Living the Good News

By Edilyn Kemp

Edi gave a talk today in church and I walked to share it with all of you!

Good Morning I’m Edilyn Kemp. For those who don’t know me. That’s a shame. 

About 6-7 years ago I had graduated High School and had started to prepare for the next step which was college. I had gotten pretty far in this plan just short of finding a place to live and registering for class. But things started to fall through. My cousin who I saw going to go to college with had to move back home to Tennessee. I didn’t know what classes to take and no place I was looking to live felt right. 

One Sunday I was thinking a lot about another cousin of mine who was on her mission. She was about to come home but I remembered that she didn’t want to serve a mission at all she had other things that she wanted to do. I was thinking of this cousin and of serving mission in general.

 If you know me now or have seen me around you know that I am very quiet, not really outgoing and shy. Back then I was ten times more shy and quieter. It was hard for me to talk to people I didn’t know so I often chose not to. But I had a sliver of a desire to serve a mission but thought it wasn’t in the cards for me. 

Anyway back to this Sunday, It was on my mind all day, couldn’t shake the thoughts off. So that night I decided to pray about it. Before I could get the words “Dear Heavenly Father” out I knew that I needed to serve a mission, and oh boy was I scared. It seemed so out of character for me to do, In fact if I got a penny for everytime I heard “you know you have to speak right” I would have more than a couple. 

This week in Come Follow Me we got to briefly learn about my most favorite scripture. I turned to it often before my mission, on my mission, and now. 

Nephi and His brothers had already tried two times to get the plates of brass from Laban. They sent Laman in to simply ask for the plates, they went back to their house and gathered all there gold, silver and precious things, and asked Laban to take those things as a payment for the brass plates. Laban in return took the gold and silver and threaten to kill them. Laman and Lemeul were rightfully discouraged. After a angel came and said “the Lord will deliver Laban into your hands.” (1 Nephi 3: 29) Nephi took courage and went into the city alone. 

As he made his way into the city he said my favortie scripture “And I was led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which I should do. Nevertheless I went forth.”( 1 Nephi 4:6-7) I hope y’all got chills because I did. 

This is my favorite scripture because a lot of the times people including me will stop when they don’t know what they are supposed to be doing, or stop if they feel the spirit guiding them and they can’t see where. I admire Nephi for saying and I am going to paraphrase a bit. I might not know what is ahead but I know Heavenly Father is leading me and I can trust him. 

So I decided to be like Nephi. I was led by the spirit to go on a mission not knowing beforehand if I could get out of my comfort zone and talk to not only strangers but a random person I was suppose to spend 24/7 with. 

I was able to come out of my comfort zone by leaps and bounds. I impress myself still today when I can be able to make conversations with the person sitting next to me. When for the past two summers I have left home to be an FSY counselor. And the biggest thing that still blows my mind if I think about it too much graduating college with a teaching degree, with the purpose of teaching kids and being in the spotlight every weekday. 

But that leaves me with a couple question now. How can I be like Nephi everyday? ‘Neverthelessing going forth,’ today?

The need for having the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost as never been clearer. President Nelson (and many others since President Nelson first said this) has given us this warning “In coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost.” ( Revelation for the Church, Revelation of Our lives, April 2017) 

So how do have the constant influence of the Holy Ghost. I thought of some things and they are going to sound very simple and very familiar. Infact you might already know some of them. 

The first thing I thought of was Prayer. 

President Nelson said “As a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, I prayed daily for revelation and gave thanks to the Lord every time He spoke to my heart and mind. Imagine the miracle of it! Whatever our Church calling, we can pray to our Heavenly Father and receive guidance and direction, be warned about dangers and distractions, and be enabled to accomplish things we simply could not do on our own.” 

I remember teaching this lady on my mission and she said “If Heavenly Father already knows exactly what we need and are going to pray for why do we need to do it.” I was stumped but my very wise companion say “ Heavenly Father Like all good father should be isn’t going to intrude in our lives unless we ask him to” The same goes with the spirit. We need to invite the spirit into our lives. And the simplest way to do that is to say a prayer. 

The second thing I thought of was reading the scriptures. 

I don’t want to brag or anything but I have read and finished the Book Of Mormon a lot. I have been blessed by getting to know the people who wrote that book and to read how they have felt the spirit and have gotten to know Jesus Christ and read their testimonies of Christ. Reading how other people have felt the spirit has helped me come to realize how I am feeing the spirit as I am still trying to constantly recognize it. The Book of Mormon has taught me who Jesus Christ is. Because of that knowledge I am able to recognize His truths and His gospel whether I am sitting in a philosophy class or hear a pastors sermon while scrolling on Instagram. The Holy Ghost love to testify of Christ, and he will do so Any chance he gets. 

The third thing I thought of was going to the temple. 

The temple is often described as the House of the Lord. You only need to walk around the grounds of the temple to feel the spirit that radiates around it. Going inside is so much better though. Doctrine and Covenants section 87 verse 8 says “Wherefore, stand ye in holy places, and be not moved, until the day of the Lord come; for behold, it cometh quickly, saith the Lord’

We we stand in holy places it is easier to stand against the devil when he “shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you,” As Helaman described it. 

President Nelson said this about the temple “If you don’t yet love to attend the temple, go more often—not less. Let the Lord, through His Spirit, teach and inspire you there. I promise you that over time, the temple will become a place of safety, solace, and revelation.” (The Temple and Your Spiritual Foundation, Oct 2021) 

The last thing that I thought of was to Act. 

After Joseph Smith read James 1:5 he acted on it and brought the Restoration of Christ Church and Gospel forth. 

After Nephi prayed received revelation on how to get the plates he acted and was able to bring his father the brass plates. 

After I prayed to know if I should go on a mission I acted on it and changed the course of my life. 

I believe with prayer, scripture study, attending the temple, and acting on revelation. I can become a little more like Nephi and have the spirit led me as I try to do what Heavenly Father plans for me to do I can say like Nephi “ I was led by the spirit not knowing beforehand the things which I should do, Nevertheless I went forth.”