Good morning brothers and sisters, as bishop said my name is Breanna Jensen and I have been called to serve for the next 18 months in Tampa, Florida.
This is a decision that has been a lifetime in the making and is very near and dear to my heart. I will spend my time knocking on doors, in the search of someone who needs to be awakened to the hand of God in their life and realize their divine potential. My shoes will be worn down to nothing more than an empty shell as I scour the streets for the Savior’s lost sheep and I will collapse into bed each night exhausted and discouraged from riding my bike to appointments just to have the door shut before having a chance to let the spirit touch their hearts. My knees will feel the weight of the day as I pray to my Father for strength and the diligence to continue doing His work and for the ability of my spirit to awaken people's souls. And yet each day when I wake up, my soul will yearn to preach this gospel to every child of God I speak with, for, as Ammon says in Alma 26:16, "Therefore, let us glory, yea we will glory in the Lord; yea, we will rejoice, for our joy is full; yea, we will praise our God forever. Behold, who can glory too much of his great power, and of his mercy, and of his long-suffering towards the children of men? Behold, I say unto you, I cannot say the smallest part which I feel." Not only will I rejoice in Christ, but I will strive to emulate His example through my actions to others. In Preach My Gospel: A Guide to Missionary Work, missionaries are counseled to develop Christlike attributes as they share the gospel with others. Some of these are, "Faith, Hope, Charity and Love, Virtue, Knowledge, Patience, Humility, Diligence, and Obedience." Obtaining these attributes allows us to serve others as the Savior would. This desire to serve comes from my testimony of what service can do for others and the effect it has in changing people's hearts and lives. I have experienced this mighty change for myself as I have served in various callings and seen the many examples around me everyday.
My mother has been one of the best examples of service and selflessness I have ever seen. She constantly takes the time to take care of her children, even when her own needs are not met by doing so, and delights in seeing us happy than in her own happiness. It could be said that she experiences true joy in seeing the joy of her children. She cooks, cleans, mends, heals, and strengthens her children daily, in word, example and deed. Most days, she does so, even if we beg her not to. All she asks in return is that we in turn treat others in the Christlike manner she exemplifies. Each morning, she wakes them up for school and attempts to get them out the door in time to catch the bus, often helping with homework that has been "forgotten" about, and some days even driving them to school when they need the extra time to finish it. She does this despite the stress it causes her, and despite being late to meetings she may have that day. While they are gone, she goes grocery shopping, cleans the house, and often devotes her time to doing things to better her children rather than herself. I'm sure none of this is new, many women in this ward act in a similar selfless manner that I'm sure all of us have witnessed at some point. Her example, and many others like hers, has shown me the effect service has in people’s lives. It’s a realization that has taken time, a child often does not realize the sacrifice and demands of parenthood, nor do they realize the true devotion it takes to make those sacrifices for the better part of 30 years while they raise more than just one child. This service creates a true bond of love between parent and child, and helps them to grow to become more Christlike throughout their life, as they continue to develop the attributes of their parents. It also creates an atmosphere of peace within the home, as the children strive to emulate their parents, and ultimately Christ.
Perhaps the most important example of service in my life, is the peace and calm it can bring to a troubled heart. For the better part of two years now, I have slipped from high-stress to anxiety in school, recreation, and sport. I suffered the most in track: having panic attacks before races and getting sick to a point that caused me to forfeit the race by my senior year. By far the worst race was my last one; gearing up for the race left me in a state that I knew I couldn’t race in. But something changed before the gun rang out the signal to start running down the track.While I laced up my spikes, the thought came to me to look around. I noticed that other girls looked nervous too. A small voice said, “Give them your strength, you have enough.” I didn’t understand. I felt like I was at my weakest point, not my strongest. I felt like I was going to kick the bucket in my racing career without anything to show for it. But still that feeling persisted, so I started talking to the other girls. Some were nervous, ready to pull out and be done, but I was able to comfort them and get them excited to race again. By the time I had my blocks set up, I had no feelings of anxiety. When I took my position, I felt calm and collected, and as my spikes hit the track, I felt clear minded. There is no doubt in my mind that it is because I reached out to others in service instead of dwelling on myself that I am able to stand before you and say that I PR’d for the season during that race. I know that it is not without the grace of God that I was able to race without stress that day. And I know that from that point on, each time I have had anxiety or stress, it has dissipated with service. I know that it is because of the love Christ has for us that I am able to share my story with you and that His love and guidance have enabled me to live my life to the fullest.
The last example of service I have seen in my life, that I will share, is the blessing of serving within the temple. As we attend the temple, we are able to participate in ordinances for those who have passed on and were unable to complete the work themselves. We act in their proxy to perform their baptism and confirmation, and allow them to have that opportunity to enter the fold of God, if they so desire. As a youth, I was able to go every 6 months to a year in order to perform this work, and each time we went, I felt an overwhelming sense of peace enter into my mind and heart. They became my favorite trips. I looked forward to temple trips like some kids looked forward to EFY or combined activities. In my mind, the temple was the place I wanted to be. As I grew, the signigicance of what we were able to do continued to astonish me, and I was able to continue to perform this work while I was at school. Yesterday, I was able to receive my endowment within the walls of the temple, and can now perform this ordinance in proxy for those who have passed on as well. The feelings I had while I was there are indescribable by human means, but I can do my best to come close. I was nervous, before I entered into the temple, but as the doors closed and I was greeted by the temple workers, I felt like I was being guided by angels. I saw familiar faces everywhere I turned, and I knew that my brothers and sisters were there to help and show me God’s love. I no longer felt nervous to go through the session, and as I completed the session, my peace and joy intensified. The worries and fears I had of serving a mission diminished, the anxiety of my future plans faded away, and my heart was put at ease knowing that God loved me and would provide a means to accomplish that which He had commanded. Originally, I had wanted to go through this process before I left for college, so that I could do work for my ancestors while I was in Provo, but now, I have been able to see the benefit of waiting. During that time, we have linked more of our family history together, and discovered lines that we thought were lost; more of my family have become involved in family history; and I have realized that the peace experienced yesterday, has had a key role to play in my mission. Without it happening at that precise time, I may have began to doubt my desire and question my strength. But, as I have heard before, “[I] am strong, and need to give of my strength to those arounf me.”
The Lord has called me to serve the people of Tampa because he knows there is someone there that I need to find. Someone that I promised to bring the gospel to, if they hadn’t found it on their own yet. He knows that there is something I have, that someone there needs. He knows that Tampa needs a Sister Jensen. I know now, also, that He has called me because I need the mission. I need a Mission President to teach me how to better serve my fellow men. I need a companion to help me learn patience and charity. I need someone in Tampa, so they can teach me how to sacrifice everything to follow Christ. He knows that there is someone there that I need to be taught by. I knows that I need a mission. I have no doubts about Florida any longer. I know it is where I need to serve and I know that the Lord will help me serve to my greatest capacity as I trust in Him. He has shown me the powere service can have, to change people for the better, still a troubled soul, and calm a restless mind. I know that as we embark in the service of others, we will truly be blessed and come to be a “zioness” people as we serve with “one mind, one heart, and one soul.”
I want to bear my testimony to each of you, that I know it is through service to our Lord and God that men will find true joy. (Testimony)
It is my humble prayer that each of you will do so, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
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