Sister Lauren Neeleman,
Dear Sister Neeleman;
You are hereby called to serve in as a missionary of the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints. You are assigned to labor in the Brazil
Sao Paulo West Mission. It is anticipated that you will serve for a
period f 18 months.
You should report to the Brazil Missionary Training Center on Wednesday, December 18, 2013.
Everyone guessing where Lauren will serve before her announcement and opening of the call!
Lauren opened her mission call with our little family before opening for the big crowd at the large announcement party. This was so amazing. I liked being able to focus on Lauren and looking at the papers in her call together and playing hostess to the party after I was able to talk with Lauren. There were about 75-100 people at the house and Grandparents and family on the phone conference call.
Many of the people here commented that they didn't know Lauren was
thinking of going on a mission. She started thinking about this months
ago and for some reason suddenly stopped her papers because something
didn't feel right. Lauren kept going with life, school and the business
program. She applied to BYU Finance program in early June. Right after
she was excepted she felt like she should go in a mission. Lauren does
really well when she has a path and direction in her life. This works
amazingly, she will return in June and start the Finance program in
August!
August 7th, at 6:30 am the American Fork called to say its here!
Congratulations!
You have been called on a mission.
December 15, 2013
Lauren's Mission Farewell
Lauren's Farewell Talk
Good Morning! I cannot believe this
day is actually here! I am having flash backs to about seven years ago when I
stood here reporting my experience participating in a mini mission program that
has become a tradition for our ward. As we studied from Preach My Gospel,
knocked on a few doors, and taught a lesson to a family in our ward I remember
thinking for the first time that I could actually see myself serving a mission
someday. Further, as we taught the lesson and I testified of the first vision
and the Plan of Salvation I remember feeling a distinct, powerful reassurance
that the things I taught were both true and very important. I am excited to be
able to have a similar experience but on a much larger scale starting in a few
short days.
I am so excited to talk today about
service, a topic I love very much. My parents have raised me on the simple
paradox that the people who are the happiest are the ones who spend the most
time making other people happy. I have always been amazed at the way they
consistently strive to go about doing good. However lately, as I have prepared
to serve a mission, I have been especially humbled by the way they each came to
my aid in their own special way.
My mom could win an award for the
best missionary mom and I have not even left yet! We started shopping for shoes
and skirts before I even opened my call. She did a lot of research and found
stackable suitcases and towels the thickness of a quarter for easy drying and
packing. She even bought and wrapped a gift for my mission presidents’ wife.
Additionally, she drove down to Provo to meet me for a Portuguese class every
day for months and labeled all the basic items in our house to give me a little
bit of a foundation on the language. She also joined a group of missionary moms
with children serving in Brazil, specifically Sao Paulo and she converses with
them regularly to find out all she can about my mission. The list could go on
and on, but basically she has worked tirelessly for months to make sure I am
comfortable and happy in the mission field and I will be eternally grateful for
her loving support in all my endeavors.
A few months ago I had an incredible
opportunity to visit Brazil with my grandparents and sort of explore the
country and meet some of the people I would be serving for the next 18 months.
I came back really excited but also a little nervous. My dad sensed that and
immediately looked for ways to reassure me that everything would work out. He
started writing me a weekly email telling me stories about his mission or ways
he believed a mission would enrich my life and the lives of those I served.
These letters have brought us closer as I got to learn why his mission was so
valuable to him and what to look forward to. He also worked with me to create a
bucket list of experiences to complete before leaving. This list included
sailing, riding bikes along the beach, skiing, a lot of Thai and Vietnamese
food, a Tim McGraw and Faith Hill concert. He worked hard to make these last
few months memorable and exciting. More than anything though, he made sure I
knew that I could always turn to him for advice or guidance and that he would
put aside anything to help me.
I chose to share these particular
examples only because they are recent and especially close to my heart with my
departure date rapidly approaching, but the list of charitable acts I have seen
my parents perform over my lifetime could go on for a really long time. I am
immensely grateful that my parents have taught me, by example, the importance
of selfless acts of service to loved ones, neighbors, and even occasionally
perfect strangers.
A long-time favorite scripture of mine has been Doctrine and
Covenants 18:10: “Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God;”
toes. Our job was to make sure they
were as comfortable as can be given the circumstances. There was one particular
man who had lost some of his fingers and his hands looked pretty mangled. It
was impossible for him to handle nail clippers or a scrub brush on his own so I
cut his nails and washed his wounds. As I finished up he grasped my hands and
whispered, “Thank you my child. God bless you.”
I then felt a special sort of spirit,
the one I only feel when I am serving others, testifying that this man was a
son of the same Heavenly Father who cared about him very much. Indeed, even the
soul of this tired, struggling man was very great in the sight of God and I
felt honored and humbled that I had the opportunity to help him in some small
way.
Many of us will remember the poignant talk Elder Holland
gave in October 2012 about Peter but I love it and I think we should study
stories directly involving Christ whenever possible. After Christ rose from the
tomb he came back to check up on his apostles where he found them fishing. He approached Peter and asked three times
“Peter, do you love me.” When Peter answered, “Yea Lord I do love you, Christ
responded, “then feed my sheep.”
Elder Holland elaborated a little as follows:
“Then Peter, why
are you here? Why are we back on this same shore, by these same nets, having
this same conversation? Wasn’t it obvious then and isn’t it obvious now that if
I want fish, I can get fish? What I need, Peter, are disciples—and I need them
forever. I need someone to feed my sheep and save my lambs. I need someone to
preach my gospel and defend my faith. I need someone who loves me, truly, truly
loves me, and loves what our Father in Heaven has commissioned me to do. Ours
is not a feeble message. It is not a fleeting task. It is not hapless; it is
not hopeless; it is not to be consigned to the ash heap of history. It is the
work of Almighty God, and it is to change the world. So, Peter, for the second
and presumably the last time, I am asking you to leave all this and to go teach
and testify, labor and serve loyally until the day in which they will do to you
exactly what they did to me.”
Likewise, I can testify first hand that it can be hard to
leave our nets. Especially lately, I occasionally ask myself why I am willing
to my family and friends, my education, and really most aspects of the life I
love here so much. However, I take comfort from this story knowing that my
Savior has offered me an invitation to serve him and his people similar to the
one he offered to Peter and to all of us. He needs disciples. I am just honored
to be able to serve him full-time for 18 months.
As many of you know, my grandpa recently experienced a
stroke and I am so excited he is here today. He has been an inspiration to me
as almost 60 years ago he left his nets, my wonderful grandma among other
things, and got on a boat headed for Brazil for his mission. He then served his
beloved people of Brazil for three years and has continued to serve them since
then. He created a tradition of valiant missionary service for our family and
has since instilled a passion for Brazil in us as well. I am excited and
honored to be able to follow in his footsteps.
In closing, I would like to express
my gratitude to my Savior, Jesus Christ, who committed the greatest act of
service imaginable when He took upon the sins of all mankind. He went about
doing good throughout his mortal life, leaving us a perfect pattern for a
righteous fulfilling life. Then at the capstone of his life he suffered
immensely for the sins of all who would ever live on this earth. He suffered
emotional agony and bled from every pore in the garden of Gethsemane. He was
brutally scourged and shamelessly mocked. Nails were driven into his hands and
feet. And then, he hung on the cross trembling until his last breath. Although
he was perfect, he went through this pain for us. I am honored that come
Tuesday I will wear His name next to mine on my badge and represent his church
as I try to go about doing good in Brazil. I love this gospel and I say these
things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
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