if you were in the South Royalton Ward, you would be hearing this on Sunday:

Here is my talk. Jake didn't want to post his, but is willing to send it to anyone interested.

I am Chelsea Reynolds, formerly Chelsea Hinckley. I am twenty-one years old. I am five feet and four inches tall, and have already nearly exhausted my supply of cute outfits, so be prepared for repeats.

I truly am a mover by heart. Growing up, my family never stayed in one place for too long, and after a while, I start to get the itch to get up, get out, and see something new. Before I was born, my parents and older sister moved around and around the Midwest as my dad gained work experience doing internships after receiving his MBA from BYU. But, in the grand Mormon tradition I was born in Salt Lake City, Utah. Weeks after my birth, my family relocated to Minnesota where my dad took a job with Northwest Airlines where he worked until 2006. You can now find him at the top of a tall building in downtown Minneapolis where he works as a VP for US Bank. He took to the banking business when the airline industry began to tank, and has been looking to get out of the banking business since about a month after his hire. My mother is an artist, and is recently gaining some national recognition. Go Mom! If you are truly interested in what kind of art she does, I can tell you separately, as it is difficult to explain over the pulpit. As I previously mentioned, I have an older sister that lives in St. Paul, Minnesota, who is another artist, and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Drawing from Minneapolis College of Art and Design. I also have a younger sister who is studying Opera performance and Painting at Southern Virginia University. As you can tell, I come from a family of artists. This also makes me the classically and intrinsically motivated middle child. I studied English and Creative Writing at the University of Minnesota after a brief stint at Southern Utah University. I am now ready to begin work on my Master’s degree at Vermont Law School, a Master of Environmental Law and Policy, which is what has brought us to this beautiful part of the country.

My husband and I are a truly classic tale of a home ward romance and freakishly cosmic chance. We first met before either of us remembers, when our parents were great friends. However, to keep things interesting, my family moved away to Chicago, then to Seattle, and then to Florida…but the universe was watching out for us, because eventually, it brought me back to Minnesota where, after many adventures of his own, Jake was waiting. After a few years, we dated, then we didn’t date, then we dated, then we weren’t on speaking terms, then I winked at him, then we fell in love and were married almost exactly a year later. Ladies, never underestimate the power of a single wink.

As an English major and a lover of words, I am always interested in new ways to describe things, new ways to play with format and style, especially with Sacrament Meeting talks. I have given talks in rhyme, a sassy top-ten, and it has always been a lofty goal of mine to one day give one in iambic pentameter. Don’t worry; you do not have to be that lucky congregation. But for now, picture this: I have decided to tell you the many things that I believe on an innate level. What I believe not as a member of the church, but as a human being. Then, hopefully, it will become evident to you why I am a member of the church, because the teachings of the church align themselves so nicely with what I believe as a person.

First, I believe in people. I believe that people were put here to help each other, and to be different from each other. I believe that in our differences, we were created from the beginning, so that we could learn to live with one another in a constant celebration of diversity. M. Russell Ballard said, “Just as we claim the right to worship as we choose, we believe [others] have the right to worship—or to not worship—as [they] see fit. All of our interpersonal relationships should be built on a foundation of mutual respect, trust, and appreciation. But that shouldn’t prevent us from sharing deeply held religious feelings with each other. Indeed, we may find that our [religious and] philosophical differences add flavor and perspective to our relationships, especially if those relationships are built on true values, openness, respect, trust, and understanding.” This great country that we live in was erected out of many nations, and it took the input of all those nations together to create what we have today. Some question the church’s respect of different cultures and different religions, particularly considering our vast missionary efforts. Here is what I believe. This is also my favorite scripture: 2 Nephi 29:7 “Know ye not that there are more nations than one? Know ye not that I, the Lord your God, have created all men, and that I remember those who are upon the isles of the sea; and that I rule in the heavens above and in the earth beneath; and I bring forth my word unto the children of men, yea, even upon all the nations of the earth?”

From this, I gather that of course the Lord is a respecter of cultures; He made them. A visiting teaching message instructs us to “value our diversity as we blend our efforts.” How lucky we are to be different. I believe in people.

I believe in education. I believe that one of the primary reasons we were put on this earth is to learn everything we can. I have a rabid desire for education, and I thrive when I am surrounded by papers and books. That is probably the reason I have decided to pursue a graduate level education. I anxiously await the day when I can receive the senior auditing discount at my local community college so that I can continue to take classes and soak up as much information as I can. This love of education is one reason why I enjoy moving around so much. I love to visit a new place to take in all it has to offer: rich and varied histories, delicate ecosystems, a culture unlike any other. When I see someone with a skill I don’t have, I admire them, for they have gained a piece of knowledge that I have yet to experience. One day I hope to learn how to milk a cow, grow a cucumber, or fix a toilet, and if I stay here long enough, I just might get that opportunity.

Education comes in all forms. Schooling is an easy way to gain knowledge. You sit in a desk while a teacher literally tells you everything you need to know for an upcoming exam. You quickly jot down notes and graphs that will help you memorize names and dates that are only needed to pass this class. While that is a worthy goal, it is not the only way that we can pursue education. I try to take in every mode of education, such as watching someone do something they do well, or talking to somebody who has a passion for a subject you know little about, so that I will have a broader understanding of life in all of its aspects. The late prophet Gordon B. Hinckley wrote, “This Church came about as a result of intellectual curiosity. We believe in education, and we spend a substantial part of our budget on the education of our young people. We expect them to think. We expect them to investigate. We expect them to use their minds and dig deeply for knowledge in all fields. If we have a motto, it is this, "The glory of God is intelligence."” The Gospel Library of Topics says, “a good education will prepare us for opportunities as they come” and I hope that by educating myself now, I will be ready for the many opportunities I will have throughout my lifetime. Gordon B. Hinckley also taught that “the Lord wants you to educate your minds and hands” and I intend to do just that. I believe in education.

