Mormon Life - Conversion Story tag

In Her Own Words: Muriel Olive Mason Cuthbert, 1958

Wed, 23 May 2012 08:59:00 -0600

source: keepapitchinin.org

Mormon Life says: A sweet conversion story from a member in England. 1950 was a memorable year for my husband and me, for then our second daughter was born, my husband graduated from Nottingham University and started on a career and we had just moved into our first home of our own. The previous year two American second cousins of mine had visited England; they were Mormons and we learned that one had a son on a mission in England. We said that if he could come and explain his religion to us, we would be interested to hear what it was all about, but that we would never consider changing from the Church of England.

I was disappointed when it was not possible for my cousin to visit us, but one day I got really excited to see three obviously American young men walking round our new estate. About a week later they called on me – and I do not believe any missionaries any time could have had such a reception. They had hardly managed to say, “We are missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of …” when I enquired “Mormons?” When they said they were, I flung open the door and invited them in, babbling about my cousin and asking if he was one of them.

Inspiring Conversion Story of Alex Boye

Wed, 07 Mar 2012 11:10:00 -0700

source: youtube.com

WWII Refugee to Mormon: Walter Maschmeyer's Journey

Tue, 25 Oct 2011 00:05:00 -0600

by Whitney Sorensen
source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: Living as Germans during the uncertainty of World War II, Walter Maschmeyer and his mother became displaced refugees fleeing the bombings. But they also saw plenty of kindness and miracles. At age twelve, Walter Maschmeyer traversed Germany amid the turmoil of World War II. Traveling only with his mother, Maschmeyer saw miles of German countryside during 1945 as they used whatever transportation was available to find a safe place in the war-torn nation. With Maschmeyer’s father on the German front and the Soviet army fast approaching, this journey was both frightening and essential. Only upon the arrival of American soldiers did the Maschmeyer family reunite and settle again into a peaceful life.

Years later, Maschmeyer would make a much longer journey to the United States, where he would find not only a place to settle but a much deeper source of peace—the restored gospel. But all of that took place long after Maschmeyer first saw war as a six-year-old boy in Germany.

Germany during the War
“We experienced almost nightly air raids in Hanover for a three-year period,” Maschmeyer recalls. “Most nights we were down in the basement shelter. We didn’t really know if we were going to get hit or not.” Several times the Maschmeyer family faced close calls when bombs fell and started fires in their building or landed but failed to explode.

Even the daily news was strictly controlled by the German government, but Maschmeyer took a big risk to hear news from a non-German perspective. “I wanted to know what was going on, especially close to the end of the war,” he says. “The German radio and newspapers would not give us trustworthy news any longer.”

Although it was illegal, Maschmeyer constructed a crude radio detector after a friend taught him how. He used this homemade radio to listen to news from the BBC, which sometimes broadcasted programs in German. “I knew it was a dangerous thing to do . . . but I was always curious,” Maschmeyer says. He also created a map on his bedroom wall to track the movement of the troops from other countries.

This secret source of news came in handy as the war drew to a close in 1945. Maschmeyer’s father had begun mandatory military service in 1944, so Maschmeyer and his mother lived largely on their own. Because of his radio and map, Maschmeyer knew how quickly the Russian troops were approaching Germany. “At least we could make some preparations in case we had to evacuate very quickly,” Maschmeyer recalls.

Refugees on Many Trains
The evacuation order came on January 18, 1945. Twelve-year-old Maschmeyer and his mother evacuated by themselves from Beuthen, where the family had moved in 1942. “We were on a dilapidated train consisting mostly of box cars and a few passenger cars with blown-out windows,” Maschmeyer describes. They took the last train out of the city.

Wind and snow blew in through the broken train windows, and the heaters on the trains did not work. Maschmeyer and his mother used sleeping bags to keep warm, but most on the train were not so lucky. And traveling by train was anything but rapid. “The train would travel a few miles and then suddenly we’d stop for a day or even a day and a half,” Maschmeyer recalls. “We were concerned with the Russians catching up with us. This could have happened at any moment, so we were very uneasy.” Often the tracks were being rebuilt in front of them, a major reason for the delays. On this stop-and-go journey, soup was provided at makeshift kitchens along the tracks, but this was usually their only source of food.

Maschmeyer and his mother disembarked in Glogau, where Maschmeyer’s father was stationed. The family enjoyed a few days together before further evacuation was ordered. Leaving their husband and father this time, Maschmeyer and his mother were uncertain if they would ever see him again.

When they stopped in the village of Burg, government officials assigned Maschmeyer and his mother to live on a local farm. After walking about a mile and a half, they knocked on the door and were greeted by the farmer’s wife. She assigned them to live in an upstairs bedroom with little heat, the best the couple could provide because they were already housing other outcasts.

Life on the farm was primitive compared to the Maschmeyers’ city living conditions. “We were no longer regular people,” the young Maschmeyer realized. “We were now called refugees.” For instance, indoor plumbing was not an accommodation for war evacuees. Instead, everyone living on the farm used an outhouse with a heart-shaped hole in the door that allowed snow to blow in and settle on the seat. “We got used to it,” Maschmeyer says. “You went into the outhouse and out again as quickly as you could. Comfort—of course that was nonexistent.”

One thing the Maschmeyers did have on the farm was food. The farmer had plentiful supplies and generously shared them. Even as refugees, Maschmeyer and his mother got to know their host and hostess, sometimes playing canasta in the evenings. The farmer and his wife even gave Maschmeyer a gift for his birthday, a mug that Maschmeyer kept for many years.

One day while walking into town, Maschmeyer and his mother encountered a group of Russian troops—the army they had been fleeing. Frightened, they hid in the doorway of a shop as the soldiers passed on horseback. Later, they discovered that these troops were fighting on the German side. Nevertheless, the arrival of these troops signaled the end of the Maschmeyers’ time at the farm.

Amid the ever-present trials, miracles also occurred in the lives of the Maschmeyers. All refugees were to board a train bound for Dresden, but as Maschmeyer and his mother were about to board, they heard a familiar voice—their former neighbor. She told them to board her train, headed in a different direction. That night, February 13, 1945, Dresden was heavily bombed from the air. Always grateful, Maschmeyer says, “I am in awe about how the Holy Ghost saved my life on so many occasions.”

Having avoided disaster, Maschmeyer’s refugee journey soon ended in the city of Clausthal. He and his mother lived there for several months until they returned to Hanover at the end of the war. While in Hanover, Maschmeyer’s father returned and the family was complete again. “We had lost everything we owned, but we had the great opportunity to make a new start,” Maschmeyer says.

Coming to America
In 1954, Maschmeyer and his family received a visit from some family members who lived in America. These relatives told him about an opportunity to work in a travel agency in New York City owned by another family member. Several months later, Maschmeyer's found himself at the Frankfurt airport, saying goodbye to his parents. The flight to America took 19 hours, and Maschmeyer’s plane made several stops before landing in New York City. Despite the travel time, Maschmeyer says, “I was thrilled the whole time.”

Maschmeyer immediately began noticing the differences between his new American lifestyle and the German one he left behind. Eating extra-large hamburgers, riding in brand-new automobiles, and even owning a television were all new to him. “It amazed me so much how easy and comfortable life really was,” says Maschmeyer. “I saw a future here.”

Maschmeyer’s future changed forever in America when he found the restored gospel. He met a Latter-day Saint woman named Nelda while living in New Orleans. They began dating, but she insisted she would marry only someone of her faith. So he began attending church with Nelda and meeting with the missionaries. “Then much to my surprise,” Maschmeyer says, “Nelda gave up her job and left New Orleans. She said she didn’t want to influence me either way.”

Nine months later, Maschmeyer called Nelda, who was living with a sister in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with a big announcement—and a big question. “When I told her I’d been baptized, she said, ‘That’s wonderful.’” But Maschmeyer didn’t stop there. He immediately asked when they could get married. Two weeks later Maschmeyer and Nelda were husband and wife. They would eventually welcome a daughter, also named Nelda.

Although Maschmeyer became a United States citizen in 1962, he’s never forgotten his German heritage. He’s journeyed back to Germany many times and told his family about his days growing up there during World War II. He’s glad that Germany recovered from the war and became a strong nation again, but he praises the United States just as highly. “I’m so grateful that I came here. This is the only free country in the world. What country are people going to go to for freedom?”

To learn more about Walter Maschmeyer’s life or to share similar experiences with him, e-mail waltermaschmeyer[at]gmail[dot]com.

God Gifted Me My Race

Wed, 10 Aug 2011 00:05:00 -0600

by Keith Hamilton
source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: The Church’s history regarding blacks is long and complicated. And while some people—members and nonmembers alike—may struggle to come to terms with past events, I am not one of them. These are some of my personal experiences as an African American Latter-day Saint, and why I believe the color of my skin is a gift from God. I cannot remember a time when I did not believe in God. Some of my earliest memories involve going to Shiloh Baptist Church in Norfolk to see and hear Granddaddy, my paternal grandfather, the son of an emancipated slave, preach his sermons. He died in February 1962, and his passing was the first time I experienced the death of a close loved one. His body lay in state at his home for several days for friends and members of his congregation to view. Not quite four years old, I found the custom quite eerie.

