Garrett's Farewell Talk

PRE-MISSION SPEECH – Elder Garrett Hunsaker May 30, 2010

You know it’s a good sign when you have tears in your eyes even before you even get to the podium. Wow, it’s so great to see so many familiar faces. I don’t know what I was expecting. I guess, just hoping that there wouldn’t be an empty chapel. First off, I want to thank those of you who had to go out of your way to be here. I know some of you had to drive quite a ways and some of you even flew here. I want to let you know that it means the world to me to see you here.

As most of you I’m sure already know, I was called to the San Fernando California Mission. My entire life I have known I was supposed to serve a mission. From the moment I knew about missions when I was a little kid, I knew I was supposed to serve and up until I got my call I was so excited to find out where I was going. As a kid we would talk about when I would serve a mission. I heard wonderful missionary stories about the language they spoke and who their companions were and what they taught and I planned for that and I wanted that. I wanted those stories. I wanted that experience. I wanted to share that love.

So, a few months ago when the call finally came, I had to wait a couple of hours before I could open it for people to show up; and there were people that were going to call on the phone to hear me open it. My family, bless their heart, they had my call all ready. For those of you that have been to my house -- we have a piano in the front room with a light on top of it. They had my call mounted on the top of the piano with the light pointing at it like it was a pillar light – like it was watching me.

I had to get out of there. I had to extract myself those few hours because that was all I could think of. For those people that were with me during that time, they can tell you, I was on edge. I wanted to open that call. But the time finally came and I opened the call. The minute I read the words “San Fernando California” I knew that was where I was supposed to go. It was like I already knew. It felt right to me.

It was interesting because a few months ago I was actually living in California and I often went and served with missionaries there and they would always tell me, “Oh, you are going to get called to California.” I thought they were just saying that because they are in California, but it turns out that they knew a little bit more about what they were talking about than I realized.

I’m really excited because of the people down there that I only had a few experiences teaching. I was shocked at my own capacity to love. These were people I had never known and I ached for them. I wanted to share with them what I knew. We always talked about how things were not going right for them, how they were lonely, the problems they were having. For some reason I felt that I could help them. I wanted to. I wanted to tell them and I knew I wanted them to listen and I prayed for them.

There was a man that I met only one time; his name was Jeff. I still remember him. He said that when he started the discussions he felt like Jesus was his only friend. To this day I hope he is doing well. I don’t even know his last name but I love him. I can feel it. I’m amazed at how much the capacity of love grows on a mission and I haven’t served yet. I have a testimony of that.

I was asked to speak today on the book of Alma, Chapter 7, verses 11-13


“And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations
of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take
upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.

And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of
death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities,
that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he
may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according
to their infirmities.

Now the Spirit knoweth all things; nevertheless the Son of God
suffereth according to the flesh that he might take upon him the sins of
his people, that he might blot out their transgressions according to the
power of his deliverance; and now behold, this is the testimony which
is in me.”

These verses are a testament of the life and mission of our Savior, Jesus Christ. More specifically the atonement. His atoning sacrifice for all of us who were supposed to die without it. It was the greatest sacrifice in the history of time and all of mankind. I’m so grateful for His sacrifice for me. So grateful.

When I was reading this, I thought of a story I heard actually pretty recently from my mom about my younger brother, Riley. I am not sure why but he had to teach the Sunbeams for one of their lessons and he would ask them questions like: “So why is the Sacrament important?” and they would pause for a second and they said, “Jesus.” (I’m not sure why I had to imitate their voice.) Then he would ask them other questions and they would always answer, “Jesus.” At first glance you would think they are only Primary kids answers, but I think there’s more to it than that. Christ is the answer to everything. To every problem we have He is the answer.
In the book “Preach My Gospel” it says: “All that is unfair about life will be made right through the atonement of Jesus Christ.” That is a pretty powerful statement. All that is unfair about life – not some – but all. The problems we have, everything that we do that is unjust or are an unsightly part of it. The atonement fixes that.

When I studied the atonement I learned that there are two focuses of the atonement:

1) The universal redemption of the human race from death that will afflict all from our first parents, Adam and Eve.

(2) Salvation, whereby a needs of relief from the result of individual sins in our lives.

