7/16/2023 - Elder Hansen's Farewell Talk in Sacrament Meeting

Good morning Brothers and Sisters, it feels good to see all of you one last time before I head out on my mission. I’d like to start today by sharing some of the insights I have had while doing the online portion of my MTC training. My companion for all of my MTC training is Elder Sainsbury who just graduated from Rocky Mountain this year and someone I deeply respect. I am extremely grateful for the fact that my companion is someone I know at least a little bit and can get along with easily. I am also grateful for all that he has taught me so far during our time together in the MTC. My MTC district has also been a huge blessing to me. My district has always been very open about their struggles, insights, and together we have helped each other out and encouraged each other along. We are each slowly improving every day and that's all that we can hope for from one another. One of the main focuses of our study in the MTC has been the power of boldly proclaiming simple truths and allowing the Holy Spirit to touch the hearts of those we are teaching. So the simple truth I would like to share with you all today is from President Ballard’s talk at this last General Conference titled “Remember What Matters Most” where he teaches that “what matters most is what lasts the longest.” Now you may be wondering, Elder Hansen, what does last the longest? Now if you had asked me this question a few weeks ago, I may have jokingly said something along the lines of studying for a Calculus test, or college enrollment, or writing this talk. Now those things do take a lot of time, but they do not truely last. President Ballard teaches in the same talk that the three things that do last the longest are: “First a relationship with our Heavenly Father and His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ…, Second, family relationships…, [and lastly,] following the promptings of the Spirit in our most important relationships.” Our relationships with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are the most important because those relationships are eternal and are so for everyone. Family relationships come next because by following Heavenly Father’s Plan of Salvation or plan of saving, our families can be reunited beyond the grave, living in happiness for all eternity if we make and keep sacred covenants. Following the promptings of the spirit comes last because it is through these promptings that our relationships not only with God the Father and his Son, but also our relationships with family and friends, are deepened and strengthened. Brothers and Sisters today I would like to share with you some stories from my life which have deepened and strengthened my relationships with Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and my Family because of the promptings of the Holy Spirit as well as inspiring me to serve a mission and preparing me for my mission service. None of these stories on their own may seem extremely influential, but as is taught in Alma 37: 6 “By small and simple means are great things brought to pass.”

My first story has to do with my parents, and it is less one story than a group of a ton of experiences throughout my childhood. In the Book of Mormon by King Benjamin and in the Bible by King Solomon, parents are taught to raise their children in the way of righteousness, which is to say, raise your kids with the teachings of the Lord. I will forever be grateful for the faith and steadfastness of my parents for realistically everything they have done to make me a good, and hopefully one day, great man. I am lucky enough to have been raised in the Restored Church of Jesus Christ and to have been born into a covenant which will allow me to be sealed to my family forever. However, on top of this, my parents have taught me to “walk in the ways of truth and soberness” (Mosiah 4:15) as King Benjamin taught or have taught me “the way in which [I] should go” as King Solomon would have said (Prov. 22:6).. They have done this continually by encouraging me to prioritize my relationships with God the Father and Jesus Christ through teaching me to obey the commandments God has given us, to make and keep sacred covenants with Heavenly Father, and to keep the sabbath day holy. Even as a small child my parents would wake me up at 6:00 AM so we could read from the scriptures as a family. Even if I was asleep for much of that study, it alongside weekly church lessons, and my parents making sure I was actually listening to what was being said has laid the foundation of my gospel beliefs and the importance of these things in my life. These foundations have served me well as I have not only survived but started to thrive in my missionary work. 

Now, obviously, my Parents' example of going on missions themselves and by them teaching me and leading me to the Teachings of Christ and helping me to build my testimony of the truth of all the things Christ has taught has been the main reason I have decided to serve a mission, yet there are other ways I have been influenced by the spirit to decide to serve a mission and I hope you can find some of these stories interesting, and if not, I’m sorry I don't know what to tell you.

The first real story I’d like to share with you is my first experience feeling the prompting of the spirit distinctly, and it has to do with my brother Jared and I playing basketball. For those of you who know us, you'll know this story has to be from when I was pretty young. So one night Jared and I were out playing basketball at Bear Creek Park and after finishing our game, we decided to head home after the sun had set, when it was quite dark. We decided to go home on the path alongside Stoddard road which is raised up on a banking higher than the road. While we were on our way home I was showing off my amazing dribbling skills to Jared who was probably quite unimpressed with 10 or 11 year old Parker’s lack of talent in that area. Not quite all the way to the intersection at Grizzly and Stoddard, Jared decided it would be fun to poke the ball away from me while I was dribbling and, because my dribbling skills were so bad, he was able to easily poke it away, and unfortunately the ball started rolling down the banking of the path towards the road. Now, many of you can probably tell what's going to happen next, and you’re probably right. I was focussed so intently on getting my basketball back, I started running down the banking toward the road without thinking about the fact that I was running toward a road where oncoming cars couldn’t see anyone running down the banking because of large Pine trees blocking their view, and also any view of them. After my first step down the banking I felt a strong voice inside my head tell me to turn around and stop running down the hill. Now feeling that so strongly, I knew it wasn’t just my conscience or my internal thoughts,  because my internal thoughts at the time were already focussed on something else, the basketball (it’s important to mention I really wasn’t all that bright when it came to quick thinking back then). Luckily by obeying that prompting from the Spirit, I was able to slide down the banking slowly, but safely, after I slipped trying to turn around mid step. And as I slid down the banking, my basketball was run over quite viciously by a car speeding down the road faster than the speed limit with no headlights on. There was no way I could have known before that moment that the car was there, but I was able to be completely safe at that moment because I had obeyed that prompting. Again, this may seem small to some of you, but when you realize as a 10 or 11 year old that if you didn’t follow that prompting you may have died, it makes a whole lot of a difference in the way you view it. I should also mention that this wasn’t Jared’s fault either, there may or may not have been some taunting after I beat him in our game at the park, and I definitely deserved to be put in my place maybe just not in that way.