To my dismay, I soon became much more familiar with death, viewings, and funerals than I would have liked, as over the next 10 years I attended the funerals, in chronological order, of my mother (January 1965), my maternal grandfather (January 1967), my paternal grandmother (December 1968), and my father (July 1972). My maternal grandmother and all my great-grandparents had died before my birth; thus, shortly after my fourteenth birthday, I had no living forebears.

I introduce myself to you, the reader, on what may seem a sad note because those deaths and that 10-year period of my youth formed the essence of who I have become. They were also the catalyst to my acceptance, years later, of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ as taught to me by LDS missionaries. As I came to appreciate both my earthly and divine legacies, I also realized that who I came to earth to be, through the family bloodlines I acquired, was not by coincidence, nor of small consequence, for me, or to my Heavenly Father.

Black Is Beautiful
Growing up when I did, and where I did, was not coincidental either. Except for three aggregate years in Trenton, New Jersey, I lived all of my days prior to leaving on my LDS mission in either Virginia or North Carolina. As a product of the Civil Rights era, I remember experiencing segregation, prejudice, and overt acts of racism as a child and teenager. Throughout my entire life I have witnessed the struggles of my people.

The “Black Is Beautiful” cultural movement was in full swing by the time I became a culturally conscious teenager. Integration had become public policy within most of the South by 1976, America’s 200th birthday and the year I graduated from high school in North Carolina’s tobacco country. I did not pursue opportunities to attend a Historical Black College or University (HBCU), as had every prior college-attending relative, but chose instead to enroll at North Carolina State University in Raleigh. That choice turned out to be the seminal decision of my life.

Going to State allowed me the opportunity to learn how to successfully navigate life as a black male in a white man’s world—a skill set I have found very useful since joining the LDS Church and now residing in Utah. African Americans, and perhaps all other ethnic minorities in the U.S., must skillfully perform a critical navigation if they are to successfully assimilate into mainstream American life. That truth is even more real with regard to genuine and meaningful integration within the LDS Church. It is not “failing to be real” for the ethnic minority to fittingly act according to the cultural standards of the majority when she or he finds herself or himself in such a situation, just as it is not “selling out” to God for a Latter-day Saint to act differently, i.e., more reverently, in the temple as opposed to in one of the Church’s meetinghouses.

The LDS Faith and Mormon Folklore
I joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in August 1980, a week or so before the start of my last year of college at NC State. Two missionaries “tracted” me at my off-campus residence and two weeks later I got baptized. I chose to become a member of the LDS faith following a divine response to my sincere prayer, and because of the truthfulness of the Church’s doctrine, but certainly not because of any social or cultural benefit or advantage I expected to gain. Three hundred sixty-eight days after my baptism, I entered the MTC to begin my mission. Two years after that, in August 1983, I began law school as J. Reuben Clark Law School’s first black attendee. I became its first black graduate in 1986, and three years later (July 1989), I was ordained as bishop of the Bay Ward of the San Francisco California Stake, by then–Stake President Quentin L. Cook.

It was as a newly called bishop that I first learned of many of the rationales and myths put forth by LDS commentators and others regarding the Church’s historical relationship with blacks—namely its pre-1978 ban against black males receiving the priesthood and all blacks receiving the exalting ordinances available in the temple.

One time, two white, middle-aged sisters in the ward came to me with serious concern about the ways they perceived blacks had been treated by the Church. In an attempt to address their concerns, I researched the issues as best I could, which led me to an abundance of information. Some of it defended the Church, while other things I read severely criticized the Church and its leaders.

Over the years I gathered more and more information, and as I digested and pondered what I read, I often felt a spiritual emptiness or outright offensiveness to my spirit. Scripture study, more ponderings, and intense personal prayer led me to conclude that most of the commentary on both sides of the issue centered around a historical perspective or view toward the issues, which focused on how God’s children treated each other, or on what one of His children had said regarding the issue. It occurred to me that this approach might not be the more excellent way, particularly regarding the priesthood ban, since the priesthood is God’s, not man’s. I felt prompted to consider looking at the ban, and the lifting of the ban in 1978, from the perspective of how God has dealt and continues to deal with His children generally, and in particular, how He had apportioned the “right” of the priesthood in dispensations
prior to our current one.

This provided me the foundation of true principles, which have developed into a sure testimony that allows me to distinguish, through the workings of the Holy Ghost, truth from error and fact from folklore. It has also permitted me the ability to recognize the sublime yet tremendous impact the 1978 revelation on priesthood had on the Church and on all God’s children, black or non-black, LDS or otherwise.

Trials and Proofs
In order to qualify to return to our Heavenly Father’s presence after our mortal probation, every person must pass through the trials and tribulations of this life. So, too, it is and was for many nations or groups of peoples. The scriptures are replete with evidences that, at times, the Lord’s people must pass through severe hardship, due to no fault of their own, in order to serve as instruments in demonstration to others of His love, mercy, compassion, power, and divinity. Should it have been, or be, any different for blacks of this dispensation?

In a speech before the Utah Territorial Legislature, Brigham Young is quoted as saying: “Not one [particle] of power can that posterity of Cain have, until the time comes. . . . That time will come when they will have the privilege of all we have the privilege of and more.” While most commentators and readers of President Young’s statement get ensnared in his personal beliefs regarding blacks and Cain, the more important message contained in Young’s words is that he believed at some future time blacks would receive the same privilege that all the white brethren at this time had (including the right of the priesthood), and more. Black males ordained to the priesthood today receive no more authority and rights with that priesthood than Brigham Young’s counterparts of the 1800s. Worthy, temple-attending blacks receive no more of an endowment and opportunity for exaltation than temple-goers who attended before 1978. Yet today’s blacks, particularly black members of the LDS Church, may have more capacity to recognize, receive, and contain the joy of the gospel than some others because of the deep sorrow carved into their souls by past experiences and restrictions.

I do not know when or why the restrictive practices against my people were adopted and carried out by the LDS Church, but I do know that the policy and practices were the Lord’s doing and not the autonomous or unilateral act of any man or men. I know this by faith in God and through personal revelation from the Holy Ghost. According to God’s wise and just purposes, He allowed the restrictions to be placed upon my people for the trial, growth, and benefit of all His children, especially my people and those of His church and kingdom on earth.

Adversity, through its many forms and faces, has dug a deep well of sorrow—and thereby created the potential for greater joy—in the lives of many peoples, not just blacks of this dispensation. Early LDS Church members suffered great hardship in establishing the Church in the Eastern states, as did the pioneers who crossed the plains into the Rocky Mountains. Twentieth-century Jews experienced horrendous atrocities during the Holocaust. Trials and adversity have been the lot for all of God’s peoples in all dispensations, including this dispensation, and my ancestors and I have not been excluded.

Impressions from Granddaddy
When I had the opportunity to serve as proxy for Granddaddy's endowment, I received more guidance and inspiration. I was contemplating the irony of my being the one with the holy priesthood, and using it to do his exalting work, when he was the one who had dedicated his life to lifting a heavily burdened people much closer to God. As the thought lingered in my mind, I distinctly felt the impression, which I instinctively knew had come from Granddaddy, that our lives—his and mine—for the most part were intended to be the way they had proceeded, as we each had been given unique missions on earth to fulfill in accordance with God’s plan ourselves and our family.

I was brought to realize that in living when and as he did, Granddaddy had fulfilled the primary missions which he had come to earth to accomplish and that it was now time for me to complete my tasks upon the earth on behalf of both the living and the dead. I felt impressed that many of the spirits who came
to earth as blacks and served as slaves in the Americas, including my forebears, chose to accept the circumstances of their birth in accordance with God’s plan for them individually and for all His children generally.

Considering more specifically my ancestors and posterity, I felt that a multitude of spirits had rejoiced when I was baptized into the LDS Church and when I later received my own temple endowment preparatory to doing work for the dead.

The final impression was solemn and direct: As Granddaddy’s sole descendant with the rights of the priesthood and temple privileges, I was the key link between my ancestors and their opportunity for eternal blessings. My faithfulness would not only significantly impact their eternal futures but would also determine, in part, whether the spirits chosen to come to earth through my seed would be blessed with an understanding of the gospel in mortality.

This remarkable occurrence infinitely strengthened my testimony concerning who I am and regarding Heavenly Father’s love for all His children. Most importantly, it confirmed for me in a very personal and unmistakable way that my spirit did not come to earth to dwell in black flesh, and into a family of black African lineage, because my ancestors and I were somehow cursed.

