Trust In The Lord - Peachtree Corners Farewell Talk

Levi Soller

27 December 2015

PTC Mission Farewell Talk

Peachtree Corners Ward

Trust in the Lord

Over the past few months, I have talked with many people about my mission. Many have told me how proud they are of me and my decision. I have also had conversations with others who are close to me tell me to make sure I am going for the right reason. After hearing this from a much loved individual, I began to go through a lot of self-evaluation and I asked myself the following questions. Why am I going on a mission? Why do I want to go? Did I make the decision or did someone else push me to make the decision I did? Do I have a strong testimony of the Gospel?

I made the decision a long time ago not only that I was going to serve but that it was going to be my decision. I wanted to make sure I was going for the right reasons and because I want to go – not because my parents or leaders wanted me to. The decision did not come one day in primary or deacon’s quorum or even last year. The decision I made to serve a mission came gradually and in due time. I grew up wanting to go on a mission but in my youth I feel I was not really aware of what that really meant. Going on a mission is a lot of hard work which I have grown to understand the closer I get to my departure. However the closer I get the more I begin to comprehend how short 2 years really is as well.

I would like to share a quick experience and realization I had while in the sacred grove this past June with my family. We visited many of the church historical sites, Niagra Falls and New York City. We had an amazing family trip and made many memories. On this trip is when I came to a realization that really struck me and has been with me ever since. One morning I went into the sacred grove with my dad and we went our separate ways just walking around. I said a prayer and asked for the spirit to be with me as I walked. I felt the spirit very strong in the grove, however something seemed to be missing. I thought back to the miraculous event that took place there and I felt I wasn’t feeling the spirit as strongly as I had anticipated. Then it hit me. In that sacred grove is where Joseph Smith saw God the Father and his son Jesus Christ. Joseph Smith saw them, not me or my dad or my cousin. Joseph Smith saw God the Father and his son Jesus Christ. That grove of trees where HE had previously designed to go and was sacred to HIM. I am not discrediting the sacred grove by any means. What my realization was is that we all have our places where we have previously designed to go. Our holy ground. For some it may be in the mountains, in a favorite tree in your yard, in your room, at the temple, in sacrament meeting, on a run or a number of other places. For me – my holy ground is running. The first time I went through the temple, I described my experience to a friend of mine. While I was in the temple, I felt at peace. My mind was clear and when thoughts of the world came into my head, they immediately left. Thoughts of peace, happiness, and joy were the only ones that stayed. This clear mind and peace reminded me a lot of the feeling I get when I am on a run. The peace felt in the temple is the same as when I am on a run, just more extreme.

I love running. I started running when I was 12 when my dad took me on a run for the first time in our neighborhood. If I remember correctly, it was only about a mile or two but from then on, I began running 2 miles every morning for a few months. This hobby grew to the 800m and 1 miles race in track, the 5K in Cross Country, and many other road races including a few 10K’s and Half Marathons with my most recent race being the Thanksgiving Day Half Marathon I ran last month. In cross country and track I was not very fast. I never placed in any races but to me that did not matter. In my mind, I won several races because I beat my own personal time in each event I ran. I am a strong believer in goals and mental strength. My mental strength differed from those who won 5K races. My mental strength formed from getting to mile 10 in a 13 mile race and keeping negative thoughts out and instead of thinking of how far I had left, I thought about how far I had come. One of my favorite quotes says this: “Your greatest runs are rarely measured by running success. They are moments in time when running allows you to see how wonderful your life is.” Some of my best runs were ones where I didn’t run with a watch or any idea of how far I was running. The thing about running is that no matter how many races you run, the race is never over. Once I cross a finish line, I think of my next goal and what I need to do to get there.

In the gospel we have races we need to run, finish lines we need to cross to return to our father in heaven again. It will not be easy, there will be hills. Henry B. Eyring once said “If you are on the right path, it will always be uphill.” This is not always the case, we will have downhills where it may seem easy and we may forget in whom we have trusted. When at that moment when you may have pride or began to stop relying on the Lord, an uphill hits you right in the face. Elder Bruce C. Hafen said the following: “Our Father’s plan subjects us to temptation and misery in this fallen world… So if you have problems in your life, don’t assume there is something wrong with you. Struggling with those problems is at the very core of life’s purpose. As we draw closer to God, He will show us more of our weaknesses and through them make us wiser and stronger. If you are seeing more of your weaknesses that might just mean you are moving closer to God, not farther away.” Thus the quote, if you are on the right path, it will always be uphill.

