Mission Farewell
Gathering Israel on this side of the veil.
“I’d like to thank the Bishop for this opportunity to speak to you today. I would like to thank those who are visiting here today. My Family, relatives and friends, I truly appreciate your support.
By way of introduction, I am Sister Tuha. I was set apart last Sunday as a full time missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.Some of you know that I have been attending the MTC in Provo this last week. It truly has been a wonderful experience! I still have one more week of MTC training before heading out to the Kansas Wichita mission. I’m excited to be able to serve the people in Kansas.
Topic- The topic I have been assigned is Gathering Israel on this side of the veil. This topic is so very appropriate for me at this particular time in my life.
I would like to begin by reading the story of the prodigal son.
Luke 15:11-24
This story talks about the son and what he did with his inheritance. What it doesn't exactly say is how the father felt. You as parents, or brothers and sisters,think about how you would feel if that was your son or daughter . Brother or sister who was gone, lost, you don't know where they are or what they are doing. But you have a pretty good idea that your child is not doing what he/she should be doing. I'm sure this father had prayed for his son just like we would pray for our child. He worried about him. He yearned for his safe return.
And when he saw his son coming did he care what he had done? Did he care that he made bad choices? No, he was just overjoyed that his son who was lost was found! The son did tell his father that he had sinned and he asked forgiveness. The father loved him so much that he did forgive him. Just as our Father in heaven forgives us.
We know how much we love our children and would do most anything for them. Just think how much more our Heavenly father loves us! We are all his children! We lived with Him before we came to earth. I know you've heard that before, but do you really understand what it means?
We have a spark of divinity in each one of us! God created us in his image. We are his children and he loves us more than we can possibly understand. He has given us commandments and covenants to guide us through this life on earth. Why? Because he wants us all to come home! He wants us to live with him again through eternity! He has promised us that all He has is ours if we will keep his commandments and the covenants we make with him when we are baptized and in the temple.
How can everyone know what these commandments and covenants are if they have never heard of them.
Let me tell you a story that happened when I was about 8 or 9 years old.
I lived in a very small town Arco, Idaho.
There was a family who moved to Arco. They only lived in Arco for a few months. I know HF sent their family to Arco for my family. They had a daughter my same age. Her name was Linda. One day she asked me if I wanted to go to Primary with her. I asked what Primary was and she explained.
Now the reason I hadn’t gone to Primary was because my dad was a member but inactive, my mom wasn’t a member. She did see to it that on Sunday morning we would go to Sunday school but that was the only meeting we attended. This was many years ago when SS was in the morning and Sacrament meeting was in the afternoon and Primary on a weekday.
Anyway Primary sounded kind of fun so I asked my mom if I could go with my friend Linda to Primary. She said I could. So I attended my first Primary meeting. I really enjoyed Primary! I learned that we could pray to our Heavenly Father and receive answers. My first testimony of the gospel was exactly this, that HF does answer our prayers! I had decided that I would test this prayer thing out. I had lost a library book and needed to take it back. I had looked all over for it and couldn’t find it. I thought that I would pray to Heavenly Father and if he really could answer prayers he would help me find my book. After my short prayer, I went back to the bookcase that I had looked through more than once. There it was! My library book! Heavenly Father does answer prayers! He answered mine!
While attending Primary I noticed that there were classes for each of my siblings. So we all started going to Primary.
Back then the older Primary kids had bandlos. They were worn around our necks and as we memorized scriptures and did other requirements we would earn decorations for our bandlos.
What I really liked were the diamonds! You could earn lots of diamonds. I asked what I would need to do to get those diamonds. I was told that I would need to go to Sacrament meeting. If we attended Sacrament meeting at least 3 times a month we could earn one diamond. What is sacrament meeting I asked. My teacher explained. I went home and told my mom I wanted some diamonds on my bandlo. And I explained what I needed to do to get them. So my wonderful mom said that she would take me to sacrament meeting. Pretty soon all my siblings and mom were going to Sacrament meeting. I was so happy because I was earning those diamonds for my bandlo.
Not long after we began attending sacrament meeting the Bishop asked my mom to teach a Sunday School class. After doing teaching for a while she was asked to be the inservice instructor for all the teachers.
