"Dear God, I would like to communicate with you"

Michael Vermillion's Stake Conference Talk
Sunday May 5th 2013

About three months ago I started praying. I had been inactive for about 17
years and had had little to no contact with the church during that time. I began
to pray with the feeling that I didn't know weather God existed or not. But I felt
that it was important that on the chance that he does exist, I didn't way to go
through life having not spoken to Him. I began these prayers for the first few
weeks with the opening, "Dear God, I don't know if you exist or not, but given
the possibility that you do exist I would like to communicate with you, because
it would seem a shame if I went through my entire life without speaking to you if
in fact you do exist." And then I would go on to say the rest of my prayers.

After a few weeks of praying this way I realized that perhaps I shouldn't open
my prayers that way anymore, that perhaps it was offensive to God. I was
beginning to feel that God was in fact listening to my prayers. So I shed the
opening line and just prayed.

I started attending sacrament meetings soon thereafter and could feel a
spirit of reverence, kindness and love in the Elliott Bay Ward. I enjoyed the
feeling of community and also enjoyed singing the songs of worship again that I
had missed hearing and singing from my youth.
 David Brooke's writes in his book "The Social Animal", "The benefit of
meeting as a group even once a month produces the same happiness gain as
doubling your income." I had also heard a statistic elsewhere that said that
singing together promotes communal bonding, provides comfort and motivates
and empowers. I wanted these blessings in my life and I was finding them at
church.

 It was over the holiday season when I had visited my family in Spokane
where I had also experienced a sense of great Joy in being close to my family
and my extended family. There was such a feeling of peace and serenity that
was shared during that time together that I felt the love of family so strongly.

My father always said, "The one true path to happiness is through
serving others." Church gives me an opportunity to serve others, to be a
comfort, to lighten the way for others around me. I've been thinking a lot about
happiness and what it takes to become truly happy. I know that service is the
key. I want to give as well as to receive the blessings of being in this church.

Back in March, I was asked to talk in sacrament meeting about my
experiences that lead me back to church. I was nervous about giving a talk,
but it turned out to be a tremendous blessing. My Testimony began to grow
from that moment. A testimony grew out of having to prepare and give that
talk. I have my Bishopric to thank for that opportunity, for it was the beginning
of a new love of Christ in my life.  I also have the spirit of the Holy
Ghost to thank for being with me as I prepared and gave that talk. My
testimony is growing. I feel the spirit strongly when I am in His service. I felt the spirit with me as I prepared this talk.

I am so grateful for my Bishop, Bishop Paul Smart. It has been my
experience that he listens to and speaks through the guidance of the Holy
Ghost. Your bishop is one of the countless blessings that come from being a
member of this church. Why pass up one of the greatest blessings of
repentance? Talk to your bishop.
 I heard a wonderful testimony last Sunday, in which someone said,
"Pray for me, that I will surrender." <pause> I pray for my fellow members of
this church that we might fully surrender to our heavenly father. In Institute
class a couple weeks ago I heard something I loved (and by the way if anyone
hasn't been to Sister Metcalf's institute class on Wednesday evenings, we
delve deep into doctrine and just being in the same room with sister Metcalf's
spirit is an experience of pure joy. It is quite astounding to see such a servant
of the Lord. She speaks with great conviction and warmth and beauty.)
Anyways, I heard someone say in her class, "Not just obey, but submit fully to
God. Obedience isn't enough. Submit who you are to God."

You all have heard the saying, "Can't you see what's right in front of
you?" I think the more important question is, don't you know that right in front of
you,  is pure joy and happiness. Right there. And all we need to do to
experience that is through service to God. How do we serve God? By serving
our fellow man.

Pure joy and happiness is out there. But we have to want to see it. We
are so often blinded by the ways of the world, we even forget that there is such
a thing as pure Joy. The other day a fellow on the bus asked another
gentleman something to the effect of, "How's everything going on down at the
bar these days?" to which the other man replied, "I took it off my agenda,
 I have other things to do." Dear brothers and sisters, if you are
consistently being distracted from the Lord's love by one or two things in your
life, I encourage you, I pray for you, that you will take them off your agenda.
And make serving the Lord, your new agenda.

In closing I will read from Alma 13 verse 13. "And now, my brethren, I
would that ye should humble yourselves before God, and bring forth fruit meet
for repentance, that ye may also enter into that rest." I bare my testimony that
this is the true Church of our Savior Jesus Christ, that we are all children of our
Heavenly Father. He loves us. I encourage everyone to pray always that the
Holy Ghost might enter your hearts and your homes. Humble yourselves so
that you may be guided by the spirit. Be a shining light unto others that you
may bring others into that rest that is the rest of being in the service of the Lord.

I say these things, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.