The big FAREWELL

The big day finally arrived....the FAREWELL! Oh, wait. We don't officially call it that anymore, do we? Ummm....the day Rebekah was asked to speak in church before she leaves on her mission? Nah, Farewell is just easier to say.

 (Working on her talk...)

Rebekah's Farewell was combined with Madie's Homecoming (another girl from our ward)...it was a sister missionary double header! But that also meant that the meeting was packed...bursting at the seams, more like it! The chapel and cultural hall beyond were filled to capacity and they still brought in chairs to make extra rows between the two rooms. I heard more chairs were added to the foyers as well. The meeting was incredibly awesome. I was super proud of Rebekah...she did a beautiful job with her talk. She seemed so poised and articulate. And her testimony was strong and sweet.

After the meeting we had an open house where everyone came over for lunch...sandwiches, salads, fruit and veggies, chips, treats and all you can eat soft ice cream. I wish I had counted but I'm not sure it was even possible to really get an accurate number of everyone who came to the house. I'm still hearing of people who stopped by that I didn't even see. We had people at our house from about 12:15 after our meeting ended to 9:00 that evening! Family...grandparents, aunts, and uncles and cousins (some of my aunts and uncles, even), high school friends, college friends, parents of friends who were already on their own missions, current wardies, neighbors from our old ward, and even friends of mine that were there to support me just as much as to celebrate Rebekah. It was crazy...in the very best way. It was incredibly heartwarming to see so many people who loved my girl and wanted to send her off with their good wishes. It was such a great day!

(And when I say all you can eat soft ice-cream...I wasn't kidding. Good stuff!)

And now it's time for picture-polooza....

Alyssa was Rebekah's roommate at USU. She just received her mission call to Houston, Texas. Another high school friend made necklaces for the girls...Houston and London, respectively. I think their plan was for Alyssa to take the London necklace while Rebekah took the Houston one in remembrance of each other while they were both gone.

Jon Woodbury had his polaroid camera with him and took some shots of Rebekah and her friends. I don't think many of them had ever seen a polaroid picture develop before! Rebekah packed the pictures in her luggage to take with her, but I scanned them first so I could have a copy.

So...I look teary in this picture but I believe it or not, I did not cry once at the Farewell or the open house afterwards. I even took precautions and made sure to wear waterproof mascara, but somehow I made it through without any waterworks.

These are my high school "musketeers"....Chellie, Lori, Kami and Heather. All of them came to support Rebekah at her farewell.

And here we are in 1996....at Rebekah's baby blessing. I have some really incredible friends!

Thanks to everyone who came!

Farewell talk

Hello brothers and sisters, my name is Rebekah Croft. I’ve been away attending college at Utah State University for the past year, so those of you who have moved in recently might not know me, but my family has lived in this neighborhood for almost eight years now, so I recognize most of the faces out there.

I have been called to serve in the London, England mission. Part of that mission will be working in the Hyde Park Chapel Visitors Center. Interestingly enough, London was the very first place missionaries were officially sent when the church was first expanding, so it is often referred to as the very first mission of the church. Most of us can probably remember Pres. Hinckley sharing stories in conference of his mission in England, specifically of him standing on Hyde Park corner conducting street meetings and sharing the gospel. Our very own stake Patriarch, Brother McFarland also served in London and recently shared with my family his stories of making contacts and preaching on Hyde Park corner. When he was serving, on their first day in the field all the new missionaries would be taken to the busy and intimidating Hyde Park Corner where they would get their first chance sharing the gospel as missionaries in a sort of “make it or break it” experience. I’ve heard rumors that even today the missionaries in London frequently sing on the steps of the Hyde Park Chapel Visitors Center. So it will be fun to be there in a place where there is so much history and add my own experiences where there is already so much history.

My mission is english speaking. However whenever I tell people that, they laugh and tell me that I won’t be speaking the kind of english I’m used to...the British people have their own way of speaking the language. Some of you may remember Elder Maring who recently served here in our stake for a few months. He’s actually from London and after I got my call, he came over to our house with his companion to give me all sorts of tips as to what is NOT okay to say in England, different kinds of slang, and all sorts of cultural things I should be aware of. So although I will be speaking english, I’m positive that at some point or another I will accidentally say or do something ridiculous like many other missionaries do while learning their languages.

