Super sorry. We rode elephants again today but I am so out of time right now. The only things I sent were the zone report to the assistants and my President's letter. I hope you have a great week! Sorry again about not being able to email a proper email.
Love,
your ill planning son,
Elder Gay
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Conversion Letter
My Search for Truth
By Suzanne Madamombe
First Encounter With the Missionaries-
In 2002 I remember 2 elders knocking at our gate and passing greetings to them. They told us of their business and we listened with no interest and they gave us a copy of the Book of Mormon. Not even one person attempted to open it for we feared to go against the warning in the Bible to ‘add or subtract’ as we had read in Revelations. The next attempts they made to continue ministering to us were to no avail for we refused to open our gate because we did not agree with the Book of Mormon.
One more attempt to call us to the church came through a family who had lost their homes due to debt and we took them in. They had been meeting the missionaries and they really tried to make us join in the discussions. But we were too scared of the ‘Mormon book’ and it appearing like an addition. We lived with them for two years, during the whole time we refused to listen to the missionaries.
Our Search-
We used to go a local church since we were very young and grew up in this church to the point where I taught in Sunday school, became a youth and Bible Study leader. We left however due to too many fights between the leaders. We then attended one church in the city centre. My youngsters love it but I failed to fit in; I didn’t feel any uplift to my Spirit. My youngsters continued for some time and I left. At that time I got deployed by my work to Kwekwe. In Kwekwe I tried four different congregations, and in all I was disappointed. Meantime my Mom also went through four churches apart from those we tried as children.
How I found the True Church of Jesus Christ-
We left the church we had grown up in in 2004. Since that time I became a willing sinner. I knew every wrong in committing sin and falling into temptation and I let myself be the opposite of all the good I had been taught. But I knew deep in my Spirit I never stopped longing for God. That’s why I made myself go through so many churches. The more I failed to find a church the more I fell deep into sin. In January 2010 I started talking seriously to God telling Him how much I missed Him in my life and how unhappy I was in the churches I would attend. I wanted a definite answer in a voice or dream but it didn’t happen. I got into the habit of telling everyone I met that I was looking for the right church, in an attempt to have many churches to choose from.
One day at work my colleague invited me to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I told him no because of my concern about the Book of Mormon. This friend answered my questions and I was amazed because I had never heard such things before and it felt right. I asked to learn more and I was given Teachings of the Presidents: Joseph Smith. I read the entire book. At one point I was told by a family friend that the church killed people and how a friend of hers died mysteriously after joining the church. I grew scared and stopped reading the book but after a week I longed for the truth so I continued reading.
One time a Pastor came into my office and I told him how much I was looking for the true church. He asked me which church I was thinking about and I hesitated to say it but I told him Latter-day Saints. I was shocked when he told me that I had found the true church.
During that time I lost my house in Kwekwe and starting staying with my mother in Gweru (about 60 kms away) and traveled daily to work. After finishing the book me and my younger sister, Trish, decided to attend service. We told our Mom we were going to the church we had been going to before, fearing rebuke.
On Sunday, the 21st of Aug, we arrived at church and were warmly greeted by a Sister and then were introduced to the kind Bishop who took us to our class. After we were filled with joy we had never felt before. The whole way home we both couldn’t stop confessing that we had found our church yet we had not had much experience. That very Sunday we got kind, patient, loving missionaries, Elder Motshikana and Elder Gay, who never tired to attend the appointments we requested. We were taught well and were baptized within a week, that very Saturday the 27th of Aug 2011 and received the Holy Ghost the next day at church. My mom and cousin are due to be baptized on the 10th of September.
After baptism we were warned that we were in a cult who worshipped Mormon and that we would never be allowed to leave. We explained and told them we would never wish to leave anyway for it is the true church.
Confirmation of being in the Right Direction-
Our missionaries urged us that we must ask God if the Church and the Book of Mormon were true. We earnestly did daily in prayer. On the first night Trish dreamt of me and herself seated at a flyover and a river flowing by the side. We found our feet in beautiful clean flowing water, when we looked around there were so many other people playing in muddy water. The next day Trish dreamt of our family climbing up a mountain, as we reached the top we saw such beautiful green vegetation and a large clean pool of water. Once my Mom saw the pool she dived in and the rest of us did too.
Life Baptism of Water and the Spirit-
We understand and feel for Christ’s death. The importance of saving souls makes sense now and it hurts that so many are lost. We feel the comfort and guidance of the Holy Ghost. When we feel to do something we hear a clear yes or no. Even our finances have improved and don’t run out of what we need. I even found accommodation back in Kwekwe.
Testimony-
We now know that God is our Creator and that He sent His only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was restored on the earth through the Prophet Joseph Smith and that this is the only true Church in all the world and the living Prophet, Thomas S. Monson is a true prophet of God and the Temples are holy places of our Father. We have experienced the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon.
Our hopes, most would write of their ‘hopes and fears’ but all our fears have been answered and all we have are wonderful hopes. We hope to make others aware of the true church and to be missionaries, to be true in attendance to Sacrament and true in our tithes and offerings to help in the work of the true church. To be married and sealed as families, to be baptized for all our known ancestors and to live as families in the Celestial Kingdom.