I remember one evening our Bishop and a counselor visited in our home. They asked my mom if she knew where her church records were because they were not in our ward. She told them that she had never been baptized! And that she probably didn’t have any records. Then the bishop asked my mom if she would like to be baptized. She was baptized along with my younger brother and sister when I was 14.
Because of my friend Linda inviting me to primary it activated my whole family and my mom joined the church. My father and mother were later sealed in the temple when my older sister was married. All my siblings were sealed to them at that time. Everyone was sealed together as a family except me. I was sealed to them a few months later, the same day I was sealed to my husband for time and eternity.
I have 2 brothers and 3 sisters. We were all sealed for eternity to our spouses in the temple. From these siblings there are a total of 30 children. Plus my siblings and parents that totals 38 people. Now going on to the next generation, there are approximately 40 more children who have been raised/baptized in to the chuch. This totals about 78 people who became active and baptized because a little girl invited a friend to primary. I will be forever greatful for her invitation. This little girl probably has no idea what an influence for good she has been. You can do the same! Invite someone to church.
Our prophet President Nelson has said that gathering Israel is the most important thing we can do on earth today. He says that anytime anyone does anything to help anybody learn about Jesus Christ and his gospel that we are helping to gather Israel. This not only means missionary work here on earth, but also the ordinances that we can perform in the temple for those who have passed on to the other side.
Does anyone recognize this card? Have you seen a card similar to this?
This card has a name and a date on it. It represents one of my ancestors and could be one of yours. You can print it from family search and take it to the temple and do their temple ordinances for them. I have a poem I'd like to read about this card.
Just a Card
by Joseph A. Neilson
We are individuals in the the third estate,
represented on earth by a card
We have no chance to get keys while on earth,
so alas, our progress is barred
There are millions of us waiting here
and forward we cannot go.
How despondent we get, waiting for years,
you mortals have no way to know.
For years I have wished and waited here
and no encouragement came.
With the Church of England I had cast my lot
and hoped they still had my name.
In an old English church, in a little town,
old church records lie in a pile.
A young mormon boy was looking for names
and he looked through the books for awhile.
He copied some names and some he passed by,
when he got through he had quite a list.
There was much disappointment and sorrow
for some of the spirits he’d missed.
As for me, I was joyous and full of new hope
and to shout I could hardly resist.
My prayers and my hopes were rewarded at last,
the boy had MY name on his list.
The boy sent our names to the index bureau.
I hope he will get some reward.
We had a real time of rejoicing that day,
when they, each one, a name on a card.
We were individuals on earth once again,
our soul and our hopes in a card.
And—Oh! For the joy, no mortal can know,
they were sent to the house of the Lord.
I am just a card in a pile of card,
Folks think of me as just a name.
But I lived on earth, just as you,
but my chances were just not the same.
Each way I turn, my progress was barred.
How can you mortals be so at ease?
Please drop your work for half a day
and get me those precious keys.
That treasured card, there in that pile
should move you mortals to tears.
I have waited and longed for this time to come
for more than a hundred years.
If you take my name through the temple today
pay strict attention please.
I have waited so long so do not fail to get
a single one of my keys.
I would like for us all to remember how much our Heavenly Father loves us and how much he wants us to come home to him and live with him through eternity. And also how much our ancestors are depending on us to help them complete their ordinances so that they can also go home to our Heavenly Father. The most joy that I have ever felt in this life has been performing ordinances for those who have passed on. God loves us he's depending on us to help gather Israel on this side of the veil.
I want to bear my testimony of the truthfulness of this gospel. God lives! He loves us. We are his children. Jesus is our Savior who atoned for our sins so that through repentance we can be forgiven and live with Him again. He wants all of his children back home with him. This can only be done by all of us helping each other keep his commandments and covenants, bringing others to Christ and performing ordinances for those ancestors who are waiting for us to do their temple work. I testify that Joseph Smith restored Christ’s church here on the earth. That Pres. Nelson is a Prophet of God. I know that gathering Israel is the most important work on earth today. In the name of Jesus Christ Amen.”
My mom said, usually when she speaks, she rushes through it very quickly out of nervousness. But today she spoke at a steady pace. Perhaps that is another aspect to the “gift of tongues”. Her bishop later told her that their ward attendance today was double what it usually is. And that’s with only half of her kids there! There were definitely more people there than she had imagined and she felt so loved and supported.
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