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Farewell Talk

Moved with Compassion

            I love watching the sky streak with orange, red and purple during a sunset. One evening as I sat watching such a such a scene, I wondered to myself why is it that this is so beautiful to me? Why does the sky changing colors make me feel happy? When my friends and I were stressed out at school we loved to take a few hours and hike in the Logan canyon. Afterward, everything about life felt much more manageable and even exciting. Whether it’s the warm beaches of Hawaii, or a trail lined with pine trees, everyone seems to have some element of the outdoors that strikes them. Even if they cheat and observe from the comforts of a camper. But why is it that time outside is so refreshing and enlightening to us? After pondering over that question, a possible answer struck me. We love nature, because it reminds our spirits of divine creation. As we use our physical eyes to look at rolling fields of flowers, or cascading waterfalls, our spiritual eyes see evidence of a loving Creator. Our loving Creator. Perhaps whether we fully realize it or not, a loving Heavenly Father is trying to tell us that the beauty before our eyes exists because a He knew it would bring us joy. I find Romans 8:16 to be especially poignant as I watch those sunsets, Paul says: “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.” (Romans 8:16)

I hope the next time you look at the mountains, or watch a sunset, you’ll open your heart and feel that spirit bear witness that you are child of a God who loves you. I know that each of us is a child of God. That is the most important knowledge I have. But I also know, that we here in this room are not the only ones. There so many of our brothers and sisters who do not know who they really are or how much they are loved. And that is why I will go on Wednesday to be full-time missionary: to do all I can to help people experience that great, motivating, inspiring love Heavenly Father has for them.

The message I will be sharing with my soon-to-be friends in Virginia, is that there is a loving Heavenly Father and that because he loves us he has given us a way to be successful and happy in this life. We call these instructions the commandments. Of all the commandments that have been gifted to us, the Savior identified one as being the most important. When asked what the great commandment in the law was, Christ replied,

“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. “This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” (close quote)

At first glance, this appears to be a simple enough command. Love God and love your neighbor. But as I began studying this verse of scripture more in depth, I discovered that these lines are just the top of the ice burg. Below the surface is a mountain of inspiration on how to actually live that command and find real joy in the process. I am anxious to share a little of what I learned and how love of god and men is very essence of missionary work.

First, I am intrigued by the order in which these commands are given. First comes loving God, and then loving your neighbor. On this subject, President Benson explains:

“Why did God put the first commandment first? Because He knew that if we truly loved Him we would want to keep all of His other commandments…We bless our fellowmen the most when we put the first commandment first.” (close quote)

Clearly, the order here matters. President Erying further elaborates when he says,

“Keeping the first commandment always leads to keeping the second, because to love the Father and the Son is to serve those They love. In answer to our prayers for guidance, They send the Holy Ghost to tell us how to help others and to feel at least a part of God’s love. So in that service, our love of God increases and the keeping of the second great commandment leads us back to the first, in an ascending circle. In time, our very natures change. We are filled with the love of God, which, even in a world with so much misery and despair, brings us happiness and hope.” (close quote)

I think that in those moments when we feel the most discouraged and hopeless, even the smallest acts of service can be like adding rungs to a ladder that we can use to pull ourselves out. On a day when I was feeling unsure of myself and what I believed, I walked into the Logan LDS institute to attend a choir concert. As we walked in, a member of the choir, I could tell from her black concert dress, was hurrying the opposite way through the door. As the concert was starting in just a few minutes, she must have been in a rush to do whatever it was she was leaving the room to do. But yet she stopped, made eye contact with me, and just exclaimed with great animation, “You are beautiful!” And then rushed on with whatever she was doing. The second she spoke to me, a great warmth surged through my body. It was like a light had been switched on. Her quick compliment made a way for spirit to testify to me of God’s love. For months following the concert I reflected again and again on that feeling. I couldn’t believe how one sentence from a stranger changed my whole outlook. I was so stunned by her kindness, that I was motivated to do the same for other people, which quickly cured me of my bad mood. That girl showed me the value of kindness, a value that is very easy to underestimate. And she will probably never know. In that hallway, I came to understood the quote, “many of the things you can count, do not count. Many of the things you cannot count, really do count.”

I think to truly understand this command to love, we need to consider the last line: “On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” All the law and the prophets. So without love for God and men, nothing else we do has real purpose. I think 1 Corinthians 13:2 says it best,

“And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.”