Simply put, like unto the blind beggar healed by Jesus central to the story in John 9, I was not born black because I sinned as a premortal spirit or because my parents, real or imagined (i.e., Cain, Ham, or anyone else), sinned in mortality. Rather, I am black, and of the lineage once subjected to priesthood and temple restrictions by the LDS Church, because I chose to accept the mortal mission given me by my Heavenly Father. It is a mission that required me to come into mortality as a black American at a time when the gospel was restored upon the earth, and when the priesthood would be made available to all worthy males, so that in some small way the works of God might be made manifest in and through me.

The Gift of Being Black
For many years I had the good fortune to be associated with a play about the life and times of black Mormon pioneer Jane Manning James, entitled I Am Jane, which contains a poignant scene where Jane is speaking with Elijah Abel, a black convert ordained to the Melchizedek Priesthood by the Prophet Joseph Smith. Jane asks Elijah to give her a straight answer about what she has heard preached by some Latter-day Saints concerning the curse of Cain and black skin. Elijah replies that he once took the question to God, and then shares with Jane his perception of God’s response. I close this article with my sincere prayer that Elijah’s words will bring each reader the same comfort and counsel they do me:

I feel, Sister Jane, that ours is:
Not a curse but a gift t’us,
The best path we could seek
A place where God can lift us
We kneel; our knees is weak

And when one of us is kneelin’,
We understand his fears.
We know what all us is feelin’
We cry each other’s tears.

That’s just what Jesus done
For all us human folk.
He agreed to come get born
To feel ev’ry pain and poke.

So’s he could understand us,
What it is to be a slave.
So’s he could get beneath us
And push us outa the grave

Would you rather be the massa
Or the Roman with his whip?
Would you rather nail the Savior—
Put vinegar to his lip?

Or learn the lessons of sufferin’—
How we nothin’ without grace.
Jesus, He give us a callin’
He gifted us our race.

---
Attorney Keith N. Hamilton is an adjunct professor at BYU’s J. Reuben Clark Law School and is the former chair of the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole. He was the first black person to attend and graduate from the law school. He later served as a bishop in San Francisco. Keith is the author of Last Laborer: Thoughts and Reflections of a Black Mormon, which is now available at Deseret Book stores and deseretbook.com.

Albanian Mormon convert tells all of her love for the Savior

Fri, 29 Oct 2010 10:06:00 -0600

source: ldschurchnews.com

"Amen" was the sole word I siphoned from a flood of sound the first time Sister Topalli Hanci spoke to me. It seemed I had barely touched Albanian soil before I was lifted up again in the arms of this riotously staunch member of the Church.

Somewhere between her rapid Albanian and exultant gestures, I caught the pulse of her greeting. She loved the Church and the missionaries. She communicated this to me because she loved Jesus Christ. She swept me up like a force of nature then surged on, leaving me to reel and wonder and echo another amen.

In this confusion, I whirled my head and met a missionary's knowing smile. "You look like someone who's met Sister Hanci." I think each missionary in Albania has the experience that is Sister Hanci in common.

Martin Luther and a Life Changing Moment

Wed, 27 Oct 2010 00:05:00 -0600

by John L. Lund - FUN FOR LESS TOURS
source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: Every now and then an event happens in life that changes the remainder of our course. Most of us are caught up in the hustle-bustle of daily living and rightly so. We are anxiously engaged in the daily pursuit of health, wealth, and happiness. During our sojourn there are moments when quite unexpectedly we are confronted with a life changing event. The experience will change the choices we make for the rest of our lives. The life-changing experience could be as simple as a poignant moment derived from watching a movie, reading a novel, perusing the Holy Scriptures or listening to an inspired speaker that jolts us into an introspective search for the meaning of our lives. It may be the awareness of a life threatening personal illness or the sudden passing away of a dear one. It may be as dramatic as a near death experience thrust upon us by a natural disaster such as a tornado, an earthquake or even a bolt of lightning.

Such an event happened to Martin Luther, the great Protestant Reformer. After receiving his master’s degree at the age of twenty-two, he was bound for law school. This was to please his father. However on the 2nd of July 1505, Martin Luther had a life-changing experience. He was riding his horse towards the Law University when a bolt of lightning nearly took his life. In an instant Martin returned home and reported to his father that he was terrified of death and the final judgment. In proclaiming that he was not prepared to meet God, Martin cried out, “Help! Saint Anna, I will become a monk.”

Martin Luther entered a monastery and devoted himself totally to a quest to discover what it was that God wanted from him in order that he might return and abide with God in eternity.

Click here to read the rest of the story.

----

John L. Lund is an educator traveling the world with Fun for Less Tours.

Exclusive: Escape from Rwanda: The Impossible Story of John Bizimana

Tue, 26 Oct 2010 01:02:00 -0600

by Erin Barker
source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: Bizimana escaped Rwanda, joined the LDS church, and founded a charity called Voice of Africa--all before age 24. People fill the tent and stand outside its edges to watch Voice of Africa perform. The members’ bright costumes, strong dancing, and energetic personalities enthrall the crowd. A young man with a microphone engages the audience. He jokes about African men’s strength, yet he’s modestly wearing a black tee-shirt. John Bizimana is confident, charismatic, and carries himself with maturity and experience beyond his twenty-four years.

The group is at the KSL Book Festival to promote John’s memoir Escape from Rwanda: a True Story of Faith, Hope, and Survival, but you get the impression that it’s not about him.

John takes time to introduce each of the eleven members of Voice of Africa by name and nationality, and during one song he stands so far in the background while his friends perform that you can barely see him singing and clapping in rhythm. It’s not about John.

At least, not according to John: because he continually looks beyond himself.

When I spoke with John a few days before the performance, I was impressed by his positivity and humility. Throughout our conversation he alluded that life is difficult for everyone, as if his has not been any more difficult than others’. But John’s trials exceed most American’s worst imaginings.

In 1994, just months after his father was killed in a car accident, seven-year-old John and his family fled the Rwandan genocide with only the belongings they carried. They trudged past scenes of violence and death to Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo), then traveled through Tanzania and Zambia before finally finding refuge in Zimbabwe. Tragedy struck John’s family again when his mother died from cancer and malnutrition. At first his mother’s friends cared for John and his younger brother and sister, but eventually the Bizimana children were left in an orphanage.

In fact, a portion of the proceeds from Escape from Rwanda will go to the Emerald Hill Children’s Home where John and his siblings lived for five years. I inquire about his decision to donate to the orphanage, and he is perplexed that I even have to ask. For him, giving back was second nature. “I grew up there,” he says. Instead of taking the opportunity to showcase his generosity, he explains that the orphanage runs on donations, largely from Europe. He speaks with admiration of the head nun, Sister Gabriel Flender, a German woman who has chosen to devote her life to this orphanage in Zimbabwe. Again, it’s not about John.

This isn’t John’s only way of giving back. For the past two years he has performed with his friends in Voice of Africa. “We’re not professionals,” he says humbly, “but...it’s a way of reconnecting with our cultures.” The group also has a charitable component: they raise scholarship money for their members who are mostly African college students. In addition, they hope to spearhead a larger-scale humanitarian project in Uganda.

John did not initially set out to tell his own story. When an older woman suggested that John write a book, he declined saying, “I’m not famous.” But John’s story so moved the woman that she offered to write the book if he would dictate his experiences to her. Her willingness to sacrifice her time impressed him.

“It never occurred to me that, you know, this was...a story that was worth telling until someone else pointed it out to me,” he says. John didn’t accept her offer. He still didn’t consider writing his story until months later while doing an internship in Switzerland.

“I just had this strong impression that I needed to be doing something else,” John says. So he began writing his memoirs.

John’s book narrates not only his childhood experiences in Africa, but his life as a teenager in Europe. John and his siblings emigrated to Belgium when his aunt and uncle legally adopted them. Though reunited with family, they still lived difficult lives as refugees. At a street basketball tournament in Brussels, John met missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He later joined the Church—a choice he says has given him “direction.”

“For me, it’s the religion that brings me closest to God...It has given me answers...that I yearned for when I was a younger teenager.” With characteristic humility, he adds, “My dream is to just one day be a good member of the Church. I’m not there yet, but one day. That’s my goal.”

John has achieved many goals despite impossible odds, including his childhood dream to come to America. At the urging of some friends in Belgium, he set his sights on Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. He and his sister pooled their savings to pay for the Standard Achievement Test fee, and he scored well enough to be admitted to BYU.

John considers graduating with a bachelor’s degree in economics his greatest victory in life. He acknowledges that college and the finances involved are difficult for everyone, but John didn’t even graduate from high school. He is the first in his family to attend college, and he did so alone, with his family still halfway across the world in Belgium.

John has thrived on three continents, yet when asked what he is most proud of, it isn’t himself. You can hear the love in his voice as he talks about his siblings. “They were younger than me...and went through the same things I went through, but they remained good kids. They maintained their composure throughout the whole process.”

