Matthew 4:19

"And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." Matthew 4:19

Sunday, August 31, 2014

Fun, Family and Farewell

In preparing to leave for a mission, the person leaving has a chance to give a "farewell talk" in church.  Sam was able to have lots of family and friends there for moral support and share with all of us the reasons why he has decided to serve a mission.  If you'd like to read his talk, here it is:


Good afternoon everyone!  For those who don’t know me my name is Sam Gurksnis.  My family moved here about 4 years ago for my sophomore year of high school.  I graduated from Prosper in 2013 and went to BYU Provo last year and have now been called to serve in the Guatemala Guatemala City East mission and I report to Guatemala on September 3.

Many of you may recall the series of videos and lectures called “Why I Believe.”  In them people talk about their conversion to the Mormon Church and how their faith directs their lives. 

But today, since I’m embarking on a two year mission, I’d like to call my talk, “Why I Go.”  My mission is not a vacation; it is not a job opportunity and is not a study abroad.   Many people think it is strange that I would take time out from my education, personal pursuits, and leave my family and friends behind to go live in a foreign country and teach people about the gospel of Jesus Christ.  But I’d like to share with you today some of the reasons, “Why I Go.”

I’d like to begin telling you “Why I Go” by telling you about some incredible people that have influenced my life. 

DANIEL:  The first person who has been an influence to me is the prophet Daniel.

Daniel was a faithful young man and grew into man that was regarded as wise and full of integrity toward his faith in God.  King Darius was the King of the Persian Empire at the time and was very pleased with Daniel.  So much so that he planned to appoint Daniel over the entire kingdom one day.  The other leaders of Daniel’s stature knew this and were jealous.  They began to watch Daniel closely and hope to find flaws that they could report to the King and use against Daniel. They tried to muster up a plan that would surely get Daniel killed.  They tricked King Darius into making a decree unto all people in the kingdom that no man, woman or child could pray to any god or deity other than King Darius for 30 days.   Punishment for doing so would be certain death by being thrown into a den of hungry lions. 

Daniel, having faith in the Lord God, continued praying to Him disregarding the risk.  His despised fellow administrators caught Daniel praying to The Lord and gave King Darius the news, forcing him to throw Daniel into the pit of ‘almost’ certain death that awaited him.  Daniel feared not.  He knew that The Lord would protect him, and to everyone’s astonishment, Daniel survived the night with the lions without receiving even a scratch.

While I have not been thrown into a lion’s den for praying, my faith has been tried and tested.  But my faith has not been shaken.  Growing up a Mormon isn’t always easy.  It certainly comes with its fair share of trials.  In today’s world, our church is often made fun of and laughed at.  While I don’t mind the harmless occasional jokes, growing up in the south I have not been blind to the false accusations and hurtful untruths about the church that float out there for the world to hear… hurtful untruths that lead to the next South Park episode, award winning Broadway play, or strongly opinionated homemade YouTube video. 

Daniel had great faith and he did not lead a life without challenges, adversity and persecution.  As a matter of fact, I can’t think of any prophet in the scriptures with great faith that lead a life free of difficulties.  Our faith can be challenged and we can rise above it and our faith can even grow stronger when we face our difficulties with the Lord by our side… praying to him for strength, understanding, and courage to do the right thing.  Although this discrimination surrounds the church, my faith holds strong… along with 83,000 other Mormon missionaries serving around the world today.  My faith in and love for my Savior and Heavenly Father is “Why I Go”.

PETER: Another person who has influenced me and helped me determine “Why I Go” is the Lord’s apostle Peter.  Peter was a very loyal apostle and friend to Jesus Christ.  He loved him very much.  He served side by side with the Son of God, listened to His sermons and saw Him perform miracles.  But after the Lord was crucified and resurrected, Peter didn’t know what came next.  So he went back to what he knew… being a fisherman.

Peter and a few other apostles went out to go fishing one night.  As they began to return to the shore in the early morning hours with no fish, someone standing on the shore called to them and asked if they had caught anything.  They called back, “No.”  The shadowed figure on the shore replied, “cast the net on the right side of the ship and ye shall find.”   John, another apostle during Christ’s life, immediately recognized Christ’s voice upon recalling a similar command Jesus had given them three years earlier: a command that led them to catching so many fish in one cast of the net that it began to sink their boat.  John called out, “It is the Lord.” 

Peter, unable to contain his excitement to see The Lord, jumped over the side of the boat and swam to the shore to greet him.  Jesus pointed to the fish and asked Peter, “Peter, lovest thou me more than these?”  And Peter answers, “Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee.”  Then the Lord answers, “Feed my sheep.”  With that, Peter leaves fishing behind and seeks out to teach the gospel and serve God’s children for the rest of his life.

Being a missionary I know will require great sacrifice.  Waking up before the sunrise, walking miles and miles day after day, as well as leaving a lot of things behind.  I’m leaving my family and friends that I love dearly for two years of my life.  For two years I won’t be able to go hunting, fishing, play golf, watch movies, or watch the best assembled Dallas Mavericks team since the 2011 championship team.