The times I feel nervous about going on a mission, are those moments when I am consumed in myself. When I think about how it will be hard for me, or what aspects of missionary life are unappealing to me, namely 6:30 AM, that is when the nerves surface and I become unsure of myself. But do you want to know when I feel the most confident in this decision? When I think about serving people. About really actually brightening someone’s life or even just their day. My heart literally beings to beat faster in excitement after talking to a cashier at the checkout line, or the teller at the bank. My mom and I treated ourselves to pedicures last week and chatted with the employees there while they worked. We learned a little about their families and their future plans in life. We talked about my upcoming missionary service and just laughed and talked with them for a while. It made me love them and want to the very best their Heavenly Father has for them. I was ready to skip out of that nail salon, throw my bags in the car, and speed, I mean safely drive, to the missionary training center. This mission is not about me or how I feel, but how I can make other people’s lives better. If my missionary service is not a work of love, then it is a work in vain.

There is a passage in Preach My Gospel, a manual for missionaries, that I especially love: it says: “As a missionary, you have a great responsibility to teach from the heart…(PMG 29). It is essential to learn the concepts of the lessons, but these could not be taught by rote presentation. The missionary should feel free to use his own words as prompted as the Spirit. He should not give a memorized recitation, but speak from the heart is his own terms.” (close quote)

That is the kind of missionary I hope, I aspire to be, one who serves from the heart, not just the hands or the mind. I want love for my fellow men to be what pulls me out of bed every morning and keeps me going strong for the full 18 months. There is special phrase that appears twice the Book of Mormon and I love it. First, it is used to describe the motivation for the Anti-Nephi-Lehies, a people who had sworn never to fight again. Previously, they had demonstrated they would rather die than break their oath. But then comes this powerful verse, “But it came to pass that when they saw the danger, and the many afflictions and tribulations which the Nephites bore for them, they were moved with compassion and were desirous to take up arms in the defense of their country.” (Alma 53:13) Moved with compassion. Nothing but great love, would tempt these men to fight again. Gratefully, they had great young sons who loved them and were willing to take their place in fighting so that their fathers could preserve their oaths.

Another appearance of the phrase describes the motivation of the great missionary Ammon. In the Alma 27:4 we read: “Now when Ammon and his brethren saw this work of destruction among those whom they so dearly beloved, and among those who had so dearly beloved them….they were moved with compassion.” Ammon and his brethren had no thought of personal comforts or rewards, they chose to move and to serve because they loved their people. And while their service may have brought on temporary physical discomforts, it was also the source of lasting joy. They are living examples of what that Heavenly Father told the early saints that, “…no one can assist in this work except he shall be humble and full of love, having faith, hope and charity…” (close quote)

Being in the family I am, examples of people I know being moved by compassion to serve are in abundance. My parents live the command to “love thy neighbor” more fully than anyone I know. Through their example, I have learned the great measures that should be taken to care for those around us. I have listened to them speak with loving concern over what they could do to help with someone’s medical condition or financial struggle. They never gossip, or speak ill of people, but only try to understand where they are coming from and how to help. When the McCumber family welcomed twins into their family, my mom immediately stepped in to see how she could lighten their busy load. She loves to have the two older boys over to play at our house. And she doesn’t just stick them in front of a cartoon either. My mom will pull out games and crafts for the boys to do. Or just play with them on her lap or on the floor surrounded by a pile of toys. She doesn’t serve because she feels obligated to, but because she sees need and sincerely desires to fill it. My mom knows firsthand the stressors of having lots of little kids, and is moved by compassion to help relieve another’s burden.

            I have also all my life watched this ward be moved by compassion to serve. Especially, I have loved learning from each of my young women leaders. There are examples are and where everything to me. I want everyone to have the support and love that comes through the programs of this church. Serving with Sister, Tyler, Sister Gardner, Sister Jones, Sister Larsen, Sister Austin my last few years of high school I know had a big impact on my life. Thank you. Their service to me was the kind that you can’t count, but it really did count.

            I love the gospel of Jesus Christ. The more I study it, the more I am amazed at its depth, truthfulness, and potential to give us real joy. I know that the gospel in its fullness is again on the earth today. I believe in modern day prophets and apostles. Through a careful study of the Book of Mormon, I know that the Joseph Smith Jr. was a prophet. I am grateful for his sacrifice and the sacrifice of all the early saints so that we could have all this. One morning as I sat in the beauty of the Bountiful Temple, I looked around and just wished those early saints could see what their efforts were leading to. Then my next thought was, if only we could see what our efforts are leading to. I know Heavenly Father has a plan for us more glorious and beautiful than we can imagine, in this life and in the next, If we trust Him and follow his plan. I know Heavenly Father has plan for me in Richmond Virginia.

 Please never give up hope that the future holds joys worth holding through the pain of today. I love the Holy scriptures. I am grateful for the many times I have felt God’s love and received nearly tangible guidance from those pages. On Friday, I was again sitting in the Bountiful Temple. I held a copy of the Holy Bible in my lap. I prayed to know what God would have me know this close to the beginning of my mission and then I flipped it open at random. My eyes fell upon this verse:

“And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” Luke 9:62
My hand is on the plough, in this work I won’t look back. I hope we can all be moved with compassion to push that plough along.