When you talk to John it is easy to forget that he saw the violence of the Rwandan genocide and survived so many difficult trials. He chooses to focus on the positive. He jokes and laughs and enthusiastically says that he wants to “enjoy life.” When he’s not working full-time, performing with Voice of Africa, or speaking in public, John likes to play soccer, cook, and spend time with his friends.

Indeed, his friends are the ones who told him he had a gift for raising people’s spirits and indirectly led him to motivational speaking. He hopes to spread his message of confidence and courage full-time someday. “The hardest thing you will ever have to do is not to actually find the resources...it will be to actually believe that you can do it,” he says. John particularly enjoys speaking to youth, because they still have their lives and dreams before them.

Because so many people have doubted him, even in his ability to write a book, he wants others to know that they too can succeed while they are still young. Ever humble, he also says, “I feel like I can’t really tell anything to the older people.”

But this time, John is wrong.

Everyone, young and old, can learn a lot from John Bizimana. His story is miraculous enough to inspire even the most experienced reader. Escape from Rwanda is about John, but it is also about achieving dreams in spite of terrible circumstances. It is about living with hope and moving forward with faith. The book echoes the advice John gives the audience at the conclusion of Voice of Africa’s performance, “If you have a dream, do not hesitate to pursue it.”

Mission Accomplished: A Soldier's Journey to Faith

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 18:00:00 -0600

by Malcolm Leal
source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: The Cuban military was not the place for a Bible, but my grandma had taught me its principles well. Throughout my missions her words were always in the back of my mind. I would need them to become the man I wanted to become. And, as I would find during a mission deep in the Guatemalan jungle, I would need them to stay alive. I joined the Cuban military right out of high school and stayed there for seven years. The military in Cuba is compulsory, and you can opt to be drafted as soon as you finish high school or after you finish college. But my mom had a very difficult time after she got divorced, and the domestic environment was not easy for me. So after high school, I just wanted to go away; the military provided mobility.

Though the domestic situation with my mother was never very good, my childhood had been happily spent in the company of my great-grandmother. Because my mom worked in a research facility pretty far away, my grandma was my main emotional attachment for many years. She was, more or less, my most significant relationship.

Growing up with Grandma My grandmother had a deep faith. She constantly taught me about the Bible, especially the words of Isaiah and his prophecy of a temple in modern times. This temple, and whatever took place in it, was critical to Grandma's view of God.

One night, she told me, "God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. He has been my God since I was twenty-three years old and will be my God forever. God gave men clear instruction of how He wanted His church and His affairs handled. Men, in their arrogance, changed everything. They broke the commandments; they changed how things ought to be done. Thus, they’re cut off from Him."

"So, God isn't with us any longer, then. Are we on our own?" I asked.

"No, Son, He is here," she said with certainty. "You tell God that you know He is there, that you know you're cut off from Him because we've lost the way, but that you love Him. He will hear you."

Right before I left for the military, she warned me of the dangers and implored me to remain clean. "I send you out into the world in the hands of God. I urge you to seek Him in everything you do. I'll pray for your safe return day and night until you come back. But keep silent prayers in your heart always, listen to His voice, and you'll be safe."

And off I went. They did some tests and I scored high in certain areas; I had also studied martial arts since I was young. Because of these things, they told me I would do well in special forces. I figured if I was going to go with the military, I might as well go with the best and the brightest.

In the Field I worked for the equivalent of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and they would call me anytime of the day or night. What my group did, for the most part, was to shadow enemy troops. The Central American Civil War - the Dirty War, as we called it - was a war of proxies. The U.S. was not directly involved, neither were the Soviets. They used proxies to fight the war for them.

The U.S. had CIA, special forces, trainers, and military advisors on the ground. The Soviets had them, too. The Cubans did the fighting, the training of insurgents, and so forth. Our task was to follow the enemy troops, and occasionally to grab military officers and pass them along for interrogation.

One time, our mission was to extract a lieutenant. We watched him go into a bar and brothel, on the second floor. The idea was to grab him without having to destroy the place, shoot people, or make a lot of noise - and all we had was an ice cream pushcart.

We got to the second story of the building with a rope; we came in through the window, shot him with a tranquilizer, and put him in the ice cream truck. But when you lower the temperature, it diminishes the effect of tranquilizers. So we started pushing this ice cream truck down the street, and he started kicking and screaming. People were looking at us, shocked, and asking, "What have you got in there? A pig?" We tried to assure them that it was just a pig, but we had to finish up - fast.

We ran to the end of the street where the extraction truck was waiting. When we opened the lid of the ice cream cart, he jumped out and started running down the street. Now it just so happened that at the end of the street there was a mental hospital, so the people were afraid that he was a patient, and they actually helped us get him. We shot him again with the tranquilizer and got him in the truck.

Months later, we were in a town nearby, and an old man came up to me and said, "Hey, doctor, how are you?" I was confused. Doctor? Then he asked, "How did the situation with your patient end up? Did you get him back in the hospital?"

Then I realized he was talking about the lieutenant. "Oh, yeah!" I said. "He was totally insane." My comrades and I laughed. From then on, my friends started calling me Doc. It was a story we told many times.

In what we did, humor was a way to keep your sanity, because if you started thinking about what you were actually doing, there was no reason for laughter.

White-shirt Lunatics You have to understand there are three rules in the jungle. One, you have to blend. If you don't blend, you're going to become somebody's lunch real fast. The other rule is to move slowly. If you're moving too fast, you can't hear anything - such as something coming up on you. The last thing that is really important is that you have to be aware of the environment - you don't make yourself known.

One time we were waiting for an equipment drop on a hillside in the jungle. Suddenly, something came out of the bushes and started coming down the hill - and whatever it was, it was ignoring all three of the jungle rules.

I looked closer and it was two kids - jumping around, happy, talking, and not paying attention to anything. They're lunatics! I thought to myself. They're gonna get themselves killed. They were wearing white shirts and ties in the jungle, skipping and jumping animatedly down the hill. I could see one laughing. "Who are these people?" I said out loud.

"Oh, they're missionaries," said one of my comrades.

To me, my grandmother's student, this was fascinating, but my companion didn't seem to care. Who in their right mind would come into this godforsaken place, in the middle of a civil war, to talk about God? The missionaries had safely gone about their business, but the memory of those white-shirted boys lingered for days.

The Darkest Night I had missions in which we were able to go out and execute and come home, and everyone was safe. That was reason to be glad. And I had missions in which I lost many of my friends. On my last mission, most of my comrades died.

The mission started benignly enough. "Perestroika" was in effect, which meant that goods, spare parts, and supplies decreased. So a mission was put together to bring in Soviet specialists and needed supplies. My unit was tasked with accompanying two Soviet "technicians" on a two-week maintenance expedition. Not a glamorous assignment, but still one of high priority since our side was becoming blind and deaf to the movement of the enemy on the Nicaraguan border.

In two days we were done, which was record time for the mission. At the appointed time, the communication specialist signaled that he had a link.

"Control, this is Vector, we're looking good and en route to the rest point," I said.

"Excellent. We have one more recovery point, Sergeant," said the man on the other end.

When you gear up for a mission, you prepare for the unforeseeable. If you change the mission, someone is going to die, because you cannot anticipate all the variables. Changing the mission was this man's mode of operation, and countless men had paid for his games with their lives. And now he was doing it to us.

I listened motionlessly as the instructions came. After the transmission ended, I briefly discussed the details of the "detour" with one of the mission's specialists. The change of plans included moving back north-by-northeast - across enemy territory.

After three days of a painful and treacherous march in the jungle, we reached the recovery point. An accident involving one of my men meant that I had to continue on my own to retrieve the equipment while the other soldiers waited in a secure location.

I reached a hidden spot not far from the gear, which was set on a rock outcrop twenty yards away. To retrieve it, I had to completely expose myself, and I'd be facing away from the tree line across the gorge. I clasped my weapon and broke into a soft jog to the massive rock formation. My fingers made contact with the slippery, cold surface of the camera. I pulled.

The next moment, it felt like a sledgehammer hit me sideways on the head. A flash of lights, bright and blinding, filled my eyes, accompanied by a high-pitched hissing sound. Then nothing. Nothing at all, as if I'd been suddenly pushed into space—total sensory shutdown. A few seconds later, maybe minutes, the pounding of my pulse on my temples and the coppery taste of blood in my mouth attested to the absolute fact that my life had come to an end. I lay there broken, unable to move for what seemed like a lifetime. I sobbed quietly, helplessly.

I was dying. I thought of my grandmother. What could I say to her God? It occurred to me then that I'd wasted my life. I spat the blood and mud from my mouth and twisted my body painfully, slowly to face heaven. I cried some more.

"God of my grandmother, I know about You, and I believe in You. I'm about to die, and maybe I deserve to die; only You know that. Take me then, God, and don't let me suffer any longer. Comfort my grandmother, for she is old and she loves me. I pray that You may forgive me of all my sins. Forgive me, God. Forgive me." I wept again; now, however, I felt almost happy. I slipped into unconsciousness.

