Farewell Talk

Farewell Talk! 2/10/19

    Introduction: Good morning Brothers and Sisters. My name is Andy Petty… you may recognize me from this little thing called the program. Yeah that’s me!

Ever since elementary school I have learned an important life skill that has helped me throughout my entire life. Through middle school and high school I practiced and perfected this amazing tool. Every homework assignment was done using it, every test and project. I even started using this tool in my social and work life. I am sad to say that I even utilized this talent while I was preparing this talk. For those that don’t know what life skill I am describing, it is procrastination. But hey that’s what the mission is for.. Right?

Anyways a few months ago I received my mission call in an email, and had my dad printed it out for me. On November 8th I opened my mission call with many of my friends and family there to support me. It said,

“Dear Elder Petty:

You are hereby called to serve as a missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You are assigned to labor in the Pennsylvania Philadelphia Mission. It is anticipated that you will serve for a period of 24 months.

You should report to the Provo Missionary Training Center on Wednesday, February 20, 2019. You will prepare to preach the gospel in the Spanish language. Your assignment may be modified according to the needs of the mission president.”

When I first opened my call, I’m going to be honest I was slightly disappointed. I told myself that I would serve anywhere, and the location really didn’t matter, but I secretly I wanted to go anywhere outside the U.S.

I grew more and more excited after I learned more about my mission; like not only does it cover Philadelphia (the hometown of the Fresh Prince) but it also extends to cover half of Pennsylvania, most of New Jersey, the entire state of Delaware, and even slightly goes over the border of New York. I have been all over the United States, but the one area I have never visited is the North East. My only background knowledge of Pennsylvania comes from The Office, and I was really excited to hear that Scranton and Binghamton are both in my mission.

Another thing that motivated me to go on a mission was thinking about what my purpose will be as a missionary, and realizing that location truly should not matter. Preach my Gospel states that your purpose as a missionary is to “Invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism,  receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end.” After reading this in the mission prep class, I realized that this purpose is the same for every missionary, and I recieved my own personal testimony that my call was the perfect place for me, and that Philadelphia is truly where the lord needs me.

    My topic is “Power of the Holy Ghost in our Lives and Testifying of the Savior.”

Since I was a boy I’ve known that I wanted to serve a mission, and from my youth I prepared for these next years that are right around the corner. Preparation is essential to a mission, and it affects your time serving very dramatically. I have tried my best to prepare myself physically, mentally, and especially spiritually. I have attended mission prep classes taught by return missionaries as well as temple prep classes taught to me by the Stones. My connection with the spirit has increased tenfold as I have prepared more and more these past few months. I have learned that the Spirit is one of the most important tools in a missionaries toolbox.

The spirit speaks to us all differently, and throughout my life I have struggled a lot being able to recognize his presence. I learned that the most common way he speaks to me is through the feeling of peace. The feeling of peace is extremely subtle, but going to the temple always helps me focus on the spirit and I am always more in tune with the promptings he is sending me. Being in a quiet place helps me hear the still small voice. Whether I go for baptisms, or more recently for my endowments, I have always loved going to the temple to boost to my spiritual connection with my Heavenly Father.

The Holy Ghost is often referred to as the Spirit, the Holy Spirit, or the Comforter, and is given to us as a gift at baptism to always be with us. He is our compass, our protector, and our blanket of love from heavenly father.

We learn some of the Holy Spirit’s Roles as we search the scriptures.

In (2 Nephi 31:18) it describes the Spirit as a “witnesses of the Father and the Son”

and in (Moroni 10:5) we learn that the Holy Ghost teaches “the truth of all things.”

The Holy Ghost is the only way that we can gain a personal testimony of the gospel, and communicating through the Holy Ghost is the only way that we can develop a relationship with Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father. The Spirit’s roles as a witness and as a teacher are going to be used in every single lesson I teach as a missionary, but also can be used in each of our daily lives.

In our personal lives, we need the holy ghost to testify of truth, and to strengthen our testimonies of the Gospel. God wants each one of his children to grow close to him, and to be in tune with the spirit. When we are in tune with the spirit, we can receive answers to our prayers, comfort for problems big and small, and promptings straight from heavenly father. Without the Holy Spirit though, we would not be able to receive any of these blessings from heaven. We would feel lost and alone, and finding our way back to God would be unbelievably more difficult.

Like for example, I am a little nervous about the food. Philly is famous for their Philly cheesesteaks, but personally I don’t like cheese on any of my steaks, t-bone…filet…sirloin… but that’s probably cause I’m lactose intolerant. The spirit *as well as Lactaid* will help comfort even tiny problems like this one.

Shortly after I moved into this ward a little over a year ago, I was called as the Priests Quorum first assistant. Assisting the Bishop in leading the priests quorum was definitely one of the best spiritual preparations for me. Through the Holy Ghost, I was able to receive answers to my prayers, receive promptings about how to better the quorum, and receive guidance on how to help inactive young men. I got to see first hand the changes in the quorum constantly, and I was able to see God’s hand in the meetings each week. Leaving the priests quorum and being ordained an elder was a little bitter sweet because the Holy Spirit helped me grow so close to my quorum members. Being able to receive those promptings and answers was very helpful to my choice to serve a mission, and I know that those experiences will give me strength.

On my mission, the spirit will be a part of my daily life. I will have to rely on it constantly, and I will need to constantly have him as my second companion. I will need to have meetings with him, constantly try to improve my relationship with him, I will need to listen to his input at all times, and trust him to guide me where God needs me to go. Not only will I need the spirit, but the people I teach will need it as well. As a missionary the Spirit answers your prayers, inspires you on what to say and do, as well as strengthens your testimony of Christ and his Gospel. The Preach my gospel book even tells you to not think of a response while you are having a conversation, but rather focus on listening, and then let the spirit fill your mouth with what needs to be said. When you meet new people, and invite them to come unto Christ, The Spirit confirms to them that the words you are speaking are true. As a missionary you can explain the lesson and answer basic questions, but the spirit is the true converter of the Gospel. It allows people to feel peace and happiness in their lives that they otherwise would never feel or recognize. He will witness to anyone and everyone that the Gospel is true.

The Spirit constantly helps God’s children, and He is truly an essential member of the Godhead. I am so looking forward to my mission for numerous reasons, but I am especially excited to build a relationship with my Savior through the Holy Spirit. I will learn to better listen to promptings, and react to them without hesitation.

Brothers and Sisters I know that the people of Philadelphia need me, and I know that I am called to the work. I have a testimony of the Gospel, of Jesus Christ, and the necessity of missionary work here on earth. I also know that a mission will not be easy and that I will struggle each and every day. I hope that every young man and young woman considers going on a mission, because I know that it will be the greatest experience of my life. I will do my best, and I know that I have so much support from family, friends, and heaven. I would love to hear from anyone on my mission, all I ask is that you don’t spoil the end of the new Avengers movie. I hope to better myself every single day, and to become the best missionary I can be, and I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ.