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| Skylar- July 22, 2012 |
Hello everyone. For
those of you who don’t know me; my name is Skylar Black. I have
been called to the Ecuador Quito Spanish speaking mission and I leave
this Wednesday for the Provo MTC. I’m not nervous about speaking
but my throat is dry and my voice might crack while I’m speaking.
If it does its okay to laugh about is because it IS funny.
I have been asked to
speak on a talk given by Elder Ballard in this April’s General
Conference. It is titled “That the lost may be found”. It
focuses on the importance of families. Since missions are focused
around families, this is the perfect topic and I’ve prepared it
with a mission context.
Elder Ballard
focuses on 4 points in his talk which will be the framework for my
talk as well. The 4 points being: 1. Prioritizing 2. Do things in the
right order 3. Husbands and wives should be equal partners in
marriage and 4. Use the family resources of the church.
First is
prioritizing. Put everything you do outside the home in
subjection to and in support of what happens inside your home.
President David O. McKay’s said it best when he said “No
other success can compensate for failure in the home”. A strong
family is critical. In the context of going on a mission, how serving
a mission supporting my family? Me, being the oldest of the kids in
my family, I have been told a bazillion times that I have to set a
good example for my brothers and sisters and that for good or bad,
they follow my example. I don’t know of a much better way to set an
example for my family than by being willing and worthy to serve a
full time mission. Hopefully my brothers and sisters seeing how
awesome I am will inspire them to be as cool as me. Aside from me
supporting my own family, on my mission I will be helping other
families to be able to support themselves by helping them to come
unto Christ through the restored Gospel. In Elder Ballard’s talk he
counsels parents on how to keep their children on the right track, he
says, “Organize your personal lives to provide time for prayer and
scriptures and family activity. Give your children responsibilities
in the home that will teach them how to work. Teach them that living
the gospel will lead them away from the filth, promiscuity, and
violence of the Internet, media, and video games. They will not be
lost, and they will be prepared to handle responsibility when it is
thrust upon them.” As a missionary I will be helping the parents,
who are also God’s children, to do these very things. Again, teach
them to organize their personal lives to provide time for prayer and
scriptures and family activities. And that living the gospel will
lead them away from filth, promiscuity, and violence of the Internet,
media, and video games. They will not be lost, and they will be
prepared to handle responsibility when it is thrust upon them.” Our
job as missionaries is to help others develop a strong relationship
with our Heavenly Father so that when the missionaries leave, they
will be prepared to choose the right on their own, rely on God and
lead their family down the straight and narrow once the missionaries
leave.
Second, we need to
do things in the right order! Marriage first and then family.
Too many in the world have forgotten this natural order of things and
think they can change it or even reverse it. Recent statistics say
that 40% of children in America are born to unmarried parents. It is
apparent that traditional values in the world are being degraded.
Unwed parents are also common in many places outside of the United
States; including where I am serving. As representatives of Jesus
Christ it is our responsibility to show others that the best route is
marriage in a temple. President Packer said, "The ultimate end
of all activity in the Church is to see a husband and his wife and
their children happy at home, protected by the principles and laws of
the gospel, sealed safely in the covenants of the everlasting
priesthood.” I can think of no greater blessing to families than
enabling them to participate in the ordinances that are performed in
the temple and allowing them to gain an even closer relationship with
our Heavenly Father. Helping families be sealed in the temple, along
with helping them to come unto Christ is our ultimate goal as
missionaries.
Third, husbands and
wives should be equal partners in marriage. In
today’s society women are continually comparing themselves with
men. They argue that women are perfectly capable of performing any
occupation that men do and can do it just as well or better. Although
women can and do well in the work force that should not be their
primary role if possible. I couldn’t find the talk, I believe it
was by Elder Holland, if anybody knows the reference, please let me
know. Paraphrasing him he said, “Women should not compare
themselves to men, they need not stoop to our level”. Having
different roles does not mean that one is better or inferior to
another. Men are meant to be the head of the home, and women are
meant to be the heart of the home. There is no shame in a woman
staying home and righteously raising a family while the husband is
working to provide for the family. Part of a missionary’s job is to
help others see that husbands and wives have equal roles. When they
marry in the temple they become partners for eternity and they need
to know that it is a combined effort of the two that will ensure
eternal happiness of themselves and their children.
And finally, use
the family resources of the Church. In raising children,
families can draw upon the help of the ward. Support and work in
tandem with priesthood and auxiliary leaders, and take full advantage
of the Church’s youth and family programs. I can attribute where I
am today in part to the young men’s program and scouting. The
Mutual program helps build every aspect of life: social, physical,
educational, mental and spiritual. A wide array of activities help
prepare young men and women for missions, marriage and raising
children by strengthening their relationship with our Heavenly Father
and providing knowledge and experiences that will help them
throughout their entire lives. The scouting program teaches various
skills and helps young men build character through service to
neighbors, communities and many others. Inviting investigators to
mutual, scouting or other ward activities is a great way to get them
involved in the ward. One of the most important things for an
investigator to know is that they are welcomed into the ward. If the
parents feel that they and their children are welcome in the ward
they are much more likely to continue their church attendance. I
believe this goes for the families of the active as well. Attending
church activities will help strengthen the camaraderie of members
within a ward and also help strengthen their own conversion and
testimonies.
In closing I would like to bear my testimony that I know that this
church is true. I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet and that he
translated the Book of Mormon. I know this because I prayed to know
if the Book of Mormon is true and God told me that it was. I know the
Atonement is real and that anybody can use its power. I also have a
testimony of prayer and the spirit it brings and the closeness that
you can have with Heavenly Father through prayer. I have lived in
this ward for 14 years and it’s been awesome. I’ve had so many
great leaders and teachers in this ward and I thank you for all the
time you spent preparing lessons and activities and helping me
prepare to serve a mission. I have many memories of scout trips and
they were always one of my favorite things to do. I would like to
thank all the family and friends that have taken the time to come and
support me. I want my family to know that even though I tease them a
lot I still love them, I know it will be hard to have fun without me,
but try and manage somehow. Again I know this church is true and I'm
grateful to be able to serve the lord and his people in Ecuador. I
say these things in the name of Jesus Christ Amen.