"Not yet," I heard inside my rattled brain with astonishing clarity.

The quiet and simple phrase startled me. I was in shock due to the loss of blood. The magnitude of the event, the realization that I had been a witness and a recipient of a true miracle and how this event would transform my life would come days later.

Miraculously, I got up and walked for six hours, finally making it to a place where I could wire for help and be picked up. When the medic jumped out of the chopper, he approached me and his eyes looked like they were ready to pop out of their sockets. "Don't worry," I said. "It looks worse than it actually is."

I woke up a week later at a hospital back on the island, a symphony of monitors, bells, and whistles serenading me in the hospital room. Nothing could have prepared me for the shock of the first glance at myself after the injury. My head, what was visible, was obviously swollen and misshapen. I had a scar from ear to ear and stitches like a baseball. My romantic life is over, I thought.

Eventually, as with every other mission, I was able to go home. Going back home meant that I had to talk to my grandmother about what happened. When we discussed what she thought about it, what it meant in my life, she said, "God's is the forgiveness, mercy, and peace that you felt, and that's the foundation of faith. Don't let it die, don't forget that day. One day you'll find the church that will fill your heart."

Time to Defect It was a known fact that politics killed people. In my case in particular, lots of people got hurt. I thought the change in the mission was unnecessary - someone was playing politics on the fly. For me, as a soldier, as a leader of a unit, that was not acceptable. And I made some threats.

As a result, my commanding officer, Montes, a man I had grown to love and respect as a father, arranged to send me away. He told me, "There will be an eleven-month tour and a scheduled rotation back to the home base. Come back with the last group. On the layover in the third country, get off the plane and don't look back." The commanders feared me, and when they fear you, they kill you. I knew I wasn't coming back.

I tried to conceal from my grandmother my inner struggles in regards to the future. But she understood. I stayed home that summer as much as I could. I wanted to remember; I wanted to hold on to her and a life of experiences near her so that she was never forgotten.

I eventually left for Europe, spending most of my "time away" in East Germany training young operatives. Then, during the winter I was there, the Wall came down. Without almost any warning, Communism evaporated in one winter night.

These were dangerous times. The secret services were on the prowl during rotation times at our office. These were the times when people jumped fences, drove across bridges, and walked into embassies different from their own. My opportunity came on the journey back to the island.

We stopped in Montreal. Secret police - prison keepers, for we were all prisoners of the state - came with us to make sure no one escaped to a receptive country, so I had to arrange a convincing excuse to step away from them. After taking quinine before landing, I needed a bathroom, and everyone could see it. Once inside the stall, I climbed over the toilet, onto the divider wall, and removed the false sheetrock ceiling plank. I pulled myself behind the bathroom fixtures, replaced the sheetrock plank, and let darkness engulf me.

As I crawled through the dusty and damp space, I hesitated when a flash of light surrounded me. It had to be them. I pushed down on the ceiling plank underneath me, fell into a small room, and ran. I heard shouting and what seemed to be a rush of people running and cars braking. I ran faster than I had ever run and longer than I thought possible.

The last thirty miles to the United States border remained a blur. As I neared the border patrol checkpoint, I went very slowly. I was, after all, dressed in a military uniform of a foreign country.

What happened next belongs in a comic strip. By the time the border patrol officer saw me, I was less than twenty feet from him. He was frantic. He dropped his gun and radio and picked up the radio, pointing it at me. "Freeze! Stop!" he yelled, the antenna of his radio pointing at me, while he clasped his gun and put it to his mouth as if it were the radio unit. "I need help now!"

After the mix-up, a handful of officers rushed to help their fellow agent, handcuffing me and taking me away.

They took me to a Virginia farm to be questioned, to be sure I wasn't a threat. After six weeks there, I was taken to my chosen location: Los Angeles. A chapter of my life had ended and a new one was about to unfold.

Missionaries, Again I settled in L.A., got some education, and even began a family. But in eight years, I still hadn't found the fulfillment I sought. Periodically I would take up my search for "the church that would fill my heart," but I wasn't impressed by any of them. I needed more.

Around Easter of 1998, I was very sad. Easter was very sad for me because it was sad for my grandma. In Cuba, people did pretty bizarre things on Easter. My grandma thought it was a mockery of Christ's suffering. My brother had also recently written to tell me that Grandma had died.

Around that time, I was watching TV when a commercial came on for a video about the birth, teachings, and crucifixion of Jesus Christ. It was simple, yet powerful. I ordered it, and about a week later, a couple young men dressed in shirts and ties rang my doorbell. I had to get to work, so our visit was brief. But they gave me the video, and a book.

I watched the video about a week later. That Sunday, I picked up the blue book the missionaries had left. I flipped through the pages until I read something that literally took my breath away: "I will read unto you the words of Isaiah" (2 Nephi 6:4). "Isaiah!" I exclaimed, jumping to my feet.

Memory and experience found great resonance with the text. In years of roaming the jungle, I had seen countless pre-Columbian ruins like the book described - fortifications. I read the familiar words of Isaiah, this time in the voice of Jesus Christ. I read throughout the day. I thought about the events leading to that day; I thought about the many years of reading and searching. It seemed like the walls of a dam had broken and a flood had rushed in, inundating every corner of the land inside me. "I've found it," I sobbed. "After all this time, I've found it."

A Happy Life It took me three weeks to find the missionaries again, but they finally came back. Night after night they returned. I attended church and made many new friends in a very short time. What I saw and felt in that church building sealed my testimony of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. A few days later, I was baptized.

In Cuba there were no happy moments. There were times of euphoria; when we were able to go on an operation and nobody died, that was reason to be content. But I wasn't happy.

However, after I came up out of the water on my baptism day, I couldn't help feeling that I'd found my home. I was more than happy. I'd been lost, cut off, and disconnected for most of my adult life. For once, I was certain I was in the right place.

Adapted from Faith Among Shadows: One Cuban Soldier's Journey to Find the Gospel of Christ; Cedar Fort. Now available at Deseret Book.

Book of Mormon Lesson 22: Have Ye Received His Image in Your Countenances?

