Homecoming

Good morning brothers and sisters. It is such a pleasure to be here today speaking to you. 

I feel like I was just up here a week ago giving my farewell talk. 

My time serving in the Dominican Republic flew by and I am eternally grateful for the people I met, the experiences I had and the memories I made. 

Over the last 18 months I have grown to love the people and the culture of the DR. It will always hold a special place in my heart. 

In the last 18 months I have come to know who Jesus Christ is and who our Heavenly Father is and how Their light gives people hope and joy all around the world. I have grown such a profound love for Them.

As the scriptures teach us, Jesus Christ is the light and the life of the world. As He said, “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” Jesus is this light. One of the signs to Christ's coming was that the world would have ongoing light for 3 days without darkness, because the Savior of the world would be entering into the world. After He completed His earthly ministry, after his eternal atoning sacrifice was completed and after His Spirit and his body separated the world was in complete darkness for three days. As we read in the 3rd book of Nephi, they explain that there were earthquakes and storms during this time, and an intense 3 days of darkness where even a candle couldn't be lit. But Christ appeared to them and was the light that shineth in the darkness.

This light is known as the light of Christ and it is an unexplainable brightness. It is also how we are able to distinguish good from bad. Just as the Nephites knew, they knew that when Christ came, it was a good and hopeful light. 

This light is an enlightenment, knowledge, an influence that is given through Christ preparatory to one receiving the holy ghost and accepting the gospel. It is a power or an influence that gives life and light to all things. Each of us came to earth with it. It is a light you can see through the eyes of someone.

Another thing I have come to know is that this light is illuminated when someone is brought back to the gospel truths, when someone is brought back to Jesus. Throughout mortality, we gain knowledge and experiences. We are all raised differently, in different cultures, in different countries, and with different beliefs. When we come to earth we are taken from the true and pure knowledge that we received in the premortal life, and it is our responsibility to find this truth and live this truth so that we can make it back to our eternal home. As we grow older, and live our normal day to day lives, we experience trials and hardships. We all go through experiences that can either dim our light and farther us from Christ or we can choose to learn from these trials and come unto Christ just as He invites. 

I'm not sure how to describe it but I have seen many faces in the Dominican Republic who don't know Jesus, who don't know they are a child of God, and who don't know their divine potential. But happily I have seen others come unto Jesus, who have come to know their Heavenly Father, who have been brought back to His light and have found Hope and Joy through Him. I would be honored to share with you just a few experiences I had that changed my life and my perspective.

I would first like to share about my dear friend Fredly. He is 16. He's from Haiti and immigrated to the Dominican Republic alone. He has nearly nothing and works at a car wash. 

One morning my companions and I were walking and passed a teenage boy, and contacted him in the middle of the street. He said we could come back in 2 days and meet him at the car wash which he worked at to teach him. We went back to visit him 2 days later. When we went back we saw he was with a few friends. We went up to all of them and started talking to them and teaching them. Then the spirit told us “ teach them about baptism and invite them to follow Jesus’s example”. That's exactly what we did, even though at the moment we thought that was a crazy impression. All 5 of the boys instantly and excitingly said yes. Sadly 4 of those boys were not ready at that moment for the step of baptism and are still being prepared, but Fredly he was different. 

He usually worked all day everyday which included Sunday, but asked his boss for a few hours off on Sunday morning so he could go to church. He went and bought church clothes with the little money that he had. And walked nearly 45 minutes to get to the chapel. Fredly is a great example of faith. When we first started to teach him, he was all “tough guy” and wouldn't smile and didn't show any type of emotion, he always just had a serious face on. He looked sad, like he was missing something. 

One day we passed by and shared a scripture with him in the book of Enos verse 27 that says “ And I soon go to the place of my rest, which is with my Redeemer; for I know that in him I shall rest. And I rejoice in the day when my mortal shall put on immortality, and shall stand before him; then shall I see his face with pleasure, and he will say unto me: Come unto me, ye blessed, there is a place prepared for you in the mansions of my Father.”

We shared with Him that he was a beloved son of God and that had a father in heaven and a Savior who loved Him beyond measure and that they are urging Him to find rest in them. We explained the blessings that come from following Christ. We said that and immediately his face was glowing and he couldn't close his mouth because he was smiling so big. That was the first but surely not the last time I saw Fredly smile. He then said “I like the sound of that”. Every moment after that, he was glowing, he was smiling. The light of Christ came to him, and he felt his Heavenly Fathers encircling love. 

Fredly was lost from our Savior and His love and truth for nearly 16 years, but as we continued to share the gospel with him, the knowledge began to come back and he came to know again for himself that he is a beloved Son of our loving Father in Heaven with a divine purpose, and now nothing can hold him back. He knows his purpose. When we taught him the plan of salvation he was urgent to learn how he can make it to the celestial kingdom. The gospel of Jesus Christ blessed him abundantly. He was able to find peace and hope through knowing that after this life, through the gospel by keeping his baptismal covenants and future covenants, that he could have a better life, even a life full of joy, next to our Father in Heaven.