I believe in art. Coming from a family of artists of all kinds, my appreciation for the arts came at an early age. I remember the first time I cried while bearing my testimony. I had recently accompanied the ward choir as they sang the Wilhousky version of the Battle Hymn of the Republic, and the feeling I got while playing, and even whenever I think about it now, was something that came directly from my heart. Art has the power to inspire us, to change us even, and I believe that we should receive it with open arms and sincere hearts. Singing hymns is the perfect way, and the easiest, to show the Lord that we appreciate Him. Not only are we afforded the opportunity to sing several hymns each Sunday, but we are expected to sing to the best of our ability. You do not have to be perfectly on pitch to make a joyful noise unto the Lord. What better way to show your thanks than to sing to the rafters a song that praises our pure and loving Maker. Music is just one outlet in that great mechanism we call art. Not all of us are painters or quilters or sculptors, but as one of my favorite quotes says, “We can’t all be heroes, because somebody has to sit on the curb and applaud when they go by” (Will Rogers). So even though, in a family of artists, I am not the most artistically gifted, I am a great art appreciator, and in some cases, that is the more important role.

My grandmother is a docent at the Museum of Church History and Art in Salt Lake City, and it is amazing to me how many people around the world use art as a way to glorify their creator. The Savior and His Mother are some of the world’s most often used subjects in many forms of art, and as a people that loves their Redeemer, I believe that we should be exposed to these great works of art. In a 1996 New Era, M. Russell Ballard wrote, “I have never painted a picture, composed a sonata, or won an award for acting. But I have been inspired by artists and their art…Inspired art speaks in the language of eternity, teaching things to the heart that the eyes and ears can never understand…No one can gaze on the art of Michelangelo and not see the hand of God. Michelangelo said, “The true work of art is but a shadow of the divine perfection.”” Art is a way of showing the world what we know. I believe in art.

I believe in myself. I believe that in each person there is a light of goodness that should be constantly reached for. I believe in edifying myself so that I can help those around me in whatever way I can. I believe that self-love is paramount to all other loves, and without that first and all-important love, other attempts at love will fail. Although love of self is a difficult task at times, as there is always seemingly someone better out there than you, it is one of the most important lessons that we can learn in this lifetime. Matthew 22: 37-39 instructs us, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all they soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” The last sentence here strikes me. “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself”. This great commandment is usually shortened only to “Love thy neighbor”, and by so doing we are eliminating the other half of the commandment: to love ourselves. How can we effectively love our neighbors as ourselves, if we do not first love ourselves?

As part of this self-love, I believe in keeping my body healthy. I believe that our bodies are gifts and in order to respect what I have been given, I need to keep my body as capable and competent as possible. For me, that means exercising and eating good food in good quantity (something I sometimes struggle with). It also means completely avoiding dangerous substances which family history tells me I have a weakness for. I respect the capabilities of my body too much to endanger its future by polluting it with substances proven to do me harm. Section 89 of the Doctrine and Covenants gives the Saints the Word of Wisdom, which instructs us to keep our bodies healthy and clean, and by so doing blesses us with health, wisdom, knowledge, and the capacity to do the things that of which we have need. I believe in myself.

I believe in family. I believe that the family is the primary construct of society, and all larger models of people are built around the singular family. I believe that our families are our closest neighbors, and that to fully follow the aforementioned commandment to love our neighbors, we need to love our families. I believe that the bonds we form with our family when we are young are the bonds that will stay with us forever. Having two sisters, I also believe that sharing a bathroom between three teenage girls can be difficult and straining on even the most solid of relationships, but that in time, those unions will continue to strengthen and mature, despite any stolen T-shirt or hairspray. Henry B. Eyring said, “It is the sealing power and our knowledge of it which changes and transforms our family life here and our expectations for the joy of family life in the world to come.” I believe that families continue after this life, and that all the joy we share with our families here on earth will be magnified in the worlds to come. I believe in family.

I believe in God and my Savior. I believe that the Savior created this amazing world, under the close supervision of the Father, with incomprehensible foresight and unimaginable magnitude. I believe that there is a God watching over all, and that His love for us is unending and undeniable. I believe that those who are happiest in this life are those who recognize the hand of God in it. Bruce R. McConkie said, “I think the Latter-day Saints have a great obligation pressing in upon them to rejoice in the Lord, to praise him for his goodness and grace, to ponder his eternal truths in their hearts, and to set their hearts on righteousness. If we are going to work out our salvation, we must rejoice in the Lord.” I believe that God is good to all, and that through the Savior we can all come unto Him when He calls us home. As Howard W. Hunter said, “I am grateful for my affiliation with a people who have a firm conviction that God lives, that Jesus is the Christ.” I believe in God and my Savior. Basically, it comes down to this: why am I a member of this Church? Even if, somehow, by some realm of the imagination the prophets were wrong (although they aren’t), even if, somehow, something went awry somewhere along the way (although it hasn’t), even if it weren’t true, it would still make me a better person, and that alone makes it worth it.

In the words of Alma, “Therefore, let us glory, yea, we will glory in the Lord; yea, we will rejoice, for our joy is full; yea, we will praise our God forever. Behold, who can glory too much in the Lord? Yea, who can say too much of his great power, and of his mercy, and of his long-suffering towards the children of men? Behold, I say unto you, I cannot say the smallest part which I feel” (Alma 26:16).