Farewell Talk

FAREWELL - January 18 2026

Grammy, Grampy, Michelle, Turin, Lindsey, Richard, the Maddox Family and Justin, Gabe, Morgan and Owen came from Northgate. We had nachos afterward. It was a fun day. Here is my talk.....

"Good morning, brothers and sisters. My name is Tyler McMillan. I have been in this ward for around five years now and will be set apart as a missionary tonight. I was called to serve in the Spain Madrid North Mission, and I cannot wait to live among the people of Spain and help bring them closer to the Lord.

When I think of what and who has inspired me to serve a mission, it includes several people and experiences that can be summed up in one scripture.

When the Lord was asked which commandment was the greatest, Jesus replied:
“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy 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.”

President Nelson said, “The Lord has asked every worthy, able young man to prepare for and serve a mission.” I chose to serve a mission because I knew it was something God wanted me to do, as well as because of the countless examples of others’ love toward me and toward God.

When I was deciding if a mission was right for me, I prayed about it at a youth activity. We were serving the elderly and hearing their testimonies, and during the meeting, I decided to ask the Lord if I should serve a mission. I closed my eyes, and everything went quiet. I saw all these different words race across my mind, and one just stuck and resonated: “Just go” It really was as simple as that—just go out and do it. It wasn’t so much the words as the feelings that accompanied them. I knew God was speaking to me. I knew He wanted me to serve a mission amidst the uncertainties I had. 

That experience happened because of leaders who put together an activity for us, ward members who decided to serve the Lord and the elderly that night and chose to share their testimonies with us. Above all, it happened because of my desire to ask. The people who were there that night probably had no idea the impact they had on me, but they chose to spend their night loving us—loving their neighbor—and it had a great impact on me. I think that is what a mission will be like. We might not always realize the impact we have on people, but as we share our love of God with others, they might feel His love in that moment or in the future when they need it.

So thank you to a ward and two incredible bishops—Bishop Olson and Bishop Bradburn—who are constantly choosing to love their fellow beings. That is one of the greatest examples I have as I now go out to serve in Spain.

My parents were also great inspirations to me in serving a mission. My dad would read his mission journal to us when we were kids, and while most of the stories were pretty funny and it seemed really hard, I envisioned myself serving someday like him. I hope to someday end my emails with his exact words: “Woof, I’m going to bed now.” Never did I think I would actually be going to the exact same mission as him.

My mom loves to share stories of her mission and loves to watch people open mission calls. She always talked about how much the gospel changed her life. I am grateful for my parents’ examples of serving. They often talk about their experiences—the good and the bad—and how those experiences helped them become better people. Seeing my parents’ example and faith has built my testimony so much. I love them and am so grateful for them. I know there are people like my mom who are seeking truth and answers to why they are here on this earth and where they are going. Giving others the opportunity to hear those messages is pretty awesome.

My brother’s decision to serve inspired me. At the end of high school, we became really good friends. We went to institute together, golfed together, and would hangout pretty much any chance we got. Reading his emails and hearing about his mission was inspiring. I’m pretty sure I will not have as many people to teach and will probably not be able to work as hard as he did, but I am grateful for his example and will strive to be the missionary he was. He was in the middle of nowhere and drenched in rain for most of his mission, but he kept a good attitude and looked at the positive. Hearing about my brother’s incredible stories and experiences in the middle of nowhere makes me so excited for the opportunity to serve.

Choosing to attend seminary and having great teachers inspired me to serve a mission. I would like to thank my seminary teachers for being so patient with me and for teaching me so many incredible lessons at 6 in the morning. Brother Halverson, Brother Harlow, Brother Williamson, and Sister Wirig. A couple of weeks ago, Brother Harlow mentioned how so many of his seminary students would sleep in class, which made me feel like a star pupil because I think I only fell asleep once. They might not realize it, but having the gospel every morning before school really does make an impact. Seminary was such an incredible opportunity for me to learn core principles that helped me prepare to someday be a better missionary. Perhaps the greatest principle I learned was sacrifice. I learned that what you put into it is what you will get out of it. Similar to the gospel, if we show up daily and do the work, we will gain a closer connection with the Lord and feel His influence more deeply in our lives. It’s important to do that even when we don’t feel like it.

In Alma 32:41–42, it says:
“But if ye will nourish the word, yea, nourish the tree as it beginneth to grow, by your faith with great diligence, and with patience, looking forward to the fruit thereof, it shall take root; and behold it shall be a tree springing up unto everlasting life.
And because of your diligence and your faith and your patience with the word in nourishing it, that it may take root in you, behold, by and by ye shall pluck the fruit thereof, which is most precious…”

Seminary did that for me. I still feel like I know so little, but I know that four years of seminary taught me so much more than before. I am sure my seminary teachers didn’t want to get up some days, but they chose to love the Lord and love us every day for years, which is a great example to me.

