Farewell to "Farewells"

     My dad, mom, and I had a conversation last night about some things in the adult session of Stake Conference.  Missionary Homecomings and Farewells were brought up, and it has motivated me to further action.

     Yes, I've fallen prey to the whole "it's not a farewell, they're just talking in church and then having a lunch party after" thing after the leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints specifically told us to get rid of such traditions, for it detracted from real purposes of the Sacrament Meeting and what-not.   But not anymore.
     A point was brought up about this.  Maybe we've stopped giving them the title "Homecoming" and "Farewell," but the point of the call to action was to stop doing these things, not just beat around the bush and try and disguise what we do.  This is a cultural thing that should've stopped the minute our Prophets commanded, but it has still continued.  Do we believe in our leaders? Do we actually believe they are speaking on behalf of God? Then why are we treating this counsel like we know better, or that it's not something serious?  We're showing disobedience by holding these events, and probably missing out on a lot of blessing because of it.
    The most obvious blessing we're missing out on is the Spirit, strength, and growth we receive from attending every single meeting we have.  Sacrament is the most important meeting, I know, but don't you think that all are meetings are important? Why would you only want to feel 1/3 of the Spirit that you could feel?

    The past few years I've had a lot more friends go on missions because we've just reached that age.  We all love each other and want to support one another, and of course we want to see them, talk to them, and hug them just one more time before they leave for a couple of years.  But I've observed some things in going to these "talks in church and a lunch after" things.  When I get to the building and enter the chapel, it's noisy.  It's crowded. And no one is paying attention to the most important thing in the room: the white linens covering our Savior's flesh and blood.   So many people have come together from different wards, many of them friends and family, so they naturally get excited to see one another and want to talk to them about life, but the chapel isn't the place for that, is it?   I've observed friends that I've always looked up to spiritually just talking louder and louder as each new friend arrives.  Usual members of the ward are frazzled to see all the benches and seats filled with strangers, and many of those families get put in the very back.  It hurts to see that these shining examples would ignore the meaning and purpose we should truly have for coming to Sacrament Meeting: the remember Christ.  I feel guilty inside sometimes, to think that I'm contributing to this detracting of the Spirit.  
   And then these examples go to the lunch afterwards, and they sit and chat and hang out with all the friends and miss all their other meetings without really batting an eye.  Many just hear the talk, grab some food, and then head home for the day.   When was the last time any of my friends attended a meeting other than the Sacrament?  Do you even remember what Sunday School class you're in?
    As I started realizing what I was participating in, and how it kind of made me feel, I began to think of a compromise.  I decided that I would go to these missionary talks only if I made it to all of my meetings in addition. So instead of one hour of church, I was to attend at least four hours of church. And if the food afterwards conflicted with me getting to my meetings on time, I simply wouldn't get food.    This system has seemed to work rather well this summer, but sometimes I still feel uncomfortable with the same people every week at a ward that is none of ours. Why are we not at our own?? We could be showing our support to our own ward by the raise of the right hand instead of sitting with our arms by our side in another ward.
    When I had this discussion with my parents, I became more resolved to change even further, because even though going to these events don't necessarily harm us or the Church, I don't want to continue missing out on blessings that we could be getting by focusing and putting forth the effort in our own ward and meetings, and keeping the reverence of the Sacrament.   I decided that if the "farewells" and "homecomings" I go to continue to be rowdy and irreverent, I will stop going to them altogether so that I am not taking away from the Spirit of the meeting.  I'd rather miss seeing one of my friends talk for 15 minutes than take away from the real meaning of the Sacrament Meetings.

  I hope that there are some of you who would like to join me in this cause of restoring the proper Spirit and focus in these Sacrament meetings back to Christ and His Atonement instead of on a young man or woman about to leave for a mission.  And I would hope that those soon-to-be missionaries who are giving up their normal life to serve the Lord would want to focus on Christ too. I think that as we strive to obey our Prophet's counsel in every aspect, whether it seems small or insignificant, that we will be greatly blessed for it.