Farewell Talk

{I felt so cool sitting with the sister missionaries on the stand haha. They were also giving talks today too. And everyone laughed when I said I don't think I can squeeze a marriage in the next 5 months before I turn 19..ahh I crack myself up hahahaha, oh and I'm sure I added a bunch of "ums" "likes" and "so yeahs" while talking}

Literally there is nothing I want more right now, than to be a missionary. 

My name is Christy Manson, but soon my first name will be replaced with “Sister” because I’m going on a mission! I got my call back in May to the Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Mission. I leave September 4^th to the MTC, which is in like 10 days, and I’m way excited! I was able to go through the temple for the first time in June and it was a great experience. Funny story about me getting to the temple…I was going to fly down from Idaho to Arizona so my parents could go through with me. My roommate and I decided to go to Chick-fil-A and then mess around at the mall before and then dropped me off at the airport. Apparently you should arrive at the airport like 1-2 hours before your flight leaves…but me being me I arrived 20 minutes before my flight left. So they refused to let me get on the plane and I ended up missing that very important flight. After many tears and an embarrassing phone call to my dad having to explain exactly just why and how I managed to miss my flight, I was able to get a flight out the next morning so everything was good! But lesson learned…. Be early!!! I’m glad I realized this now instead of missing my flight for the MTC.

So deciding to serve was a really hard choice for me, and even after decided to serve, I still questioned my choice. But I’m going to start at the beginning and throughout explain how I ended up standing before you all today.

I was 16 when I got my Patriarchal Blessing. I remember reading it and laughing! It talks a lot about missionary work and how it will be really important in my life. I was like yeah right! There’s no way in HECK I’m serving a mission Heavenly Father, sorry nope not happening. I mean I guess I’ll serve when I’m 21 if I’m not married by then but I always hoped and planned on being married before then so I wouldn’t have to go. So I kinda left it at that, put off thinking about it because it felt so far away. (5 years....yeah TOTES didn't see the age change coming hahahaha)

Anyways fast forward, I graduated high school and went to my 1^st semester of college starting that September, and by this time I’m 18 years old. I went over to my friend’s dorm and we had this huge sleepover. We pulled all the mattresses from their beds and dragged them out into the living room so we could all sleep. The next day we woke up and we were getting ready to watch General Conference. We didn’t have a TV, so we just propped one of our laptops on a chair and all sat in our beds and started watching. President Monson speaks and welcomes us and starts talking and announces the age change for young men to serve mission. And then he brings up the words “young women” and it gets really quiet and all 6 of us just sit and watch and listen as he reads the following words:

“Today I am pleased to announce that able worth young women who have the desire may be recommended for missionary service beginning at age 19 instead of 21”

Whaaaaaaaat?!? Holy cow. I remember thinking that I would turn 19 in 5months and that I could go on a mission. Suddenly the thought of going on a mission was not so far away anymore. I don’t think I’ll be able to squeeze a marriage in within the next 5 months, dang it! 

So this was October, fast forward to December. All throughout that semester I had been wrestling with the idea of serving or not. 

"Should I go?"

“I don’t really think I’d be a good missionary”

“No, I want to go, no one ever regrets serving a mission”

“But I don’t really know enough to go”

“I really don’t want to take a break from school” etc….

So it’s the last Sunday of the semester and I’m sitting in sacrament and feel this overwhelming feeling that I needed to serve. So I called my dad crying saying

“I think I need to go on a mission” 

and he’s like “Wow that’s awesome, you’d be a really good missionary” 

“Really??” 

And he’s like "Yeah T, go for it!"

I come home and start my paperwork. My bishop warned me that as soon as I were to start this process to serve, Satan would try really hard to make me not go. He knows my potential would try to stop me. And I can bear testimony that that is 100% true. I felt like he tried me so hard in so many different ways to get me to belittle myself and put up all these excuses and doubts as why not to go. But I had to just pray and really trust Heavenly Father that I was making the right choice.

Okay so my papers are all done and I went back to school in April. (BYUI has a really weird track schedule set up, I kinda hate it but oh well)

I told myself I wouldn’t date anyone that semester because I’m preparing to go on a mission, but that’s way easier said then done…especially when you have a really cute RM in 3 of your classes and you see him everyday. And before I know it we started dating and it’s great. I really like him and was starting to think maybe I shouldn’t even serve a mission maybe I should stay and see what would happen. It kinda felt like I was choosing between him and serving a mission, which SUCKED, and it was one of the hardest choices I’ve made.  

Obviously you know what I chose because I’m standing here before you all giving a mission talk. But I prayed a lot, read general conference talks, fasted, and I just got the same strong undeniable feeling I needed to go. So I told myself I would never doubt or look back after having confirmed my choice to go a second time, and just trust the Lord that things will work out the way it’s supposed to. And I feel so good about the decision I made. You just have to keep pushing forward.

Fast-forward to right now, I’m giving my farewell talk! Crazy. I leave in 10 days and I’m so ready and know this is exactly what I need to be doing right now.

It’s pretty cool looking back and seeing how far you’ve come and see that every choice you've made and the experiences you've been though have led you here. 

I was talking to the sister missionaries in this ward a couple weeks ago, about questions I had and advice for the MTC. Afterwards I sat down and started to tear up! We literally talked for 5 minutes about nail-polish and the MTC..nothing spiritual what so ever, why the heck am I crying right now??  I felt the love of Christ and his light and spirit just radiate from the sister missionaries. Just by having a simple conversation I could feel just how spiritual and great they are. I remember sitting and thinking that’s what I want! I want to be a sister missionary. I want people to feel Christ’s love just like I felt. There’s really nothing I want more than to be a missionary.

My roommate and I would always say that the gospel just tastes so good. It feels so good to say I know Christ lives, and that this church is true. Joseph Smith did restore the gospel to the earth. I don’t really know how else to describe it other than it just tastes and feels so good to me. Like Lehi as he describes partaking of the fruit from the tree of life. 1 Nephi 8:10-12.

10 And it came to pass that I beheld a tree, whose fruit was desirable to make one happy.

 11 And it came to pass that I did go forth and partake of the fruit thereof; and I beheld that it was most sweet, above all that I ever before tasted. Yea, and I beheld that the fruit thereof was white, to exceed all the whiteness that I had ever seen.

 12 And as I partook of the fruit thereof it filled my soul with exceedingly great joy; wherefore, I began to be desirous that my family should partake of it also; for I knew that it was desirable above all other fruit.

Being apart of this church has made me so happy and I want everyone to feel this joy. Which is why I’m serving a mission. I’m not serving for me or my family, I’m serving for the Lord and for the people out there who do not have the gospel in their lives, who have never felt or tasted anything this good. There are people in Philadelphia waiting for me, and I’m so ready to work hard and share with them the gospel. Both my parents are converts to the church and without the missionaries, I don’t think I’d be where I am at today. I’m so grateful for missionary service.

Bear testimony! 

Given in the Pilot Mountain Ward in North Carolina on August 25th 2013.