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 18:30:00 -0600

by Ted L. Gibbons
source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: Like the Bible, [The Book of Mormon] is a volume of holy writ that speaks forth the mind and will of the Almighty. Like the Bible, it invites men to forsake the world and live as becometh saints. Like the Bible, it has such an impact upon the hearts of men that they are prepared to die in defense of their beliefs. Already the ten thousands of Ephraim and the thousands of Manasseh have left Babylon and come to Zion with songs of everlasting joy because of it. And before the end of the world, which is the premillennial destruction of the wicked, and before the end of the earth, which shall not occur until after the Millennium, the Book of Mormon shall so affect men that the whole earth and all its peoples will have been influenced and governed by it. (Bruce R. McConkie, The Millennial Messiah, p.170) Introduction Alma's reform movement involved at least these four cities: Zarahemla, Gideon, Melek, and Ammonihah. These chapters deal with his ministry in Zarahemla and in Gideon. Once Alma had determined the depth of the iniquity in the Church, and had freed himself from the restraints of public office, he went forth to try and reclaim the people in the best way he knew how--by the power of his testimony. His efforts in Zarahemla and Gideon (and in Melek for that matter-see Alma 8:3-6) met with great success. 1. Alma teaches the people how they can experience a mighty change of heart (Alma 5). Notice in Alma 5:2 where the account of this sermon in Zarahemla comes from. Does it matter that our personal history contains this kind of information, or is this a concern only for the Prophet? President Kimball taught this: "Keep journals and family records. Let us then continue on in this important work of recording the things we do, the things we say, the things we think, to be in accordance with the instructions of the Lord. For those of you who may not have already started your books of remembrance and your records, we would suggest that this very day you begin to write your records quite fully and completely. We hope that you will do this, our brothers and sisters, for this is what the Lord has commanded." (The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, p.349) The multitude of questions Alma asks are worth a careful, personal look. But it seems clear that there is one question in the sermon, what might we might call the critical question, that must be answered correctly. That question is asked five different times toward the end of the sermon. The question is in verses 53-56 and it is this: if you are doing any of these things that are contrary to the teaching of the gospel, will ye persist? If you have found something in this sermon that needs your attention, or that needs repentance, will you repent? Or will you persist in rebelling against the commandments of God? And now my beloved brethren, I say unto you, can ye withstand these sayings; yea, can ye lay aside these things, and trample the Holy One under your feet; yea, can ye be puffed up in the pride of your hearts; yea, will ye still persist in the wearing of costly apparel and setting your hearts upon the vain things of the world, upon your riches? Yea, will ye persist in supposing that ye are better one than another; yea, will ye persist in the persecution of your brethren, who humble themselves and do walk after the holy order of God, wherewith they have been brought into this church, having been sanctified by the Holy Spirit, and they do bring forth works which are meet for repentance--Yea, and will you persist in turning your backs upon the poor, and the needy, and in withholding your substance from them? And finally, all ye that will persist in your wickedness, I say unto you that these are they who shall be hewn down and cast into the fire except they speedily repent (Alma 5:53-57). This is a matter that receives attention other places in the scripture. For example, in Mosiah 2, Benjamin spoke of the danger of listing to obey the evil spirit. To list means to lean or incline. We all do that to some degree. All of us are sinners. But Benjamin's warning is not just for those who list, but for those who list and persist, that is, those who will not repent. Jacob warned those who seek and who love riches, and think themselves better than those who possess less stuff. And now, my brethren, do ye suppose that God justifieth you in this thing? Behold, I say unto you, Nay. But he condemneth you, and if ye persist in these things his judgments must speedily come unto you (Jacob 2:14). Benjamin did not use the word persist, but he addressed the concept. For behold, there is a wo pronounced upon him who listeth to obey that spirit; for if he listeth to obey him, and remaineth and dieth in his sins, the same drinketh damnation to his own soul; for he receiveth for his wages an everlasting punishment, having transgressed the law of God contrary to his own knowledge. (Mosiah 2:33) It is one thing to list. We ought not to, and if we do, we ought to repent. But is another and a much more dangerous thing to list and persist. Abinadi spoke of this to King Noah and his court: But remember that he that persists in his own carnal nature, and goes on in the ways of sin and rebellion against God, remaineth in his fallen state and the devil hath all power over him. Therefore, he is as though there was no redemption made, being an enemy to God; and also is the devil an enemy to God. (Mosiah 16:5) The Lord says it more simply in D&C 42: And he that doeth according to these things shall be saved, and he that doeth them not shall be damned if he so continue. (D&C 42:60) As you review the questions Alma has asked, take a look inside yourself. Are you willing to cease and desist, or are you more inclined to persist? As Alma concludes his sermon, he bears a powerful testimony. Do ye not suppose that I know of these things myself? Behold, I testify unto you that I do know that these things whereof I have spoken are true(Alma 5:45). At the end of verse 45, Alma asks an additional question: "And how do ye suppose that I know of their surety?" I remember reading that question for the first time. The story of Alma the younger had thrilled me and blessed me. His confrontation with the angel was perhaps the most vivid message I absorbed my first time through the book. Thus, when I read Alma's question, "And how do ye suppose that I know of their surety?" I was pretty sure that I already knew the answer. Alma was about to declare that he knew those things were true because an angel descended from the courts of glory and told him they were true. But that is not what he said. Alma had seen an angel (Mosiah 27:1`1-16), and afterward he was born of the Spirit (Alma 27:24), and he said he thought he saw God sitting on his throne (Alma 36:22). But notice what he says when he tells how he knows the truth: Behold, I say unto you they are made known unto me by the Holy Spirit of God. Behold, I have fasted and prayed many days that I might know these things of myself. And now I do know of myself that they are true; for the Lord God hath made them manifest unto me by his Holy Spirit; and this is the spirit of revelation which is in me. And moreover, I say unto you that it has thus been revealed unto me, that the words which have been spoken by our fathers are true, even so according to the spirit of prophecy which is in me, which is also by the manifestation of the Spirit of God. (Alma 5:46,47) If Alma had seen God and an angel, and had been born again before he preached his first missionary sermon, why did he have to fast and pray for a testimony? Perhaps this statement from Bishop Robert L. Simpson provides part of the answer: Testimonies built on miracles alone are at best shallow and can only be perpetuated by other miracles. Such is not the eternal process considered best for the acquisition of a testimony that can withstand ...troubles (New Era, March 1972, p. 4). But there is more to Alma's testimony than a certainty that the Church is true. Alma has been asking a multitude of questions related to the doctrine of the Church, and has just delivered a solemn warning to those who refuse to abide by those doctrines--a warning of fire. He has fasted and prayed for testimonies of the truthfulness and meaning of many of the principles of the Gospel. Elder Legrande Richards explained how valuable a man like Alma can be in a society. The story is told that there was a new minister who moved into the community where Thomas Carlisle lived, and he went to the office of Carlisle and asked this question: "What do the people of this community need more than anything else?" And Carlisle's answer was: "They need a man who knows God other than my hearsay." (Improvement Era, June 1858, p. 98) Alma was a man who knew God other than by hearsay. And he knew him because of his fasting and his prayers. His witness, based on personal experience, was the catalyst for thousands of conversions. 2. Alma and the people establish the order of the church in Zarahemla (Alma 6). Alma knew he couldn't do the work alone. Too many needed the message. All who were converted were to accept some of the responsibility for those who were not. Nevertheless the children of God were commanded that they should gather themselves together oft, and join in fasting and mighty prayer in behalf of the welfare of the souls of those who knew not God. (Alma 6:6) I remember to consecutive weeks during my teen-age years in Logan when our ward gathered together in fasting and prayer for the welfare of the bodies of some members who knew God quite well. One father disappeared over the mountains in a small plane on a business flight to Wyoming. We fasted and gathered together to pray for his safety as searchers combed the mountains. One week later we were fasting again. A retired member of the ward, who had been helping set roof joists in our new church building, fell from the scaffolding to the concrete floor below. He was in a coma in the hospital. We fasted another day and gathered to pray for him. But I do not remember ever being invited to fast for the non-members living within our ward area, nor for the inactive and indifferent members who were around us. Alma teaches us that souls are as important as bodies, and worth as least as much physical and spiritual effort. According to Alma 6:3, what characteristic kept many in Alma's day from knowing God? Ask yourself (if you are a teacher, ask your students), who is there among my family or friends or acquaintances that needs my fasting and mighty prayers? As you consider this question, remember that Alma, who must have given the commandment, had some first hand knowledge about the redemptive power of fasting and mighty prayer. His father had fasted and prayed for him when he did not know God. 3. Alma testifies of Jesus Christ. He encourages the people in Gideon to follow the Savior (Alma 7). In Gideon, Alma delivered one of the great sermons about the Savior in the scriptures. Of all the things he might have taught, he chose this one: For behold, I say unto you there be many things to come; and behold, there is one thing which is of more importance than they all--for behold, the time is not far distant that the Redeemer liveth and cometh among his people. (Alma 7:7) One way to look at this chapter is to focus on a word used four times by Alma, and to reflect on the applications associated with that word. The word is path, and it appears in verses 9, 19, and 20. But behold, the Spirit hath said this much unto me, saying: Cry unto this people, saying--Repent ye, and prepare the way of the Lord, and walk in his paths, which are straight; for behold, the kingdom of heaven is at hand, and the Son of God cometh upon the face of the earth. (Alma 7:9, emphasis added) For I perceive that ye are in the paths of righteousness; I perceive that ye are in the path which leads to the kingdom of God; yea, I perceive that ye are making his paths straight. (Alma 7:19, emphasis added) I perceive that it has been made known unto you, by the testimony of his word, that he cannot walk in crooked paths; neither doth he vary from that which he hath said; neither hath he a shadow of turning from the right to the left, or from that which is right to that which is wrong; therefore, his course is one eternal round. (Alma 7:20, emphasis added) Read Alma 7 and look for the qualities of those who are trying to walk in his paths. I will give my own list below, but you might consider performing your own search before you influence your conclusions with my observations. I. Alma 7:3-Be humble
II. Alma 7:3-Continue in supplication
III. Alma 7:3-Be blameless
IV. Alma 7:6-Don't be lifted up in the pride of your hearts
V. Alma 7:6-Don't set your heart upon riches
VI. Alma 7:6-Worship the true and living God
VII. Alma 7:6-Look forward to the remission of your sins
VIII. Alma 7:9-Repent
IX. Alma 7:9-Prepare the way of the Lord
X. Alma 7:14-Be born again
XI. Alma 7:14-Be baptized
XII. Alma 714-Have faith
XIII. Alma 7:15-Come and fear not
XIV. Alma 715-Lay aside every sin
XV. Alma 715-Enter into a covenant with him to keep his commandments
XVI. Alma 7:22-Awaken to a sense of your duty
XVII. Alma 723-Be submissive and gentle
XVIII. Alma 723-Be full of patience and long-suffering
XIX. Alma 723-Be temperate in all things
/ XX. Alma 7:23--Ask God for whatever you need
XXI. Alma 7:24--Always return thanks to God for what you receive
XXII. Alma 7:26-Give diligence and heed to the word
Alma encouraged the people of Gideon to walk in the Lord's paths, which are straight. They must be straight, for "he cannot walk in crooked paths." What this means is explained quite nicely in D&C 3:1-3: The works, and the designs, and the purposes of God cannot be frustrated, neither can they come to naught. For God doth not walk in crooked paths, neither doth he turn to the right hand nor to the left, neither doth he vary from that which he hath said, therefore his paths are straight, and his course is one eternal round. Remember, remember that it is not the work of God that is frustrated, but the work of men . . . God does not get frustrated, he doesn't turn to the right hand or the left, and he doesn't vary from what he says: therefore, he cannot walk in crooked paths. Alma 7 also contains holy writ's finest description of the empathy of Christ. We are taught that he suffered in many ways so that he could understand our needs when we suffer. Listen to the language: And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people. And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities. Now the Spirit knoweth all things; nevertheless the Son of God suffereth according to the flesh . . . (Alma 7:11-13) He can help us bear our pains and our sicknesses because he has already taken upon himself our pains and our sicknesses. Because of this, he can say to us in our agony, "I understand." An amazing insight from these verses comes in the revelatory discovery that he did not have to experience our pains and temptations and sicknesses and infirmities in the flesh to know what they were like. "The Spirit knoweth all things." Scriptural evidence for this knowing without experiencing can be found in the 22nd Psalm. A thousand years before the actual event, the Savior gave through David a graphic description of the pain of crucifixion. He knew, by the Spirit, precisely what kind of experience it would be. Read Psalm 22:1,7,13-18. But even with this advance knowledge he was willing to suffer according to the flesh "that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh . . ." I believe that many of his disciples have heard his quiet whisper in times of pain or times of trouble, "I understand." I know I have. My burdens have not always been lifted, but I have received strength enough to carry on, for I knew I was loved. Conclusion Alma 7 is like a pair of spiritual contact lenses. Looking through it we see the atonement of Christ more clearly than we have ever seen it before. We are offered a unique view of what the Savior has done for us-a view unlike any other in the scriptures. Of that view, Elder Maxwell said: In the description of the exquisite suffering of Jesus in His atonement, we are told that Jesus took upon Himself the infirmities of all of us in order "that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities." (Alma 7:12) Being sinless Himself, Jesus could not have suffered for personal sin nor known what such agony is--unless He took upon Him our sins, not only to redeem us and to save us, but also in order that He might know how "according to the flesh . . . to succor his people according to their infirmities." A stunning insight! Thus the compassion of the divine Jesus for us is not the abstract compassion of a sinless individual who would never so suffer; rather, it is the compassion and empathy of One who has suffered exquisitely, though innocent, for all our sins, which were compounded in some way we do not understand. Though He was sinless, yet He suffered more than all of us. We cannot tell Him anything about suffering. This is one of the inner marvels of the atonement of Jesus Christ! (Neal A. Maxwell, All These Things Shall Give Thee Experience, 35-36).

