Farewell Talk

Hello, I’m Merik and I'm a recent graduate from independence high school. I will be set apart as a full time missionary tonight and have been called to serve in Eugene, Oregon speaking Spanish. As I’m sure the other departing missionaries can attest, the last few months have been filled with paperwork and endless interviews with President Kats and my dad, the bishop. There was a set of interviews for sending off my missionary papers, then another set of interviews for preparing to receive the Melchizedek priesthood, and a final set of interviews to enter the temple to receive my endowment. By the end of all these interviews, I felt like I was prepared to start interviews myself.

*****Initially as I went through these interviews, it felt a little bit like we were having the same conversation over and over again.  But as I reflect back, I realize that many of the commitments and promises I was preparing for had a lot of overlap and were purposely trying to help me grow a little bit along the way and recognize the growth I had experienced over the last 19 years. 

It reminds me of the experience I had in high school swim.  I have been swimming competitively for over 10 years.  When I first started swimming at Independence one of the seniors set the school record at 54 seconds for the 100 yard backstroke, my preferred stroke.  After all it is the only stroke you can breathe the whole time you are swimming.  I set a goal that year that I wanted to try to break his record.

As my sophomore year rolled around, I started the season with the goal to break 60 seconds.  All year long I worked on my form, getting stronger, and cleaning up my mistakes.  But no matter what I did, I always finished a few tenths of a second slower than 60 seconds.  Then, towards the end of the season we had a big meet called TISCA.  It’s the final big meet before districts.  I prepared the same way I always had and finished 59.8 seconds.  I finally reached my goal by two tenths of a second.  My coach and parents were so excited for me and it was so great to finally overcome that seemingly impossible obstacle.  The incredible part in this experience was that in the next three weeks I dropped another 3 seconds off my time.  It took me all season to drop 4 tenths of a second, and then I suddenly dropped more time in the next few weeks than I had any other season before or since.  I’ve reflected on what made the difference…I now realize it more as a mental block than a physical one.

The years leading up to now were much the same. Throughout high school, I kind of coasted along. I read my scriptures, said my prayers, went to church, and grudgingly woke up to go to seminary. I always did what I was supposed to, but my heart was not always in it. At seminary, I would often zone out and not take things seriously. However, this year the thought of me going on a mission suddenly became real. I had a lot of conversations with friends over the summer, mostly lighthearted, but sometimes they would become deeply personal and thoughtful. A strange yet normal occurrence between the young and silly teenagers I have become friends with. Over one such conversation it had hit me that I did not have a personal reason to go on a mission and that the decision, although I had already made it, was made for the wrong reasons. With this in mind, I had decided that this year I would find that reason.

With this newfound dedication, I sought to give the gospel my all. This was me finally breaking that minute mark in swimming. I studied the scriptures, I actively participated in seminary, and I did my best to truly live what I knew. It was amazing to see how I was able to better relate with those around me, and to see how I was learning and changing for the better. When the interview for my endowment rolled around I went through the questions easily, but the last question had caught me off guard. “Do you believe that you are worthy?” As my old art teacher used to say, “you are your own worst critic” and this was every bit as true for me. But president Kats made a good point. These questions are simple and easy to achieve if we work for them, the lord does not require too much of us to progress. And Since there is no higher standard than God’s, if I had answered these questions truthfully then I was worthy. So over the next week I graduated and was able to go through the temple.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous to go to the temple for the first time, I was the first of my group of friends to go and I only had a vague idea of what I was going to be doing. I knew the covenants I was going to make but I didn’t know what else to expect. Either way I was excited and I found the experience profoundly peaceful. As president Monson said, “As we attend the temple, there can come to us a dimension of spirituality and a feeling of peace which will transcend any other feeling which could come into the human heart.” The covenants I made during the endowment brought me closer to Christ as they reminded me of what being Christ like really is. “As we strive to understand and keep our covenants, we should remember that keeping our covenants is not merely a list of things to do but a commitment to become like the Savior.” By being the first to receive my own endowment I was able to go to the temple 4 more times to support my friends and each time I gained a little more understanding and felt a little more comfortable. (going up to Oklahoma?)

President Nelson taught us, “ the temple lies at the center of strengthening our faith and spiritual fortitude because the Savior and His doctrine are the very heart of the temple.  Everything taught in the temple, through instruction and through the Spirit, increases our understanding of Jesus Christ.  His essential ordinances bind us to Him through sacred priesthood covenants.  Then, as we keep our covenants, He endows us with His healing, strengthening power.”

Brothers and Sisters, I never broke the Independence backstroke record.  I came close, but Josh’s name is still enshrined on the leaderboard.  I did give my all, worked hard, learned a lot of lessons, and even set records in other events I did not expect.  I can look back and see I became a better all around swimmer.  

Conversely, I look over the totality of my experiences in the gospel and I can see how Christ has come into my life and blessed me with his power.  Christ's invitation from the Sermon on the Mount, “be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” Feels a little overwhelming, especially when compared to the final temple interview question, “do you consider yourself worthy to enter the Lord’s house and participate in temple ordinances.”  I know I will fall short of my desire to be Christ like, just as I did in my swimming carrier.  The great difference is that when we partner with the Savior, exercise faith in him, he will help us overcome the spiritual blocks that hold us back and we grow in ways we never expected.  It is through our covenants that we partner with him and gain greater access to his atoning power.

I am so excited for the opportunity to serve a mission and share my testimony of the Savior.  I know I still have a lot to learn, but I look at how much I have grown in the last year and look forward to the experiences I will have in the coming two years as a full time missionary, but I know that as I place my faith in Him and live my covenants to the best of my ability, He will remove the spiritual blocks.