“Without sacrifice there is no true worship of God. ... ‘The Father gave his Son, and the Son gave his life,’ and we do not worship unless we give of our substance, ... our time, ... strength, ... talent, ... faith, ... [and] testimonies” ­Gordon B. Hinckley

If you couldn’t tell from the quote, I have been asked to speak on “Sacrifice”. Personally the very first thing I think of when I hear the word sacrifice is Christ’s ultimate, and infinite sacrifice in the Garden of Gethsemane. In the words of Eliza R. Snow:
His precious blood he freely spilt; His life he freely gave,
A sinless sacrifice for guilt,
A dying world to save.

Because of this sacrifice, we are able to learn from our mistakes, have new beginnings, be strengthened in our trials, and be forgiven of our sins. But greatest of all because of the Son of God, our redeemer and savior, we are given the opportunity to one day live again with our Father in Heaven. The next thing that comes to mind is the story of Abraham. A man willing to offer his son Isaac in a sacrifice because he was commanded to do so as a test of his faith. I think of Lehi and his family travelling into the wilderness, leaving everything behind to come to this land of promise. I think of Esther sacrificing her reputation and standing with the King, risking execution, in order to save her people. I think of the early pioneers willing to leave behind their homes, land and many possessions in order to cross the planes and make it to this mountain valley we now call home. Lastly I think of Joseph Smith sacrificing his reputation, home, time, family, and finally his own life in order to restore this gospel on the earth today.

President Thomas S. Monson recently shared a story of tremendous sacrifice in the 2011 April General Conference. He says, and I quote:
“May I share with you the account of Tihi and Tararaina Mou Tham and their 10 children. The entire family except for one daughter joined the Church in the early 1960s, when missionaries came to their island, located about 100 miles south of Tahiti. Soon they began to desire the blessings of an eternal family sealing in the temple.
At that time the nearest temple to the Mou Tham family was the Hamilton New Zealand Temple, more than 2,500 miles to the southwest, accessible only by expensive airplane travel. The large Mou Tham family, which eked out a meager living on a small plantation, had no money for airplane fare, nor was there any opportunity for employment on their Pacific island. So Brother Mou Tham and his son Gérard made the difficult decision to travel 3,000 miles to work in New Caledonia, where another son was already employed.
The three Mou Tham men labored for four years. Brother Mou Tham alone returned home only once during that time, for the marriage of a daughter.
After four years, Brother Mou Tham and his sons had saved enough money to take the family to the New Zealand Temple. All who were members went except for one daughter, who was expecting a baby. They were sealed for time and eternity, an indescribable and joyful experience.
Brother Mou Tham returned from the temple directly to New Caledonia, where he worked for two more years to pay for the passage of the one daughter who had not been at the temple with them—a married daughter and her child and husband.”

Although we are not usually asked to travel into the wilderness like Lehi, trek across vast distances carrying all our possessions in hand carts like the Pioneers, risk our lives to save the

people we love like Esther, or in most cases labor to obtain the blessings of the temple for years like the Mou Tham family, we as latter day saints are still asked to sacrifice in our day to day lives. 

3 Nephi 9:20 reads:
“And ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit. And whoso cometh unto me with a broken heart, him will I baptize with fire and with the Holy Ghost.”

But what does it really mean to offer up a broken heart and a contrite spirit? We’ve all heard it, but do we actually understand what is being asked of us? Bruce D. Porter of the Seventy defines it by saying
“Those who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit are willing to do anything and everything that God asks of them, without resistance or resentment. We cease doing things our way and learn to do them God’s way instead. In such a condition of submissiveness, the Atonement can take effect and true repentance can occur.”

