Sunday, August 4th Berea fast sunday

We decided to go to Berea Ward again. We needed to make sure all was well with the David Glen Hatch fireside that is at the location on Sunday, 3PM.

It was testimony meeting, so we were treated to some good ones.
One young man said that the first time he attended our church he loved the talks that were given...they made his heart happy and that feeling didn't go away after the talk was over. That is how he knew the church is true and why he is a member today.

Another one expressed thanks to Joseph Smith and then he talked about if you own a Mercedes, you take it to an authorized service provider whenever it needs service. If you do not go to an authorized service provider your warranty is invalid. He said that is why we belong to this church, because it is the authorized service provider for getting back into Heavenly Father's present. We may go to other churches and be serviced, but if we want to benefit from our warranty and return to Heavenly Father's presence, we stick with someone who is authorized to perform these services of the priesthood and who knows better than anyone else what we have to do to be the best we can be. He quoted Mosiah 2:1 about how we must always have an eternal perspective.

Then this very large German-looking young man spoke. Every time I have seen this man he is smiling. Sometimes we see him pull up to the front of the church in a van and drop off a black family with loads of children. He gave a short but sweet testimony of the Gospel.

A member of the Bishopric bore his testimony about the miracles he has experienced since becoming a part of the church and especially part of the Bishopric (He looks really young). He talked about the still small voice and how his car broke down while on his way to church today. He tried and tried to start the car, but it would not start. He said a silent prayer and then tried again. The car started and got him to the church, but as soon as he got there, the car broke down again. He said he was grateful for the Book of Mormon and that the Lord would speak to him and let him know it is true.

The Bishop then bore his testimony and said that August is a very special month to his family. In August, he celebrates his birthday, his wife's birthday, his baptism anniversary, wedding anniversary and it was the month his grandfather confirmed him a member of the church and gave him the Gift of the Holy Ghost. He said his grandfather died shortly after doing so. He told us we need to quiet our lives, so we can hear the whispering of the Spirit.

The next man said he was here for the transplant games. We first heard about this from a lady at our hotel in Cape Town. People that have gotten organ transplants and are exercising and doing well are invited to these transplant games and competitions to show everyone the gift that transplant was in their lives and to prove that they can be healthy contributing human beings afterwards.

Some young girls then got up to bear their testimonies. I love how they say 'Thomas S. Monson' with their sweet humble voices and you can hear the way they revere him.

Another man got up and said that the Book of Mormon is the greatest road map you could ever have. He said his birthday was last week and he turned 28. When the people at work found out he was 28 they said they thought he was older...because he was married with children (In Africa, men marry later, if at all). They wanted to know why he would do that when he could be out having fun and dating lots of women. He told them his life is changed for the better. When he thought about it later, he said that in this church is vested the power of the priesthood and with that comes many blessings. He said the temple is one of those blessings. He said he loves the Gospel that teaches us so much. He then said that in 1st Nephi it says that God will not give us commandments unless he prepares a way for us to keep them. In the church we know a lot...stick with what you know and all will go well.

Then the 2nd Counselor in the stake presidency bore his testimony. He said he spoke to his son who is overseas. He said that anyone who sees the world and it's beauty and does not believe in the God who created it is smoking his socks (Yes he said this). Then he said that God has spoken again from the Heavens and through Joseph Smith the gospel has been restored. Our quest is to no longer search for the truth, but to live it. He said the sacrament and atonement are worthy of his adoration and thanks.

Aren't these amazing testimonies!

We then had Sunday School and this very sweet young black man taught the lesson. It was about the adversities of the early church members and the prophet being thrown into Liberty Jail. He talked about Joseph being very upset about the persecution of the saints while he was in jail and asked the Lord why he couldn't help the saints. He quoted from Section 121 of the D&C, 1-33. Where Joseph prays and then receives an answer. He said that blessings are not always evident, sometimes not even in this lifetime and that Joseph Smith's blessings came after he was killed. Plus out of Liberty jail came some of his most powerful revelations. At the end of the lesson he played a song (from his phone, he had the smallest speaker, but it really was loud and clear. The song quoted some of the 121st section when Joseph prayed and got his answer. It is sung by one of the Osmond brothers (David) and is pretty much country western music, but it was so good and so powerful.

In Relief Society, we got a lesson on visiting teaching. It started with a skit. There were three older women. Two played the VTs and one was the one being visited. It was so funny. They pretended to knock on the door and the woman pretended to open it. When she saw her visitors, she told them that she had an appointment and was just getting ready to leave. One of the VTs said, that's okay; we'll just be a minute and pushed her way in. The lady said, but I have to leave, and the bossy VT pushed her into the chair and said, "Oh just sit down for a moment, we won't be long."  Then the bossy VT started gossiping about another sister they had just visited. The lady being visited asked her to please not gossip and didn't she have a lesson. She said, "Oh yes there is a lesson, but it's about tithing and we've all heard that a million times, so why not talk about Sister____ and her problems. This was enough, so the lady stood and said she had to go and wished they would make an appointment next time. The bossy VT said, "Would you like say a word of prayer." The woman smiled and said she would and the bossy VT looked at her watch and grabbed her partner and started to take off, yelling over her shoulder that they didn't have time - they had another appointment. We were all laughing by this point.

So the lesson was about being effective visiting teachers and they passed out questionnaires and put us into groups to talk about how we would answer the questions. Then they went around the room asking for answers. The answers were all pretty obvious I thought, but I had to remember that many of these sisters are new to the church and visiting teaching. They asked questions like, "One of your sisters calls you to ask for help at her home and you are very busy yourself...what do you do?"
or "You don't like your companion; what can you do?" In answer to the question, "I have been visiting sister_____ and she is always in the dumps. She is depressed and negative about everything. It is not fun to visit her. What should I do?" A lady said that she visits a woman in a nursing home that is like this and she brings chocolates, so every time the woman starts in on everything that is wrong in her life, she hands her a chocolate (the ladies favourite) and she gives her lesson and smiles at the lady and leaves her with a couple more chocolates. Then there was this one, "My companion takes no initiative to make appointments or give the lesson and this has been going on since she became my companion a year ago. I am tired of it...what is the solution to this problem?" Someone said, offer her chocolates...ha.

Then the Relief Society President, a sweet, but powerful black woman got up and said that she is 55 and her children are gone and she is alone. One day she was feeling sorry for herself...thinking that she did not have any friends and why didn't anyone care about her, that she was tired of her life and her small apartment and didn't know what to do. Then she heard a small voice say, "What do you mean that you don't have anyone. What do you mean that you are lonely and no one cares about you? What about the two girls downstairs that you pass every day when you come home?" She decided to act upon this prompting and went downstairs to see who these two little girls belonged to. She found out that their mother is only 23 and her mother died that year. She had no one to go to when she needed advice or just someone who would listen to her. Those little girls did not have a grandmother. She said from that day on, she became their grandmother and their mother's shoulder to cry on. She then said that no one has any reason to say they are lonely or complain that no one comes to visit them, when they need to get off their backside and find someone who needs them....to stop feeling sorry for themselves and think about what they can do for someone else. WOW...she was awesome.

After church I met up with Elder Kyle and he told me that he had a chance to talk to the Durban Stake president who was there. We've been trying to get him to answer calls and emails for weeks and thought he might have a problem with us, but they had a great talk and settle a lot of issues. We both had a strong feeling that we should go to this ward today...and it really paid off. It helps if you listen to that still small voice.  It was a GREAT day.