Hi guys.
My Testimony has
grown so much stronger while I've been here in England for the last 3
and a half months. This week was fast Sunday and right after the bishop
bore his testimony I stood up to bear mine. I have knocked on so many
doors and talked to so many people this past while, and of course all of
the conversations inevitably turn towards one question, that being;
''Do you believe in God''. I have had countless people tell me ''no''
and try to explain to me why and how God is a creation of the human mind
and is only in place to control people's actions. They say that
religion is in place to control people. They say ''if God existed, there
wouldn't be all these bad things going on the world, like hunger and
plague and war and terrorism and turmoil''. They say that bad if God
existed he would stop it all, if he really loved us he would end it all.
This, they say, is their proof to me that God doesn't exist.
I
understand why all these people feel this way, I really do. But,
nonetheless I know that God is real. I know that he is more than a God,
he is my loving heavenly father and he has a plan for me. People often
tell me that they have a hope that God exists, but they don't believe he
does. I also have a hope that God exists, but my hope led to more than
just a hope. I acted upon the hope. I read the book of Mormon. I went to
church. I prayed and asked God if he is real. This week a few days ago,
I finished again reading through the Book of Mormon, and I read of
course, the promise that the final prophet in the book of Mormon,
Moroni, makes in Moroni chapter 10 verse 3-5.
It
says that if you pray and you ask God with a sincere heart and with real
intent (which basically means that you will be willing to act upon the
answer you get) he WILL manifest the truth of himself, and the
truthfulness of the Book of Mormon unto YOU by the power of the Holy
Ghost, who's main role is to testify of eternal Truth.
I
did this. Like Joseph Smith the prophet of the Restoration in this
dispensation did, I knelt down and prayed to God and asked if these
things are true, and I received a very strong witness of it's
truthfulness. I know even more so now that God is real. I know this
because I took that hope and I acted upon it, and it grew into a faith,
which is similar to a belief. That faith however, because I took action
and prayed to know if my faith was a reality, has transformed into a
knowledge. I know that God is real. I know that his Son Jesus Christ is
our savior and redeemer. I know that through him I can return to live
with my heavenly father and receive all that he has.
So
like you mom, I have been thinking a lot about faith. About MY faith.
Why I have it, how I have it, what I need to do now that I have it.
During
missionary service many things are continually shaken within me. My
work ethic is sometimes shaken. My attitude is sometimes shaken. My
resolve is sometimes shaken. My obedience is sometimes shaken. My
teaching and speaking skills are sometimes shaken. But my TESTIMONY is
and hopefully never ever will be shaken. I know that The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-Day Saints is God's kingdom here on earth, and it was
established by Jesus Christ and prophets of old, and restored here again
in these the latter days by the Prophet Joseph Smith. I know that this
church contains the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and contains
the proper Priesthood authority (God's authority) to administer in all
the saving ordinances required for us to return to God and, just like
Jesus Christ has spoken of, to become Perfect, even as He and Our Father
in Heaven is Perfect.
It's going really well here
with Elder Faingata'a. He talks a lot less than Elder Jaeger. And in
lessons I talk most of the time, but then he comes in and Testifies like
a boss. We're doing awesome.
Story: last night
Elder Wright and Shreve went to the bishop's for tea w/ Sarah, and then
they took Sarah home. This morning there was a knock on our door and it
was Sarah, who had lost her keys and stayed up all night sitting in the
streets because she didn't want to bother anyone. So we made here
breakfast and hot chocolate and now she is here with us in the library
while we e-mail because she still cant get into her house. So I'll let
you know how that goes next week.
Also yes we went
to Sis. Thompson's with Vida and she LOVED it. She is doing really
well, she came to church again yesterday. She has a big problem with
alcohol, I'm not sure if I've explained it before, but she has a really
hard time because alcohol was a coping mechanism for her to relieve pain
and heartache after she was kicked out of her house and was homeless,
and later when she was severely beaten and abused. So she is going to
start coming with us to the Addiction Recovery Program at the church
with us this week to try to get over it. She is hesitantly scheduled
for baptism on the 21st of February but I don't know if she'll be able to
stop drinking. She really really wants to be baptized though.
Just
a bit about some other people we're teaching. There's a guy named Leroy
who has been in and out of prison pretty much his whole life. he has a
really big family lots of siblings and one is a member in Leeds. He
feels however alienated from his family because he was absent from their
lives for so long. He also was a heroin user and is over that now but
has to take other drugs to keep himself from using heroin again.
(methadone I think it's called). Anyway we teach him once a week but he
is really struggling. He's been investigating for 3 years, pretty much
since he got out of prison and moved up here.
Also
there's another dude named Craig who has a similar story but is super
chill. Elder Jaeger and I talked to him on the street once and he
basically invited us to his moms house for Sunday dinner. He is on
parole and has a curfew of 7pm so we see him any night we want. he's in
his 40's but addicted to various substances but knows its bad and wants
to stop and loves the book of Mormon. Multiple times though we've been
teaching him while he rolls a joint in front of us. He's cool though.
He's really Geordie he always says ''aye'' ''spot on, spot on''
''yaright lads?'' '' stay lucky'' ''aye thats champion'' ''tada
lads(goodbye)'' its really funny. ''spot on dudes''. ''i divina like''
Geordie man.....
I have had a very spiritual week.
I'm reading through the Gospels in the New Testament and I love it. Jesus Christ is perfect and I am trying to be more like him every day. It's champion mate.
Tada,
Elder Thompson
With Vida and Elder Faingata'a
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