By Suzanne Madamombe
First Encounter With the Missionaries-
In 2002 I remember 2 elders knocking at our gate and passing greetings to them. They told us of their business and we listened with no interest and they gave us a copy of the Book of Mormon. Not even one person attempted to open it for we feared to go against the warning in the Bible to ‘add or subtract’ as we had read in Revelations. The next attempts they made to continue ministering to us were to no avail for we refused to open our gate because we did not agree with the Book of Mormon.
One more attempt to call us to the church came through a family who had lost their homes due to debt and we took them in. They had been meeting the missionaries and they really tried to make us join in the discussions. But we were too scared of the ‘Mormon book’ and it appearing like an addition. We lived with them for two years, during the whole time we refused to listen to the missionaries.
Our Search-
We used to go a local church since we were very young and grew up in this church to the point where I taught in Sunday school, became a youth and Bible Study leader. We left however due to too many fights between the leaders. We then attended one church in the city centre. My youngsters love it but I failed to fit in; I didn’t feel any uplift to my Spirit. My youngsters continued for some time and I left. At that time I got deployed by my work to Kwekwe. In Kwekwe I tried four different congregations, and in all I was disappointed. Meantime my Mom also went through four churches apart from those we tried as children.
How I found the True Church of Jesus Christ-
We left the church we had grown up in in 2004. Since that time I became a willing sinner. I knew every wrong in committing sin and falling into temptation and I let myself be the opposite of all the good I had been taught. But I knew deep in my Spirit I never stopped longing for God. That’s why I made myself go through so many churches. The more I failed to find a church the more I fell deep into sin. In January 2010 I started talking seriously to God telling Him how much I missed Him in my life and how unhappy I was in the churches I would attend. I wanted a definite answer in a voice or dream but it didn’t happen. I got into the habit of telling everyone I met that I was looking for the right church, in an attempt to have many churches to choose from.
One day at work my colleague invited me to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I told him no because of my concern about the Book of Mormon. This friend answered my questions and I was amazed because I had never heard such things before and it felt right. I asked to learn more and I was given Teachings of the Presidents: Joseph Smith. I read the entire book. At one point I was told by a family friend that the church killed people and how a friend of hers died mysteriously after joining the church. I grew scared and stopped reading the book but after a week I longed for the truth so I continued reading.
One time a Pastor came into my office and I told him how much I was looking for the true church. He asked me which church I was thinking about and I hesitated to say it but I told him Latter-day Saints. I was shocked when he told me that I had found the true church.
During that time I lost my house in Kwekwe and starting staying with my mother in Gweru (about 60 kms away) and traveled daily to work. After finishing the book me and my younger sister, Trish, decided to attend service. We told our Mom we were going to the church we had been going to before, fearing rebuke.
On Sunday, the 21st of Aug, we arrived at church and were warmly greeted by a Sister and then were introduced to the kind Bishop who took us to our class. After we were filled with joy we had never felt before. The whole way home we both couldn’t stop confessing that we had found our church yet we had not had much experience. That very Sunday we got kind, patient, loving missionaries, Elder Motshikana and Elder Gay, who never tired to attend the appointments we requested. We were taught well and were baptized within a week, that very Saturday the 27th of Aug 2011 and received the Holy Ghost the next day at church. My mom and cousin are due to be baptized on the 10th of September.
After baptism we were warned that we were in a cult who worshipped Mormon and that we would never be allowed to leave. We explained and told them we would never wish to leave anyway for it is the true church.
Confirmation of being in the Right Direction-
Our missionaries urged us that we must ask God if the Church and the Book of Mormon were true. We earnestly did daily in prayer. On the first night Trish dreamt of me and herself seated at a flyover and a river flowing by the side. We found our feet in beautiful clean flowing water, when we looked around there were so many other people playing in muddy water. The next day Trish dreamt of our family climbing up a mountain, as we reached the top we saw such beautiful green vegetation and a large clean pool of water. Once my Mom saw the pool she dived in and the rest of us did too.
Life Baptism of Water and the Spirit-
We understand and feel for Christ’s death. The importance of saving souls makes sense now and it hurts that so many are lost. We feel the comfort and guidance of the Holy Ghost. When we feel to do something we hear a clear yes or no. Even our finances have improved and don’t run out of what we need. I even found accommodation back in Kwekwe.
Testimony-
We now know that God is our Creator and that He sent His only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was restored on the earth through the Prophet Joseph Smith and that this is the only true Church in all the world and the living Prophet, Thomas S. Monson is a true prophet of God and the Temples are holy places of our Father. We have experienced the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon.
Our hopes, most would write of their ‘hopes and fears’ but all our fears have been answered and all we have are wonderful hopes. We hope to make others aware of the true church and to be missionaries, to be true in attendance to Sacrament and true in our tithes and offerings to help in the work of the true church. To be married and sealed as families, to be baptized for all our known ancestors and to live as families in the Celestial Kingdom.
Sunday, September 4, 2011
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