Basically we need to be humble and receptive to the will of God, realizing that He can see the full picture where we can only see a small piece of the puzzle. While I agree with this quote I also believe that another aspect of having a contrite spirit and a broken heart is to be sincerely, and deeply grateful for Christ’s sacrifice for us; his suffering on our behalf. We need to take advantage of the atonement in our lives, sacrificing the things of the world to become cleansed of our sins. Only through the atonement may we truly become perfected in him.

Along with offering up a contrite spirit and a broken heart there are many, many other things we as members can sacrifice just as our ancestors, and people of the past have done, although these things may be different. I came up with three examples of ways we sacrifice as members of the church without perhaps even realizing that this is what we are doing. My first example of a sacrifice we can offer up to the Lord is participating in the work of family history. In order to find names of people to take to the temple we must sacrifice time and effort. Not to mention the actual time it takes to attend the temple and perform the ordinances. But true to the definition of sacrifice, in the end, our hard work will be worth the happiness and spiritual progression gained by not only us but also those people that have been waiting so long to receive the ordinances.

A second way we are blessed to have the opportunity to sacrifice is in our callings. From Gospel Doctrine teachers to Primary teachers, Relief society presidents to Bishops, and choir directors to Home and Visiting teachers, the diversity of callings in our church is incredible but, they all require time and effort in order to be successful and ultimately bring the Spirit into others lives. I think of the many hours that teachers spend preparing lessons, the meetings that various presidencies take time to attend in order to plan activities, and discuss the needs of others. I think of the time that Home teachers take out of their busy lives to meet with a family in the ward once a month and check up on them. Lastly I think of the bishopric of this ward spending countless hours for the benefit and spiritual welfare of all its members. Every one of us can sacrifice and in doing so share our testimonies in our individual ways to make a difference in this church if we just try.

My third and final example of a sacrifice we can give unto the lord is that we can give one tenth of our earning to the church. Living the law of the tithe is a sacrifice we can make almost everyday. Also in regards to money, we can pay fast offerings every month. The money that we give for fast offerings and tithing, however much it may be, helps people around the world, and strengthens this church. It goes into bishop's store houses, to families who are struggling financially, to the missionaries, to build temples and church houses, to aid in humanitarian services all around the world, and many other efforts. In addition, we are promised by the Lord in Malachi 3:10 that if we pay our tithing He will...“open the windows of heaven, and pour out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.”
From this scripture we learn that in most cases although the Lord asks us to sacrifice, we often gain much more than we ever lost in the first place, obtaining something far greater in return for our sacrifices. We can become like those we read about who are admired for their great spiritual strength and efforts of sacrifice, whether they be in scripture, early church history or even live today. Although our sacrifices may seem small, in comparison to some, if we simply give our all our sacrifices will be great in the sight of the lord, and I know we will be blessed.

Testimony...

(Here's Rebekah working on her talk. It looks like she's playing around on social media...but I can attest to the fact that really she was reading a talk by Elder Oaks on sacrifice....haha.)

Missionary photo shoot

Singing the praises of our friend and photographer Jon Woodbury again this morning. He took some absolutely incredible pictures of our missionary girl. He took Rebekah's senior pictures last year, her mission pictures this year...in a few years we'll have him photograph her wedding. He's watching her grow up through the lens of his camera!

Here's some of my favorites....
(And forgive me for the sheer number but I was having a ridiculous time just choosing a few...they are all just that good!)

"I love to see the temple...I'll go inside someday!"

Taking your child to the temple for the first time is a pretty momentous occasion. Baptisms are awesome. But to escort your child through as they receive their endowments, make sacred covenants and take in the whole temple experience....well, it's hard to find the words to describe the many emotions wrapped around that event.

Rebekah has attachments to a few temples. The Bountiful Temple is our home temple, the one she has performed countless baptisms for the dead in. The one where she made trip after early morning trip up the hill for "Temple Tuesday" with her friends from high school...getting up extra early on the high school's late start Tuesday schedule to fit in a temple trip before school started for the day.

The Logan Temple became special to her this past year when she was attending Utah State University. It was at that temple that while doing baptisms, she spent much time in prayer and contemplation as to whether or not she should serve a mission.

