There wasn’t a dry eye in our chapel this morning.
A young man I’ve had the honor of teaching in mission preparation class for the past few months gave his mission farewell talk today.
He bore testimony of the Savior’s love. Then, as he began to speak about eternal families, his voice broke and tears filled his eyes.
I knew why.
A few months ago, his father, whom he dearly loves, was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer.
This young man bravely fought through his tears as he spoke of sleepless nights spent on his knees, pleading with the Lord for understanding. He testified of the peace he felt as the Spirit comforted him.
In just a few days, he will leave for two years to teach, serve, and uplift strangers far from home, not knowing whether his dad will be there to greet him when he returns.
I could hardly see the words on the page as we sang the closing hymn, “I Know That My Redeemer Lives.” As I sang, I thought of this brave young man pouring out his soul to the Lord, asking Him to take away the bitter cup of his father’s illness.
These words took on new meaning:
“He lives to comfort me when faint.
He lives to hear my soul’s complaint.
He lives to silence all my fears.
He lives to wipe away my tears.”
I’ve read many times on X that missions for LDS youth are vacations, or rewards, or easy rites of passage.
They are not.
They are life-changing sacrifices.
And few will sacrifice more in serving their Savior than this valiant young man, who is choosing faith over fear.
Texas A&M took the No. 185 and No. 530 players in the 2025 portal class and turned them into the No. 56 and No. 66 picks in the 2026 NFL Draft.
In the words of Mike Elko, “If you want to be really good at football, this is a really good place to be."
@FiredUpCoug At the Tower of London there was the Royal Menagerie, where the crown kept lions and other animals for centuries
After being moved to the London Zoo they were in a sense the King’s lions
I think it would be awesome to have a mammoth exhibit at Hogle Zoo!!
@Drewtamu He's gotta get more physical I think Brooks Austin pointed out he was getting moved around a lot in the spring game
I think his ceiling is really high though