Dear Family (2 February 2009)

Dear Family (2 February 2009)

Last Monday president contacted me and told me that I would not be training. The guy I was going to train ended up going home. He told me that I would be getting Elder Rajohanesa from Madagascar. He came out with Elder Roper and has been out for about 14 months. I was very disappointed and sad that I wasn’t going to be training I even cried, how weird is that? I had a lot of things going through my mind, like when would I then be able to train? I didn’t want to be one of those guys who trained just as they were going to be leaving mission. Well Elder Rajohanesa came to me and things are great. He is a great missionary, and I’m sure there is a lot that Heavenly Father wants me to learn from him. He teaches very powerfully and seems to know Preach My Gospel well. Before transfers came I prayed that I would be ready for what Heavenly Father wanted to give me. I wasn’t ready for him to tell me I would train and then take it back, but I think it was good for me. I think that although it looks like things didn’t go the way they were suppose to that they happened for the best. I’m starting to learn more and more how much Heavenly Father’s hand is in this work.
On Sunday we had the opportunity to teach a congregation; it was a church meeting in a garage. We were actually looking for a potential investigator that we met the previous day, when we were invited to join them. We decided to try it out especially because a future investigator might have been there. We walked in as they were singing a hymn, and the men leading the service invited us to come to the front. Elder Rajohanesa and I joined them at the front and took a seat. These people were very charismatic in there worship. They spoke in some African language and had someone interpreting for them. They spoke to us and referred to us as pastor and elder, and wanted us to share with them. They wanted us to heal them spiritually. They continued their service and then invited me to share something. I shared from Luke 22:40-44. As I read I felt the spirit and was touched by the phrase “And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly…” Our Savior was suffering for us, and when the pain got worse he prayed harder, and was strengthened by an angel. I got a little teary-eyed and had to pause. As I paused they started to sing. I liked that a lot about them. The act of them singing gave me a chance to compose myself. After the song I was able to proceed. When I was done I bore my testimony and sat down. Elder Rajohanesa then began to share. He shared about the Restoration, and Joseph Smith, and even invited everyone to come visit us at our church. He bore testimony and then sat down as well. As he shared the Restoration I was a little scared but then I prayed in my heart that all would go well. We left a bunch of pamphlets, some with our names and number, with the people. They seemed very happy that we came and shared with them. The pastors thanked us and even took our pamphlets and put them on top of their Bibles. They told us we were welcome to come again. A couple of them even told us they would visit us. The potential investigator, Tsholofelo, even said he would come visit us at church next week. Elder Rajohanesa was powerful, and I hope that next time I find myself in that situation that I will be able to share the Restoration as he did.
We met with Nkosana on Sunday night. I asked him if he had any questions about church. He told us that it seemed like we focused on the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith more then the Bible, and we was wondering why. I then reminded him that if we know Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon are true then we know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is where Heavenly Father wants us to be. We focus on them a lot because people need to learn about them, and then pray and ask God if they are true so that they can know for themselves from God if they are true. He hadn’t been reading the Book of Mormon, partly because it was too hard to understand, so we decided to read it with him. We read 3 Nephi 11 with him and then talked to him more about praying and asking God. I then prayed to show him and Ncumisa an example of how we wanted them to ask God. I prayed and asked Heavenly Father specifically if the Book of Mormon was true and then paused in my prayer for a while to feel. I then closed my prayer in the name of Jesus Christ and told them that if they didn’t receive an answer then we wanted them to pray by themselves or together as to whether the book was true. I think Nkosana might have felt something but I’m not sure. We are going to see him and Ncumisa again on Friday. This work is great and the fruits of it make me a happy person. Thank you everyone for reading. God Bless.

Elder Lane