The Jordan River Temple can now be added to that list of special temples. Realistically, the Bountiful Temple was our obvious choice when setting up an appointment for Rebekah to receive her endowments. However, the Bountiful Temple was closed during the week we had chosen. The Jordan River Temple was not only closer to all the grandparents and family who wanted to go through the temple with her, but also and even more specially...the Jordan River Temple is where Bryan and I both received our endowments and also were sealed.

On March 11th...a Wednesday afternoon, Rebekah entered the front doors of the temple and rather go downstairs to the baptistry, continued past the recommend desk and on into the main part of that beautiful building. It was an amazing experience. One thing that was neat for me was that because this was Rebekah's first time, they let her get ready in what they used to call "the bride's room." I think now they find that equal number of girls are going through the temple in preparation for a mission as for a wedding so they have stopped calling it "the bride's room." But it was sentimental for me because as was helping Rebekah get dressed and ready for her temple session in the same room that my mother helped me get ready to receive my endowments and then the actual sealing the next day.

A "parent's payday" is how I heard it described by many friends and neighbors. And while that is true...it's so much more than that!

 

Missions and home towns

On January 2nd, a few days before Rebekah headed back to Logan to start winter semester after Christmas break, the missionaries came to dinner. Elder Maring was from England, he said. Born in Germany, but then moved to England when he was young and did the majority of his growing up years there. He and his companion both were pretty excited about the fact that Rebekah was in the midst of filling out mission papers. There was a lot of talk about missions and speculation as to where she would go.

Fast forward four weeks. Rebekah's mission call arrived on a Friday. The next morning Rebekah and I attended our Stake Women's Conference. One of the workshops Rebekah and I decided to attend was the one about "missionary moms"....how to prepare your children to serve a mission, whether they be just littles or teens who are actually in the process, and what to expect when they are on a mission. We thought it was appropriate timing. We walked in and there sat the Elders. Elder Maring had a new companion, but he immediately recognized us as we walked in and waved us over to seats near him. After shaking hands, we told him that Rebekah had received her mission call just the day before. He and his companion were happy about this news and right as Elder Maring was asking Rebekah where she was going to serve, it hit me that he was going to be very excited when she said, "I've been called to the England, London mission!" The look on Elder Maring's face was priceless! A few more questions revealed that not only was Rebekah going to London, but to the right part of London (there are two London missions)...the part that includes his home. The fact that he was serving his mission in her home town, and she was going to be serving her mission in his home town seemed rather mind boggling to him. He even said, "I'm going home in October! I could come visit you!"

A few days later we were having a birthday dinner for Julianne when the doorbell rang. Assuming it was another friend dropping by to wish Julianne a happy day, we were surprised to find the Elders on our doorstep. They wanted to stop in and say hello they said, and had some english chocolate for Rebekah. They were disappointed to find that Rebekah wasn't home. The didn't realize that she was living in Logan to attend USU. They were hoping to set up a time where they could have a little mission prep sort of family home evening with us. I assured them that Rebekah still came home on various weekends and that a mission prep message sounded like a great idea.

A couple of weeks later Rebekah came home for the weekend, Elder Maring and his companion came over and we all gathered around to hear their message. They gave Rebekah all sorts of information about being a missionary in general...but Elder Maring also told her all about London and the surrounding areas she would be serving. Hints about certain things she shouldn't say or do that could be offensive in their culture, food, slang, weather, etc. They answered any and all of her questions. They even told us about their own missions, funny stories and experiences and even how they felt about being called to Salt Lake City, Utah. Interestingly, both of Elder Maring's parents had served in this very same mission in Utah!

We had a great time with the Elders and their message and information was so incredibly helpful! Elder Maring has been recently transfered, but not before he gave me not only his personal email, but also his mothers email over in London, telling me that she would be more than happy to check in on Rebekah for me or get things to her, etc. And that if I wanted to send anything to Rebekah through him when he flies home in October, to let him know. It's nice to feel like we have friends there already that can potentially be looking out for Rebekah.

Julianne, Rebekah, Lilian, Elder Unklesbay, Brandon, Elder Maring