Final Speaking Assignment

 

Zachary had his final speaking assignment in our ward yesterday.  He has had many opportunities to speak in our ward through the years.  In the early years it was in a small primary room with me standing by his side helping him with the bigger words, in the chapel as a youth with a 3-5 minute talk on a topic assigned by the bishopric or when he has been moved by the spirit to approach the podium to bare his testimony.  And each of those times have been special, but there was something very powerful in seeing him sitting on the stand in his suit with his stoic grin on his face conversing with the other adult speaker...I realized it has happened, he is a missionary.  This moment that I thought would be gutt wrenching, did tug on my heart, but the pain I had anticipated was exchanged with great pride and peace.  We had a few friends and family members join us to listen to him orate, but we have many friends and family  who live great distances from us and I wanted to share the words of his talk.

Hello, everyone. My name is Zachary Weber. Though, you probably already knew that. I’ve been up at this podium more than once over the last eleven years, either giving a talk I was asked to prepare by the Bishop, or just coming up and saying a spur of the moment testimony that came from my soul. Growing up in this ward has been a great experience for me, and every time I step up at this stand to say what I feel, I feel so glad that I can look out, and see so many friends and teachers, that have helped me grow to who I am now. So, before I begin, I would just like to say, thank you.

Today, I have been asked to tell you about how personal experiences and revelations have helped my testimony and relationship with my Father in Heaven grow over the years. To begin, I would like to say that I have always been a firm believer that God’s hands can be seen in all things, and if we are worthy, he will give us blessings and lessons through the experiences we have throughout our lives. There have been many moments in my life where I feel I have grown closer to my Father through the experience; however there are two that really stand out to me.

The first began about six years ago, when I was first entering Middle School. I wasn’t a really impressive or outstanding kid at the time; in fact, if you asked my mom, she would probably tell you that I was probably just a hair short of becoming a depressingly introverted teenager. I wanted to find a way to help express myself, but I didn’t know how. I remember having this want, this strange desire to join the orchestra and take up violin, but unfortunately I needed more experience in music before I could even think of joining them. So, I decided to join one of the band classes, learn a different instrument first, tough it out for a year, and then join the orchestra later on. But things didn’t end up going that way.

Instead of just wanting to tough it out for a year, I found out that I was actually very good at the instrument I had decided to take up; the oboe. Supposedly, it was a very tough, hard-to-play instrument, but I was improving and growing as a musician very quickly and very well with the oboe. By the time my first year ended, I was hooked, and I wasn’t leaving the oboe or the band any time soon.

Fast forward about a year, and another major event in my life came around. Darin Graber, the band teacher at Bingham High School, came to the Middle School to showcase the skills of his Marching Band. Around this time, I was fairly passionate about my oboe, and had this feeling that I could do just about anything that came before me, as long as it included music and performances. When I heard about the Marching Band, I felt that I just had to do it. I wanted to see just how good I could become, and plus it sounded like a really fun and cool experience. Big mistake.

I did not expect the grueling torture that came with joining the elite gang of musicians. For just over a week, I and other students like myself were subjected to monotonous drills, working for twelve hours a day under the baking sun, while proper performance posture was hammered into us constantly. And that was just the beginning of the year. After that, we’d meet together after school three times a week, three hours a day, for nine hours a week, beating drills, music, and style into our program. Some people got sick, or injured, or just couldn’t handle the stress, and dropped out. It really looked as though Marching Band would become the biggest mistake I had ever made.

Four years later, though, I look back at marching band, and can’t help but smile. Sure, the training and practices were torture, sometimes too sadistic even for the Devil to enjoy. But the pay off was well worth it. Over the four years I had been a part of the marching band, I had performed in four complex and rigorous productions, two of which I had the fine opportunity of performing as a soloist, and one of which made sixth place in the Western States Division of the Bands of America Competition. Though the road had been rough, it had definitely been worth it, and I wouldn’t change it, not in a million years.

So what do learning to play the oboe, and joining the high school marching band have to do with Heavenly Father, and the Spirit. On their own, nothing. But to me, these experiences were more than just moments in my life. They were turning points, where Heavenly Father was able to show me who I was, what I could do, and how I could grow greater.