Many of you may also know that me and my older sister Kaylee have a very close relationship as we are the two youngest of our siblings. Kaylee has inspired me in countless ways throughout my life, but I’d like to focus on her journey to serving a mission and how that affected me as her brother and friend. Now some of you may know that when my Sister decided to serve a mission there were many setbacks in her being able to receive her mission call. She was worthy and excited to serve a mission, yet the Lord had other plans for her and required her patience. She was forced to wait a few months before her papers were able to be submitted. Those months were hard for her, she was not planning on waiting so long before her papers were even submitted, much less a call could be extended to her, that it ended up setting back her post-mission plans, but despite this she bore the trial with inspiring patience. Although some days were more difficult than others, she did not give up on her decision to serve a mission and waited the time she needed to. When she received her call it was a truly special day, after all the trials of her patience she was called and is currently serving the Lord in Alabama. She was also able to see her niece Mabel who was born on Kaylee’s 2nd day of at-home MTC, something she would have missed had she been called a few months or even weeks earlier than she had. Seeing this as a brother and a friend to Kaylee, it was inspiring to see her determination to serve and her willingness to alter her post-mission plans to accommodate for the setback. I know that the Lord does everything with a purpose and I know that he put those roadblocks in Kaylee’s path so that she could meet her Niece before leaving on her mission. Although it was tough for Kaylee and was a confusing time for the rest of my family and me as we supported her through it, I’m glad that Kaylee had that opportunity to meet Mabel, and in hindsight, the small wait must have been well worth it for her. I am lucky to have such an amazing sister and although I miss her very much, I am glad for the example she has been to me, showing me the importance of missionary work in her life, which has made me put more of a focus on and importance in missionary work in my own life. 

Countless other people have led by example in my life, showing their dedication to the Lord and the importance of Missionary work by serving their own missions. From my family, 2 of my Grandparents served missions, both my parents served missions, my brother Matthew served a mission, my sister Kaylee is serving a mission right now. 5 of my Uncles served missions and I have had 5 cousins serve missions with my cousin Alexa currently serving a mission in the Dominican Republic. I have dozens of friends currently serving missions with many more getting ready to serve in the next couple of years. It is truly inspiring to have so many examples showing me the importance of missionary work and the blessings that come from serving others that I can hear about in their weekly emails and increasing my dedication to serve.

Because of my experience with the Holy Ghost, the importance of my relationship with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, and the many ways the importance of missionary work has been influenced in my life, I made the choice to give up two years of my life to serve the Lord by bringing his children to the knowledge of his Gospel. As many of you know already I have been called to serve in the Ohio Cincinnati Mission, and I am very grateful for this call not only because of the people in Cincinnati I will be serving but also because of the experience I had opening my mission call for the first time. Now, I chose to open my mission call for the first time alone in the temple. I was extremely worried that I would be called to some crazy foreign country that speaks the most difficult language in the world, and the Lord clearly knew that as well. While I was preparing the strength to open my mission call, I said a prayer to the Lord and asked for comfort and that I would know that I was called to where I needed to be. I testify to you that the Lord does answer prayers, because I was comforted as I opened my mission call and I felt the presence of my Grandma Hansen and Grandpa Shields who have both passed away, and I felt them each put a hand on my shoulder, letting me know I was doing the right thing, and feeling that alone brought me indescribably happiness and comfort no matter where I had been called. I had never before had an experience like this and it has made it easy for me to say that I was called exactly where I was supposed to be. It also testified to me that temples truly are the House of the Lord and as such it is a very spiritually powerful place. I deeply love all of my grandparents and being able to feel the presence of my Grandparents so many years after their deaths was a blessing I did not expect, and it has greatly helped me to push through the difficulties because I know that they are rooting for me on the other side. 

I’d like to bear my testimony to you that I know for a fact that I am meant to serve a mission in Ohio. I know that doing so is what my Heavenly Father wants me to do and that as is promised in Doctrine and Covenants 31, He will bless me for my service and will prepare and lead people to me for me to teach.

Leaving on a mission will not be easy and I am aware of that. Even if you were not mentioned specifically in my talk today, every one of you has blessed and influenced my life and I truly love all of you. I wish all of you the best while I am away and as is said in Winnie the Pooh, “How lucky am I to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.” For me you guys are the “something” which makes saying goodbye so hard, and I truly am lucky to have all of you in my life. However, I have a job to do, not an easy one, but as the state motto of Ohio says, “In God, all things are possible.” I am in his service, and he will create a way for me to make it though, I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.