Lesson Helps: Befriending Converts (Teachings for Our Time Lesson 9)

Wed, 22 Oct 2003 10:53:00 -0600

source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: Read the following excerpt from Gary J. Coleman's new book, The Journey of Conversion, for some additional insight into the Teachings for Our Time Lesson 9, Strengthening New Converts. After joining the Church I had a transitional experience with a former pastor, one whom I had assisted for several years as an altar boy. I had received my patriarchal blessing eighty- nine days following my baptism and was thrilled at its inspired counsel. I had not known the patriarch beforehand, but that did not matter. He knew the Lord, and the Lord knew me. This humble patriarch made many pronouncements that were able to comfort and guide me throughout my life. I think it was a divine rendezvous that he gave me the blessing three days before I received a long letter from Father Graff.

Father Graff, as any church leader might do, was trying to recover me from what he perceived as a tragic, even spiritually fatal, error of leaving my former church. "Did your parents fail to teach you the lesson that your first obligation was to save your immortal soul in and through the Catholic Church?" he asked. "Your trust should be in your God, the God of your faith which you received at the time of your baptism into the Catholic Church." He quoted Matthew 6:25-27, 31-33 in an effort to convince me to seek first the kingdom of God. "To renounce your inherited faith in favor of someone else's is not true. No man can be happy if he throws away the only sure means of obtaining happiness in this life and in the next, his faith. In the name of the Holy Family, Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, I beg you to reconsider your course of action. It is not too late now, it will be later." It was signed, "Your former pastor and friend."

I knew he was sincere and was reaching out to me in a way he thought was best. But I had found the truth and could not back down from my convictions despite my respect for and relationship with Father Graff. I had learned and would continue to learn that converts encounter opposition to their desire to find the truth. It is as the prophet Jacob in the Book of Mormon said when challenged by a nonbeliever: "He had hope to shake me from the faith" (Jacob 7:5). This is a universally common occurrence for new converts. The support system of nourishment, friends, and responsibility must be well in place early in the process of coming into the Church. Luckily for me, when Father Graff's letter arrived, I was not shaken enough to return to my previous religious life. I was founded in the truths beyond the traditions and religions of men. I was staying with the First Vision, the restoration of the priesthood of God, the additional testament of Jesus Christ, and other latter- day scriptures. I was sticking with the restoration of the true church and the plain and precious doctrines of Christ. I wanted to be a Latter- day Saint, live my newfound religion, and follow the living prophets and apostles. It was a time of testing and a time of moving on in my new faith.

CONVERTS NEED THE SUPPORT OF GOOD FRIENDS TO ESTABLISH ROOTS IN THE GOSPEL.

Converts through the ages have all faced the challenges that come from living their newfound truth. That is why the prophet, President Gordon B. Hinckley, has counseled that every convert must have a friend. However, much of what is involved with being a good friend to our prospective members and new converts involves our willingness to rely on the Lord and use faith in our efforts. Joseph Smith said, "Doubt and faith do not exist in the same person at the same time; so those persons whose minds are under doubts and fears cannot have unshaken confidence; and where unshaken confidence is not there faith is weak; and where faith is weak the persons will not be able to contend against all the opposition, tribulation, and afflictions which they will have to encounter" (Lectures on Faith [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1985], 6:12). We must really believe that this is the work of Jesus Christ, that He has asked us to help Him move the gospel cause forward with faith, and that we are empowered to assist others in coming unto Christ. When our testimonies are strong, then we can offer to share the burdens of our prospective members and new converts by loving and friendshipping them. Jesus said, "My yoke is easy, and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:30). We must be willing to bear each other's burdens. In so doing we will receive the help we need from Christ. The Lord opens doors for us. To the apostle Peter the Lord said three times, "Lovest thou me?" And three times the Lord responded to Peter's answer with "Feed my sheep" (John 21:15-17). The Lord has said that He knows His sheep. He invites those who will hear His voice to join His church. He has asked us to shoulder part of the responsibility to recover His lost sheep and to keep them in the fold.

In the Book of Mormon we read that the faithful missionary Ammon faced trying times with the people he taught, but his faith in the Lord was strong. He said, "When our hearts were depressed, and we were about to turn back, behold, the Lord comforted us, and said: Go amongst thy brethren, the Lamanites, and bear with patience thine afflictions, and I will give unto you success. And now behold, we have come, and been forth amongst them; and we have been patient in our sufferings, and we have suffered every privation; yea, we have traveled from house to house, relying upon the mercies of the world—not upon the mercies of the world alone but upon the mercies of God. And we have entered into their houses and taught them, and we have taught them in their streets; yea, and we have taught them upon their hills; and we have also entered into their temples and their synagogues and taught them" (Alma 26:27-29).

Once the commitment has been made and a person is baptized, we must not give up our efforts. Nurturing through friendship and sharing is vital to the new convert's success. New converts are fresh and eager to live according to the truths they have just learned about. Exercise the faith required to know how to be a friend, how to take care of our converts after baptism, and how to help nurture their newly formed testimonies. A new convert's growth can come from the strengthening qualities of good friends in the gospel.

Now, let us take a journey across the United States as we peek into the landmarks and roots of the Restoration. After we familiarize ourselves with where the Restoration took place, let us then examine the role of friendship in reestablishing the Savior's true religion on the earth.

I-90 traverses America from east to west, from the Pacific Coast to the Atlantic Coast. Literally thousands of exits are provided. Major cities are located along this historic interstate highway, such as Boston, Albany, Syracuse, Buffalo, Cleveland, Chicago, Madison, Sioux Falls, Rapid City, Sheridan, Missoula, Coeur d'Alene, Spokane, and Seattle. Millions of people, all children of our Heavenly Father, travel I-90 day and night, day after day, year in and year out. They are going somewhere, coming from somewhere, being tossed to and fro with every wind of doctrine like the bushes and trees blown and whipped by the thousands of vehicles that rush by on this great highway.

Westbound on I-90, after Syracuse and before Rochester, a single exit sign carries the name "Palmyra." This is a tiny town, lying beside the old Erie Canal, dotted with monuments called churches and rich with history of the doctrines of men, having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof.

