My final talk and farewell luncheon Aug 30 2015

Elder Saunders was scheduled to give his final talk before his mission on Aug 30. The week was rough and he began to have doubts that he should serve.He prayed and prayed that it would be okay and that he would have an answer to know he was supposed to go on a mission. As he was in despair the night before his talk and had about given up, the doorbell rang. It was one of our sweet sisters in our Ward, Jen Kilstrom's son. He had a book in his hand that he said his mom wanted Andrew to have. Elder Saunders looked at the book and the title was, "Jump right in" by Len Ellis. Len is Jen's father that had recently passed away. With tears in his eyes he knew,  Here was his answer to his prayer! Heavenly Father did want him to go-he really did-he wanted him to jump right in and never look back.  

On Aug 30, 2015  Elder Andrew Saunders spoke in Church on the importance of the Atonement and Sacrament. He opened his talk and said he had felt very emotional this past week. He felt like a teenage girl who had just broken up with her boyfriend, lol. 
He spoke about the atonement and said that through the Savior's sacrifice, if we repent, we could start again anew. Satan thinks he is beating us down but really he is strengthening us to fight a battle that only we can win with the help of our Savior. The atonement helps us to be better people and be able to repent of our wrongdoings and return to our Heavenly father. He told how he learned to love and appreciate the Sacrament. When he was little and was fasting, the bread tasted like steak and he devoured it, with no thought. As he grew older he learned that we renew our covenants we make at baptism: To keep his commandments, to always remember him, take upon us his name. 

He was a bit emotional and said' I am not going to cry." I am not going to cry." He reached over and pushed the kleenex box away :)


He cited many scriptures and ended with his testimony. He knows and loves the Savior and he is so thankful for the sacrifice the Savior made for him and all others. He mentioned that he has had good friends who have helped him along the way to serve a mission and good parents and family that helped him to go. 

In the name of Jesus Christ Amen