Great friends inspired and helped me prepare for my mission. I would like to thank all my friends who have supported me throughout high school and college. One of my best friends in high school was probably one of the kindest human beings I know. Shout-out to Brady for showing me what it means to be a true disciple of Christ. We did the Best Buddies program at Northgate, an opportunity for us to serve kids at our school and make so many new friends.

I was so blessed to have the chance to attend BYU in the fall and met so many amazing people—everyone with incredible testimonies and powerful stories. The endless mission calls, the ward activities, the side quests until 4 a.m.—every experience shaped and changed me in some way. One of my favorite things was the atmosphere. Unlike high school parties, I often found myself around people trying to grow closer to the Lord and doing things that bring true joy. One experience was when I went down to St. George for a weekend with some friends. We ended up going to the temple. Although it seemed like such a small and simple activity, it brought me so much joy. My testimony grew while I was at college, and a lot of that had to do with the people I was surrounded by. Shout-out to Jared Hubbard for being the best roommate out there, who is also going to be an amazing missionary in Mexico!

In the next six months, some of my best friends are leaving for Oklahoma, Virginia, California, Mexico, Peru, Spain, Thailand, Mongolia, Germany, France, Chile, Washington, the Dominican Republic, North Carolina, Texas, Montreal, New York, the Philippines, Hawaii, Paraguay, Uruguay, and England, as well as many who are waiting for their calls to serve the Lord. It is awesome to think that we are choosing to put our lives on hold to go and serve the Lord all over the world. I know I will be inspired by their stories and experiences.

When I received my mission call, I felt so many different emotions. I was flooded with feelings of peace and joy, but also nervousness and uncertainty. I was unsure if I was even ready for this huge commitment in my life. I studied and studied Spanish but still feared that I would never fully connect with people or learn the language. Just recently, I had the opportunity to do confirmations in the temple for a woman who only spoke Spanish. Although I am still a beginner, I sat down and recited the prayer in perfect Spanish. Her son explained that my voice deepened and my Spanish came out as if I were fluent. I know the Lord was giving me peace and showing me that I don’t need to be afraid.

So many people are stopped by fear—fear of not fitting in or fear of not being good enough. There are so many uncertainties and doubts, but I have been surrounded by people who have chosen faith over fear. It’s my goal to follow their example and go out with faith in the Lord to do His work. A good friend texted me about a week ago and explained that she doesn’t feel like she “knows enough” for her mission. She had this fear that when she goes out, she will be asked something and not know the right answer. I think that’s a huge part of this gospel—having faith.

Alma 32:21–22 says:
“Faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true… God is merciful unto all who believe on his name…”

It’s okay to be imperfect. It’s okay not to know the answers to everything. No one has to be perfect because Jesus is perfect. Everything will be okay because of Him. Everything will be restored to perfection because of Him.

For years, I struggled with understanding why I was born with my heart condition. I never understood why God would place this burden on me and put me into a very athletic family. Recently, as I have chosen faith over fear, I have noticed traits and perspectives I have because of my heart condition. Although I still don’t have an answer for why I was born with it, I know this life is meant to teach us through both the good and the bad, through our trials and the injustices of life.

Quoting 50 Cent: “Sunny days wouldn’t be so special if it wasn’t for rain. Joy wouldn’t feel so good if it wasn’t for pain.” 

I’ve learned to enjoy the little moments and recognize that each day is truly a gift. A lot of people with my condition are not as healthy as I am.

Without the bad, we can’t truly understand and appreciate the good. Even opening my mission call was that way. I was unsure whether I would be called to a service mission or a proselyting mission, and as much as I love my family, I really didn’t want to live at home. Never in a million years did I think I would get the opportunity to serve in Spain, and that filled me with even more gratitude as I recognized what an amazing gift it is to be healthy enough to serve.

There are so many questions we will never get answered in this life, but if we have faith in Jesus and trust in God’s plan, we will gain a deeper understanding of His truths and eventually come to understand the why’s of life.

I am grateful for the opportunity to continue learning the gospel and growing my testimony over the next two years. As we read the scriptures, attend church weekly, and step out of our comfort zones by sharing the gospel, we will see more blessings and happiness in our lives. I know missionary work will be similar—built on small, simple, repetitive efforts that over time become part of who we are.

One of my favorite things I’ve learned from this Church is how important connections are. The Church brings us to the Lord, and the Lord brings us together through His gospel.

While I’ve been called to serve a full-time mission, I know that missionary work and discipleship are not limited to those wearing a name tag. Each of us is invited to show up daily—to pray when it’s hard, to serve when it’s inconvenient, and to trust the Lord even when answers don’t come immediately or don’t come at all. I know this gospel wouldn’t be what it is without you in my life and without our shared faith.

I know that as we do these small and simple things, the Lord will meet us where we are and help us become who He needs us to be, and I am excited to continue making those connections with the people of Spain.

I’d like to end with my testimony.boom wing it and give the best testimony of all time."