On January 21, 2012, Callie's husband, Mike was baptized. He became interested in the church just a few months before and was taught by the missionaries, gained a testimony, and chose to be baptized. One of the Elder's baptized him, my dad confirmed him. He was ordained and received the Aaronic Priesthood the following day. Mike asked Spencer to speak on Baptism, our three boys to sing "A Young Boy Prayed", and me to speak on the Holy Ghost. Emily & Jeff gave the opening and closing prayers. The Bishop gave a few remarks. (Ryan & No'el weren't able to come to Utah for the baptism.) After the baptism and confirmation, Callie & Mike served Root Beer Floats & Special K bars to those who came to support Mike. Then our family went to dinner. My parents had a hotel with a swimming pool so after dinner, Spencer took Han & Madi and Jeff took Miley home to go to bed. The rest of us got in our suits and enjoyed some time in the pool & hot tub! Because this is my family history, I'm including my talk in case I ever need to use the idea again. If I had Spencer's talk I'd include it also...he did a great job and even got a little emotional!
Holy Ghost/Running Talk
About
6 months ago, Spencer and I joined with Emily and Jeff and started
running for the first time in our lives. We quickly learned that
there were a few things that were very important when you start a
running routine. Let me relate these 5 aspects of running to this
important event that is happening today.
#1-
You must have a good pair of shoes. What brand of shoe fits one
runner may not fit another. It may take a few attempts to find the
best fit but the shoes must fit perfectly so that your toes have
enough space to move, your arch has enough support but not too much,
etc.
#1-
Mike, by being baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints, you have just slipped on the best fitting pair of shoes EVER!
Everything about the Gospel is perfect, though not all members are.
President Gordan B. Hinckley said, “The real strength of the Church
lies not in the physical facilities which we own...the strength of
the Church lies in the conviction carried in the hearts of its
members. The testimony that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, the
Redeemer of all mankind...is the most precious possession that any of
us can hold.”
#2-
It helps if you have a running guide so that you know where you're
running and how long it should take to get there. When we started
running, we were training for a 5K...which may not be a big deal for
some people but it was a HUGE for us. We quickly found a Running
Guide that we were able to follow. We ran 4 days a week, in walking
& running intervals, and gradually built up our strength and
endurance.
#2-
We have so many guides to help us. The scriptures, the Church
magazines, our local leaders, and especially our Prophet. If there
are any of us who are lacking a testimony, we can get it by doing the
will of the Father and studying the gospel. As we learn in James
1:5, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to
all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.”
#3-
The four of us ran together every time we went out but we all ran at
different speeds. Since Spence ran fastest, he became our natural
leader...the one who told us when it was time to turn around and head
back to the car, the one who said it was time to walk or run. It was
always comforting to know that there was someone ahead of me that
would be able to help on his way back to the car if I had trouble.
#3-
Our Savior, Jesus Christ, is our leader. He came to this earth to
live among men, to show us the way to live, and he experienced it
all. He is always ahead of us, to help us know the path to choose
and he can help us through any troubles we may come upon, because as
it says in Doctrine & Covenants 19:16, “For behold, I, God,
have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if
they would repent.”
#4-
Having a watch with a timer became SO important. When we first
started out and were running at shorter intervals, Spencer couldn't
get too far ahead of us so it was easy for him to holler back to us
to start walking or to turn around. But somewhere during our
training, Spencer started going a lot faster. And we would lose
track of time if we couldn't see him so we'd end up running or
walking too long and it totally messed up the plan. Then, Mike &
Callie bought me a watch to use while I was running. It lit up at
night, had a stopwatch feature, and a reset button that I could push
in between walking & running intervals. I no longer relied on
Spence because I could finally do it myself.
#4
– Moses 6: 52 says, “If thou wilt turn unto me, and repent of all
thy transgressions, and be baptized, even in water, in the name of
mine Only Begotten Son, ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”
Mike, you are about to receive the greatest and most precious gift
you will ever receive in this life. The Holy Ghost is also known as
the Comforter, Revelator, the Spirit. He can give you peace and
comfort when you are sad or lonely or worried. When you feel love or
joy or peace or patience, when you are gentle and kind, you are
feeling the influence of the Holy Ghost. Each week when we partake
of the Sacrament, through the power of the Holy Ghost, we have the
opportunity to push our “Reset” button, to pledge to do the
Lord's will, and to repent of any wrong doings. The Holy Ghost gives
you the ability to quit relying on other's testimonies and to find
out the truth for yourself.
The Holy
Ghost works in perfect unity with Heavenly Father and Jesus
Christ, fulfilling several roles to help us live righteously and
receive the blessings of the gospel. He “witnesses of the Father
and the Son” and reveals and teaches “the truth of all things”.
We can receive a sure testimony of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ
only by the power of the Holy Ghost. His communication to our spirit
carries far more certainty than any communication we can receive
through our natural senses. As we strive to stay on the path that
leads to eternal life, the Holy Ghost can guide us in our
decisions and protect us from physical and spiritual danger.
#5-
We needed a goal. We decided to run a 5K and we all set the goal
that we would RUN the entire thing...no walking!
Mike,
in a sense, you have just ran your first 5K by being baptized. It's
now up to you to set your next goal, to receive the Priesthood, to
prepare to go to the temple, and to raise an Eternal Family.
