From the Pearl of Africa, Testimony of Jemba

Not all our investigators have to travel hundreds of miles to attend church, but there are a few.  Jemba is one of those few, and I feel immensely grateful for the testimony and the spirit which we have felt from talking with him.  When we first met Jemba, he lived several hundred miles from any church building, I did not know how he could get to church, and I did not know how he would ever be able to be baptized in this church.  Jemba is one investigator who has shown unbeatable optimism and spiritual insight.  I can’t think of many investigators who would take time in a lesson to teach us and share additional insights without us asking.  Jemba is one of those people.  Jemba knows who God is, and we know God is aware of him.  I feel the conversion of Jemba, and the opportunities which I have seen open to him have been real miracles.  I have seen many miracles while being here, and I am very grateful for that.  I am grateful to share with you this miracle, from the view of Jemba.

Hello everyone, I am by names of Jemba Denis, 19 years Old male Ugandan by nationality residing in a country named Uganda located in East-Africa.

Testimony of Cassia!!

I am excited to share with you the testimony of another person we have been working with!  I am hoping through these you will get a chance of how much I feel I have been blessed.  I know the real joy we find in serving as missionaries comes from seeing the conversion of others.  We read in the Doctrine and Covenants about the worth of a soul:

“Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God;  15 And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!”  (D&C 18: 10, 15)

I have shared my own experience in talking with Cassia before.  Teaching her was one of the most unique and memorable experiences for me as a missionary.  I was able to teach her with my brother, and she is also the only person I taught face to face.  That is another story, today I am happy to share with you her experience, in Portuguese and English! J

Cassia –

Testemunho

Eu conheci a Igreja atraves do meu irmao, mas quando ele começou a frequentar eu senti que ele estava se afastando da familia e achava um absurdo então eu nunca havia me interessado em ir assistir uma reunião aos Domingos.  Anos se passaram e a minha irmã decidiu visitar a Igreja e aceitou ser ensinada pelos missionarios que iam a minha casa e sempre me convidava para participar de uma lição mas nunca me interessei, mas achava muito bonito a força daqueles missionarios, pois nao era facil estar longe da familia e da cultura por tanto tempo.

Causes Me To Fear . . . ?

We don't fear.

The last few evenings we had an influx of bugs in the apartment.  We have had large beetles, big ugly looking fly-like things, and a few spiders.  My first thought one evening was how I could give both spiders to my little sister.  But, then I remembered she is a few hundred miles away, and I would enjoy continuing to get letters from her.  So, as fun as that would be, we just squished them.  As ecstatic as my own sister would be about getting some spiders (not at all), it made me think a little about how fear can affect us in our lives.

I think most of the fears I had growing up were pretty typical.  And I am sure I could take a lot of time to talk about those things.  Working as a missionary my mind is often thinking about the subjects of fear and faith and the power they have to motivate.  I can see those people who are motivated by faith, and I can see the joy it brings.  I can see those who are driven by their fears, and I can see the sorrow it brings to them in their lives.  While rarely asked exactly like this, people do often have some version of—“Do you fear your church is wrong?”  “Do you fear these things point to the Book of Mormon being false?” “Do you fear you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life?”  The answer is those are things I do not fear. 

Testimony of Megan!!

Megan's Baptism!!

I love sharing the testimonies of those we teach!  Today I am excited to share with you the testimony which Megan has graciously shared with us.  Each of those we have met have the most wonderful stories, and everyone is unique.  I know this gospel and this church is something which changes all of our lives. The conversion we have is something personal to all of us, and something which comes from our own seeking and asking of God.  I know this is something Megan has done, and I know her coming to a knowledge of these things has come from God, through His Spirit, and not just what we have said.  But, enough of me, let me share with you her own story:

Megan

As little as nine months ago, I would have described myself as a devout atheist.  Having been raised by my two young parents and an Irish Catholic grandmother, I had many confusing, conflicting, and harsh feelings surrounding religion, faith, and God.  Going to church was always seen as a chore that was saved for rare holidays where we were forced into it by our grandmother.  Most of what I knew of God, Christ, and religion had to do with guilt, constant sin, and feeling afraid.  Needless to say, I did not relate well to this and clung to both my logic, scientific inclination and my compassionate, humanistic feelings.  

Counting My Blessings: Salsa, Pillars, and More

The building we work in, behind the trees

Sometimes I feel I am giving a discredit to those who read my blog.  I would love to make each post a masterpiece, but I think each usually ends up more of a spattering.  I have been told by a few individuals this past week that they have been reading my blog, and that they have also enjoyed it, so thank you!  I know it is powerful motivation for any writer to find that their words are not only read, but that they are also enjoyed!

It has been a busy week for sure!  The more I look back at what has happened the more I realize just how privileged I am.  Elder Sabin has finished his service here and gone home.  I had another appointment in Salt Lake in which everything was stable, and we were able to move to a new place off the MTC!  The Lord is extending His blessings upon us more than what we really deserve, but I think that is almost how it always is.  As I am feeling so blessed I wanted to share a little more about the blessings I have had this past week.

My Bones, My Bones!!

This picture is a little closer to how I have used my cane :)

I remember four weeks before I came here in the MTC I had had my right hip replaced.  This was the first of the replacements I am looking at, I also need to have to replace both my knees and my other hip replaced.  The damage to my legs is something which was caused mostly because of the cancer treatment I have gone through.  In starting here as a missionary I was not sure how my legs would do or how long I would be able to continue with the joints I have.  I have learned even more while being here as a missionary that God blesses us while we serve Him.  Not only have I seen tremendous improvement with the treatments with my lungs, and also with the GvH disease, but I have received tremendous strength in legs as well and I never really needed to use the cane I brought with me. (by tremendous I mean I can walk up and down stairs easily :)

 

However, in the recent weeks I have noticed a change with my joints.  My right knee has become a little moody.  Sometimes it will hold together, and other times it decides it will not stay together and it collapses on me.  I am blessed at this time that it doesn’t really hurt but is just more annoying.  All of this has led me to do a little thinking . . .

King Christian X, a Christian Example

Although it is not fast Sunday, I did have the opportunity to fast today, which I feel is something which can make almost any day better.  Not only that, but today in church today for the first time in my over 22 months serving I was called by the Bishop to stand up and fill some extra time left at the end of sacrament meeting.  I was not nervous about standing up, but as I had fasted my head was a little fuzzy, my stomach was growling, and I just felt really tired.  The entire time was talking I had this verse running through the back of my mind; “verily, this is fasting and prayer, or in other words, rejoicing and prayer.” (D&C 59: 9-10)  I am not sure how well the “rejoicing” popped out of the brief testimony I shared, but I do feel that the opportunity of being here as a missionary and the difference is something to rejoice about!

Today we were actually able to attend a Sign Language Ward again, which I love attending!  To me, it is amazing that many of the deaf members will take the time to talk, when I have to finger spell about every other word I want to say!  They are an icon of patience and perseverance, and I have loved being with them briefly.  In the sacrament meeting today, I was uplifted by the Spirit, and there were a few things I learned about which stood out to me.  I think one of my favorites was the story of King Christian X of Denmark—