I’m very grateful for that. All of us, no matter what we do and whatever mistakes we make; we are going to be resurrected. All of us. That’s very comforting to me. The second one is just as important. I’m so grateful that there was an atonement so that when I make mistakes I can repent and feel as though they aren’t there any more because Christ took care of that for me. I can’t wait for the day when I can thank Him for that in person.

As some of you know, I am a diabetic. I remember, it was about 12 years ago, when I was first diagnosed with diabetes. I remember thinking how unfair it was. I was a little kid and I was terrified of shots up to that point and since that day that’s all I do. I take shots all day like it’s my job. So I was a little upset, but I’m so grateful because a little over 100 years ago diabetes was a death sentence. When people got it they were told that they did not have long to live and they would slowly starve to death. No matter what they did and how little they ate or how much sugar they had avoided, it was over. My brother, Riley, and I both have diabetes. Neither of us would be here right now if it weren’t for the inventions and the technology and medications that are with us right now.

As I said, diabetes is a disease that can and will kill me if I don’t take care of it properly. I feel about the same way about the atonement. Just as my body has a physical need in order to be healthy and to live, our spirits have a need for the atonement. We need it. Every time that I have forgotten that and think, “Oh, I’m fine, I don’t need it...Or have used whatever excuse I have in my head, my life always starts to derail and things slowly start to fall apart. I know that to be true. We need the atonement. Our spirits need it. It’s our medicine. Like my insulin that I take that saves my life every day, the atonement saves our souls every day. We live, prosper, and are able to be happy every day because of Christ’s sacrifice for us. I’m so grateful for that. I can’t begin to explain how grateful I am for that.

So, then I thought that I wanted to understand more about what Christ had to give up in order for me – for all of us – to be able to get back to Him and be able to live with Him again. In the book “Jesus the Christ” written by James E. Talmage (pages 568-569 )there is a powerful testimony of the atonement. He describes what Christ went through in the Garden of Gethsemane and I just want to read that to you:

“Christ’s agony in the garden is unfathomable by the finite mind, both
as to intensity and cause. The thought that He suffered through fear of death is untenable. Death to Him was preliminary to resurrection and triumphal return to the Father from whom He had come, and to a state of glory even beyond what He had before possessed; and, moreover, it was within His power to lay down His life voluntarily.

He struggled and groaned under a burden such as no other being who has lived on earth might even conceive as possible. It was not physical pain, nor mental anguish alone, that caused Him to suffer such torture as to produce an extrusion of blood from every pore; but a spiritual agony of soul such as only God was capable of experiencing. No other man, however great his powers of physical of mental endurance, could have suffered so; for his human organism would have succumbed, and syncope would have produced unconciousness and welcome oblivion. In that hour of anguish Christ met and overcame all the horrors that Satan, ‘the prince of this world’ could inflict. The frightful struggle incident to the temptations immediately following the Lord’s baptism was surpassed and overshadowed by this supreme contest with the powers of evil.

In some manner, actual and terribly real though to man incomprehensible, the Savior took upon Himself the burden of the sins of mankind from Adam to the end of the world. Modern revelation assists us to a partial understanding of the awful experience. In March 1830, the glorified Lord, Jesus Christ, thus spake: ‘For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent, but if they would not repent, they must suffer even as I, which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit: and would that I might not drink the bitter cup and shrink – nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men.’ (D&C 19:16-19)”

Now did you notice the scripture that I read there? I think I will read it one more time: “For behold, I, God have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent...” He crawled to the very depths of despair and darkness so that we would not have to do so. I love Him and I can’t wait to thank Him for that. I don’t know how. I owe Him a debt I may never be able to repay, but I intend to do my best. That’s why I know that I must serve. I want to make it up to Him somehow and I intend to try my hardest to do so. And it goes on:

“From the terrible conflict in Gethsemane, Christ emerged a victor.
Though in the dark tribulation of that fearful hour He had pleaded that the bitter cup be removed from His lips, the request, however oft repeated, was always conditional; the accomplishment of the Father’s will was never lost sight of as the object of the Son’s supreme desire. The further tragedy of the night, and the cruel inflictions that awaited Him on the morrow, to culminate in the frightful tortures of the cross, could not exceed the bitter anguish through which He had successfully passed.”