In about 1815, Joseph Smith's family came to this quiet place. God prepared a marvelous work and a wonder in this obscure wayside. There is a forest glade there, reverently called by Latter- day Saints the Sacred Grove. The God of heaven and His holy Son, Jesus Christ, beings beyond description, full of light brighter than the noonday sun, appeared to the boy- prophet right in that place—just off I-90 and just north of that busy highway of life. Think of it! The world again had access to truth about the Supreme Being of the Universe, God the Eternal Father: Our Father in Heaven was again revealed to the fallen and apostate world. Could such a thing really happen in our day? Could God be so profound, so real, so willing to help His children? It did happen, and Jesus was there as well. Jesus instructed Joseph in plainly spoken words, and the heavens were opened again for us. Truth was revealed to a prophet, and even a record was available to testify of the Savior—yes, even another testament of the living Son of God, the Redeemer of the world. Where was the record? In a nearby hill called Cumorah, just off I-90 westbound, right along the Palmyra Road. A record was there, a record seen five thousand years ago by Enoch. It was truth sent forth out of the earth, bear testimony of [the] Only Begotten; his resurrection from the dead; yea, and also the resurrection of all men" (Moses 7:62). This sacred record, translated by the gift and power of God and known today as the Book of Mormon, was prepared for mankind near little Palmyra. It was published to the world right in this little town.

Let us leave I-90 for a moment and pick up I-80 south of Syracuse and just into Pennsylvania. Here we find Harmony. It is not even identified as an exit, but this is the place of the restoration of the holy priesthood, called today the Aaronic and Melchizedek Priesthood. There is a river there, the Susquehanna, on whose banks holy events took place in which God's authority was restored to man and sacred ordinances were performed as Jesus would direct. So much good for so many people—for all the people of the world—yet it is hardly noticed by the masses who hurry to their busy lives, their self- declared forms of worship, and their worldly distractions.

Returning to I-90, before we leave New York state, the sacred record called the Doctrine and Covenants, section 20, leads us to another scene so small it is also not mentioned on the highway exit signs. In fact, it is not mentioned in many road maps of New York state. I refer to Fayette, New York. This tiny place, the simple log home of Peter Whitmer, was the location of many sacred events. The testimony of the Three Witnesses was signed there, the Book of Mormon translation was completed there, the Church was organized there, twenty revelations in the Doctrine and Covenants were received in that home ten miles south of I-90, just east of Palmyra. It was a remarkable time of schooling for the Prophet Joseph Smith. He was now twenty- four years old, and the heavenly process had begun when he was fourteen years old with the remarkable vision of the Father and the Son who appeared to him in the Sacred Grove. On Tuesday, April 6, 1830, with nearly sixty people crowded into the humble cabin, the church of Jesus Christ was again established upon the earth by proper authority and with the ordinances necessary for salvation. The restoration of the gospel was well underway.

Real places, real people, real authority, real revelation to do God's work in the latter days. If we hurry on westward and cross Pennsylvania into Ohio, we will find another sacred place. Watch for the exit off I-90, where hardly a public notice appears. There it is—Kirtland—Kirtland, Ohio. Sixty- six revelations were received in the vicinity of this hamlet. More doctrines of the Restoration were revealed there. Angelic beings with keys of authority and the truths of eternity were brought from heaven to the Prophet Joseph Smith in this place. Jesus came here, and Joseph declared, "He lives! for we saw him, even on the right hand of God; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father" (D&C 76:22-23).

The first latter- day House of the Lord was erected in this little place. Moses, even the mighty prophet of Israel, came to this temple—Elias and Elijah also. They revealed wondrous blessings from the eternal throne of God. That's right—it happened at Kirtland, just off I-90, east of Cleveland, a little to the south of that main thoroughfare traversing America east to west. The magnificent libraries of the world do not hold these secrets of the kingdom of God. Not even the mighty cities of the world were the places of the restoration of the eternal gospel. The mysteries of the kingdom of God were revealed in Palmyra, Fayette, Harmony, Kirtland, Nauvoo, and even today in Salt Lake City.

Though I have seen the places of the Restoration, have stood on those sacred spots, and have trodden the Holy Land of America and the ancient Holy Land, or today's Israel, I knew before I visited where Jesus walked and prophets talked that the events of the Restoration and the Lord's life were true. I bear witness that I knew it was true before I saw the places with my eyes, before I felt the feelings in those places in my heart. The Restoration did occur—just off I-90, in holy places, in our day. I know by the power of the Holy Ghost that these things occurred, that Jesus is the Son of God, that this is His church, that Joseph was His prophet, and that the Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ, proclaiming the Redeemer's holy life and teachings. This is His church and kingdom on earth today. I write reverently of Jesus and Joseph. For me, their names are inseparably linked as friends of all mankind. Jesus taught Joseph, and Joseph taught the wondrous revelations of the Restoration.

These events did not occur without some difficulty and persecution, however. The road was long and hard as Joseph Smith and the other believers worked to establish the Lord's church on the earth. Joseph Smith was the first latter- day example of a truly retained convert. As Jesus is the prototype of salvation or a saved Being, so is Joseph the prototype of converts in the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. His father and mother and other members of the family were also valiant in their conversion to the Lord and the restoration of all things in these last days. New converts often feel somewhat the way those first members of the Church might have felt—unsure of the doctrine, infantile in experience, and even alone in their efforts. The story of Joseph Smith's brother Hyrum provides some insight into how Joseph was able to withstand the pressures of a newfound religion.

Joseph had a challenging life as he decided to stand by his vision once he had committed to the process of restoring the gospel of Jesus Christ. Among the first to challenge his revelatory experiences were the ministers of the local churches. Most converts are tested as to whether they will have the strength to stay committed. One poignant relationship through all of this difficulty for Joseph was with his brother Hyrum. Through the years of establishing the Church, Hyrum stood by Joseph, sustained him, and supported him. They were faithful in the gospel together. Fourteen years after Hyrum stood with Joseph as one of the first members of the newly organized church, they faced the greatest trial of their lives: death at the hands of those who opposed this restored religion. When Joseph knew he was going to be killed, he begged his brother to return to safety, but Hyrum would not leave him. The scripture records, "In life they were not divided, and in death they were not separated" (D&C 135:3). From the time of his conversion, Joseph had a friend who was willing to stand by him and never leave his side. That friend helped him in all aspects of his life—even until their tragic death in the Carthage Jail.

I also feel honored to call Joseph my friend. I have come to know the meaning of the words penned by John Taylor after the Prophet's death. He said, "Joseph Smith, the Prophet and Seer of the Lord, has done more, save Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man that ever lived in it" (D&C 135:3). I cannot express adequately my love for this friend of all of us who have found the joy of the restoration of the true gospel of Jesus Christ.

What about our convert friends? Will we help them, love them, and nourish them—never giving up on them? Will we help sustain them through their trials, hardships, and difficulties as well as their joys? I regard my brother Jerry as one of the most valiant of Latter- day converts and a true friend to me. Since his conversion, we have been able to share a brotherhood of the highest respect and regard. One year after his baptism, he served as a faithful missionary in the Franco Belgium Mission. This was made possible by members of an elders quorum who contributed the funds for his service. Just days after he returned from the mission field, he was called to serve his country in the Vietnam War. He did so as a medic and as an ordained seventy. He taught the gospel in foxholes, bomb craters, and jungle camps and was regarded by his companions as a faithful and devout follower of the Lord. Miracles were part of this man's daily walk in the hazards of war. He has married in the temple and raised a beautiful family of missionaries and examples in gospel living. We have both served as bishops, in stake presidencies, and on high councils, and we have performed temple work for our deceased ancestors. How I love faithful and obedient Gerald S. (Jerry) Coleman. To be with him, or hear his voice, or anticipate time together with him is one of my greatest joys in this life. I feel sweet nourishment from his faith and humble testimony and friendship. Jerry stood with me in my decision to join the Church. He still stands with me, and I with him. We are brothers in flesh and brothers in the gospel. Oh, what a difference dear friends and family make in a convert's ability to stay committed to the decision of baptism!

Another good friend in the Church is my wife. The Lord led me to the gospel through Judy England, and together we grew in knowledge and understanding through courtship, temple marriage, and raising a family. We have served and studied and prayed our way through the challenges and joys of this life. I was very fortunate that this friend, who introduced me to the restored gospel, has become my eternal friend and companion.

John Madsen and I have also followed similar gospel paths. One of my first gospel education experiences was attending his seminary class. If you remember, that is where I gained a testimony of Joseph Smith. Isn't it interesting that I have followed him in his vocational pursuit. I am grateful that he encouraged me to enter the Church Educational System as he did when we were young married men. We both served as Church leaders and full- time mission presidents. Our families were together often in pursuit of masters' and doctorate degrees in education. I consider it a great honor that we have grown and served together in the work of the Lord. Perhaps the greatest blessing we could share in this life as eternal friends came when we were both called to the Second Quorum of the Seventy in June 1992 and to the First Quorum of Seventy in April 1997. Two men, one baptized by the other forty years ago, now serve full- time in the latter- day work of our Master and Savior.

I pay tribute to these three special friends, my faithful brother, my eternal companion, and my steadfast mentor. They have supported my search for the true ways of the Lord. What greater friends could a convert have? They helped me establish deep gospel roots, and I have been strengthened by their love and companionship during these years of enjoying the blessings of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. May we be the kind of friend to new converts that will strengthen them and support them in their newfound religion as my friends did with me.