As Elder Garrit W Gong stated, “Happy and forever” are not the imaginary stuff of fairy tales. True, enduring joy and eternity with those we love are the very essence of God’s plan of happiness. His lovingly prepared way can make our eternal journey happy and forever.”

We truly can have a happy and forever, it is what our loving Father desires, and He has provided the way through His Son.

In Spanish my favorite word is esperar, it has two meanings. To hope, and to wait. 

People long for feelings of peace, feelings of forgiveness, they strive for more. Most people are just waiting for the truth as it says in doctrine and covenants 123: 12 “who are only kept from the truth because they know not where to find it”. I saw it many times during my mission, people striving for something higher and holier but didn't know the true source.

We live in a world of changing values and beliefs but as it says in Job 3:16 “the Lord will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children”. Through having faith and a strong hope, that is founded in our savior Jesus Christ and his restored and everlasting gospel, we can be filled spiritually and we will be guided. He is the fountain of hope. In the recent general conference Elder Matthew L Carpenter said “The gospel of Jesus Christ is a gospel of hope” and I couldn't agree more. Every principle we practice is a blessing. It brings hope to all of God's children and is a guide for our lives.

In my first week in my last area, we went to visit a less active member, her name is María. She is about 60 years old, and when we got there, she invited us in and we were sitting on the couch getting to know her. And all of a sudden 2 high energized boys appeared. Sometimes you get to an area and you find the reason you were supposed to be there. My reason was Sebastian. By the first sight I could see he held a different light. He is 13 years old and loves Jesus with his whole soul. He is an orphan who lives with his aunt ironically in front of Sister Maria's house and is best friends with her grandson Kerlin. 

Over time, we passed by introducing Sebastian to the gospel and ever since the beginning, he fell in love with it, every principle. He came to church every week and held such a bright light. One day as we were walking down the road to get to Sister Maria's house, he came running up to us and said “can you please teach me about temples, I want to learn how I can save my mom” 

The gospel brought him hope and peace, that he was not able to find anywhere else. 

(He wanted to be baptized and make a covenant with God more than anyone I had ever met. His aunt told him he needed to keep preparing and he still is. He is going forward with a strong faith in his Savior. He told us, hermanas if I don't get baptized in the mormon church, I will not be getting baptized at all) 

Sebastian was being prepared to find the gospel by the light of christ and once he found it, everything just clicked and made sense. Once he learned about temples, I saw a light flicker in his eyes. He has a strong hope that he will be reunited with his mom again. 

That is what the gospel does, it brings us hope. Elder Tom L Perry said “it is the gospel of Jesus Christ that provides the foundation upon which we can find lasting peace and build eternal family units.” I am so excited for the day that Sebastian can go to the temple and help do her work and one day be reunited with her for eternity. What a hopeful message the gospel brings us, what a great hope it brought to Sebastian. I am so grateful that families are perpetuated beyond the grave. As it brought Sebastian hope it has also brought a great hope to my life, knowing that through covenants and keeping them, we are sealed for eternity. 

 Our loving Father in Heaven desires that we have Joy, a pure joy, because he is loving, kind and merciful. We know in the world we can find happiness, by participating in worldly activities, but that type of happiness doesn't last forever. As Elder Dieter F Utchdorf said, “We’re simply saying that God has something more to give. A higher and more profound joy—a joy that transcends anything this world offers. It is a joy that endures heartbreak, penetrates sorrow, and diminishes loneliness. Worldly happiness, by contrast, does not last. It cannot. It is the nature of all earthly things to grow old, decay, wear out, or become stale. But godly joy is eternal, because God is eternal. Jesus Christ came to lift us out of the temporal and replace corruption with incorruption. Only He has that power, and only His joy is perpetual.” Jesus Christ brings a fulfillment to the soul and a pure joy. 

As it says in 2 Nephi 2: 25 “Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.” Our Heavenly Father desires with everything that we have joy. That is the purpose of his plan of happiness. That is why we have the Gospel. That is why he has provided us with covenants, so we are bonded to him. That is why he sent his son, so we can receive a remission of sins and a fullness of joy. What a great act of love that our Father in Heaven sent His beloved son to rescue us in every aspect.

In the general conference someone explained that our Father in Heaven and Jesus Christ are cheering us on along our path, jumping up and down at every good step we take, they are on our team, they are merciful. They desire more than anything that we return to their presence and that we can receive a fullness of joy, just as they enjoy. 

One morning we received a social media referral, and his name was Jesus. We called him, and he answered us instantly. We shared a message and ended up talking about baptism and the spirit told us we needed to invite him, so we did. Our first phone call visit with him, he accepted a baptismal date. After our lesson we invited him to come visit our chapel on sunday. He lived on a farm with his 10 cows about a 45 minute drive from the church. Something unique about Dominicans is that they are absolutely horrified by the rain, even if it's a slight drizzle, if it's raining at all nobody leaves their house or they will supposedly get sick. 

