Hello! My name is Jalynne Geddes. I am from Beardy’s and Okemasis Cree Nation, and that is a reservation in Saskatchewan, Canada.  I was born and raised there, but I spent the last 13 years in Portland, Oregon. But recently my family made the move to Lehi, Utah, and we’re having a wonderful time here.

 

I was asked to speak to you today – and I’ll be honest, I struggled with what I would share.  I think it’s because I truly don’ t have anything profound to share and I don’t have anything particularly wise to share.  But what I do have and what I can share is my testimony.

 

Recently, I sent to the Utah State Capitol, and I went there for Orange Shirt Day with other people who were gathering to honor the residential and boarding school survivors.  Both of my parents are survivors, my mom and my dad.  My dad survived the day school.  And all four of my grandparents are survivors.  Many of my aunts and uncles are survivors, and some of my cousins also.  And I went there with them on my heart and on my mind.  

 

And then a gentleman shared something that I have not been able to forget about since.  First he was marveling at how these schools were done with the government and in conjunction with Christian systems.  And he said, “They made us feel bad for speaking the language Creator gave us. ‘Speak English,’ they said, but the Jesus they worshiped didn’t even speak English.  He spoke Hebrew, the language that Creator gave Him.  They made us feel bad for our brown skin, but the Jesus they worshiped had brown skin, too.  They didn’t even know the Jesus that they said they worshiped.”

 

And I was thinking about that, how sad and awful it was that these people did all these things in the name of the Savior.  And then I felt a deep sense of accountability as I wondered, how well do I know the Savior that I worship?

 

And it made me think about this talk that I had read recently by James E. Faust.  I love James E. Faust.  His talks are among my favorites. And he says, “There is a great humility and timidity in my soul as I presume to speak about coming to a personal knowledge of Jesus Christ.”  First of all, I love how humble he was in that statement.  He goes on to say, “Having such a relationship can unchain the divinity within us, and nothing can make a greater difference in our lives as we come to know and understand our divine relationship to God.”

 

Again, I don’t have anything profound to say, and I don’t think that God requires profundity.  All He wants from us is a willing heart and to follow Him.  And I think sometimes we make that a lot more complicated than it is.

 

I’m so grateful for the Savior who has always loved me and always met me where I am, who always invited me to come closer to Him no matter where I was, and who always required me to do better, to extend more love to everybody that I meet, just as He would.  I’m so grateful for that.  And I know many days that I don’t live up to that, as simple as His request is.  I know it can be hard, but I’m grateful that He will love us even when we make mistakes.

 

I am so grateful that I was able to share this testimony with you. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.