Sep 28, 2025

Homecoming Talk

September 28, 2025

Wow. It’s just crazy to be back—

Today is a day that I’ve been pondering for a great deal of time. The Holy Spirit has impressed upon me even prior to my mission call that something about this address to you today would be very important. I pray for the assistance of the Holy Ghost to deliver the message that the Lord has for each of us.

Serving the Lord Jesus Christ as one of His set apart representatives is one of the most beautiful experiences one can have. I cannot thank my Father in Heaven enough for the past experiences I’ve had these past two years. However, this is only the beginning. With love and reverence my prayers go out to Russell M. Nelson and his family. He is truly a Prophet, Seer, and Revelator of the Lord Jesus Christ. As declared “In coming days, we will see the greatest manifestations of the Savior’s power that the world has ever seen. Between now and the time He returns ‘with power and great glory,’ He will bestow countless privileges, blessings, and miracles upon the faithful."¹ We live in a remarkable season. I’m grateful to witness just a small portion of these great manifestations.

The Sign of the Covenant’s Fulfillment

Throughout the history of time God the Father has made covenants with His faithful children. The Holy Scriptures are records of these covenants—especially the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ, which is a sign of the fulfillment of the covenant made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The Risen Christ Himself bears witness of these glad tithings. Speaking to the gentiles in the Western Hemisphere He declares:²

1 And verily I say unto you, I give unto you a sign, that ye may know the time when these things shall be about to take place—that I shall gather in, from their long dispersion, my people, O house of Israel, and shall establish again among them my Zion;

2 And behold, this is the thing which I will give unto you for a sign—for verily I say unto you that when these things which I declare unto you, and which I shall declare unto you hereafter of myself, and by the power of the Holy Ghost which shall be given unto you of the Father, shall be made known unto the Gentiles that they may know concerning this people who are a remnant of the house of Jacob, and concerning this my people who shall be scattered by them;

3 Verily, verily, I say unto you, when these things shall be made known unto them of the Father, and shall come forth of the Father, from them unto you;

4 For it is wisdom in the Father that they should be established in this land, and be set up as a free people by the power of the Father, that these things might come forth from them unto a remnant of your seed, that the covenant of the Father may be fulfilled which he hath covenanted with his people, O house of Israel;

5 Therefore, when these works and the works which shall be wrought among you hereafter shall come forth from the Gentiles, unto your seed which shall dwindle in unbelief because of iniquity;

6 For thus it behooveth the Father that it should come forth from the Gentiles, that he may show forth his power unto the Gentiles, for this cause that the Gentiles, if they will not harden their hearts, that they may repent and come unto me and be baptized in my name and know of the true points of my doctrine, that they may be numbered among my people, O house of Israel;

7 And when these things come to pass that thy seed shall begin to know these things—it shall be a sign unto them, that they may know that the work of the Father hath already commenced unto the fulfilling of the covenant which he hath made unto the people who are of the house of Israel.

Two hundred years ago, the dispensation of the fullness of times was ushered in by the visitation of God the Father and His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ. Heavenly light filled the earth, miraculous heavenly visitations and miracles occurred. The resurrected prophet Moroni and many other heavenly tutors taught Joseph Smith from on high. After years of preparation, Joseph translated the ancient records of the Book of Mormon by the gift and power of God. Together with the Holy Bible, this sacred text is undeniable evidence of God’s pure love for His children, through the fulfillment of these covenants by the messenger of the covenant Himself, His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ.

The Abrahamic Covenant

One of the most profound demonstrations of God’s covenant love is preserved in the account of Abraham and his son Isaac. Often referred to as “Akedah” meaning the “Binding of Isaac” in Hebrew; this event was one of eternal import, one of the most moving representations of our Heavenly Father’s love for His children, and a forerunner of things to come.

God called upon Abraham saying, “Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of."³ The phrase, “thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest” is instructive. Despite Abraham having other sons, Isaac was emphasized as his only son. Isaac was the child of promise, the one through whom God’s everlasting covenant would be fulfilled. This is symbolic of our Heavenly Father sending His Only Begotten Son Jesus Christ, the mediator of the New Covenant, to seal the inheritance of the rest of His children.

