With the number of missionaries swelling to the highest ever in the history of the church, here’s a glimpse of one new missionary’s farewell talk where he tells why he’d give up his spot on a division one college golf team to serve.
Good morning, Brothers and Sisters! I am so excited to be speaking to you all today. My name is JJ Tomsick, now Elder Tomsick! I have been called to serve in the Philippines, Olongapo mission, and I started home MTC about a week and a half ago. It’s hard to explain how even in these past ten days, my heart feels changed and full of love for these people I haven’t even met yet. And I only have two years left!
As I’ve learned more about my Savior, it’s filled me with love and a deep desire to serve.
The beauty of gaining knowledge is that, once you have it, untruths become more obvious. This is much like my decision to serve a mission. If you were to ask summer 2025 JJ, about a mission, his honest reply would have been that it is not in his plans. The JJ here today is different, now it seems like I was always meant to serve, and it’s so obvious. That transformation didn’t happen overnight. As I’ve learned more about my Savior and have come to understand the transformative power of the atonement, it’s filled me with love and a deep desire to serve.
Today, I want to focus on the third article of faith. The articles of faith are 12 statements that outline the beliefs of the church. They cover things like the godhead, baptism, repentance, the gathering of Israel, etc. The third reads as such “We believe that through the atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel.”
When thinking about being saved through the atonement of Christ my favorite story comes to mind and I want to share it with you. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland delivered it beautifully in conference, but I’ll do my best to recount it.
“Without safety ropes, harnesses, or climbing gear of any kind, two brothers—Jimmy, age 14, and John, age 19 (though those aren’t their real names)—attempted to scale a sheer canyon wall in Snow Canyon State Park. Near the top of their grueling climb, they discovered that a protruding ledge denied them their final few feet of ascent. They could not get over it, but neither could they now retreat from it. They were stranded. After careful maneuvering, John found enough footing to boost his younger brother to safety over, and on top of the ledge. But there was no way to lift himself. The more he strained to find finger or foot leverage, the more his muscles began to cramp. Panic started to sweep over him, and he began to fear for his life.
“Unable to hold on much longer, John decided his only option was to try to jump vertically in an effort to grab the top of the overhanging ledge. If successful, he might, by his considerable arm strength, pull himself to safety.
In his own words, he said:
Prior to my jump I told Jimmy to go search for a tree branch strong enough to extend down to me, although I knew there was nothing of the kind on this rocky summit. It was only a desperate ruse. If my jump failed, the least I could do was make certain my little brother did not see me falling to my death.
Giving him enough time to be out of sight, I said my last prayer— Heavenly Father, I am sorry. Please, Please bless my family, and help them know that I love them so much. Please Please, bless Jimmy, that he’ll find a way to make it home safely. in the name of Jesus Christ Amen’.—then I leapt. There was enough adrenaline in my spring that the jump extended my arms above the ledge almost to my elbows. But as I slapped my hands down on the surface, I felt nothing but loose sand on flat stone. I can still remember the gritty sensation of hanging there with nothing to hold on to—no lip, no ridge, nothing to grab or grasp. I felt my fingers begin to recede slowly over the sandy surface and I knew my life was over.
But then suddenly, like a lightning strike in a summer storm, two hands shot out from somewhere above the edge of the cliff, grabbing my wrists with a strength and determination that belied their size. My faithful little brother had not gone looking for any fictitious tree branch. Guessing exactly what I was planning to do, he had never moved an inch. He had simply waited—silently, almost breathlessly—knowing full well I would be foolish enough to try to make that jump. When I did, he grabbed me, held me, and refused to let me fall. Those strong brotherly arms saved my life that day as I dangled helplessly above what would surely have been certain death.
Our Brother, Jesus Christ is always waiting for us to leap.
To me, in this story the little brother represents Jesus Christ. He was truly his only hope. John would have died if it wasn’t for Jimmy. So let’s go back to that third article of faith: “All mankind may be saved.” When we talk about being saved, I imagine how that older brother felt. He probably knew better. He might have felt stupid for putting himself in this situation. He certainly felt responsible for his brother and for the danger they faced. I am sure he felt alone. In fact, he tried to make sure of it by sending his brother away. But he wasn’t alone and neither are we. Our Brother, Jesus Christ is always waiting for us to leap. Although it doesn’t always have to be a leap, sometimes it’s just one step in the right direction.
Jesus Christ is our salvation. But it isn’t just falling a great length or even a physical death, we’re also saved from spiritual death. Spiritual death may seem more familiar. It looks like confusion, feelings of hopelessness, inadequacy, and despair. No matter how hard we try, we can’t save ourselves from these things alone. No amount of striving efforts to be perfect, personal ability, or talent would ever be enough. When David stood against Goliath, size or strength didn’t matter, because the Lord was with him. Not only did he make up the difference, he was the difference.
Not only did he make up the difference, he was the difference.
Since the beginning God knew we would stumble. The atonement was never plan B. God knew that we would find ourselves on these ledges that would threaten our spiritual lives. He sent his son, Jesus Christ, for this purpose, and the atonement was offered. This knowledge is beautiful and for some Christians, it is enough. But, in our article of faith, it goes deeper. “We may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel.” This language makes it sound as though we have to somehow pay it back. But what is the exchange rate on salvation? How can I obtain such a gift? Just how worthy do I have to be? The answer is simple. The debt is already paid.
The atonement of Jesus Christ is no transactional relationship, but a transformative one.
