keep pushing, my legs were tired and we just came up a huge hill. James Owens and I were pushing hard when all of the sudden the cart lurched forward out of our hands. At that moment I knew that there were un-seen angels helping me and others on the Trek push those carts. I will never forget that and it is another thing that has blessed my life in knowing this Church Is True.
Those are some of my Physical experiences, now I would like to move on to my amazing spiritual experience with the Book of Mormon. A year and a half ago some youth in our ward came up with an idea to read the entire Book of Mormon in 3 and a half days. Again Satan didn’t want me to go. I fought hard with my parents because I was giving up a weekend and the super bowl. I went and the readers started reading to us. I found my self drawn into this amazing book and I didn’t want to stop reading. 3 days went by so fast and before I knew it we were done. We put Moroni’s challenge into effect and asked God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. I can proudly stand here and tell you that this book is the word of god. That through the Hard Work of Joseph Smith we are being blessed today. Its almost isn’t a matter of faith anymore. This book and stood over 200 years and no one has proven it wrong yet. The question now days is do we have the Faith to follow the teachings of this book.
Thinking of Hard work, the sons of Mosiah came into my mind, and not saying that all of them didn’t work hard because they did. I have just always liked the Story of Ammon so I’m going to talk about his hard work. If you think about this now days Imagine going over to a land where we are constantly having wars and contentions with and trying to get them to receive the gospel. Sounds pretty tough to me! But Ammon went right over into Lamonite land and they Instantly bound him and took him before king Lamoni. He then asks to be a servant to King Lamoni, the king says yes and he is then told to watch over the kings flock. He goes with other servants to the place of water where other lamonites scatter the kings flock insomuch that they fled many ways. Well the servants being to murmur saying the king will slay them like there brethren before. And this is where Ammon Imeadtly sets out to work going with his fellow servants in search of the kings flock They get them all back and the Lamonites come back to scatter them again. Ammon then goes to contend with those men and it says they were in number not a few. So they did not fear him! The Lord blesses Ammon and he cut off so many of there arms that they became afraid of his great power that they fled. What amazing work ethic this guy has. We all know the story he goes back gives the arms to the king and starts his missionary work amongst the Lamonite people.
Now I would quickly like to touch on spiritual hard work, I’ve had the opportunity to go through the temple. And getting to that point is not easy work. After many meetings with the Bishop and Stake President about worthiness and being spiritually prepared I was able to go through. And Brothers and Sisters I can stand here and tell you that the blessings of that hard work in being worthy to enter into the temple have already started hitting me. It’s an amazing thing when you stop to think about all the lord has blessed you with.
Which brings me to my next step, serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Now I have not served a mission yet so I don’t quite have blessings from it. But my Dad did and my Family has received blessings from that and I am proof in standing here today. All of these experiences of hard work I’ve shared with you today are the things that have prepared me most in preparing for a mission. Not only has it prepared me to be a missionary. It has prepared me along with others in my ward and wards in the world prepare to serve as Bishops, Stake Presidents, Mothers and Fathers, brothers, sisters, and friends. Working is a commandment and insomuch that you do it the Lord will bless you. He has to, because he says In D&C that I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise. I would like to end with my Testimony.