It was that next day, and it was a beautiful Sunday morning and my companion, and I were on our way to church. We had so many of our friends confirm with us they would be joining us and we were so excited to meet Jesus in person. But on our walk, the rain started to pour. As a natural reaction, knowing Dominicans, we lost all hope that our friends would be joining us. We got to church and we were sadly right. 

We were sitting in the chapel, in the middle of the sacrament then all of a sudden, we heard cowboy boots walking down the middle aisle. It was Jesús, soaking wet, and excited to be there. After church he told us that on his way to the meeting, his cows got out of their gate and he had to go searching for them, after he found them he had to cross a river on his motorcycle and fell in. Then, it started to downpour, and then his motorcycle ran out of gas. But that didn't stop him, he made it and ended up loving church! 

Another Sunday after church after he was baptized, he pulled us aside and told us that he wanted to share with us his life story. We sat on the curb outside the church and he told us all the trials and struggles he had gone through. All the dark things of his past. He told us at one point how far away he was from God and how lost and dark he felt. Over the span of a few years he got back on his feet and one day ran into an ad on social media to meet with the missionaries. He filled out the AD, and then started to learn with us. He explained to us the immense Joy he had felt since then. Besides all the trials he had gone through, all the mistakes he had made, no matter how lonely he had felt, he had been brought back to Jesus and was able to feel Joy through Him and His gospel. He knew he was never alone, because he had his Heavenly Father and His Savior right by His side.

I especially love the story in the Book of Mormon, Lehi's vision of the tree of life. 

“And it came to pass that I beheld a tree, whose fruit was desirable to make one happy. And it came to pass that I did go forth and partake of the fruit thereof; and I beheld that it was most sweet, above all that I ever before tasted. Yea, and I beheld that the fruit thereof was white, to exceed all the whiteness that I had ever seen. And as I partook of the fruit thereof it filled my soul with exceedingly great joy; wherefore, I began to be desirous that my family should partake of it also; for I knew that it was desirable above all other fruit.”

This fruit, the sweetest above all other fruits, a fruit capable of making one happy, had the ability to fill one's soul with exceeding joy. This fruit could be the Savior and His atoning sacrifice. As we partake of His fruit, the gift of His Atonement can fill our souls with immense joy. Partaking of Christ and applying His Atonement to our lives will give us light, will give us hope and fill our souls with exceedingly great joy. As Lehi exclaimed “ And as I partook of the fruit thereof it filled my soul with exceedingly great joy; wherefore, I began to be desirous that my family should partake of it also; for I knew that it was desirable above all other fruit.”

God is so loving. He has provided us the perfect way to make it back to Him and His perfect and peaceful presence. He cares and is so aware of each and every one of us. Out of love, He sent His Beloved Son to give us the example, to give us the path. 

President Dieter F Utchdorf said in the recent general conference, “The gospel of Jesus Christ is truly the “good news of great joy”! It is a message of matchless hope! A message of yoke-bearing and burden-lifting. Of light-gathering. Of heavenly favor, higher understanding, holier covenants, eternal security, and everlasting glory! Joy is the very purpose of God’s plan for His children. It’s what you were created for—“that [you] might have joy”!” 

The fountain of all light, all hope and all joy is Jesus. As we come to Him as He constantly invites we will feel back at home. In Moroni 10: 32, “Yea, acome unto Christ, and be bperfected in him, and cdeny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and dlove God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be eperfect in Christ” It is never too late to come unto Him. No matter the mistakes we have made, no matter how far we have drifted we can always go back and be perfected and find Joy through Him.

I would like to bear my testimony… yo se con todo mi corazón que Dios y Jesucristo nos aman. ellos nos aman con un amor perfecto. yo se que jesucristo es nuestro salvador y que el ha preparado el camino y que podemos seguirle siempre. yo se que arrepentimiento es algo maravilloso y es cómo podemos volver a él como él desea. yo se que esta es la iglesia de jesucristo y que ha sido restaurada por medio de josé smith. yo se que el libro de mormón es verdadero y que puede cambiar nuestras vidas al leerlo y aplicarlo a nuestras vidas. yo se que podemos encontrar gozo, felicidad y esperanza por medio de él. se que estas cosas son verdaderas en el nombre de jesucristo amen. 

I know with my whole heart that God and Christ love us. They love us with a perfect love.  I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior, and he has prepared for us the way and we can always follow Him. I know that repentance is something marvelous and it’s how we can return to him, just as he desires. I know this is the Church of Jesus Christ and it has been restored through Joseph Smith. I know the Book of Mormon is true and it can change our lives as we read it and apply its teachings to our lives. I know that we can find joy and happiness and hope through Him. I know these things are true in the name of Jesus Christ amen.