Moms Farewell talk to the ward

Sunday, June 13, 2021: Today was Christian's farewell talk Sunday at church. We are back to normal church for 2 hours and no masks so he was able to invite some friends and family to join him. He had a full house of friends and some family stopped in as well. Both Tyler and I were asked to speak along with Christian and in the end, I think it all worked out great. After Sacrament meeting we had a small lunch at the house for those that wanted to join us. I don't have notes from Tyler's talk because he is more of a 'bullet point and go from there' kind of speaker but I wanted to leave my talk below for Christian to be able to re-read or look back on if he ever chooses

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Good afternoon brothers and sisters. It is sure not the first time I have been up here lately but I am hoping that after today I will have some sort of a breather. I figured after speaking with Kaitlyn and then a few short weeks later at Stake Conference that I would somehow get a golden ticket and be able to sit back and listen to the words prepared by Christian today from where you are all sitting. I even tried to get Brooklyn to take my spot but her answer was that she was going to become a Miller instead of an Eborn to get out of having to participate. So, without further ado I will say how proud I am of the choice Christian has made that has me here speaking with you today.

The Bishop, as we are all aware of, has the year long subject for talks during Sacrament meeting to be “talk about something you are passionate about or a principle that you have a testimony of”. So my answer to that question that I will address today is simply my testimony and gratefulness of ‘faith in His timing’.

I have come to learn that it will do me no good to try and plan what my life is going to look like, what choices I would love to see my children make, or even at times, what direction I need to turn next. Rather, I am constantly being reminded that the Lord has His timing in all things. I am also being reminded that as long as I remember to apply the 1^st principle of this Gospel “faith in the Lord Jesus Christ” and trust Him and His way of doing things … on His time…the lessons and blessings awaiting me can be eternal.

The all too familiar observation many of us have heard, and perhaps even said so ourselves is, “timing is everything”, but timing is more than everything. It is instead, quite vital. In Ecclesiastes we read the following:

To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven

A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;…

A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;…

A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;…

A time to keep silence, and a time to speak.

In all of the important decisions in our lives, what is most important is to do the right thing. Secondly, and only slightly behind the first, is to do the right thing at the right time. So, how do we know it is the right time?

The Lord has His own timetable. In D&C 64: 31-32 we read “My words are sure and shall not fail,” but…”all things must come to pass in their time.” Let’s go back to that first principle of the Gospel being faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Faith also means trust. Trust in God’s will, trust in His way of doing things, and trust in His timetable. We need to remember to not try to impose nor force our timetable onto His.

When I was up here in January with Kaitlyn as she readied herself to begin her mission I will admit that at the time, my own timetable was not lining up with the Lords when it came to where she was at in her life. She was ready to take on this opportunity to serve her Heavenly Father, however that looked during this crazy pandemic heavy world we were in. She had absolutely zero reservations and she was committed to go to work and be on the Lord’s errand. I wanted her to stay, maybe extend her availability date so she could give Covid an opportunity to pass by. I didn’t want to have to have her get a reassignment and feel any of the hurt, heartache, or confusion as to why a reassignment may be handed down to her. My timetable was not what mattered even if I had pushed and pushed because Kaitlyn has her own timetable and she has her own desires. But even more importantly, she has her own faith and trust in her Heavenly Father to be about His work no matter what the rest of the state of the world is in. (or what the state of her Mom’s heart was in)

Elder Neal A Maxwell has said (Quote) “The issue for us is trusting God enough to trust also His timing. If we can truly believe He has our welfare at heart, may we not let His plans unfold as He thinks best? The same is true with the second coming and with all those matters wherein our faith needs to include faith in the Lord’s timing for us personally, not just in His overall plans and purposes. Since faith in the timing of the Lord may be tried, let us learn to say not only ‘Thy will be done’; but patiently also, ‘Thy timing be done’. (End of quote) We cannot have true faith in our Lord and Savior without also having complete trust in His will and His timing.

Just like missionaries, our service in our callings in the Lord’s church is one that we need to remember that when is just as important as who, what, where, and even how. We need to prepare in the way that the Lord has directed us to do so. We need to be ready to act on the Lord’s timing. He will tell us when the timing is right to take the next step but for now, we simply need to concentrate on our own assignments/callings and what we have been asked to do today in this very moment. In doing so, we are assured as promised in D&C 88:73 “I will hasten my work in its time”. Continuing revelation is the means by which the Lord administers His timing and it is imperative that we have that revelation or we may end up doing things too soon or too late or perhaps even too long.