It mentions that He did plead to the Father multiple times to remove the cup from Him, if there was a way that He could not feel the pain anymore. There are multiple versions of that. The one that touches me the most is the version in Mark 14:36, which says:

“And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take
away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.”

For those of you who don’t know, the word “Abba” is a term of endearment to a father, full of respect and admiration. I learned in Seminary that one of its meanings is “Daddy.” How vulnerable He was. He was saying, “Daddy, please don’t forsake me. If there is any way, please help me.” But no matter what, He never forgot about us. Even though his mind, his body and spirit were going through torture we cannot fathom, He didn’t forget about us. He didn’t stop until it was over and He said, “Father, it is finished. Into Thy hands I comment my spirit.” He didn’t stop until it was over.
I’m sure a lot of you recall last year, Elder Jeffery R. Holland’s talk called “None Were

With Him” where he describes in detail Christ’s atonement and how the hardest part for Christ most likely was that the Father withdrew His spirit from Him. That may have been the only thing He didn’t anticipate, and when it happened He cried out, “Father, why hast Thou forsaken me?” He was so in touch with His Father’s spirit. He had said, “And He who sent me is with me. The Father hath not left me alone, for I do always the things which will please Him.” So when His Father had to withdraw His spirit, Jeffery R. Holland said He did so in order to show Christ what it was like for us when we suffered spiritual death. He had to know that. So when God withdrew His spirit that was probably the hardest thing Christ had to go through – being away from His Father.

I imagine that our Father in Heaven was going through almost as much agony as Christ was at that moment. Those of you who are fathers know that when your children are suffering that’s all you care about.

What a miracle the atonement is. It was such a great sacrifice, but I’m so glad it happened. I’ll never forget it, not any bit of it, and I’ll live my life always in remembrance of it.

I’m going to read one more page in “Jesus the Christ” the very final page, which is a little bit happier. It says:

“The vanquishment of Satan and his hosts shall be complete. The dead, small and great, all who have breathed the breath of life on earth, shall be resurrected – every soul that has tabernacled in flesh, whether good or evil – and shall stand before God, to be judged according to the record as written in the books. So shall be brought to glorious consummation the mission of the Christ. ‘Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. For he hath put all things under his feet.’ (1 Cor. 15:24-27) Then shall the Lord Jesus ‘deliver up the kingdom, and present it unto the Father spotless, saying – I have overcome and have trodden the wine-press alone, even the wine-press of the fierceness of the wrath of Almighty God. Then shall he be crowned with the crown of his glory, to sit on the throne of his power to reign for ever and ever.’ (D&C 76:107, 108) The earth shall pass to its glorified and celestialized condition, an eternal abode for the exalted sons and daughters of God. Forever shall they reign, kings and priests to the Most High, redeemed, sanctified, and exalted through their Lord and God Jesus The Christ.”

In closing I just want to read one of my favorite hymns – “I Know That My Redeemer Lives”

I know that my Redeemer lives; What comfort this sweet sentence gives!
He lives, he lives, who once was dead. He lives, my ever-living head.
He lives to bless me with his love. He lives to plead for me above.
He lives my hungry soul to feed. He lives to bless in time of need.

He lives, all glory to his name! He lives, my Savior, still the same;
O sweet the joy this sentence gives; “I know that my Redeemer lives!”
He lives, all glory to his name! He lives, my Savior, still the same;
O sweet the joy this sentence gives: “I know that my Redeemer lives!”



It’s a powerful hymn, brothers and sisters. I close with my testimony that I too know that my Redeemer lives. I can’t wait to see Him again. I’ll probably cry then too. I know He lives. I know He died for us. I know His atonement can and will save us all. I pray that we will all remember it every Sunday when we take the sacrament.

I want to say that I’m happy when I see my brother, Kyle, up there. I want to tell you that he is almost on the verge of tears when he can’t bless the sacrament. Every day he is the first one ready for church. Today he was ready at 7:30 because he wanted to be here on time to bless the sacrament. If you want to know what it’s like to feel Christ’s unconditional love, spend five minutes with my brother.
I am so glad to be going on a mission. I can’t wait to serve the Lord’s children. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.