I probably would have never known how skilled I was a playing the oboe, had I never wanted to join the orchestra, and fallen short of the requirements. I believe, wholeheartedly, that the desire to join orchestra was Heavenly Father’s way of helping me onto the path that lead me towards the oboe, and discovering a hidden skill I never knew I had. In music, I also learned that I had the ability to perform before large groups, and not be afraid. When I joined the Marching band, I learned how to get out of my comfort zone, and try new and exciting things. I learned how to trust in myself and my own abilities, as well as how to raise others up, and help them along the way. I was able to be proud of myself, of my own accomplishments. But most important of all, for the first time ever, I was able to find people that, for the first time ever, I could consider as my friends. For the first time ever, I found people that I could place my trust in, and I knew that they would protect it.

In all of this, I knew my Heavenly Father was there. He was the one who was giving me these chances to learn, to grow, and I was lucky enough to be open enough to learn from them. And while I was learning these lessons that made me grow as a successful young man, I was also able to feel my spirit grow along the way. Because, through these events and experiences, I was able to feel my Father’s hand in every practice, every mistake, every success. What I learned, was that He truly was my Heavenly Father. He cared for me, and what I did, and if I was worthy or deserving, He would help me achieve what it was I wanted to succeed in. If I became too prideful or boastful, he would scold me, and make personal success more difficult for me to achieve. Whenever I actually did fall short on my own, he was there to stir confidence within me, and push me to continue on. He was there for me, and all He asked in return was that I continue to serve him. Which I now have the chance to do so.

However, knowing how to serve my Heavenly Father, and actually having a plan to do said service were two completely different concepts entirely. All my life, I had just assumed that I would go on a mission. It seemed like the right thing to do, what was expected of a young man in the church to do, and what I felt my family wanted me to do. It even stated in my patriarchal blessing that I was to have the privilege to serve a full-time mission when I was ready. But when the age change was announced to the church during General Conference 2012, I began to have personal doubts. When should I leave? How should I prepare? Would I even be ready to leave at the age of 18? I remember having those questions bouncing around in my head, until one day while I was in Seminary.

My teacher at the time, Brother Richardson, had told us his story of his mission, and how he had decided to serve. My questions, which I had left bottled up, surfaced again, and that night I went to my scriptures for an answer. I ended up coming across the passage of Alma the Younger’s story, and how overnight he had gone from the worst man possible to one of the greatest missionaries in Nephite history. While I read the passage, I remember hearing a voice in my head ask me, ‘Are you going to keep wondering over what God wants you to do, or are you going to stand up, and find the answers yourself?’ That voice stirred the resolve within me, and I quickly turned to my Heavenly Father for an answer.

My answer came to me quietly. I simply felt peace roll over me, calm and supreme. And that was when I knew that I had to go on a mission. And not only that, but I had to go on a mission once I turned 18, because that was what my Heavenly Father wanted me to do. When I finally opened my call over a year later, I felt that peace again, as I knew that the Fort Collins, Colorado Mission was the mission I was meant to serve in. I knew I was worthy to serve, and I had the testimony and the knowledge of my Heavenly Father to push me on. Not only that, but He had also passed on to me the life lessons I would need on my mission in Fort Collins, Colorado, which I had earned from my life in marching band. I knew how to work well with others, to act as a leader and an example to others. I had been taught how to form bonds with others, to make friends, and to lend a hand to others who are struggling. And I had learned how to not be afraid of putting myself out before others, and doing things I wouldn’t normally be comfortable doing. With these skills and lessons on my shoulders, I knew that my Father had prepared me well for my mission, and that I will now be able to serve him, and the people in Fort Collins, Colorado, to the best of my abilities.

In conclusion, personal experiences and revelations have been a major part of my spiritual growth. They have played a major role in helping my personal relationship with my Heavenly Father grow and flourish. Because of the events of my life, and the revelations I have had between just myself and my Father, I have been able to see who Heavenly Father is to me; my loving Father, who only wants the best for me, and will aid me in my endeavors, so long as I prove worthy of his help. I know that He has a plan for me here on Earth, to grow and learn so that someday I may be able to return to him once again. I know that his son, my elder brother, Jesus Christ, is the Savior of the World, and that he did take upon himself the pains of the world so that we may all be able to live again. I know for myself, by revelation from my Father in Heaven, that the Book of Mormon is true, and by extension, that Joseph Smith was a true prophet, that this Church, the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints, is the one true church on the Earth today, and that it is lead by the current prophet, Thomas S. Monson, who leads our church through revelations given to him directly from our Heavenly Father. This is what I believe to be true, through the revelations and experiences I have had.

I say this in the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.