In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

EMBRACE

"What day is it?"

"It's today," squeaked Piglet.

"My favorite day," said Pooh.

― A.A. Milne

This year I hope to take page out of Winnie the Pooh's book. I think I'll really need to. After all, in less than two weeks, a journey far beyond the borders of my comfort zone begins. I imagine it will be all too easy to gaze back at that familiar land and long to be there. 

But I don't want to do that. I have already given pining for the future far too much of my time.

If you were offered a fast forward button through life, you would push it? During this past year of missions, I probably would have. In my young, narrow mind, three years may as well have been an eternity. But January 25th approaches, I think I'm ready to discard that mindset. I want to shift into loving life as it is right now. Like Pooh Bear, I want everyday to be my favorite day.

To help me in my goal, I have picked the word EMBRACE as a motto. The dictionary definition of the word is to accept a change willingly and enthusiastically. Perfect. For me, embrace prompts an mental image of picking something up and squeezing it to your chest with a big, cheesy smile that make your eyes squint closed. Perfect. I am going to embrace mission life with a smile until time is up. Then, I will gently, lovingly set it down and welcome into my arms the next stage of life. But until that moment, I want give my time as Sister Abel the biggest, tightest, happiest embrace I can. For that is what it deserves. 

As usual, President Uchtdorf knows what I'm talking about:

Doesn’t it seem foolish to spoil sweet and joyful experiences because we are constantly anticipating the moment when they will end?

Do we listen to beautiful music waiting for the final note to fade before we allow ourselves to truly enjoy it? No. We listen and connect to the variations of melody, rhythm, and harmony throughout the composition.

Do we say our prayers with only the “amen” or the end in mind? Of course not. We pray to be close to our Heavenly Father, to receive His Spirit and feel His love.

We shouldn’t wait to be happy until we reach some future point, only to discover that happiness was already available—all the time! Life is not meant to be appreciated only in retrospect. “This is the day which the Lord hath made … ,” the Psalmist wrote:  “Rejoice and be glad in it.”

I think we could also say, EMBRACE and be glad in it. 

Sabbath Delights: Stay on Target

Today I had the opportunity to speak in Stake Conference. A stake is an organizational unit of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Areas of the world are divided geographically into wards, and then multiple wards come together to constitute a stake. Once a year, a stake conference replaces usual Sunday services and everyone gathers under one roof to hear from stake leaders. It's great :) Expect when you have give a talk in front of that many people ;) Just kidding--really the more people gathered to hear truth the better! Here is my talk on "staying on target" to the temple. 

Hello! My name is Emily Abel, and I am from the 5^th ward, but have been attending Utah State University studying English for the past year and a half. I am home from school now for a few weeks before I leave to serve as a missionary in Virginia.

Two weeks ago, I, like many of you, got to celebrated Christmas at home with my family. I love giving gifts, and thought about what I could give each member of my family on that day. For my dad, Timothy Abel, I purchased a small journal. But it wasn’t just any journal; in our home we have a running joke that my dad is slowly writing the 3^rd book of Timothy, in addition to the two found in the Holy Bible, with his bits of wisdom and life advice. So, on the front of that journal, I had Desert Book inscribe the words “3 Timothy”. Now we have fun writing down quotes from dad, whether they be comical, like the time he told my brother,

“I’m your dad: I will stop telling you how to drive when you can drive a stick-shift, backwards, with a trailer, up a hill, in the snow.”

Or more sober lines regarding what he’s discovered leads to a successful life. One phrase that Dad used to often repeat to us he borrowed from the fourth episode of Star Wars. In the climax of the movie, a fleet of pilots fly in to blow up the enemy planet, the Death Star. They have only one chance to make the perfect shot. Under the tension of saving their lives and the entire universe, one pilot repeats this simple instruction to himself: “Stay on target. Stay on target.” My dad would often repeat this while trying to get us to finish homework or a chore, but today I would like to apply this advice to preparing to make covenants in the Holy Temple of 

God. 

True preparation for entering the temple does not consist of a checklist of conference talks, pamphlets, or lessons, but of living a life that “stays on target” to the temple. Just like most things in the gospel, preparing for the temple is not a one or two-time event, it is not doing something, but becoming something. As Elder Bednar taught, “The issue is not going to or through the temple; rather, the issue is having in our hearts the spirit, the covenants, and ordinances of the Lord’s house.”[1] (close quote)

I entered the Holy Temple for the first time less than a month ago. While I was certainly not perfect in my preparations, the Stake Presidency asked me to express my thoughts on the subject, and I am humbled and happy to do so. I have a personal testimony that the Holy temple is where God wants us to be. And, it is where I want to be.