The Lord’s timing also applies to important events in our own personal lives. In D&C 88:68 it states that a particular spiritual experience will come to us “in his own time, and in his own way, and according to his own will”. This principle applies to all events in our lives. I have witnessed first hand examples of trusting the Lord on His time when it comes to even this simplest things such as the blessing of friends. I have been blessed with having some great people in my life and the lives of my family. Some of those friends are “lifers” where others came in for a season and moved on. Some of those seasonal friends I miss dearly but in trusting my Heavenly Father and letting His timing play out, I have seen the reasons that those seasons were for a short time. Prayer is another example. I have come to learn that talking with my Heavenly Father is ‘easy’ but waiting on Him and His timing, that is the harder part. As we were in the temple this week with Christian I realized how blessed we have been to have had the opportunity to be inside now twice during Covid and the shut down of the temples. But I also acknowledged that as much as I miss being inside these walls and I long for the doors to open, this too has a reason and a timetable that the Lord is mindful of and in complete control of. I have to continue to have faith that He knows exactly what He is doing, even if it is simply a reminder for me that absence sure does make the heart grow fonder. This principle can also play out in the key major events in our lives such as marriage, adding children to your family, perhaps a move from one home to a next, and most certainly that of choosing to serve a mission. It wasn’t up to me or to Tyler for Kaitlyn, or now for Christian, to choose to serve a mission. Each of them had to have their own faith and trust, rely on their own revelation to be able to then have their own confirmation in such a way that their timetable now lined up with that of their Heavenly Fathers.

In reference to missionary work, Dallin H Oaks has said that the importance of following the Lord’s timing with those we try to interest in hearing the Gospel is simply that it is His work and not ours. This is black and white that it is to be on His timing, and not ours (or theirs as the missionary). It is not something that we can force. We simply have to wait and be ready to hear Him when He tells us, when He will open the doors for us, or when He will allow walls to be broken down in front of us to show us that the timing is finally right. This is something as I read it that led to think of those sweet ‘friends’ our sweet Sister Garcia and companion are working with and teaching. Those who either for some reason or another aren’t quite ready to commit to a baptism or those who do commit but then fall through. No matter the effort put in by these two servants, it isn’t on their time and they need to be patient as the Lord works His magic behind the scenes.

As Christian readies himself to get ready to serve those who are waiting for him to arrive in Benin, one of the greatest lessons I have learned when it comes to having faith in the Lord’s timing is one that I would like to share with not just him today but also with you. Some of our very most important plans cannot be brought to pass without the agency and actions of others. A missionary cannot baptize one, two, or even five people in a month, year, or entire span of a mission without the action of that one, two, or five people. Christian, and any other missionary serving, can plan and work and do all that is within his power, teach, fellowship, lead by example, pray, and bear testimonies but the desired end result will ultimately depend on the agency and action of others. As a missionary, the goals will need to be based upon Christian’s personal agency and his own actions, and not based upon the action and/or agency of others. We can and should work and pray for righteous desires, but we also need to be mindful that some of those may remain unanswered in the way we see them working out or playing out on our timelines.

So, what now? Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ prepares us for whatever life will bring, both good and bad. This kind of faith will prepare us to deal with opportunities and disappointments. This kind of faith helps keep us in check with our priorities and the standards we have chosen for ourselves even when those around us use their agency to choose differently. If we stay consistent with our faith and commitment, we live a life full of direction and peace.

If we have faith and trust in God and we are committed to keep His commandments and put Him first in our lives, we do not need to plan out every step of our lives nor do we need to feel rejected, sad, depressed, or even forgotten about if some things we have or had on our timelines do not work out like we had hoped. We need to stand ready to accept the Lord’s planning, along with the agency of others, in matters that will inevitably affect each one of us.

Now, back to the beginning where I said I have learned not to plan out what my life should look like…what I have learned as far as planning for my life and the teachings that I hope my kids will follow is that to anchor our personal commitments that will carry us through all things no matter what. We can anchor our life to eternal principles. We can commit to putting the Lord first in all the things in our lives. We can keep His commandments and do what it is that we are asked to do in our callings. We can be at the ready to hear Him and be able to act on those things that fall into line on His time that will benefit our lives today and into the eternities.

Brothers and Sisters, I am grateful for the timetable of my Heavenly Father, even through those times that either took longer than anticipated to line up, or even have still yet to line up with my personal timetable. I am grateful for the knowledge that He is mindful of the choice Christian has made to serve Him in the capacity of a missionary. I am grateful to know that Christian has his own faith and testimony of trusting in his Heavenly Father and is excited to go serve those in Africa. I am grateful for the support and unconditional love of those in this room, and those who are seasonal friends, who have worked to help get Christian to where he is at this moment. I am grateful to these sweet missionaries in our home, and in so many other areas of this world, who have committed to faith in the Lord and who have allowed their lives to line up to the Lord’s timetable. I pray we will all be ready to make a commitment ourselves to the Lord to put Him first and to be ready for whatever it is He would have each of us do, knowing it is in His timing and on His timetable.

I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.