Abraham took up his journey early in the morning the following day. On the third day, he arrived to the revealed place on the mount. Laying the wood for the burnt offering on his son Isaac, they continued their travels to the divine place of altar. I struggle to imagine the anguish his father felt knowing that the loss of his beloved son is imminent. His innocent son asks, “behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?"⁴ With deep faith in his God, Abraham replies, “My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering."⁵ The love that He had for God and for his son is heart wrenching. With an altar built, Isaac was bound and laid upon the wood. Just moments before what was thought to be the last moments of Isaac’s mortal life, the heavens opened up and God’s pure love poured out. He was spared, and because his father was willing to give up his son to God, he received grand eternal blessings from on High. God covenanted with Abraham that the great Redeemer would come through his lineage and that his seed would be multiplied “as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore."⁶ And that “in [his] seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed."⁷ He was also promised that God’s authority and power would come through his seed.

Witnessing the Fulfillment of God’s Promises

Serving in the sacred land of British Columbia, I was blessed to witness the covenant God made with Abraham being fulfilled today. Speaking to the mission, President Mark A. Bragg observed that this mission is the greatest representation of the gathering of Israel in the North America West area. I had the blessing of meeting wonderful children of God from the four corners over the earth, prepared to receive the gospel of Jesus Christ. At the close of my missionary service, I witnessed a wonderful son of God receive the binding covenant connection with God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, through the ordinance of baptism. He is now heir to many of the glorious promises made to Abraham. I taught Joe at the beginning of my mission. He had been taught for more than five years, by more than forty missionaries, and had attended sacrament meeting over 140 times.

It was sacred experience attending his baptism. I reflected upon the beauty of how the Lord showed His love to “the one,” as taught in the parable of the lost sheep. You think about how many missionaries taught him, how many lessons he’s had, and how many times we came over to fix his printer. If you were to quantify the resources, money, and everything that went into that, by worldly standards—someone like Joe wouldn’t have continued to be taught. However the Lord’s higher holier purposes prevail. This expression of His love captures a small sense of His abiding compassion for each of us. God will employ every possible measure to help us find joy and ultimately return to our heavenly home. He has given us the whole world, all we need to do is choose Him.

It was a blessing to see the joy on Joe’s face seeing all of us at his baptism. When he was raised out of the baptismal waters, witnessing the joy and light on his face was very touching. You can almost feel the heavenly hosts on the other side of the veil rejoicing in his faith and commitment to the Savior.

I have witnessed that covenant connection with God truly transforms us. The House of the Lord is our pathway back to our heavenly home. Jesus Christ and His gospel are at the center.

I bear witness of God the Eternal Father’s love for His children—His love fills every breath and depth of this magnificent creation. The veil of darkness by the evil one consumes the earth, and drives many of God’s children away from feeling His love. If you struggle to feel God’s love for you, I testify that God weeps with you in your trials, He celebrates your victories and successes, don’t give up, faith was never supposed to be easy. It wasn’t easy for Abraham, it wasn’t easy for Moses, and it sure wasn’t easy for the Savior of the world. The Prophet, President Russell M. Nelson has encourages us to “listen to this promise of Jesus Christ to you: ‘I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up.'"⁸ Christ the Lord is in your midst.

His Son is near. I testify that these are the last days. Standing at the Head of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Jesus Christ is preparing the world for the day that “scales of darkness” will fall from our eyes and all flesh shall see His glory revealed. Jesus Christ has transformed me, countless lives in British Columbia, and all around the world. He is truly the master healer, the captain of our salvation. I love Him with all my heart. His infinite Atonement and literal Resurrection connect heaven and earth. I bear witness that Christ’s eternal sacrifice is the greatest act of love in the history of the world and if we remain faithful we may become heir to all that the Father has, enduring joy, in my Savior’s name I rejoice, in the name of Jesus Christ amen.