I am sure that the pilots in Star Wars learned to “stay on target” long before their fateful battle against the Death Star. It must have taken months of consistent effort before they knew how to navigate a space ship successfully. But I am sure that they did not regret a single day of practice when their abilities were put to the test. Similarly, consistent effort is required “stay on target” to the temple. I testify that the blessings of the temple more than outweigh any sacrifice you must make to prepare. Let’s leave the fictitious land of Star Wars and turn to a scriptural example of preparation.

In Matthew 25, we read of the parable of the five wise and the five foolish virgins. It says, 

“Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.

“And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. …

“[They that were] wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.

“While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.

“And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.

“Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.

“And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.

“But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.

“And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.

“Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.

“But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.”

The last line of this parable gives place to one of my favorite translations Joseph Smith added to the Bible. We know that rather than saying “I know you not” to the foolish virgins the Savior says, “Ye know me not.” I love this revision because it teaches that the Savior knows us. But it also shows that we must embark diligently on a journey to know him. It is one thing to hear about the Savior and his love and enabling power in Sunday School, but it is something completely different to experience it yourself. 

With that in mind, it becomes clear why the 5 wise virgins could not share their oil with the foolish. In this story the oil is not literal, but rather symbolic of spiritual preparation, and as Elder Marvin J. Ashton taught, “Spiritual Preparation cannot be shared.”  (close quote)  We are the only ones that can take action in preparing ourselves to enter the Holy Temple. President Spencer W. Kimball taught,

 “Attendance at sacrament meetings adds oil to our lamps, drop by drop over the years. Fasting, family prayer, home teaching, control of bodily appetites, preaching the gospel, studying the scriptures—each act of dedication and obedience is a drop added to our store. Deeds of kindness, payment of offerings and tithes, chaste thoughts and actions … —these, too, contribute importantly to the oil with which we can at midnight refuel our exhausted lamps.”  (close quote)

In retrospect, I can identify a few habits that added needed drops of oil to my lamp and kept me on target to the temple. First, I had a regular habit of doing baptisms for the dead. During the fall semester of school, I went to the Logan temple nearly every week. My efforts were rewarded with a personal witness of the goodness of spirit of the temple and how that goodness seeps into us when we spend time there. I began to recognize that I was more inclined to be kind, better able to resist temptation, and so full of hope after only thirty minutes in such a Holy place. I remember clearly one specific day when I paused outside the door to the baptistry. Despite the frigid Logan air, I tilted my head back and gazed up at the towering walls of the temple. At that moment, the spirit whispered to my heart, “You never need be afraid to come the temple.” I testify that the temple truly is the House of God a place of love and beauty. That spiritual witness gave me great peace and the strength to withstand worldly whirlwinds as I prepared to participate in the higher ordinances of the temple.

Another daily drop of oil I added to my lamp came through scripture study. Please don’t let the familiarity of this advice dull you to its great importance. I know that we must feast upon the words of Christ every day in order to get the spiritual nourishment we need. I developed a habit of daily scripture study during high school, and carried it with me to college. In the months leading up to my entering the temple, a common trend stood out to me in the scriptures. Such repeating trends are often an indication that Heavenly Father is trying to teach us something. What I noticed is taught in 2 Nephi 28 verse 30:

“For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more…”

Heavenly Father was beginning to teach me about receiving spiritual knowledge. While we may want to read the entire verse at once, God, in His infinite wisdom and perfect timing, gives us knowledge line by line. I saw this truth manifest through many lives in the Book of Mormon. An understanding of this principle was invaluable in beginning a life of temple worship. Understanding that I did not need to understand everything right away, enabled me to focus on the spirit of the temple and avoid feeling overwhelmed or confused. Elder Holland once called the temple, “The Lord’s University. “ (close quote) Would we expect ourselves to know as much as graduate student on our first day of freshman year? No, instead we take things one day, one class, one exam at a time. With each line of each textbook we get closer to graduating the educated student we imagined ourselves being. So to with the Holy Temple. As we come with humility, reverence, and a desire to learn we will be taught by the Spirit in the temple. Truly I was blessed for studying the scriptures.

I hope that all of us, whether or not we have yet entered the temple, will take action to “stay on target.” I know the Holy Temple is where God wants us to be. He loves us and I imagine He misses us, but in the Holy Temple we can feel close again. I promise you that there is nothing in this world that is worth sacrificing your temple recommend. The pure peace and joy within those Holy walls is irreplaceable. I love the Savior Jesus Christ, I know he lives and has a plan for you. Going to the temple is an important part of that plan. I offer my testimony of these things to you, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen. 

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[1] “Becoming a Missionary” Elder David A. Bednar, October General Conference 2005

[2] “ATime of Urgency” Elder Marvin J. Ashton April General Conference 1974

[3] “FaithPrecedes the Miracle” President Spencer W. Kimball