The custom in this mission is that those missionaries who are going home within the month are given the first opportunity to bear testimony during Fast and Testimony meeting. Since I will be leaving this month, I at last was given the opportunity to bear my testimony. Since I have been preparing to talk with my former classmate about my conversion to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, one of the topics on my mind had been my wondering as a young person why God did not have a prophet on the earth today. So that is what I bore testimony of during the meeting [even though as it turns out I did not mention this to my former classmate].
Then in Relief Society a question was asked which prompted me to bear my testimony of the true nature of Heavenly Father--that He is not some floaty thing that doesn't like people, particularly women, but is the Father of our spirits, and He wants all of His children back, and we get to help with this work. One of the sisters thanked me after the meeting for sharing this.
And then I talked with my former classmate for about an hour concerning my conversion. The story is not short, because it begins when I was three, and gained a testimony of the reality and love of the Savior, Jesus Christ.
Then when I was six, I asked my Mother if we were sure we had the right church, which started a sequence of events that I did not even connect until a few years ago. There was much to recoount concerning my teenage years and young adult years, before I was ever open to the possibility of becoming a "Mormon".
I am just grateful to have reviewed this part of my life, and to have these things called to my remembrance. I am grateful that I prayed the most significant prayer of my life, just before watching the old version of "Meet the Mormons"--"Please help me not to shut it out before I give it a chance."
I am, of course, extremely grateful that my prayer was answered, because I resonated with what I saw and heard--a single standard of morality for men and women was what I remember the most. That had been an issue for me since I was a youngster. In the Lord's true Church, I am grateful to know that all of us are expected to keep the commandments.
My former classmate was respectful enough to tell me up front that he was curious, and concerned for the welfare of my soul [he is a minister]; he was not interested in learning the truthfulness of the Gospel. As we ended our conversation, I did tell him what I told my father as he approached death, and others also through the years: "When you die, and it is not like you expected it to be, please listen." I am so glad to know that Heavenly Father's plan has made a way for all to come back to Him, kept back only by their own lack of desire. I believe what modern prophets have said about how very few will reject the Gospel in the spirit world. I believe that the temple work we do will eventually be accepted--and as I felt when I was being taught the Gospel: we all have at least a thousand years to get it right!
This morning I downloaded eleven batches of indexing--which turned out to be from one of my ancestral towns in Baden! My relatives left before the years that these records were recorded, but probably some of them are descendants. At the least I am able to recognize some names that otherwise I would struggle more with.
I enjoyed talking with my oldest daughter this morning. I had texted my granddaughter at my usual time to call, because they are visiting family this weekend. She texted back a while later, which was very nice. Then it was later when my daughter called.
Over night we did get snow--which was busy melting by the early afternoon while I was walking to church.
I am hoping that my Sweetheart got off work in time to make it to church. I look forward to talking with him soon.
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