Both the Bishop and his wife bore testimony and it was touching.
A young kid...the only young one who stood got up and rather than giving a "thank-you-mony" he said, "I have a testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith and Gordon B. Hinckley and I love them. I love the Book of Mormon. I testify that Jesus Christ is my Savior and I love Him. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is His Church. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen."
It sent chills through me. That kind of testimony is the reason we go. Of course I appreciated the heartfelt testimony building stories that are inevitablly told, but the 11 or 12 year old visitor that bore his testimony left a lasting impression.
About 13 years ago, Elder F. Enzio Bushe came to visit our stake and he spoke in our combined ward priesthood/releif society meeting. He said that as a general authority that he almost always attends stake conference every Sunday but that every once in a while he was scheduled to be home in Salt Lake City on the first Sunday of the month.
He said that a new convert from Africa had been sent to Salt Lake and she was learning Family History work so that she could take it back to Africa and prepare her people for a temple. (I don't remember if she was in Nigeria or Ghana)
This African sister attended his home ward and his wife had become familiar with her. The fast and testimony meeting was the last meeting of their three hour block. As they left the chapel, Elder Bushe struck up a conversation with the African sister. He asked her if she had enjoyed the testimony meeting that day and her reply was not what he expected.
She said, "Well, it was alright, but I was a bit disappointed. In our branch back home, sometimes fast and testimony meeting takes up the entire 3 hour block. Don't the saints in America see angels?" She enquired. "In Africa, we testify of the Lord's love for us and we teach each other what Angles have taught us during the past month and how they have come to our aid and called us to repentance". In my branch in Africa, most of us have seen angels. Why don't the saints talk about that here?"
He then asked all of us. "When was the last time you saw an angel? When was the last time one of them called you to repentance? When was the last time you were able to discern that an angel had guided you and protected you?"
He basically called all of us to repentance.
Of course for some of us, to repeat what the Lord had taught us the previous month would be like casting our pearls. For others of us, we are put under strict command not to impart.
I am so grateful for the Spirit of the Lord that was poured out upon me today at Fast and Testimony meeting. It has a sanctifying influence. I want to be a better person.
Mahonri
__________________
no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing... the truth of God will go forth till it has penetrated every website, sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished and the great Jehovah shall say the work is done
i can honestly say our testimony meeting today was the most incredible meeting I have attended in a while (nd our testimony meetings are generally awesome!).
there were so few people speaking English that translation should have been needed, but the people who were translating truly were not that essential.
the Holy Spirit spoke volumes today and it was just beautiful to see how the restored Gospel is so much more than our language and culture and it is so worldwide. age was no boundary, nationality no barrier and the testimonies that were shared were just pure.
We had a few testimonies given today where an interpreter may have been nice, but the Spirit was so strong that it seemed unnecessary. The Spirit knows no language barrier.
Our meeting went over by about 10 minutes. The counselor who was conducting got up to close and said we could go on. I was really kind of hoping that the offer had been more than just a comment...
By the time the Sacrament is done and any ward business / baby blessings, we are lucky if we get 30 - 35 minutes for the sharing of testimony. When the Spirit is strong, sometimes I think it is more important to continue than to close in a timely fashion. Those that desire to share their testimony should not have to feel like they are competing against the clock.
And though I had just finished sharing a small part of my testimony with nearly a thousand people (many not members of the Church) over the past two nights, I wanted to share more of it with the brothers and sisters of our ward but was unable to due to time.
__________________
It seems to me the only thing you've learned is that Caesar is a "salad dressing dude."
We had a good one too. My wife and I had a neighbor with us. She said she LOVED the testimony thing. She had all these questions for my wife, asking her if we Sacrament meeting was always like that, or if she'd been "set up". :) She felt like every testimony was directed at her. My wife explained that every first sunday we have a fast and testimony meeting, and the lady swore then and there that she'd be there for every one of them. (I thought that was really interesting, as I've met many new members who hate Fast and Testimony meeting, but like everything else about the church.) She called later that night, because her two children who were of age to be baptized had both wanted to be baptized. They had questions she couldn't answer. And she said that she wanted to be baptized too.
Her life is a total mess, yet the Spirit really sandblasted her. I really hope our family can be the type of family that helps her make it through the gates of membership, because I foresee a really long path for her... but who am I to judge? Needless to say, We're praying really, really hard...
--Ray
__________________
I'm not slow; I'm special. (Don't take it personally, everyone finds me offensive. Yet somehow I manage to live with myself.)
My 5yo bore her testimony in Primary yesterday. It went something like this, "... and I love my teacher and my dance teacher and I love all God's children (I think she picked that phrase up at Catholic school) and my Mom and my Dad and my brothers and sister and the Church and I love the scriptures and Primary and ... (with a growing grin) ... STEPHEN" Yeah, the 9 year old class busted up and poor Stephen was quite red.
-- Edited by Cocobeem at 12:51, 2007-12-03
__________________
Life is tough but it's tougher if you're stupid. -John Wayne
Oooh, Coco, your Primary does testimony meetings?? I wish my primary would do this.
__________________
"The promptings of the Holy Ghost will always be sufficient for our needs if we keep to the covenant path. Our path is uphill most days, but the help we receive for the climb is literally divine." --Elaine S. Dalton
Yeah, cuz they're not supposed to get up in Sac. mtg. if they need help, remember? Or am I in some whacko ward... cuz that wouldn't really surprise (or bother) me...?
We have a small Primary and everyone gets up (about 20) except maybe 3 or 4 kiddos. It's pretty cool. When they announce it, it's like this mad scramble to get in line. Can you imagine if Sac. mtg. looked like that?
__________________
Life is tough but it's tougher if you're stupid. -John Wayne
It also depends on how strong the crush is. If she gets binoculars and a parabolic mike and starts observing whatever room Stephen is in, then I'd say you have a problem.
__________________
If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animated contest of freedom, go from us in peace. May your chains sit lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen! - Samuel Adams
Primary children should actually be encouraged to bear testimony in Primay meetings instead of the Fast & Testimony Meeting by way of habit.
While an occasional child bearing testimony in Fast & Testimony Meeting is nice and is also appropriate, having a constant line of children each month does limit the number of adults who get the opportunity.
__________________
It seems to me the only thing you've learned is that Caesar is a "salad dressing dude."
I console myself with the fact that she's also "in love" with every boy in her kindergarten class. It's a small Catholic school and when someone gets picked up at the end of the day, everyone gives hugs, like they're never going to see each other again... it's quite the ceremony.
__________________
Life is tough but it's tougher if you're stupid. -John Wayne
You will probably want to put a stop to it when she's forty and married with a family, though. :) Then when she confesses her love for Stephen... well... ahem... :)
--Ray
__________________
I'm not slow; I'm special. (Don't take it personally, everyone finds me offensive. Yet somehow I manage to live with myself.)
Yeah, I know about the thing where they are not supposed to go up in Sacrament meeting if they need help. It's not strictly followed in my ward, though. I wish it was. It was followed in my last ward and they still didn't have testimony time in primary though. I think I'll call my Primary president. I needed to anyway.
Oh and about crushes. My Primary class sits directly behind the one my 5 yr old is in. Yesterday I got to witness him give a big grin and then a wink to the girl sitting next to him. The fit of giggling I had was not the best example of reverence for my class, I'm afraid.
__________________
"The promptings of the Holy Ghost will always be sufficient for our needs if we keep to the covenant path. Our path is uphill most days, but the help we receive for the climb is literally divine." --Elaine S. Dalton
Can you imagine if Sac. mtg. looked like that?