But what I love about Peter is that he loves the Lord more than he loves anything else.  He is willing to put the Lord first in his life.  I’m not an apostle, but I love the Lord more than any of these things.  I love Him most and that is “Why I go.”

AMMON: The third person who has influenced me is a great man and missionary in the Book of Mormon named Ammon.   Ammon lived about 90 years before Christ was born and he was smart and obedient to God and had a great desire to serve Him.  He and his friends were determined to be great missionaries and bring the gospel to even their enemies, the Lamanites.  The Lord prepared them by telling them it won’t be easy.

In the Book of Mormon, the book of Alma 17:10-11 reads:

“And it came to pass that the Lord did visit them with his spirit, and said unto them: Be comforted. And they were comforted. 

And the Lord said unto them also: go forth among the Lamanites, and establish my word; yet ye shall be patient in long-suffering and afflictions, that ye may show forth good examples unto them in me, and I will make an instrument of thee in my hands unto the salvation of many souls.”

So they took courage, knowing they would face great challenges, and then separated and headed off to enemy territory.  When Ammon arrived in the Lamanite land, he was captured right away and taken before the King.  Most enemies captured and taken before the king faced certain death.  The King asked Ammon what he was doing there and what he wanted.  Ammon told him that he wanted to live among his people as a servant for many years, maybe even his whole life.   The king took a liking to Ammon and after Ammon showed his loyalty to him, the king listened to Ammon. He recognized that God was with Ammon and the King became converted to the gospel. 

I’m grateful for Ammon’s example because what I take from his life is that before I can teach the people of Guatemala, I need to love the people of Guatemala and be willing to serve them.  I’ve been interested to learn things about the country and people of Guatemala.  For instance, did you know that the average height of a Guatemalan man is 5’4”.  I stand  6’2”.  It will be a conversation starter for sure.  I’m anxious to meet the children in Guatemala and families.  And once I get to know them, I can’t wait to teach them how their families can be together forever.  This is “Why I Go.”

JESUS CHRIST: The final and ultimate example for me is my Savior, Jesus Christ.  He performed miracles.  He loved people and taught them.  He rose above temptations of every kind and taught us to serve others.  He could control the sea and the wind.   He raised people from death, caused the lame to walk and the blind to see. 

However, his perfect life was not the essential reason why he came to Earth.  He came here to perform the most important event in the history of the world.  He came to take upon himself the sins, illness, and sorrows of the world so that each and every one of us could live again.  When he knelt down in Gethsemane, he suffered for you and me so we would have the chance to live with Him again.  He loves us that much!

Alma 7:11-12 speaking of Christ’s atonement says:

“And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.
 And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.”

He suffered every pain, sorrow and disappointment that we could ever feel so that he could not only forgive us of our sins, but also to know perfectly how to comfort us when we have nowhere else to turn.   He didn’t do this just for me.  But he did it for each of us.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the modern day Quorum of 12 Apostles said, “However late you think you are, however many chances you think you have missed, however many mistakes you feel you have made or talents you think you don’t have, or however far from home and family and God you feel you have traveled, I testify that you have not traveled beyond the reach of divine love.  It is not possible for you to sink lower than the infinite light that Christ’s atonement shines.”

God did not send us here to live through challenges and difficulties alone.  I know that Christ walked a lonely path so that we don’t have to… at least we are only alone if we choose to be.  We don’t have to walk through life drawing solely on our own strength.  We have an all-powerful God who is waiting for us to turn to him so he can help us and bless us.  I believe there is power in the atonement of Jesus Christ.  I believe in the power of the gift of the Holy Ghost to give us guidance and comfort.  I believe there is power in baptismal and temple ordinances.  I believe in the truth of the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  The joy and happiness that my Savior brings to me is unbelievable.   I go because I want everyone to be able to experience that happiness and love that the gospel brings me.  I want to help families live together forever.  I want people to receive all the blessings that the gospel has brought into my life.  These are the reasons  “Why I Go.”

I’d like to share my testimony that I know that this gospel is true.  I know that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world and because of Him we all can live in heaven with Him again.  I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God who restored Jesus Christ’s church on the earth.  I know that Thomas Monson is a prophet today who leads and guides us through modern day revelation. 

I’d like to thank Bishop Scholl for being a great example to me and being there to help my through all of my trials.  I’d like to thank Coach Stanton for being a role model to me and keeping me somewhat in check through high school.  I’d like to thank my mom for raising me right and teaching me about the important things in life and how to handle difficult situations.  I’d like to thank my grandpa, Ron Brand, and my dad for being the greatest examples to me of what a Godly man should be.  And lastly, my Heavenly Father for giving me this opportunity in my life.

I can’t wait to be in Guatemala and serving the people there.  If it were up to me I’d leave tomorrow!  Excited to see what’s in store for me in my next two years.
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You did great, Sam... knocked it outta the park! After Sam's talk we had some friends over to eat and chat... the fun part.  


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