Part of enduring the trials or the uphill is recognizing God’s hand in your life daily. Going back to my experience going through the temple for the first time. Before the session even began, I was talking with someone from the temple presidency after which I was talking to my dad for a little while. Then during a moment of silence and listening to the spirit I was prompted to pick up the Book of Mormon that was sitting on the table next to me. In doing so, I opened up the book to a random page which happened to be Alma chapter 30. My eyes were sent to verse 8 when I first opened the page. My intention was to read a few verses but that one was exactly what I needed at the time. Alma 30:8 “For thus saith the scripture: Choose ye this day, whom ye will serve.” This scripture just reminded me why I was at the temple, in whom I have trusted and who I will be serving for the next 2 years. That scripture was simple but very powerful to me as I was preparing to enter the temple and make the sacred covenants. After this experience in the temple, I could not find the verse until just last night, almost 2 weeks later. I spent 5 minutes or so every day looking for that verse that stood out to me., I know it was verse 8 of chapter 30 but I could not remember the book or even what the scripture said. I just remembered it stood out to me. Tender mercies of the Lord are there if you just look for them.

Another hobby of mine is sailing. My grandfather was in the Navy and loves being on the water. He owns a 42” catamaran sailboat and is a sailor. Him and his wife are loving the retired life and would sail 6 months out of the year and come home the other 6 for hurricane season. That is until my grandpa got called as bishop. In June, right after our family vacation, I went on a weeklong sailing trip with my grandparents, my dad, and a few people from this ward. While on this sailing trip, we had many powerful experiences. One day while on this trip, we were using both engines and did not have the sails up. The sky was clear and the sun was shining. We were all enjoying the nice Florida weather. Now if any of you have been or lived in florida, you know about the late afternoon showers. When we had gotten comfortable, the clouds began to come over us and it started to drizzle and we decided to get all the panels to cover the cockpit and put them up so we would stay dry while still being able to sail. The rain began to come much quicker than we thought so we worked very quickly under my grandpa’s instruction. The storm came and it did not seem like a typical Florida midafternoon shower. This one lasting much longer than the usual 10 minutes. My grandpa began to see a hint of fear in each of us and went around asking if we were doing okay. The waves were larger than normal in the storm and none of us have been in water like that before besides my grandparents and I. After the storm ceased and we were safely at the dock, he brought us all together and taught us a powerful lesson I will never forget. He has been in 30 foot waves where the boat is riding up and down on the swells and this storm seemed like nothing to him, but he recognized our inexperience in comparison to him and took the opportunity to teach us all this lesson. H explained how the storm came very quickly and complimented us on how well we did listening to his instructions in moments of fear and worry. He then related to us the storm and how it applies to our lives. “Guess what happened? We are all safe and we are at a dock. If there is one thing I have learned from my many years of sailing experience in many different bodies of water is that all storms come to an end. In your life storms will come and sometimes rather quickly like this one - but it is about how you endure them that matters. D&C 24:8 says “Be patient in afflictions, for thou shalt have many; but endure them, for, lo, I am with thee.”Will you endure it well or will you let it drag you down? Just remember that all storms come to an end and that through the atonement none of us are out of reach of the Lord’s hand. He is waiting for us to let him help us.” Not only was that a very powerful lesson but it was what we needed to hear and the spirit was strong and we all felt great peace.

My decision to serve a mission came gradually through many experiences like this where I personally had revelation or where I was taught how the gospel has real life application. Through this I have been able to apply it to my life more each day. Through experiences like these, my motto over the past several months has been “Trust in the Lord.” If you will just trust in the Lord, everything will be okay. He has a plan for each of us all we need to do is Trust in Him. If we trust in him, we will be obedient, we will allow him to help be our compass when the storms come. Neal L. Anderson once said “Trust in the Lord also includes Trust in his timing.” We may not get the answers to our prayers right away. We must not only trust in him but also in his timing. He knows us and knows what is best for our growth and salvation. Trust in him and everything will be okay. Moses 1:39 says “This is my work and my glory to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” In D&C 11:20 we learn what our work is. It reads: “Behold, this is your work, to keep my commandments, yea, with all your might, mind and strength.” We need to Trust in the Lord, be obedient and keep the commandments with all our might mind and strength, and he will bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.

I would like to take a moment and speak to the youth and to those trying to decide whether or not they want to go on a mission. To those, I say – Just Do It. Gain a testimony of the book of Mormon. Read It. Study It.

I have been blessed greatly just from preparing to serve a mission

Bear Testimony

I’d like to close with a scripture.

“The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, my refuge and my savior.”

In the name of Jesus Christ Amen.