But, luckily, the atonement of Jesus Christ is no transactional relationship, but a transformative one. The laws and ordinances of the gospel are meant to change us. We chose to be sent to earth, as the next step in our eternal progression. The plan wasn’t just to come here, acknowledge we are saved and go right back to who we were before.
As well as receiving a body, this earthly life is our opportunity to become something more. Adam and Eve don’t just stay in the Garden of Eden forever. Brad Wilcox, in his talk “His Grace is Sufficient” describes a conversation he had with some other Christian friends. These Christian friends without context or understanding said “You Mormons are all trying to earn heaven” to which he brilliantly replied, “We are not about earning heaven, we are learning heaven.”
We are not about earning heaven, we are learning heaven.
These well meaning friends then asked, “Well have you been saved by grace?” He replied. “Yes, Absolutely, Totally, Completely, and thankfully yes.” To which he returns the question, “Have you been changed by grace?” Many are so happy about being saved, that maybe they aren’t thinking enough about what comes next. Our desires should not just be about making it to our home in heaven, but about heaven feeling like home when we get there.
Some Christians may believe that Christ’s Atonement is just this huge favor he did for us, but we believe that it’s more of an investment in our progression. He wants us to become like Him. As Moroni puts it, “Pray unto the Father with all energy of heart… that when he shall appear we shall be like him, that we may be purified even as he is pure.” So, it’s not just about living after we die, it is about how we will live after we die and who we will be.
Brother Wilcox said, “The scriptures make it clear that no unclean thing can dwell with God, but brothers and sisters, no unchanged thing, will even want to.” Heaven, will not be heaven, for those who have not chosen to be heavenly.
We can simply choose, today, to be better.
If I understand this right, we’re expected to be constantly changing, progressing, and improving. We can say a year ago, I won’t serve a mission, and then serve one a year later. You mean we don’t have be a finished product, and be held hostage by mistakes, beliefs, and ideas that were holding us back? We can simply choose, today, to be better.
I recently went under a huge transformation myself, one that I was honestly really uncomfortable with. I was worried people would think I was faking it, being inauthentic, I had lived my entire life one way, and I knew it was time to make some radical change. Now of course, I’m talking about my decision to start wearing jeans in public. [said tongue-in-cheek].
I’ll never forget my maiden voyage with my new jeans. I could feel everyone staring, they knew I was a fraud. “That’s not a jeans guy” they thought, “that guy doesn’t know anything about jeans” they whispered quietly to their friends. I could’ve sworn I heard someone yell “Go put some sweatpants back on!” I stuck with it though, and gradually, through consistent efforts, I became the changed man you see before you.
Now that this is behind me, I realized that no one even cared. The apprehension caused by what others might think, or the way I’ve lived before, could have held me back from making a change into something I wanted to be.
We aren’t expected to be perfect. The expectation is to keep striving to be.
These thoughts are similar to how the adversary works on us to reject change through the atonement. We may decide we want to be something different, but the distance between who we are now and who we want to be may feel too big. We might start and then we mess up. We try to be perfect, but habits creep back in and we fail. We aren’t expected to be perfect. The expectation is to keep striving to be. As we practice the laws and ordinances of the gospel, we feel the effects of the atonement in our lives. Every day.
Personally, having this knowledge of all my Savior has done for me, is a powerful gift. Elder Bednar describes grace and his atonement as the “enabling power of Jesus Christ.” For me, this knowledge makes me want to share it with anyone who will listen. But I wasn’t always this way. I think of Lehi. In his vision, he partakes of the fruit of the tree of life. Not only did this fruit taste good, it filled him with joy, and his thoughts are immediately turned to those he holds dear. The fruit changed the desires of Lehi’s heart.
I have felt this change in my own life. I used to think that the best feelings in the world were pumping a drive on the first tee, having a bogey free round, or playing basketball with some of my best friends in high school. Those things are still great, but they can’t compare to being filled with the love of God.
When I feel the spirit, I desire for every single person I know to feel love.
When I feel the spirit, I desire for every single person I know to feel the love, joy, and peace that comes from it. When I feel the spirit, going on a mission becomes less of a sacrifice and more of an opportunity. What a great blessing it is to be able to share the best part of my life with those who have never experienced it. The desires of my heart have changed as I have prepared and thought about going on a mission.
At first, it felt like everything I had was too much to give up. My spot on a division one golf team was not easy to get. My roommates this past year were amazing. A lot of my talented best friends are all pursuing their dreams, to which I would love to take a front row seat and watch. I have an amazing family. I’ll miss a warm hug from Taya when I come home, playing games or watching movies with Jack. I’ll miss serenades from Brody’s guitar on the front porch, a round of golf and lunch with my dad, or a talk and loving hug from my mom. The list could go on forever. But, as I seek to consecrate my efforts for the chance to draw myself, and others nearer to the spirit, it has become the only next step that makes any sense.
When loved ones or those I hold close found out I was going on a mission, the question, “Why are you going on a mission?” always followed, and sometimes, depending on the person, they were a little shocked. Part of the reason I want to serve a mission is because I want to become 2028 rm JJ. I wonder how he will be changed. I wonder what he’ll know, what will motivate him, and how he seeks happiness and fulfillment? But to more fully answer that question “Why would I serve a mission?” My answer, with a changed and willing heart is, “How could I possibly not?”
Brothers and Sisters. I know that it is never to late to change. I know that Jesus Christ’s Atonement and Grace is enough to change us into the person we want to become.