Farewell Talk

Josh gave his farewell talk Sunday.  He did a great job, and Marte also spoke.  Because of Covid we weren't able to have the traditional farewell with family and friends.  Family was able to watch with a link to our sacrament.  I wish we could have given him the traditional send off.  But it is what it is, and Josh just rolls with it.  

Oi boa tarde! My name is Elder Joshua McKee and I was called to serve in the Brazil, Curitiba south mission and was temporarily reassigned to the Tacoma Washington mission, and for some reason lately when I’ve told people that, they’ve apologized to me that I don’t get to go to Brazil yet. I’ve had to remind myself that I’m not called to Brazil, I’m called to serve, I didn’t submit my mission papers to go to Brazil, I submitted them to go on a mission. Plus, as far as I’m concerned, I just hit the jackpot and I get to serve two missions for one call! For the past 3 weeks I’ve been doing the MTC at home, which, for all you watching through your own screens, just gives me personal experience that you can feel the spirit through a computer. I thought to start I would talk a little about my schedule on a normal day, I wake up at 6:30 and study and get ready for the day, and read with my family before we send Andy to school and then I have companion study with Elder Hurst from 8-9. At 9:30 we have our first class until about 12 and then I get a break until about 2. At 2 I have my afternoon class until 5. It’s a busy schedule, but It’s really amazing how the Lord has blessed my life in these 3 short weeks and looking back, I see his hand in my life more than I ever have. A prime example of this is evident in the fact that Elder Hurst and I taught a lesson in Portuguese on Friday and it actually went very well, due to a lot of The Gift of Tongues and just a little bit Google Translate. It’s really quite incredible how the Lord has strengthened me these past 3 weeks because with all the memorization and language barrier and busy schedule, it hasn’t been an easy thing but I know that like the Apostle Paul says in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things in Christ which strengtheneth me” and again like Nephi says in 1 Nephi 3:7 “for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.” I was called directly by the lord to serve a mission, and I know that it won’t be easy for me, because if it’s easy I don’t learn anything. In the words of my Grandpa Munoa, “if it were easy, everyone would do it” God gives good people hard trials to make them great people, and I know that he will always be there to help anyone who asks if they simply humble themselves and pray, “Ask and ye shall receive, knock and it shall be opened unto you”

            I wanted to talk a little about my WHY of serving a mission, meaning why would I leave my family and my home for 2 years to go to a foreign country and serve people ive never even met? I found my answer in a talk given to me by my bishop titled “Becoming a missionary” by David A. Bednar. He says “The obligation to proclaim the restored gospel of Jesus Christ is inherent in the oath and covenant of the priesthood into which we enter. Missionary work essentially is a priesthood responsibility, and all of us who hold the priesthood are the Lord’s authorized servants on the earth and are missionaries at all times and in all places – and we always will be” Im serving a mission because God asked me to. He asked me to when he blessed me with the priesthood when I was just 12 years old. Im serving a mission because Ive seen the redeeming power of Christ through his atonement and ive been blessed enough in my life to have my sins washed away. Im serving a mission because I was lucky enough to be born into an eternal family. Im leaving my family for 2 years to help all those who listen be with theirs for eternity.

            Like every new missionary, I’ve been studying in Doctrine and Covenants section 4 a lot lately and there’s some things there I’d like to read. In verse 1, it says “Now behold, a ^amarvelous work is about to come forth among the children of men.” And seeing as to how the rest of the chapter talks about missionary work, I think the marvelous work is the huge amount of missionaries out spreading the gospel around the world. As of right now, there are 98,354 missionaries serving. I’m truly humbled and grateful to be part of something so amazing! And this work was prophesied by Nephi in 2 Nephi 30:8 when he says “ and it shall come to pass that the Lord God shall commence his work among all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, to bring about the restoration of his people upon the earth” Isn’t that awesome? The work I get to be a part of is so magnificent that Nephi saw and rejoiced of it over 2600 years ago! 

Brothers and sister’s I’d love to leave you with my testimony and I’m going to try it in Portuguese, so if there is anyone who hears this who speaks Portuguese I’m extremely sorry in advance. But we can just laugh about it in 2 years when I’m home

 

            Eu sei que o livro de Mormon é sem dúvida outro testament de Jesus Cristo. Eu sei que se foi traduzido com o poder do espírito santo por Joseph Smith. Eu sei que ao lermos o livro de Mórmon com real intenção e coração aberto, o espírito pode e vai falar-nos para testificar a eles a veracidade dele. como em segundo Néfi capítulo 33 versiculo um, “Porque quando um homem fala pelo poder do Espírito Santo, o poder do Espírito Santo leva as suas palavras ao coração dos filhos dos homens.” eu digo essas coisas Em nome de Jesus Cristo, Amem

               I know that the book of Mormon is without a doubt another testament of Jesus Christ. I also know that it was translated with the Holy Ghost by Joseph Smith. I know that as we read the book of Mormon with real intent, and open hearts, the spirit can and will speak to us to testify the truth of it unto us. Like it says in 2 Nephi, 33:1 “When a man speaketh by the power of the Holy Ghost the power of the Holy Ghost carrieth it unto the hearts of the children of men.

I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ amen.

After Sacrament we were able to ordain Andy a priest.  Josh was able to give the blessing.  It was his first.  We are so proud of our boys, and where they are going in life, and the choices they are making.